Support The Moscow Times!

Belarussian Firm Quits Sochi Biathlon Project

A Belarussian company has backed out of an agreement to build a biathlon complex for the 2014 Sochi Olympics, meaning that Gazprom will have to combine it with the cross-country skiing facility it is already constructing.

Traipl, a diversified Belarussian business group, will not build the facility, and Gazprom, which is already building a 16,000-capacity ski complex, will be responsible for making sure that the biathlon events can be held there as well, a source in Gazprom and a source in the Sochi Organizing Committee said.

The International Olympic Committee has approved the new plans, the source in the organizing committee said. “The IOC wasn’t against it, especially since it was basically a return to our bid plan, where the skiing and biathlon stadiums were also combined,” he said.

Ilya Dzhus, the press secretary for Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, who is overseeing the Olympics preparations, would neither confirm nor deny the information.

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko said two years ago that his country would help build a site for the Sochi Olympics. “We’d like to use our builders, our materials and our efforts to create a little Belarussian corner,” he said, Itar-Tass reported.

The company Traipl was chosen to build the biathlon complex — including the courses and a 20,000-seat stadium — on 40 hectares in Krasnaya Polyana. In 2006, the project was valued at 257 million rubles ($8.7 million).

Traipl’s business stretches from wholesale and retail operations to oil products and building. Vedomosti was unable to reach the firm for comment.

The firm is close to the Belarussian government and backed out of the project because of the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Minsk over oil deliveries, said a source at one of the companies building Olympics sites.

The Russian government no longer wants to offer a discounted export duty for all of the oil that it ships to Belarus, limiting the discount to a smaller volume. The dispute also involves Traipl’s business interests. The company delivers Russian oil to Belarussian refineries, and its profit would depend on the level of the duty.

“If the Russian government decides to correct the construction program for Olympic sites and Gazprom is tasked with building a combined ski and biathlon stadium, then Gazprom will complete that task,” a Gazprom spokesperson told Vedomosti.

Spokespeople for Lukashenko and Olimpstroi did not return requests for comment.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more