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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday its plans to showcase its preparations for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in London were being jeopardized by delays in Britain issuing visas to the volunteers.

The Sochi organizing committee members is opening a "Russia.Sochi.Park" hospitality house for the London Games, with a roll-call of figure skaters and cultural performances in Kensington Gardens.

The Black Sea resort is the first Russian city to have been awarded the Winter Olympics and plans to send 120 specialists to the London Games to gain experience along with 100 volunteers.

But if the volunteers' visas are not issued on time, the ministry said the event, due to operate from Thursday to the day of the closing ceremony on August 12, would flop.

"The current situation is obviously of concern to us, as it virtually means the realisation of the Russian project falls through," ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement.

British representatives say bureaucratic formalities are the reason for the delay, although Lukashevich said all the applications were submitted on time.

(Reporting by Nastassia Astrasheuskaya; Editing by Alison Williams)

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