by VK
Biathlon test competitions will be held in Sochi on February 6-11, with about 120 athletes from various parts of the country participating. The competitions will be held at the skiing and biathlon complex on the Ridge of Psikhaka at an altitude of 1450 m. Spectators will be limited. The stadium is only accessible via cable ways - three cable ways will be built only by 2014. Organizers are already inspecting the routes.
Vadim Melikhov, Vice-President of the Union of Biathletes, said that many people are involved in organization of the competitions under supervision of Dmitry Kozak’s inter-department commission. The second level of authority is the coordination headquarters of the Ministry of Sports and Tourism of Yuri Nagorny. The third level is organization committees for sports.
Skiing competitions will be held simultaneously with biathlon. Paralympic games are also planned. Thus, it would be a repetition of the whole system for the Olympic Games.
The vice-president of the Union of Biathletes believes that the tracks in Sochi are complicated, in terms of their technical features. The stadiums in Sochi are peculiar for having multiple meteorological stations, because such competitions are impossible without data on weather. Vadim Melikhov said that detailed information is not only needed for the competitions themselves, but is already in demand three years ahead. There is a special website with data and weather forecasts in Sochi.
Alexander Pak, deputy head of the Union of Biathletes, said that the Ministry for Sports and Tourism will finance the process, the Olympic Committee Sochi-2014 and the Russian Union of Biathletes will provide consultative support.
Maksim Maksimov, winner of numerous world biathlon championships, expressed impatience to try out the new track athletes have only seen on photos as fast as possible.
