Do Svidanya (Goodbye) Vancouver. Do Vstretchi (See You) in Sochi.

As the Vancouver Olympics come to a close, the focus turns to the other side of the globe and Russia’s first Winter Games which will take the Olympic movement to a new territory and a new set of challenges.

Scheduled to take place from February 7 to February 23, 2014. this will be the first time that the Russian Federation will host the Winter Olympics; the Soviet Union hosted the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow.

The Russian city’s first big moment in the world spotlight came during Sunday’s closing ceremony, with the Olympic flag handed from the mayor of Vancouver to the mayor of Sochi.

At the end of the Handover ceremony , the audience inside the BC Place was invited to hold up their own small Zorbs, like snow domes. Around the world, the crowd appeared as twinkling red, white and blue spheres, representing the Russian colors, and demonstrating Sochi 2014’s commitment to the involvement of people from all cultures and backgrounds.

After the glitz and glamour of the closing ceremonies, the hard work will continue back home as organizers continue to prepare for an event that has the prestige of Russia and its leaders – including Prime Minister Vladimir Putin – on the line.

Ever since Sochi was awarded the games by the International Olympic Committee three years ago, questions have been raised: Can Sochi complete its massive construction projects on time? Will the funding hold up? Will the games be safe in a city near the separatist Abkhazia region in neighboring Georgia?

Putin, Russian president at the time, was instrumental in Sochi securing the games when he traveled to Guatemala City in 2007 and personally lobbied IOC members. He and current President Dmitry Medvedev remain centrally involved in making sure the games are a success.

Sochi, established as a summer resort under Joseph Stalin, is a city of about 500,000 people in Russia’s Krasdonar region. Olympic organizers hope the games will serve as a catalyst in turning the area into a year-round world-class destination for Russians and foreign tourists alike.

Organizers say the games will feature the most compact layout in Winter Games history, with a cluster of ice arenas situated along the Black Sea coast and snow and sliding venues a half-hour away in the Krasnaya Polyana mountains. A new rail line is being built to connect the two clusters.

Sochi has to build virtually all of its Olympic facilities from scratch. All the venues are now under construction, with 16,000 workers busy on what is probably the biggest construction site in the world.

Sochi promises that all venues will be ready two years in advance to allow for the holding of Olympic test events. The first trial run will take place a year from now with a second-tier European Cup event in Alpine skiing. More than 70 test events are planned in 2012 and 2013.

The cost of the Olympic infrastructure project is put at $7 billion.

So what do you have planned for mid-February 2014? Whether you’re an athlete hoping to compete, or a fan who wants to watch the Games, it’s never too early to start making plans.

(via USOC)

View Original Post at prettytough.com

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• Vancouver Winter Games 2010
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