Putin appoints new Sochi Olympics construction chief, tells him to keep eye on costs

October 7th, 2009 Organizers say Sochi construction on scheduleCOPENHAGEN — Construction for the 2014 Sochi Olympics is "well on schedule" and the Black Sea resort will be ready to host skiing competitions by the end of next year, organizers said Wednesday. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak presented a report to International Olympic Committee on the progress of the project, saying that "within one year we'll be able to host the very first Alpine competition, and there'll be a ski center in place to do that." "Construction is well on schedule," Kozak said.

September 21st, 2009 Putin hangs out with the big cats: Snow leopardsMOSCOW — Once again, Vladimir Putin is hanging out with the big cats. The Russian prime minister supervised the release of two snow leopards into a wildlife sanctuary near the southern resort of Sochi, fulfilling a pledge he made before Russia won the right to host the 2014 Olympic Games.

September 21st, 2009 IOC: Putin keeps promise, releases snow leopardsMOSCOW — The International Olympic Committee says Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin presided over the release of two snow leopards into a wildlife sanctuary near the site of the 2014 Winter Olympic games. The committee says Putin and the IOC's Jean-Claude Killy witnessed the two male tigers freed into a nature preserve in the Caucasus mountains near the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

September 18th, 2009 Volkswagen to sponsor Sochi 2014 Winter OlympicsSOCHI, Russia — Volkswagen became a sponsor of the 2014 Winter Olympics on Friday in a deal that Sochi organizers said brings total sponsorship revenues to more than $750 million. Sochi organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko signed the agreement with Dietmar Korzekwa, director general of Volkswagen Group Rus, in the Black Sea resort city.

September 17th, 2009 Rogge: USOC issues won't harm Chicago's 2016 bidLONDON — IOC president Jacques Rogge said disputes with the U.S. Olympic Committee will have "no negative effects whatsoever" on Chicago's chances of landing the 2016 Summer Games.

September 10th, 2009 Obama could help Chicago _ if he goes for IOC voteCHICAGO — Chicago 2016 officials are still waiting to hear if President Barack Obama will join them in Denmark, and say his presence could be "very helpful" in their efforts to bring the Summer Olympics back to the United States for the first time in 20 years. The International Olympic Committee will pick a host city Oct.

September 7th, 2009 Coe: 2016 Olympic race closer than 2012 contestLONDON — Take it from a man who should know: The race for the 2016 Olympics is as close as can be. Sebastian Coe, who engineered London's narrow victory for the 2012 Summer Games, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday that next month's 2016 vote is even more wide open.

September 4th, 2009 England 2018 WCup bid chief: We're solid choiceLONDON — England's 2018 World Cup bid team hopes the country will be considered for its sound infrastructure after the tournament is held in South Africa and Brazil. "FIFA have been very adventurous in going to South Africa and Brazil, and I think that we have the infrastructure in place where we can deliver a World Cup much more easily," said Andy Anson, the chief executive of England's bid.

August 19th, 2009 Russia's Aeroflot to sponsor 2014 Sochi OlympicsMOSCOW — Russian airline Aeroflot has signed up as a domestic sponsor of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi in a deal worth more than $100 million. The carrier becomes the fifth top-tier sponsor of the games, along with telecommunication firms Rostelecom and Megafon, oil and gas company Rosneft and lender Sberbank.

August 17th, 2009 WTA Tour appoints David Shoemaker presidentST. PETERSBURG, Fla.

July 22nd, 2009 Sochi construction costs to be 5 percent lowerMOSCOW — Construction costs for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi will be about 5 percent lower than recent estimates. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, who is spearheading preparations for the games, says the costs have been "optimized" following a budget review.

July 20th, 2009 Report: Putin hopes KHL will expand westwardMOSCOW — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says he hopes the Kontinental Hockey League will expand to include clubs in central and western Europe. The Interfax news agency reported that Putin said the KHL, which comprises teams from Russia, Belarus, Latvia and Kazakhstan, should expand beyond the former Soviet Union and "become a pan-European league." Putin says if that does happen, it would be "without any administrative domination" by Russia, meaning that Moscow would not seek to control the league.

July 6th, 2009 NHL MVP Ovechkin takes role with 2014 Sochi GamesLONDON — NHL MVP Alex Ovechkin is offering his help to organizers of the first Winter Olympics in his native Russia. The Washington Capitals star, who has earned the Hart Trophy as league MVP the past two seasons, will be an "official ambassador" for the 2014 Sochi Games, organizers said Monday.

June 22nd, 2009 Liverpool appoints equity expert as board directorLIVERPOOL — Liverpool appointed private equity executive Christian Purslow to the board of directors on Monday. He will act as managing director while the search for a new chief executive continues.

June 21st, 2009 Mats Sundin says he won't play in 2010 OlympicsSTOCKHOLM — Vancouver Canucks center Mats Sundin says he will not play for defending champion Sweden at the Vancouver Olympics in February. "There will be no Olympics in Vancouver for me next year," Sundin said in a story on the Web site of the Swedish newspaper Expressen.