Moscow, Dec 20 (IANS/RIA Novosti): Sochi's mountain-based Olympic village will be ready by October 2013, an official with constructor Gazprom said.
The mountain village will accommodate 1,050 participants in biathlon and cross-country skiing, events set for nearby "Laura" complex on the slopes of the Psekhako Ridge.
"The construction of the mountain Olympic Village is not yet finished, however the cottage settlement is ready," Gazprom official Matvey Geller said Wednesday. "Other facilities are still under construction. We assume they will be put in commission in October 2013."
Besides the cottage settlement, there will be a hotel complex and apartments, the construction of which is complicated by the undulating terrain.
"The relief is very difficult here and it is very high up, that's why the work is conducted under severe conditions."
The cottages will welcome the first athletes in February, when the Laura complex will be tested during a Cross-Country World Cup stage.
Last week, world-record pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva was named the mayor of the coastal Olympic village, while the head of the mountain village will be appointed later.