Sochi games to cost $50bn deputy Russia PM

The Winter Olympic Games to be held in Russia\'s Black Sea city of Sochi in one year\'s time will cost a total of 1.5 trillion rubles ($50 billion), a Russian deputy prime minister said on Monday. \"It\'s true that the figure is approaching this ceiling. In principle it has already been reached but I want to again emphasise that half this money is private investment,\" Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak told reporters. He said of the 700 billion rubles ($23.3 billion) coming from the Russian budget, 200 billion ($6.7 billion) is being spent on building the Olympic facilities and 500 billion ($16.7 billion) on developing Sochi\'s infrastructure. The total cost is a sharp rise from initial estimates of $19 billion, although direct comparisons are difficult between different sets of figures. Russia is planning on Thursday to hold a major ceremony in Sochi attended by President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of the Olympic movement to mark the one year countdown to the Games. From: AFP