SOCHI, Russia, March 29 (UPI) -- Construction firms that miss deadlines in preparation for Russia's 2014 Winter Olympics will be heavily fined, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said Friday.
Kozak's warning to firms behind schedule in building venues for the Olympics in Sochi comes a month after deputy Olympic committee chief Akhmed Bilalov was fired over delays at the RusSki Gorki ski jump complex, which was to begin operations in 2011 but is now not expected to be ready until July, the Russian news agency RIA-Novosti reported.
"The penalty for not making deadlines in completing Olympic facilities will be 2 million rubles [$65,000]," Kozak said.
With a year to go before the scheduled Feb. 7 opening ceremonies, all competition facilities, except for two hockey venues, have hosted events. The site of the opening and closing ceremonies and much of the infrastructure of the residential area have yet to be completed, the news agency said.
