Russian Politician Outspoken Against Choice Of Sochi For '14 Games

Former Russia Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov said the '14 Sochi Winter Games "will be an economic and ecological catastrophe," according to Joshua Keating of FOREIGN POLICY magazine. Nemtsov said Russia Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Sochi has "found one of the only places in Russia where there is no snow in the winter." Nemtsov: "He has decided to build these ice rinks in the warmest part of the warmest region. Sochi is subtropical. There is no tradition of skating or hockey there. In Sochi, we prefer football, and volleyball, and swimming. Other parts of Russia need ice palaces -- we don't." Nemtsov added, "Sometimes, it seems like God doesn't even want the Olympics in Sochi." Nemtsov noted Basic Element CEO Oleg Deripaska, a "close friend" of Putin, "attempted to build a sea cargo port in Sochi, but a huge storm in the Black Sea (in late 2009) destroyed it." Nemtsov: "They should have taken this as a sign that God doesn't want this to happen!" Nemtsov also noted "roughly 5,000 people have been forced out of their homes to make room for the Olympic facilities, and thanks to the corruption and incompetence of authorities, have not yet been adequately compensated for their property or been given equivalent housing elsewhere, as they were promised." Meanwhile, Nemtsov said he does not think "terrorism will be a big problem" at the Sochi Games. Nemtsov: "The bigger concerns are organized crime -- which is very active there -- and government corruption" (FOREIGNPOLICY.com, 3/1).