«The heads of Olympic structures cannot and will not publicly tell anything bad about Sochi»
¹ 3-4 (2010) Viewed: 1877
All parties involved in the project «Sochi-2014», have to keep their political face. Even if IOC also has any questions to Russia, they will try to solve them in the regular course of work, believes the head of regional researches department of the Political technologies Center Rostislav Turovsky.
— Total expenses for the project «Sochi-2014» make almost one billion roubles. Are such astronomical investments reasonable, in your opinion? Doesn't Russia run to a gigantomania, like it was in USSR?
— Yes, of course, it slightly reminds gigantomania. To my mind, expenses exceed necessary volume, I would not consider them optimum. I think, it would have been possible to make the Olympic Games with much smaller means. But when there are so much different interests — both political, and financial, it is impossible to avoid superexpenses for the Games. So our government machine works, it is its feature.
— The chairman of the IOC Coordination commission Jean-Claude Killy called «Sochi-2014» the largest building project in the world. Didn't he really see anything better in other Olympic capitals before? Or his enthusiastic statements are just advance payments to Russia, from which IOC is really waiting the organisation of ideal Games?
— I think, that all parties have to keep their political face, at least publicly. Therefore, the IOC similar statements could concern any of the Olympic Games. In general, it is difficult to recollect Games, which preparation had not caused any problems, any charges. And the position of the IOC is always the same. There should be a beautiful picture and something to report on, so that to prove the choice, if it had been already made. There is no way back, so the heads of Olympic structures cannot and will not publicly tell anything bad about Sochi. Even if there are any drawbacks, they will try to solve them in the regular course of work, or, maybe, will soft-pedal the issue.
— This year, unlike the crisis 2009, the volume of state and business investments into the Olympic Games is almost equal. Why do you think there are practically no independent companies in the list of investors of «Sochi-2014»?
— I have not studied a parity of private and public funds, but it seems to me, that business has started to join the building of Olympic objects more actively. Perhaps, these investments are not send yet, maybe, simply by inertia it is considered that the main burden is on state.
— At the highest level is declared the interest of Russia in participation of the foreign companies in Olympic building. Meanwhile, there are actually few of them in Sochi in fact. Doesn't it seem to you, that it is more favourable that organizers involved compatriots, it is cheaper to conclude contracts with them, and easier to agree?
— Participation of the foreign companies in Olympic building is not considerable now. Perhaps, they are involved in words only, and the main load is on Russian business. Actually, it was initially supposed, that the large companies close to the Kremlin and the government will be engaged in building. I think, the requirement for attraction of foreigners exists. They would be useful in some narrow niches.
