Winter Olympics 2014: Sochi, Russia

2014 Winter Olympics

SOCHI, Russia (AP) – The concept of having the Winter Olympics in Sochi once appeared as much of a long shot as a gold medal for Jamaica’s bobsledders – a city that few outside Russia had ever heard of, in a country infamous for dysfunctional construction, corruption, and a byzantine visa regime.

The Black Sea resort of Sochi will play host to the Winter Olympics in 2014. 

But when Sochi won the right to host the 2014 Games five years ago, boosted by President Vladimir Putin’s strenuous support, a vast alteration began. When London finishes its own Olympics on Sunday, interest will turn to a region troubled with difficulties as daunting as London’s but much different.

Although Sochi has been a well-known Black Sea resort since Soviet times – its palm-fringed beaches framed by soaring, snow-capped mountains – it had very little of the facilities needed for large numbers of Olympic fans and squadrons of athletes.

Some 20,000 hotel rooms are being constructed, adding to Soviet spa complexes that mimic ancient Roman and Greek buildings – one of the city’s most appealing idiosyncrasies.

The mountain ranges had a few modest ski areas but there was nothing that matched an international standard. Every competition venue has had to be created from scratch.

Transportation was a huge issue. Wedged in between the mountains and the sea, Sochi in locations was essentially a single road wide, and only one road linked the seacoast area with the mountains. More than 350 kilometers (220 miles) of new roads and 200 kilometers (125 miles) of railway are getting designed to keep gridlock at bay.

The expense of all this is unbelievable. Putin said $30 billion (€24.5 billion) will be spent developing the region, which includes the cost of the games.

Despite the fact that many have complained that the central stadium and hotels are behind schedule, International Olympic Committee officials overall have praised Russia’s ability to meet the obstacles.

A tour of the location this week showed a region trapped between its past and future. The city’s main thoroughfare was blocked with traffic. Disco beats and mangled karaoke poured out of cafes, men in tank tops nursed beers and sunbaked women juggled children on their hips.

But a new express train now connects the city with a modern new airport and workers are diligently battling rocky terrain to lay another railroad and a highway through the mountains to the snow-sports cluster 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of town.

The IOC’s standards have forced Russian construction companies, typically plagued by inefficiency and low quality standards, to take safety and green technology seriously into account for the first time.

Private investment in the region, on the rise after the 1990s, got a second wind after the Olympics were announced in 2007. Rosa Khutor, the new ski resort where most of the downhill events will take place, was started as a $150 million project as early as 2003. After the Olympics were announced, that figure ballooned to $2 billion for 100 kilometers (60 miles) of ski trails.

Lastly, the citizens of Sochi themselves openly worry that despite Sochi’s rapid development, the city will be abandoned after the games because the growth is unsustainable.