Olympic inspectors give green light to Sochi facilities

The International Olympic Committee has been checking construction for the Sochi 2014 Games, and the head of the IOC delegation says good progress is being made in the preparations.

With construction in the southern Russian city now entering the home stretch, the Olympic facilities are beginning to take shape. Among them are a stadium for 15,000 spectators, two ski-jump ramps and a media village for over 2,500 journalists.According to members of the IOC delegation, who arrived here for a brief working visit, these venues are particularly important. These sites will leave a rich legacy long after the Sochi Olympic Games end, declared Jean-Claude Killy, the head of the delegation and legendary French skier.“What’s happening here is absolutely tremendous. We have never seen [anything] like this,” he said. “This valley is going to be turned into a terrific resort destination.”“Our responsibility in the IOC is to develop sports throughout the world. This is exactly what’s going on here,” Killy continued. “We should look at it all the way through 2014, but this is just the beginning of it, because life here will really start after the Games.”Next year this valley near Sochi will host 19 world-class sporting events, giving the venues a thorough trial before the facilities will be used for their primary purpose.