2014 Winter Olympics

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See also: 2014 Winter Paralympics
"2014 Olympics" redirects here. For the Summer Youth Olympics held in Nanjing, China, see 2014 Summer Youth Olympics.
XXII Olympic Winter Games
2014 Winter Olympics logo.svg
Host city Sochi, Russia
Motto Hot. Cool. Yours.[1]
(Russian: Жаркие. Зимние. Твои.)
Nations participating 88
Athletes participating 2,873
Events 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
Opening ceremony 7 February
Closing ceremony 23 February
Officially opened by President Vladimir Putin
Athlete's Oath Ruslan Zakharov[2]
Judge's Oath Vyacheslav Vedenin, Jr [3]
Coach's Oath Anastasia Popkova [2]
Olympic Torch Vladislav Tretiak
Irina Rodnina
Stadium Fisht Olympic Stadium
Olympic rings
Part of a series on
Sochi from space

The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXII Olympic Winter Games (French: Les XXIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a major international multi-sport event held in Sochi, Russia, in the tradition of the Winter Olympic Games.

The Games were held from 7–23 February 2014, with opening rounds in certain events held on the eve of the opening ceremony, 6 February 2014. Both the Olympics and 2014 Winter Paralympics were organized by the Sochi Organizing Committee (SOC). Sochi was selected as the host city in July 2007, during the 119th IOC Session held in Guatemala City. It was the first Olympics in Russia since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Soviet Union was the host nation for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

A total of 98 events in 15 winter sport disciplines were held during the Games. A number of new competitions—a total of 12 accounting for gender—were held during the Games, including biathlon mixed relay, women's ski jumping, mixed-team figure skating, mixed-team luge, half-pipe skiing, ski and snowboard slopestyle, and snowboard parallel slalom. The events were held around two clusters of new venues: an Olympic Park constructed in Sochi's Imeretinsky Valley on the coast of the Black Sea, with Fisht Olympic Stadium, and the Games' indoor venues located within walking distance, and snow events in the resort settlement of Krasnaya Polyana.

In preparation, organizers focused on modernizing the telecommunications, electric power, and transportation infrastructures of the region. While originally budgeted at US$12 billion, various factors caused the budget to expand to over US$51 billion, surpassing the estimated $44 billion cost of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing as the most expensive Olympics in history.

The lead-up to these Games was marked by several major controversies, including allegations that corruption among officials led to the aforementioned cost overruns, concerns for the safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) athletes and spectators due to the effects of recently-passed legislation, protests by ethnic Circassian activists over the site of Sochi (where they believe a genocide took place), and threats by jihadist groups tied to the insurgency in the North Caucasus.

Bidding process[edit]

Main article: Bids for the 2014 Winter Olympics
Fans celebrating Sochi's bid win

Sochi was elected on 4 July 2007 during the 119th International Olympic Committee (IOC) session held in Guatemala City, Guatemala, defeating bids from Salzburg, Austria; and Pyeongchang, South Korea.[4] This is the first time that the Russian Federation has hosted the Winter Olympics. The Soviet Union was the host of the 1980 Summer Olympics held in and around Moscow.

2014 host city election – ballot results
City Country (NOC) Round 1 Round 2
Sochi  Russia 34 51
Pyeongchang  South Korea 36 47
Salzburg  Austria 25 —

Financing[edit]

Funds approved
from 2006 until 2014
Year Billions of rubles[5]
2006 5
2007 16
2008 32
2009 27
2010 22
2011 27
2012 26
2013 22
2014 8

As of October 2013, the estimated combined cost of the 2014 Winter Olympics had topped US$51 billion.[6] This amount includes the 214 billion rubles (US$ 6.5 billion) cost for Olympic games themselves and cost of Sochi infrastructural projects (roads, railroads, power plants). This total, if borne out, would be over four times the initial budget of $12 billion (compared to the $8 billion spent for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver), and would make the Sochi games the most expensive Olympics in history, exceeding the estimated $44 billion cost of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing,[7] which hosted 3 times as many events.[8]

According to Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee President and CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko, partnership and commercial programs allowed the use of funds generated by Sochi 2014 for the 2009–10 development period, postponing the need for the state funds guaranteed by the Russian Government. He confirmed that the Organizing Committee had raised more than $500 million through marketing in the first five months of 2009.[9] The Russian Government provided nearly 327 billion rubles (about US$10 billion) for the total development, expansion and hosting of the Games.[10] 192 billion rubles (US$6 billion) coming from the federal budget and 7 billion rubles (US$218 million) from the Krasnodar Krai budget and from the Sochi budget. The organizers expect to have a surplus of US$300 million when the Games conclude.[11]

Financing from non-budget sources (including private investor funds) is distributed as follows:[12]

  • Tourist infrastructure: $2.6 billion
  • Olympic venues: $500 million
  • Transport infrastructure: $270 million
  • Power supply infrastructure: $100 million

Venues[edit]

Main article: Venues of the 2014 Winter Olympics
Location of Sochi on the eastern coast of the Black Sea.

With an average February temperature of 8.3 °C (42.8 °F) and a humid subtropical climate, Sochi is the warmest city to host a Winter Olympic Games.[13] Sochi 2014 is the 12th straight Olympics to outlaw smoking; all Sochi venues, Olympic Park bars and restaurants and public areas are smoke-free during the Games.[14] It is also the first time that an Olympic Park has been built for hosting a winter games.

