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Impressions of Sochi
Canada's 2014 Chef de Mission, Steve Podborski, says Sochi games on track
by Andrew Mitchell
- Shutterstock Photo
- ON SCHEDULE Sochi 2014 organizers are on schedule, if not on budget, on their Olympic venues. This building, pictured in 2011, will host the figure skating events.
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Pique: Are people using the venues already? Is this going to be a viable resort in the future?
Podborski: I think so, if enough people turn up. One reason Whistler worked so well is because Vancouver, and also Seattle are nearby and the rubber-tire market helps sustain the resort through the ebbs and flows. Sochi is a relatively small area on the coastline, they don't have any major cities nearby, so they have to hope that everyone from Moscow flies down there in the winter as well as the summer. In the summer it's a popular beach resort.
Pique: Will the mountain resorts do things to attract summer business as well? Are they putting in a bike park or anything?
Podborski: Right now they're still putting up lifts in there, so I don't think they've had time to think that far ahead. Everyone is focused on the Games.
Pique: Was anybody out there skiing?
Podborski: We went with the other Chefs de Missions to look at all the venues, and one area we visited was the finish line for all the alpine events — they have one giant finish area there which is super cool — but while we were standing there and getting the talk about everything and where the athletes were going to be and access and all that, we could see people skiing by in the background. It's definitely being used.
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