IOC inspectors happy with Sochi 2014 progress

SOCHI 2014 officials have been praised by International Olympic Committee inspectors following their latest co-ordination commission visit.

CONTENT: IOC Olympic Games executive director Gilbert Felli and commission chief Jean-Claude Killy declared themselves happy with Sochi 2014's progress (Getty Images)

The panel, led by former Olympic alpine skiing gold medallist Jean-Claude Killy, will conclude their three-day visit to the region - their first in almost a year - later today.

Killy insists he remains happy with the progress at 43 construction sites and was also pleased to see Sochi implement several changes to their plans, following the recent Vancouver Games.

"Sochi 2014 has also learnt a number of lessons from their observation of the Vancouver Games, and this was obvious in the comprehensive presentations that we received from the very motivated staff that we heard from this week," he said.

"It is awe-inspiring work that is being undertaken in the Sochi region.

"With 43 construction sites that are operational 24 hours a day, employing around 16,000 workers, we are looking at one of Europe's biggest and most ambitious construction projects, and I am pleased to report that work is on schedule.

"We reminded the organisers that they need to continue moving forward in some areas, including accommodation, workforce recruitment and training, and construction.

"However, we are confident that the project is on track and are impressed with the progress they have made over the past year, particularly in their very successful marketing programme."

Killy and IOC executive director Gilbert Felli were hosted by organising committee chief executive Dmitry Chernyshenko but also received a briefing from Russian prime minster Vladimir Putin via video conference.

"In 2010, 29.7 billion rubles will be allocated from the federal budget, while 29.1 billion rubles will come from private sources," he said.

"On the whole, the work is progressing on schedule. We are discharging the planned financial resources in full and there are no delays."

However, environmental groups complained that their advice was being ignored and warned of dangerous consequences, if building work continues without checks.

Putin insists 'protection of the environment is one of our priorities' but Pyotr Gorbunenko, deputy director of the World Wildlife Fund, disagrees.

He claims laboratory tests of water from the Mzymta River show that construction work is causing large scale pollution, insisting finding showed concentrations of arsenic, phenols and oil exceeded maximum permissible levels by 300 percent, 3,500 percent, and 6,000 percent.