Sochi Olympic Park (Coastal Cluster)[edit]

Panoramic view of the Sochi Olympic Park

The Sochi Olympic Park was built by the Black Sea coast in the Imeretin Valley, about 4 km (2.5 miles) from Russia's border with Georgia.[15][16] The venues are clustered around a central water basin on which the Medals Plaza is built, allowing all indoor venues to be within walking distance. It also features "The Waters of the Olympic Park" (designed by California-based company WET), a choreographed fountain which served as the backdrop in the medals awards and the opening and closing ceremonies of the event.[17][18] The new venues include:[19]

A sketch of the layout of Sochi Olympic Park.

Krasnaya Polyana (Mountain Cluster)[edit]

Former chairlift Alpica Service. Dismantled in 2012
Main article: Krasnaya Polyana, Sochi, Krasnodar Krai
2014 Winter Olympics Mountain Cluster Venues (interactive map)

Tentative post-Olympic usage[edit]

After the Olympics, a Formula One street circuit is planned for the site. The deal to hold the Russian Grand Prix was signed on 14 October 2010, and runs from 2014 to 2020.[20] The first race will take place 7 months after the Closing Ceremony of the Games. The IOC was given the power to delay the race until 2015 if preparations for the race interfered with the Winter Olympics,[21] but the Games started without interruption.

Marketing[edit]

A Soyuz rocket with Olympic livery. Its flight to the International Space Station, TMA-11M, was part of Sochi's torch relay.

Logo and branding[edit]

The emblem of the 2014 Winter Olympics was unveiled in December 2009. While more elaborate designs with influence from Khokhloma were considered, organizers chose to use a more minimalistic and "futuristic" design instead, consisting only of typefaces with no drawn elements at all. The lettering was designed so that the "Sochi" and "2014" lettering would mirror each other vertically (particularly on the "hi" and "14" characters), "reflecting" the contrasts of Russia's landscape (such as Sochi itself, a meeting point between the Black Sea and the Western Caucasus).[22] Critics, including Russian bloggers, panned the logo for being too simplistic and lacking any real symbolism; Guo Chunning, designer of the 2008 Summer Olympics emblem Dancing Beijing, criticized it for its lack of detail, and believed it should have contained more elements that represented winter and Russia's national identity, aside from its blue color scheme and its use of .ru, the top-level domain of Russia.[22]

The Games' official slogan, Hot. Cool. Yours. (Жаркие. Зимние. Твои.), was unveiled on September 25, 2012, 500 days before the opening ceremony. Presenting the slogan, SOC president Dmitry Chernyshenko explained that it represented the "passion" of the Games' athletes, the climate of Sochi itself, and a sense of inclusion and belonging. The Russian-language version of the slogan uses words that can be translated as "heated" and "wintry".[23][24]

Mascots[edit]

Main article: 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games mascots
Postage stamps depicting the three Olympic mascots

For the first time in Olympic history, a public vote was held to decide the mascots for the 2014 Winter Olympics; the 10 finalists, along with the results, were unveiled during live specials on Channel One. On 26 February 2011, the official mascots were unveiled, consisting of a polar bear, a snow hare, and a snow leopard. The initial rounds consisted of online voting among submissions, while the final round involved text messaging.[25][26][27]

A satirical mascot known as Zoich (its name being an interpretation of the stylized "2014" lettering from the Games' emblem as a cyrillic word), a fuzzy blue frog with hypnotic multi-coloured rings (sharing the colors of the Olympic rings) on his eyeballs and the Imperial Crown ("to remind about statehood and spirituality"), proved popular in initial rounds of online voting, and became a local internet meme among Russians (with some comparing it to Futurama's "Hypnotoad"). Despite its popularity, Zoich did not qualify for the final round of voting, with its creator, political cartoonist Egor Zhgun, claiming that organizers were refusing to respect public opinion. However, it was later revealed that Zoich was deliberately planted by organizers to help virally promote the online mascot vote.[27][28]

Video game[edit]

The official Olympic video game is the fourth game in the Mario & Sonic series, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. It was released by Nintendo for the Wii U on 8 November 2013 in Europe, and 15 November 2013 in North America.[29] Others are Sochi 2014: Ski Slopestyle Challenge for Android operating system and Sochi 2014: Olympic Games Resort for online social network Facebook.[30]

Stamps and coins[edit]

In commemoration of the Games, Russian Post released a series of postage stamps depicting athletes, venues, and the mascots of the Games. The Bank of Russia also issued special coins and 100-ruble notes for the Games.[31]

Construction[edit]

Vladimir Putin with George W. Bush and Laura Bush examining the models of the Olympic facilities for Sochi, April 2008
100 Russian ruble banknote issued in 2013 by the Central Bank of Russia

The Olympic infrastructure was constructed according to a Federal Target Program (FTP). In June 2009, the Games' organizers reported they were one year ahead in building the main Olympic facilities as compared to recent Olympic Games.[32] In November 2011, IOC President Jacques Rogge was in Sochi and concluded that the city had made significant progress since he last visited eighteen months earlier.[33]

Telecommunications[edit]

See also: Telecommunications in Russia

According to the FTP, US$580 million would be spent on construction and modernization of telecommunications in the region. Avaya was named by the Sochi Organizing Committee as the official supplier of telecommunications equipment. Avaya provided the data network equipment, including switches, routers, security, telephones and contact-center systems. It provided engineers and technicians to design and test the systems, and worked with other technology partners to provide athletes, dignitaries and fans information about the Games.[34][35]

