MOSCOW, August 21 (RIA Novosti) - The North Pacific island of Sakhalin could become the training base for Russian skiers preparing for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, according to the website of local authorities.
“I assume that we will lead the preparation of athletes here, on Sakhalin. From here, we will leave for the Olympics. Our time zone is close to that in South Korea. The climate is suitable as well. Thus, everything stands in favor for Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk,” Yelena Valbe, three-time Olympic champion and president of the Russian Cross-Country Ski Association, was quoted by local authorities as saying Wednesday.
Valbe visited the region to see if ski slopes were suitable for Russian athletes to train on. Members of the Russian national team will visit Sakhalin in the winter to test its ski tracks.
Sakhalin authorities plan to promote winter sports in the region, such as Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, biathlon and ski jumping.
The restorations of the 30 and 40-meter (98 and 131-foot) ski jumping tracks have already been completed using funds from the local budget. A 70-meter jumping track with lighting, modern ski lifts and a snowmaking system is set to open later this year.
The region is counting on co-financing from the federal budget to build a biathlon complex and a 120-meter jumping track by 2016.
