By Duncan Mackay

Dmitry Chernyshenko_in_front_of_Sochi_2014_logoMay 8 - Foreign teams preparing for the 2014 Olympics and Paralympics will have plenty of access to train at the venues before the Games, President and chief executive Dmitry Chernyshenko (pictured) has promised after the issue was raised by an influential member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).


Gunilla Lindberg, a member of the IOC's ruling Executive Committee and the the secretary general of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), had complained last month that Sochi organisers had promised "many times" that teams would be able to prepare on the venues that are being used for 2014 but that it remained a major problem.

"We have to do our best to provide equal support and access to any and all participants," said Chernyshenko.

"In the forthcoming test season automatically all venues will be welcoming international events.

"The problem of athlete access will not exist at all.

"Last [winter] season some private owners of venues stopped construction during test events and restarted after the events.

"That meant that there was some limited access due to safety restrictions to venues."

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