The 2014 Olympics is the first "fabric-enabled" Games using Shortest Path Bridging (SPB) technology.[36] The network is capable of handling up to 54,000 Gbit/s (54 Tbit/s) of traffic.[37]

Infrastructure built for the games included:

During the Games, the core networks of Rostelecom and Transtelekom are used.[38]

In January 2012, the newest equipment for the television coverage of the Games arrived in the port of Adler. Prepared specifically for the Games, a team of regional specialists and the latest technology provide a qualitatively new level of television production in the region.[39]

The fiber-optic channel links Sochi between Adler and Krasnaya Polyana. The 46-kilometre-long (29 mi) channel enables videoconferencing and news reporting from the Olympics.[40]

In November 2013, it was reported that the fiber-optic cable that was built by the Federal Communications Agency, Rossvyaz, had no operator. With Rostelecom and Megafon both refusing to operate it, the line was transferred to the ownership of the state enterprise Center of the IT world (Russian: Центр МИР ИТ).[41]

Russian mobile phone operator Megafon expanded and improved Sochi's telecom infrastructure with over 700 new 2G/3G/4G cell towers. Sochi is the first Games to offer 4G connectivity at a speed of 10 MB/sec. It has started to provide content delivery services to Russian state television and radio. The content delivery network of Megafon unites servers located in the major cities of Russia, into a single infrastructure that can speed up information from the Internet for users. CDN service allows major media companies to provide users quick access to content without interruption and delays when transferring large amounts of data. The Russian segment of the bandwidth of the CDN- network of MegaFon is about 250 Gbit/s.[42]

MTS provides full coverage of the Sochi and the Krasnodar Territory, with network capacity doubled. In preparation for the Olympics, Tele2 Russia increased the number of base stations in Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana by 15% and the network capacity up to 70%, and provides 100% coverage of the Olympic facilities in the mountain cluster.[43]

Rostelecom also built LTE 4th-generation network. It covers an area of 40 km2 (15 sq mi) in the mountains and 50 km2 in the coastal clusters. The 4th generation is available in all major Olympic venues in the Imereti lowland and mountain cluster, as well as Sochi airport and in the Olympic Park.[44] The Russian Ministry of Communications, together with mobile operators organized internetwork roaming at Olympic venues. This measure allows subscribers access to the largest Russian operators at their standard fare to use the network of MegaFon, which has the exclusive right to work at Olympic venues.

Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network (RTRS), the state operator of Russia's extensive broadcasting infrastructure, commissioned three mobile digital television broadcasting complexes. Mobile systems can broadcast a signal to a radius of about 30 km (19 miles), depending on terrain. They are used as a backup transmitter, two multiplexes and two FM-radio stations in the event of a fault or power failure in fixed installations, as well as for the organization of video play-out.[45]

On 11 December 2013 Rostelecom said it had completed its infrastructure for the games. The transport component of the infrastructure includes about 500 kilometres (310 miles) of fiber-optic communication lines linking 35 facilities. The main network's capacity has been increased to 140 Gbit/sec. The Olympic Information Technology Center was the core of the project, the largest IT facility for Sochi with an area of more than 2,000 square metres (0.5 acre). The Center is aimed to process information flows, manage the Games' united network and integrate special solutions for each sport.[46]

In January 2014, Rostelecom reported that it had connected the Olympic media center in Sochi to the Internet and organized channels of communication with the main media center of the Olympic Games in the coastal cluster and press center in Moscow. The media center was built at total cost of 17 million rubles.[47][48]

Power infrastructure[edit]

Night view of Sochi during the Olympics, taken by Expedition 38 members from the International Space Station

A five-year strategy for increasing the power supply of the Sochi region was presented by Russian energy experts during a seminar on 29 May 2009, held by the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, and attended by International Olympic Committee (IOC) experts and officials from the Russian Ministry of Regional Development, the Russian Ministry of Energy, the State Corporation Olimpstroy and the Krasnodar Krai administration.[49]

According to the strategy, the capacity of the regional energy network would increase by two and a half times by 2014, guaranteeing a stable power supply during and after the Games.

The power demand of Sochi in the end of May 2009 was 424 MW. The power demand of the Olympic infrastructure is expected to be about 340 MW.

  • Poselkovaya electrical substation became operational in early 2009.
  • Sochi thermal power station is being reconstructed (expected power output is 160 MW)
  • Laura and Rosa Khutor electrical substations were completed in November 2010
  • Mzymta electrical substation was completed in March 2011
  • Krasnopolyanskaya hydroelectric power station was completed in 2010
  • Adler CHP station design and construction was completed in 2012. Expected power output is 360 MW[50]
  • Bytkha substation, under construction with two transformers 25 MW each, includes dependable microprocessor-based protection

Earlier plans also include building combined cycle (steam and gas) power stations near the cities of Tuapse and Novorossiysk and construction of a cable-wire powerline, partially on the floor of the Black Sea.[51]

President Putin had instructed Alexander Novak, the country's Energy Minister, to exert strict control over the energy system of Sochi to prevent possible power failures during the games. Sochi's electricity distribution network includes 900 kilometres (560 mi) of cables and overhead transmission lines, as well as 500 substations.[52]

Transportation[edit]

See also: Transport in Russia

The transport infrastructure prepared to support the Olympics includes many roads, tunnels, bridges, interchanges, railroads and stations in and around Sochi. Among others, 8 flyovers, 102 bridges, tens of tunnels and a bypass route for heavy trucks — 367 km (228 miles) of roads were paved.[53]

