Vladimir Putin announced the appointment of Taymuraz Bolloev as President of the Olympstroy State Corporation, responsible for delivering venues and infrastructure for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games.
Bolloev, one of Russia's most respected business leaders, has overseen a major acceleration in development for Sochi 2014 in the last two months as acting head of SC Olympstroy, while his predecessor Viktor Kolodyazhny was dealing with personal matters, which have resulted in him stepping down from his position.
Making the announcement from the Prime Minister's Official Residence at Novoogarevo in Moscow, Prime Minister Putin thanked Kolodyazhny for his efforts and underlined to Mr Bolloev the importance of paying close attention to budgets and the schedule of development. He noted that Sochi 2014 goes beyond a private development, and is a national priority project. Addressing Mr Bolloev, Prime Minister Putin said:
“I would like to ask you to pay special attention to ensure that the schedule of all construction work is fully respected and the conditions of people working on construction are taken care of, as well as fulfilling the social rights of citizens who will be relocated and managing the costs of the venues to be constructed.”
Commenting on the appointment, Dmitry Kozak, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia responsible for overseeing preparations for the Sochi 2014 Winter Games, said:
“Due to personal circumstances Viktor Kolodyazhny has asked to transfer to another role that is permanently based in the Krasnodar Region. [New President of SC Olympstroy] Taymuraz Bolloev is known as one of the top managers in the country. His profile and respectability will help him to fulfil the main function of Olympstroy, which is to coordinate and control the contribution of all participants in the Olympic project, from the State involvement through to private investors.”
Deputy Prime Minister Kozak was clear to point out that the Sochi 2014 Winter Games is a national priority for Russia, and that the project is 100% on track. He expressed confidence that Taymuraz Bolloev is an excellent manager and that the Olympic venue and infrastructure development project is in safe hands. Mr Kozak noted that construction yards at Olympic sites are a hive of activity; miles of roads, many bridges and several tunnels have already been constructed; and the Imerintskaya Valley is starting to form into what will become an incredible Olympic Park. He suggested that with a world-class team in place, Sochi 2014 will be delivered firmly on schedule.
Sochi 2014’s accelerated progress is now expected to continue as a result of the appointment, with Mr Bolloev bringing years of experience as a top manager and business leader in Russia. Before being appointed First Vice President of SC Olympstroy earlier this year, Mr Bolloev enjoyed a hugely successful business career. For more than a decade, he was Director, then Director-General, then President of the major Russian brewer, Baltika, where he transformed previously idle facilities into powerhouses of production and significantly contributed to the economy of St. Petersburg and Russia. Prior to joining SC Olympstroy he was Chairman of BTK Group and formerly Director of the Vsevolozhsky industrial complex.
Taymuraz Bolloev, President of the Olympstroy State Corporation, said: “It is truly an honour to be appointed to such a prominent role in Olympic construction. I will work tirelessly to ensure that development for this national priority project is delivered to the highest quality and on schedule. Having lead this development in recent times at Olympstroy, I can confirm that great progress has been made and that we are firmly on-track according to the realistic development schedule.
“We are now about to embark on the next phase of development – the fully fledged construction stage – with strong momentum.”
Kolodyazhny, the retiring President of SC Olympstroy and former Mayor of Sochi, said he was proud of the progress made in the first phase of development for Russia's first Winter Games. He suggested SC Olympstroy has an excellent leadership team in place and is very stable as a corporation, with Taymuraz Bolloev already leading the delivery of significant recent progress.
Last month, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission visited Sochi to inspect its progress and hold meetings with Sochi 2014 officials and stakeholders. Jean Claude-Killy, Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission, said:
“When we look at the work that is being done in areas such as transportation, infrastructure development and technological upgrades for the whole region, it is absolutely immense.
“With the high calibre of the people in front of us and the impressive detail of the reports over the past two days, I am confident that Sochi 2014… will deliver.”
The appointment comes as the Sochi 2014 development project nears completion of its design and engineering phase of preparations, in line with the IOC Master Plan, and will shortly enter the fully fledged construction phase on schedule.
