The balmy weather in Sochi poses no "major risk" to the Olympics, for now, with no need to bring in stored snow at the mountain venues, IOC President Thomas Bach said today in an interview with The Associated Press.
Spring-like temperatures covered Sochi for a second straight day, reaching highs of 15 C (59 F) both along the coast and in the mountains, raising concerns over slushy snow and ice. Similar conditions are forecast for tomorrow.
Sochi organizers have stored tons of snow from the previous winter, but Bach said there was no need to turn to the contingency plan yet.
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"The situation so far is under control," Bach said. "The organizing committee together with the international federations are working very hard. There is still storage of snow. So far it is going well."
"There is still enough snow available," he added. "At this point in time, we don't see a major risk."
The International Olympic Committee leader recalled even hotter conditions at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary.
"I remember going around in the last days of the games in a T-shirt," he said. "It was about 25 degrees Celsius (77 F)." Bach, meanwhile, expressed sympathy for an Olympic track worker who was struck by a bobsled and hospitalized with two broken legs and a possible concussion.
The worker was hit by a forerunning sled in the braking area near the finish line at the Sanki Sliding Center, just before the start of Thursday's two-man bobsled training.
"We still do not know why he was in this zone and exactly what happened," Bach said. "We are following up on this matter."
The Sochi track was designed to be safer following the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumarishtavili in an accident hours before the opening ceremony of the Vancouver Games four years ago.