The Sochi Light Metro is located between Adler and Krasnaya Polyana connecting the Olympic Park, Sochi International Airport, and the venues in Krasnaya Polyana.[54]

A "Lastochka" train, which serves the Tuapse–Sochi route

The existing 102 km (63-mile), Tuapse-to-Adler railroad was renovated to provide double track throughout, increasing capacity and enabling a reliable regional service to be provided and extending to the airport. In December 2009, Russian Railways ordered 38 Siemens Mobility Desiro trains for delivery in 2013 for use during the Olympics, with an option for a further 16 which would be partly built in Russia.[55] Russian Railways established a high-speed Moscow-Adler link and a new railroad (more than 60 kilometres or 37 miles long) passing by the territory of Ukraine.[56]

Sochi International Airport

At Sochi International Airport, a new terminal had been built along a 3.5 km (2.2-mile) runway extension, overlapping the Mzymta River.[57] Backup airports were built in Gelendzhik, Mineralnye Vody and Krasnodar by 2009.[58] A new railway line was built to connect central Sochi and the local airport. The line is served by Lastochka trains; a new type of electric locomotive, based on the Siemens Desiro design, developed for commuting in the Russian environment. All Russian Railways facilities in Sochi were built or retrofitted to accommodate disabled passengers.

Sochi seaport

At the Port of Sochi, a new offshore terminal 1.5 km (0.93 mi) from the shore allows docking for cruise ships with capacities of 3,000 passengers.[59] The cargo terminal of the seaport is to be moved from the centre of Sochi.

Roadways were detoured, some going around the construction site and others being cut off.[60]

Adler railway station

In May 2009, Russian Railways started the construction of tunnel complex No. 1 (the final total is six) on the combined road (automobile and railway) from Adler to Alpica Service Mountain Resort in the Krasnaya Polyana region. The tunnel complex No. 1 is located near Akhshtyr in Adlersky City District, and includes:[61]

  • Escape tunnel, 2.25 kilometres (1.40 mi), completed in 2010
  • Road tunnel, 2,153 metres (7,064 ft), completed in 2013
  • One-track railway tunnel, 2,473 metres (8,114 ft), completed in 2013

Russian Railways president Vladimir Yakunin said the road construction would cost more than 200 billion rubles.[62]

In addition, Sochi's railway stations were renovated. These are Dagomys, Sochi, Matsesta, Khosta, Lazarevskaya, and Loo railway stations. In Adler, a new railway station was built while the original building was preserved, and in the Olympic park cluster, a new station was built from scratch, the Olympic Park railway station. Another new railway station was built in Estosadok, close to Krasnaya Polyana.

New bus routes for the guests of the Olympics began operating in the city, stretching some 150 kilometres (93 mi) along the Black Sea coast. The buses run with 5-minute intervals during the Games. Some 963 operate during the Olympics, while half of all the transport facilities will be used during the Paralympics. The guests will be able to board buses at transportation hubs located near the railway station in the centre of Sochi and also in Matsesta, Khosta, and Adler neighborhoods, as well as in Krasnaya Polyana, Estosadok, Rosa Khutor Alpine Center, and near the Sliding Center Sanki.[63]

Other infrastructure[edit]

Sochi at night from space[64]

Funds were spent on the construction of hotels for 10,300 guests.[65] The first of the Olympic hotels, Zvezdny (Stellar), is rebuilt anew.[66] Significant funds were spent on the construction of an advanced sewage treatment system in Sochi, designed by Olimpstroy. The system meets BREF standards and employs top available technologies for environment protection, including tertiary treatment with microfiltration.[67]

Six post offices were opened at competition venues, two of them in the main media centre in Olympic Park and in the mountain village of Estosadok. In addition to standard services, clients have access to unique services including two new products: "Fotomarka" and "Retropismo". Fotomarka gives the opportunity to get a stylized post block with eight souvenir stamps with one's own photos, using the services of a photographer in the office. Retropismo service gives the customer to write their own stylus or pen on antique paper with further letters, winding string and wax seal affixing. All new postal items and Post Offices in Sochi will be working during the Olympics until late at night all week, and workers were trained to speak English.[68]

The Games[edit]

Torch relay[edit]

Main article: 2014 Winter Olympics torch relay
Torch relay in Moscow

The torch relay lasted 123 days and measured over 64,000 kilometres (40,000 mi) in length, excluding Earth orbits in space. A total of 14,000 torch carriers took part in the relay. The Olympic flame was taken to the Caucasus' tallest peak — Mount Elbrus, lowered to the bottom of Lake Baikal, and visited the North Pole and the International Space Station.[53]

On 29 September 2013, the Olympic torch was lit in Ancient Olympia, beginning a seven-day journey across Greece and on to Russia, then the torch relay started at Moscow on 7 October 2013 before passing 83 Russian cities and arriving at Sochi on the day of the opening ceremony, 7 February 2014.[69] It is the longest torch relay in Olympic history, a 40,000-mile route that passes through all regions of the country, from Kaliningrad in the west to Chukotka in the east.

