RUSSIA: WINTER OLYMPICS - President Vladimir Putin fires a top Russian Olympic official after publicly ridiculing him on a visit to half-finished sports complexes in Sochi

Record ID: 864104

  • Title: RUSSIA: WINTER OLYMPICS - President Vladimir Putin fires a top Russian Olympic official after publicly ridiculing him on a visit to half-finished sports complexes in Sochi
  • Date: 7th February 2013
  • Summary: SOCHI 2014 EMBLEM ON SCREEN
  • Embargoed: 22nd February 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • City:
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Politics,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAEUNMVKJ10BYPFKGY5BHKUUZMB
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  • Story Text: SPORTS: Vladimir Putin fired a top Russian Olympic official on Thursday (February 7) after publicly ridiculing him on a visit to half-finished sports complexes planned for a winter Olympics dogged by reports of corruption and construction delays.
    The humiliation of Akhmed Bilalov, 42, stamped President Putin's authority over the 2014 Sochi Games and underlined the importance he attaches to a global event he hopes will show how far Russia has come since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
    Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak confirmed Putin's decision at a news conference in Sochi.
    "What will happen to Bilalov? The president voiced his decision yesterday. People who fail to honour their commitments on such a scale cannot preside over the Olympic movement in our country or manage the resorts of the North Caucasus. For us that would be a certain risk. This decision has been taken," Kozak said also referring to Bilalov's other job on the board of the Resorts of the North Caucasus, a state firm created to develop luxury resorts.
    "Following that, he is free to choose any other job he wants. But in his relations with the state we will probably be careful with this citizen," Kozak added.
    In a vintage performance, reminiscent of an all-powerful tsar sweeping through town in imperial times, Putin on Wednesday (February 6) became angry when he heard of the rising costs and construction delays at the ski-jump complex Bilalov has been involved in.
    Unsmiling and sarcastic, Putin talked to Kozak asking him about Bilalov's reasons for delaying the construction. He later sacked Bilalov as vice president of Russia's Olympic Committee.
    "Well done. You are really working well," Putin told officials who were accompanying him on a tour of venues and turned away.
    Bilalov's dismissal overshadowed a day of festivities as Russia unveiled huge diamond-shaped clocks in Moscow, Sochi and six other cities counting the days, hours, minutes and seconds to the opening of the Games a year from now.
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