Slow Progress on Russian Olympics Site

"But inspectors from the International Olympic Committee might be in for a surprise when they visit Sochi on Wednesday for their second major evaluation of progress.

Piles of gravel, temporary roads and a brand-new fence around the perimeter of the Olympic construction site in Sochi's Imeretinskaya lowland are among the few visible signs that this vast area is a "huge construction site."

Mounds of garbage, including a rusted Zhiguli car covered with graffiti, are strewn across the area where a cargo port will be built to receive construction materials for Olympic venues. A rocky beach where the ships will dock remains untouched. A farm worker who was kicked off the land last year has returned to plant radishes.

A construction foreman at Olimpstroi's site, Igor Makushev, told The Moscow Times that he was not authorized to tell journalists what kind of work was under way and advised that questions be faxed to the Moscow office of Olimpstroi, the state corporation set up to handle construction of most venues."

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