The Olympic torch reached the North Pole for first time via a nuclear-powered icebreaker (50 Let Pobedy). The torch was also passed for the first time in space, though not lit for the duration of the flight for safety reasons, on flight Soyuz TMA-11M to the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft itself was adorned with Olympic-themed livery including the Games' emblem. Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazansky waved the torch on a spacewalk outside ISS. The torch returned to Earth five days later on board Soyuz TMA-09M.[70][71] The torch also reached the Europe's highest mountain Mount Elbrus, and even the depths of Siberia's Lake Baikal.[72]

Opening ceremony[edit]

Main articles: 2014 Winter Olympics opening ceremony and 2014 Winter Olympics Parade of Nations
Fireworks over Fisht Olympic Stadium following the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron.
The Olympic Rings at Sochi Olympic Park

The opening ceremony took place on February 7, 2014. It was mainly focused around Russian cultural aspects. Classical Russian music, history, as well as well recognized landmarks, traditional dances and reputable literary figures were recognized in the ceremony. To open, a young girl was rigged with wires and flew high into the air, above the ceremony, and soared over the floats, which depicted Russian landscapes. The 2014 Organizing Committee funded well over 51 billion dollars into financing the massive project, which made the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic games the most expensive Olympic games in history. After the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee promised one of “the most technologically innovative ceremonies ever”, they experienced technical difficulties very early on into the opening ceremony, when one of the five electronic snowflakes failed to transform into one of the Olympic rings, leaving the audience with an incomplete set. This occurrence played a major role in social media and had an impact on the closing ceremonies when performers who danced into the form of the Olympic rings neglected to open the fifth ring as part of their routine. More than 3,000 people from artistic groups participated in dance, ballet, acrobatic and circus performances during the opening ceremony which was watched by a 40,000 strong audience at Sochi's Fisht Olympic Stadium.

Figure skater Irina Rodnina and ice hockey player Vladislav Tretiak lit the torch.[73]

Participating National Olympic Committees[edit]

A record 88 nations qualified to compete,[74] which beat the previous record of 82 set at the previous Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The number of athletes who qualified per country is listed below. Seven nations—Dominica, Malta, Paraguay, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, and Zimbabwe—made their Winter Olympics debut.[75]

Kristina Krone qualified to compete in her second consecutive games for Puerto Rico, but the island's Olympic Committee chose not to send her to compete again as they did in 2010.[76] Similarly, South Africa decided not to send alpine skier Sive Speelman to Sochi.[77] Algeria also did not enter its only qualified athlete, Mehdi-Selim Khelifi.[78]

The participating nations at the Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi:
  Countries debuting in the Winter Olympics
  Not debuting, participant nations
Participating National Olympic Committees (number of qualifying athletes)
Countries that participated in 2010, but not 2014. Countries that are participating in 2014, but did not in 2010.

a India's athletes originally competed as Independent Olympic Participants and marched under the Olympic flag during the opening ceremony, as India was originally suspended in December 2012 over the election process of the Indian Olympic Association.[79] On 11 February, the Indian Olympic Association was reinstated and India's athletes were allowed the option to compete under their own flag from that time onward.[80]

National houses[edit]

During the Games some countries had a national house, a meeting place for supporters, athletes and other followers.[81] Houses can be either free for visitors to access or they can have limited access by invitation only.[82]

Nation Location Name Website
Austria Mountain Cluster Austria Tirol House Official website
Canada[83] Coastal Cluster (Next to Fisht Olympic Stadium) Canada House
China[84] Zhemchuzhina hotel China House
Czech Republic[85] Adler Czech House
France[86] Gornaya Karusel (Mountain Cluster) Club France Official website
Germany[87] Estosadok, Krasnaya Polyana (Mountain Cluster) German House Official website
Italy[88] Olympic Park (Coastal Cluster) Italy House Official website
Japan[82] Olympic Park (Coastal Cluster) Japan House
Latvia[89] Radisson Hotel Latvian House
Netherlands[90] Azimut Hotel Resort (near Coastal Cluster) Holland Heineken House Official website
Russia[82] Olympic Park (Coastal Cluster) NOC Hospitality Houses of Russia
Slovakia[91] Sochi railway station Slovak Point
South Korea[92] Olympic Park (Coastal Cluster) Korea House
Switzerland[82] Olympic Park (Coastal Cluster) House of Switzerland Official website
United States[93] Olympic Park (Coastal Cluster) USA House Official website

Sports[edit]

98 events over 15 disciplines in 7 sports were included in the 2014 Winter Olympics. The three skating sports disciplines are figure skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. There are six skiing sport disciplines—alpine, cross-country skiing, freestyle, Nordic combined, ski jumping and snowboarding. The two bobsleigh sports disciplines are bobsleigh and skeleton. The other four sports are biathlon, curling, ice hockey, and luge. A total of twelve new events are contested to make it the largest Winter Olympics to date.[94][95] Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of medal events contested in each sports discipline.

Postage stamps of Pridnestrovie, Sochi Olympic Games (2014)

On 6 April 2011, the IOC accepted a number of events that were submitted by their respective sports federations to be considered for inclusion into the official program of these Olympic Games.[96] The events include:

On 4 July 2011 the IOC announced that three events would be added to the program.[97] These events were officially declared by Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge on 5 July 2011.[95]

Team alpine skiing was presented as a candidate for inclusion in the Olympic program but the Executive board of the IOC rejected this proposal. The International Ski Federation persisted with the nomination and this was considered.[98] There were reports of Bandy possibly being added to the sports program,[99][100][101] but the IOC rejected this request. Subsequently, the international governing body, Federation of International Bandy, decided that Irkutsk and Shelekhov in Russia would host the 2014 Bandy World Championships just before the Olympics.

