Aleksandr Zhukov, Russian Deputy Prime Minister, joined Russia Today in Sochi to speak about the planning for the Sochi Winter Olympic Games.

Russia Today: Russia is pledging to finish all construction work in Sochi a good year ahead of the deadline. That sounds ambitious for any country. Tell us how you see this being achieved?

Aleksandr Zhukov: All the facilities, sport facilities, that are to be built should be completed at least one year before the beginning of the Winter Olympic Games, because already in the of winter 2013 we should have international competitions in all kinds of winter Olympic sports. Our federal programme envisages that the majority of the facilities will be completed a year before the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, maybe even earlier.

According to our federal programme, we should build more than 200 kilometers of roads, railways and an entire power supply system. In reality, two months ago I opened a new energy substation that provides power supply for the Krasnaya Polyana and Sochi area. The entire region will be getting power supplies. There will be no problems, as I see it.

Indeed, large sums of money will be spent for conducting and preparing the Olympiad. Here, it's very important to efficiently use the funds. For this purpose there will be special controlling agencies. The Russian Audit Chamber will check out the spending of funds, and the President has asked to hook up the General Prosecutor’s office. Everything will be created to avoid corruption, to avoid the spending funds for no purpose at all.

Spotlight with Aleksandr Zhukov, Deputy Prime Minister and the Head of the Committee for Sochi 2014