The mayor of the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi, which will host the 2014 Winter Olympics, banned on Friday smoking in the city's public areas, including beaches.
"To curb the spread of nicotine addiction in the resort city, the Sochi Without Tobacco charter was signed on the initiative of Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov," the city's press service said in a statement.
All education, healthcare and culture facilities, as well as parks and beaches in Sochi have been pronounced non-smoking areas, the statement said.
Summer cafes will be almost the only exception, with the local government yet to fix more special smoking zones in the city.
KRASNODAR, January 29 (RIA Novosti)