On 28 November 2006, the Executive Board of the IOC decided not to include the following sports in the review process of the program.[102]

Closing ceremony[edit]

Main article: 2014 Winter Olympics closing ceremony

The closing ceremony was held on 23 February 2014 between 20:14 MSK (UTC+4) and 22:25 MSK (UTC+4) at the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi.[105] The ceremony was dedicated to Russian culture featuring world-renowned Russian stars like conductor and violinist Yuri Bashmet, conductor Valery Gergiev, pianist Denis Matsuev, singer Hibla Gerzmava and violinist Tatiana Samouil. These artists were joined by performers from the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theaters.

Medals[edit]

Main article: List of 2014 Winter Olympics medal winners

Sochi's medal design was unveiled in May 2013. The design is intended to resemble Sochi's landscape, with a semi-translucent section containing a "patchwork quilt" of diamonds representing mountains; the diamonds themselves contain designs that reflect Russia's regions.[106] Those who won gold medals on 15 February received special medals with fragments of the Chelyabinsk meteor, marking the one-year anniversary of the event where pieces of the cosmic body fell into the Chebarkul Lake in the Ural Mountains in central Russia.[107]

Medal table[edit]

Main article: 2014 Winter Olympics medal table

The top ten listed NOCs by number of gold medals are listed below. The host nation, Russia, is highlighted.

To sort this table by nation, total medal count, or any other column, click on the Sort both.gif icon next to the column title.

Key

   *   Host nation (Russia)

Rank NOC Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  Russia (RUS)* 13 11 9 33
2  Norway (NOR) 11 5 10 26
3  Canada (CAN) 10 10 5 25
4  United States (USA) 9 7 12 28
5  Netherlands (NED) 8 7 9 24
6  Germany (GER) 8 6 5 19
7  Switzerland (SUI) 6 3 2 11
8  Belarus (BLR) 5 0 1 6
9  Austria (AUT) 4 8 5 17
10  France (FRA) 4 4 7 15
11–26 Remaining NOCs 21 36 34 91
Total (26 NOCs) 99 97 99 295

Calendar[edit]

Main article: Chronological summary of the 2014 Winter Olympics

In the following calendar each blue box represents one or more event competition(s), such as a qualification round, on that day. The yellow boxes represent medal-awarding finals for a sport with in each box the number of finals that were contested on that day.[108]

All dates are MSK (UTC+4)
OC Opening ceremony ● Event competitions 1 Event finals EG Exhibition gala CC Closing ceremony
February 6th
Thu		 7th
Fri		 8th
Sat		 9th
Sun		 10th
Mon		 11th
Tue		 12th
Wed		 13th
Thu		 14th
Fri		 15th
Sat		 16th
Sun		 17th
Mon		 18th
Tue		 19th
Wed		 20th
Thu		 21st
Fri		 22nd
Sat		 23rd
Sun		 Events
Ceremonies OC CC
Alpine skiing 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10
Biathlon 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11
Bobsleigh ● 1 ● 1 ● 1 3
Cross-country skiing 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 12
Curling ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 1 2
Figure skating ● ● 1 ● 1 ● 1 ● 1 ● 1 EG 5
Freestyle skiing ● 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 10
Ice hockey ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 ● ● 1 2
Luge ● 1 ● 1 1 1 4
Nordic combined 1 1 1 3
Short track speed skating 1 1 2 1 3 8
Skeleton ● 1 1 2
Ski jumping ● 1 1 ● 1 1 4
Snowboarding ● 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 10
Speed skating 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ● 2 12
Total events 5 8 5 8 6 6 6 7 4 5 7 8 6 7 7 3 98
Cumulative total 5 13 18 26 32 38 44 51 55 60 67 75 81 88 95 98
February 6th
Thu		 7th
Fri		 8th
Sat		 9th
Sun		 10th
Mon		 11th
Tue		 12th
Wed		 13th
Thu		 14th
Fri		 15th
Sat		 16th
Sun		 17th
Mon		 18th
Tue		 19th
Wed		 20th
Thu		 21st
Fri		 22nd
Sat		 23rd
Sun		 Events

Security[edit]

Measures[edit]

Security during both the Olympics and Paralympics are being handled by over 40,000 law enforcement officials, including police and the Russian Armed Forces.[109][110] A Presidential Decree signed by President Vladimir Putin took effect on 7 January, requiring that any protests and demonstrations in Sochi and the surrounding area through 21 March (the end of the Paralympics) be approved by the Federal Security Service.[111] For the duration of the decree, travel restrictions will also be in effect in and around Sochi: "controlled" zones, dubbed the "ring of steel" by the media, cover the Coastal and Mountain clusters which encompass all of the Games' venues and infrastructure, including transport hubs such as railway stations. To enter controlled areas, visitors must pass through security checkpoints with x-ray machines, metal detectors and explosive material scanners.[112] Several areas are designated as "forbidden", including Sochi National Park and the border with Abkhazia.[111][113] An unmanned aerial vehicle squadron, along with S-400 and Pantsir-S1 air defense rockets will be used to protect Olympic airspace. Four gunboats were also deployed on the Black Sea to protect the coastline.[114]

A number of security organizations and forces began stationing in and around Sochi in January 2014; Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) was stationed in Sochi for the Games beginning on 7 January 2014.[115][116] A group of 10,000 Internal Troops of the Ministry of Interior will also provide security services during the Games.[117] In mid-January, 1,500 Siberian Regional Command troops were stationed in a military town near Krasnaya Polyana.[118] A group of 400 cossacks in traditional uniforms are also present to accompany police patrols.[119][120] The 58th Army unit of the Russian Armed Forces, will defend the Georgia-Russia border.[121] The United States also supplied Navy ships and other assets for security purposes.[122]

