Putin Fires Russian Olympics Official as 1-Year Countdown Starts
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President Vladimir Putin decided to fire a senior official on Russia’s Olympic Committee because of delays in construction work for the 2014 Winter Games, which start in a year.
Akhmed Bilalov will be dismissed as an Olympic committee vice president and head of North Caucasus Resorts, which is developing ski areas in the region, after Putin criticized him for rising costs and failing to build a ski jump complex on time, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said in the Black Sea city of Sochi, where the Games will be held. Putin is visiting the region this week.