They were greeted with the city's first snowfall of the new season in the mountains in Krasnaya Polyana but also by heavy rain in the city centre which has made conditions at times chaotic, leading to heavy traffic and long delays.

But Dmitry Chernyshenko, the President and chief executive of Sochi 2014, was understandably keener to concentrate on the snow following the problems that blighted the last Games in Vancouver earlier this year.

"Here in Sochi, in the mountains of the Krasnaya Polyana, natural snow is guaranteed," he said. 

"Nevertheless we have already started the process of storing the snow preserved from the previous season and of transporting it from altitudes higher than 1,400 meters where snow is abundant at any time.

"At the same time, meteorological conditions at each venue are closely monitored.

"We are also testing snow-making systems that work at temperatures above zero for environmental safety and possible usage during the 2014 Games.

"We have already started testing Sochi’s operational readiness to host the Winter Games - three years before the Games are staged.

"Starting in January 2011, 74 test events will be held here, including 29 international events.

"It would be the equivalent of hosting two Olympic and Paralympic Games before the Games are actually staged in Sochi."

Killy (pictured) and the Commission were greeted by Russian Deputy Prime Ministers Dmitry Kozak, who is overseeing the preparations on behalf of the Government, and Alexander Zhukov, the new President of the Russian Olympic Committee, and toured the Olympic Park where the Bolshoi Ice Palace, the venue for the ice hockey, is rapidly taking shape.

"One hundred and seven Olympic buildings are currently under construction," said Kozak.

"And 50 of them will be finished by the end of the year."

Killy, who has consistently warned Russian officials that they cannot afford to let the pace of preparations ease-up, had early praise for organisers.

"Sochi Olympic preparations are now halfway through, but the progress the city has already made is impressive," he said.

During his trip Putin will inspect houses built for people resettled from the Sochi Games zone and the construction of the Adler to Aplica Service road.

A total of 628 private homes and 68 apartment blocks - affecting more than a 1,000 families - were located on land where Olympic sites will be built.

OlympStroy, the company in charge of building facilities for the Olympics, and the Federal Road Agency are currently in the final stages of building 526 private homes and 604 apartments for the resettlers.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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