Incidents and threats[edit]

Organizers received several threats prior to the Games. In a July 2013 video release, Chechen Islamist commander Dokka Umarov called for attacks on the Games, stating that the Games were being staged "on the bones of many, many Muslims killed ...and buried on our lands extending to the Black Sea."[123]

Threats were received from the group Vilayat Dagestan, which had claimed responsibility for the Volgograd bombings under the demands of Umarov, and a number of National Olympic Committees had also received threats via e-mail, threatening that terrorists would kidnap or "blow up" athletes during the Games. However, while the IOC did state that the letters "[contained] no threat and appears to be a random message from a member of the public", the U.S. ski and snowboarding teams hired a private security agency to provide additional protection during the Games.[121][124][125]

Media[edit]

Broadcasting rights[edit]

Main article: List of 2014 Winter Olympics broadcasters

In most regions, broadcast rights to the 2014 Winter Olympics were packaged together with broadcast rights for the 2016 Summer Olympics, but some broadcasters obtained rights to further games as well. Domestic broadcast rights were sold by Sportfive to a consortium of three Russian broadcasters; Channel One, VGTRK, and NTV Plus.[126]

In total, 464 television channels around the world are broadcasting the Sochi 2014 Games, compared with 240 in Vancouver games of 2010, while there were also more digital platforms offering coverage than at any previous Winter Games, with 155 websites and 75 apps showing events live from Russia. This also includes the Olympic video player that Olympic Broadcasting Services has launched, which provides fully integrated data, a news channel, live streams and on–demand video.[127] A total of 93.5% of the Russian TV audiences in Russia's big cities, who make up 63.7 million people have watched the TV footage of the Olympic Games broadcast by First Channel, Rossiya 1 and Rossiya 2 TV channels.[128]

In the United States, the 2014 Winter Olympics were the first in a new, US$4.38 billion contract with NBC, extending its broadcast rights to the Olympic Games through 2020.[129]

In Canada, after losing the 2010 and 2012 Games to CTV, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation re-gained broadcast rights to the Olympics for the first time since 2008, gaining rights to the 2014 and 2016 Games.[130]

In Australia, after all three major commercial networks pulled out of bidding on rights to both the 2014 and 2016 Games due to cost concerns, the IOC awarded broadcast rights to just the 2014 Winter Olympics to Network Ten for A$20 million.[131][132][133]

Filming[edit]

Several broadcasters are using the Games to trial the emerging ultra high definition television (UHDTV) standard. Both NTV Plus and Comcast announced plans to film portions of the Games in 4K resolution; Comcast planned to offer its content through smart TV apps, while NTV+ planned to hold public and cinema viewings of the content. NHK will film portions of the Games in 8K resolution for public viewing. Olympic sponsor Panasonic filmed the opening ceremony in 4K.[134][135][136][137]

Sponsors[edit]

A Volkswagen Jetta in 2014 Winter Olympics livery from sponsor Volkswagen Group Rus

The following are the "Worldwide Olympic Partners":[138]

The following are the "National Partners Sochi 2014":

Concerns and controversies[edit]

Main article: Concerns and controversies at the 2014 Winter Olympics

The lead-up to the Games were affected by numerous controversies and concerns; primarily concerning exploitation of workers engaged in Olympic construction; allegations of the illegal dumping of construction waste threatening residents' health and safety; evictions and displacement of residents to make way for Olympic venues; economic issues; and harassment of environmental and human rights activists and journalists who criticise Olympic preparations or the government's anti-LGBT policies;[139][140][141] and disputes with Circassian nationalists, who demanded that the events be cancelled or moved unless Russia apologises for the 19th-century deaths, which Circassians regard to be a genocide.[142]

LGBT rights[edit]

See also: LGBT rights in Russia and Russian LGBT propaganda law

In June 2013, Russia passed a controversial law banning the distribution of "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships" among minors. Activists and world leaders interpreted the law as a broad attempt to suppress promotion of the rights and culture of LGBT people in the country, with LGBT rights activists arguing that the law was so vague that even kissing a same-sex partner or displaying LGBT symbols like the rainbow flag in public violated the law,[139][140][143][144] and others attributing the law to an increase in the level of homophobic violence in the country,[145][146][147] Russia's LGBT policies were a cause for concern during the lead-up to the Games, as the Olympic Charter contains language explicitly denouncing all forms of discrimination, while in 2012, similar concerns for "public morality" led the Russian government to block the establishment of a Pride House for the Games, which would have been a safe-space for LGBT visitors and Olympic participants to connect and share information.[148] Russian President Vladimir Putin did guarantee the safety of LGBT athletes and spectators during the Games, if they obeyed the laws.[149][150]

