Sochi 2014 chiefs meet with London 2012 officials

LONDON - Senior Russian officials met with London 2012 organizers on Thursday to gain tips for delivering the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.

Dmitry Kozak, recently appointed as deputy prime minister responsible for the Sochi Games, led a 15-member delegation that toured London's Olympic Park.

The Russians also met government Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, London organizing committee chief executive Paul Deighton and Olympic Delivery Authority chief executive David Higgins.

"Sochi 2014 is a major priority for the Russian government," Kozak said. "It has been very useful to discuss games delivery with members of the worldwide Olympic family."

Among those attending was Dmitry Chernyshenko, leader of Sochi's local organizing committee.

"It is of vital importance ... that organizing committees regularly update each other on their progress and latest knowledge," he said.

Sochi, a Black Sea resort that was awarded Russia's first Winter Olympics, has a budget of $12 billion to build nearly all venues from scratch.

"So far as the financial resources for carrying out the necessary preparatory work, they've already been allocated and they won't be reduced," Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised question-and-answer session Thursday.

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