Honorary FIDE Vice President Mr. Israel Gelfer paid a visit to Khanty-Mansiysk ( Russia ) on behalf of the WC OC (the commission for World Championship cycle and Olympiad) to follow and advise to the preparations for the 2010 Olympiad.
Mr. Gelfer visited the hotels, where guests and participants of the Olympiad will be staying and discussed with organizers accommodation problems. Watching new hotel which is in process of construction he expressed confidence that the building of the hotel will be finished in time.
He was particularly discussing issues of staff, volunteers and interpreters, organizing of accreditation and cultural program, airport and charter arrangements. Also he studied plans of organizers about airport reconstruction and other preparations to Olympiad.
Source: http://ugra-chess.ru/eng/news_1.htm
Won’t it be too cold for the chess olympiad?
This building looks utterly deserted. Perhaps that’s because the architect, Erick van Egeraat (or rather, his company, based in the Netherlands) went into receivership early this year. He sorted out some of his projects (he’s a very famous architect it seems) but I don’t see the Khantiy-Mansiysk hotel project among them. According to the Egeraat website (which may well be out of date) this hotel is supposed to be a beautiful glass-covered construction and is due to be finished in 2011 – not in time for the Olympiad – and that is assuming it is even continuing at all. Perhaps, please, someone could tell us all just what is going on and how long FIDE are going to cling to the idea of holding the Olympiad here?!