You're reading: IOC commission praises progress in Sochi

MOSCOW — A senior Olympic official has praised the pace of Russia's preparations for the 2014 Winter Games in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Less than 500 days away from the games, IOC coordination commission chairman Jean-Claude Killy on Thursday said he saw “huge progress in terms of Olympic venue construction.”

Killy and his colleagues are wrapping up a scheduled three-day visit to Sochi to inspect progress in construction, transportation, accommodation and other key areas.

Russia’s deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak, who was hosting the delegation, confirmed that the games are still within the budget of 200 billion rubles, or $6.4 billion. Killy described the cost as comparable with Olympic budgets in London and Beijing.