Russia Has Olympics Mountain To Climb With 'Putin’s Games'
With a race against the clock to complete building works, threats of militant attacks and a controversy over an anti-gay law, Russia faces an unprecedented challenge to defeat its sceptics and hold a successful Winter Olympics in 100 days time.
013, in the French Alpine resort of La Plagne for the 2014 Winter Olympics games in Sochi
The holding of the Winter Olympics in Russia’s southern city of Sochi, one of the most ambitious projects in the history of the Olympic movement, has been championed by President Vladimir Putin as a showcase for the modern post-Soviet face of the country.
The Games from February 7 to 23, 2014, will mark a series of firsts and superlatives –- the most expensive Olympics ever and the first Olympics of any kind in the ex-USSR.
The Black Sea port has long been a popular beachside holiday destination for Russians and was already developing alpine resorts in the mountains above. But Russia has faced the colossal task of building most of the stadiums, hotels and other infrastructure from scratch.
Both the coastal sites which will host events like ice skating and the opening ceremony and the mountain cluster where skiing and other high-altitude sports will take place still resemble building sites as workers hurry to finish the facilities on time.
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