Olympic reprieve for World Heritage Site

The bobsleigh and luge track for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games as well as the Mountain Olympic Village will not be constructed in the buffer zone of the World Heritage Site 'Western Caucasus' as was first planned.

In accordance with the demands of WWF and other environmental organisations, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has agreed to change the location of these facilities for the Sochi Games.

'I consider it necessary to move these venues to another site,' Putin said at a meeting with Russian Olympic officials in Sochi. Environmental organisations were also present at the meeting.

'There's still a lot of work to be done, because all facilities will be constructed in specially protected nature areas,' said WWF-Russia CEO Igor Chestin, who took part in the meeting in the Black Sea resort. 'But the decision Putin has taken today will avoid the most serious threats to the environment.'

Since July 2007, when Sochi was announced as host city for 2014, environmentalists have been urging the government to ensure that construction works do not destroy the environment.

However, the bobsleigh and luge track and Mountain Olympic Village were to be constructed at one of the most valuable natural areas within the Sochi national park, the Grushevyi Ridge and river Pslukh watershed.

Besides being located within the boundaries of Sochi National Park, this area is also part of the buffer zone of the World Heritage Site 'Western Caucasus.'

Construction works in this part of Sochi national park would lead to forest logging and destruction of habitats and migratory routes of endangered species, with negative effects going far beyond the construction site itself.