Olympic Notes: IOC Says 6,000-Plus Unpaid Builders In Sochi Have Been Compensated

The IOC said that more than 6,000 "unpaid builders involved in the construction of the Olympic facilities in Sochi have had their arrears cleared." IOC officials "conducted an investigation into the construction companies that were working in Sochi, and those that failed to pay their employees have been fined and ordered to pay compensation, it said." IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said, "I think they investigated some 500 companies, all the companies that they could identify as having been involved in the construction, and 6,175 workers have been compensated so far" (RIA NOVOSTI, 2/11). ... South Africa Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula said that South Africa is to bid for the 2024 Olympics and "also wants to host the Commonwealth Games two years before that." Mbalula: "The biggest fish to catch is the 2024 Olympics." It is a "major shift in policy for South Africa," which last year said that the cost "to host an Olympics would be too high" (REUTERS, 2/11).