Up to $30bn ‘stolen in Sochi Winter Games preparations’

The report, entitled An Independent Expert Report on the Winter Olympics in the Suptropics, was written by Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, together with Leonid Martinyuk.

“The main conclusion from the first chapter of our report is that, in preparing for the Olympics, $25-30bn were stolen,” Mr Nemtsov told journalists in Moscow.

“The expenses for the Winter Olympics in Sochi turned out to be more than all expenses for all the sports structures from all the Winter Olympics put together,” he said said, detailing his findings with graphs on an overhead slideshow.

‘Job for an investigation’

Among points detailed in the report were notes that many of the most expensive structures built for the Games were commissioned without competition or public tenders.

Mr Nemtsov said he would be submitting requests for investigation to Russia’s Investigative Committee – an organisation sometimes described as Russia’s FBI.

“Clearing up whether this 26 or 25bn extra money was stolen or not stolen from the state budget is very difficult – this is a job for an investigation,” Mr Nemtsov said.

‘Most expensive Games’

Russia has said that the cost of staging the Games will reach $50bn USD – almost five times more than the original price tag, putting Sochi on track to become the most expensive Olympic Games to date.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has also warned officials against allowing corruption to push costs even higher.

On the same day as the publication of Mr Nemtsov’s critical report, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge was in St Petersburg to meet Mr Putin.

“Definitely we feel very confident that the staging of the next Winter Games will be a great success,” Mr Rogge announced at a meeting attended by the Russian President and IOC executives.

“The Olympic movement will be at your side and at the side of the sport movement in the Russian Federation to go to great successes.”