MOSCOW, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin ousted a vice president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) from office, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said Thursday.
"The corresponding orders are given to strip (the vice president of ROC) Akhmet Bilalov off his duties," Kozak told the reporters.
Kozak is in charge of preparations for the 22nd Winter Olympics to be held in the Russian southern city of Sochi.
Putin, who visited Sochi Olympic cluster Wednesday, criticized Bilalov for disruption of the construction works on the Games' venues after learning that the construction of the ski-jumping complex has been dragged out for two years.
Putin was also unhappy that the final cost of the project has climbed to eight billion rubles (250 million U.S. dollars) instead of initially allocated 1.2 billion (37.5 million dollars).
"After an investor accepted obligations to erect an Olympic venue, it becomes the Russian Federation's obligation before the International Olympic Committee. If the investor fails to fulfill his obligations, it means the Russian Federation fails, not a private citizen like Bilanov," the Interfax news agency quoted Kozak as saying.
The first Winter Olympic Games held in Russia are to take place from Feb. 7 to 23, 2014 in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
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