Olympic-focussed protests and campaigns were held to spread awareness of these laws, such as the Principle 6 campaign, named after the anti-discrimination passage in the Olympic Charter.[139][151][152] A number of world leaders, including Barack Obama, David Cameron, François Hollande and Stephen Harper, declined to attend the opening ceremony as national delegates for various reasons. Although attending the Winter Olympics has not historically been considered a high priority by world leaders, there was still speculation that their non-attendance was a symbolic boycott.[153][154][155][156] The United States appointed Billie Jean King, Brian Boitano, and Caitlin Cahow, who are openly gay, as its delegation instead. U.S. president Barack Obama confirmed the intent of the selections in an interview prior to the games, stating that "there is no doubt we wanted to make it very clear that we do not abide by discrimination in anything, including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation."[157][158] A joint letter was sent to the ten Worldwide Olympic Partner companies in early February 2014 by a group of 40 human and LGBT rights organizations, which urged them to support the rights of LGBT people under the Olympic Charter, and pressure the IOC to show greater scrutiny towards the human rights abuses of future host countries.[159] On 3 February 2014, AT&T, a supporter of the United States Olympic Committee, issued a statement in support of LGBT rights at the Games, becoming the first major Olympic advertiser to do so.[160]

A number of LGBT rights activists holding unauthorized protests in Moscow and Saint Petersburg during the Games were arrested, while prominent Italian LGBT activist and former member of parliament Vladimir Luxuria (who was the first ever openly transgender MP in Europe) was detained in Sochi after wearing a rainbow-colored outfit, chanting pro-gay slogans, and holding a banner reading "Gay is OK" in Russian whilst entering an Olympic venue. Although Luxuria was later released, the arrest was criticized by fellow activists Alessandro Zan and Nichi Vendola, both members of the Left Ecology Freedom party. On the other hand, Sports Illustrated reported that an anti-gay demonstration also occurred in Sochi during the games, seemingly defying a ban on unauthorized protests during the Games.[111][161][162][163]

Circassian concerns[edit]

Circassians commemorate the banishment of the Circassians from Russia in Taksim, İstanbul

Some Circassian organisations have objected to the Games being held on land their ancestors held until 1864,[164][165] when most of them were vanquished at the end of the Russian-Circassian War (1763–1864), in what they consider to be ethnic cleansing or genocide. The Games also coincide with the 150th anniversary of this event.[166][167] They demanded the Games be cancelled or moved unless Russia apologises.[168] Some Circassian groups accepted the Olympics, and argued that symbols of Circassian history and culture should be featured, as Australia, the United States and Canada did for their indigenous cultures in 2000, 2002, and 2010 respectively.[169]

The Games' use of Krasnaya Polyana as a site for skiing and snowboarding events was also considered controversial to Circassians, as Krasnaya Polyana (which translates to "Red Hill" or "Red Glade"), was named for a group of Circassians who were defeated in a bloody battle with Russians while attempting to return home over it in 1864.[170][171]

Budget and infrastructure issues[edit]

While Olympic Games typically have high cost overruns, for the 2014 Games they were much higher than usual, with the costs being more than all the previous 21 Winter Olympics combined.[172] Allison Stewart of the Saïd Business School at Oxford, notes that relations between the government and construction companies appear closer in Sochi than in other games.[173] Oligarch Arkady Rotenberg has won contracts worth $7.4 billion.[173] In a press conference, IOC president Thomas Bach defended the high costs of the Games, stating that the costs were in line with previous Olympics, but that the additional costs were a "long-term investment" into making Sochi a year-round resort and winter sports complex.[174]

Criticism also surfaced over the quality and availability of accommodation in Sochi during the final weekend before the Games. Due to contractors failing to meet deadlines, along with inclement weather, three of the nine hotels for accredited media were left with unfinished rooms. Journalists reported various issues, including rooms that were unclean, no working water, discoloured tap water, and missing furniture or amenities. Executive Director Gilbert Felli stated that the rooms would be finished by 5 February, while Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak noted that the media hotels just needed a "final cleaning".[112][175][176][177][178]

Athlete boycott[edit]

On 19 February 2014 Ukrainian alpine skier Bohdana Matsotska pulled out of the Olympic Games in protest against the violent clashes in Ukraine's capital Kiev the previous day.[179]

Politicized media coverage[edit]

IOC President Thomas Bach criticized attempts to politicize the Games, saying that governments should not "sent political messages on the backs of their athletes...this is exactly what the IOC doesn't need."[180] Benjamin Bidder of Spiegel Online and Julia Ioffe of The New Republic compared the negative pre-Sochi coverage to schadenfreude and Russophobia,[181][182] while Anton Fedyashin of The Guardian blamed lingering Cold War mentalities for "dishing up a feast of negativity."[183] In an editorial published by The Nation, scholar of Russian studies Stephen F. Cohen criticized the "toxic coverage" for "exploiting the threat of terrorism so licentiously it seemed pornographic."[184] He further wrote that "American media on Russia today are less objective, less balanced, more conformist and scarcely less ideological than when they covered Soviet Russia during the Cold War."[184]

According to the guardian the games were more politicised than the before, serving as shameless promotion of Putin's Russia.[185] While former world chess champion and Russian opposition figure Garry Kasparov said that game bolstered Putin's Cult of personality.[186]

Some journalists and IOC officials claimed that coverage of the Sochi Olympics by Western media was overly critical, biased, and politicized. U.S. President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President François Hollande declined to attend the Olympics in what some analysts considered a boycott over humanitarian issues.[187][188]

Comedians and satirical newspapers took advantage of the widespread pessimism. On 8 February, The Daily Currant posted a story alleging that a man responsible for operating the Olympic rings during the opening ceremony, which famously suffered a technical glitch, had been "found dead...with multiple stab wounds."[189] The fictional story went viral on social media.[190] On 20 February, luger Kate Hansen posted a well-publicized video on her Twitter account allegedly showing a wolf roaming the hallways of her Sochi hotel; it was later revealed to be a hoax staged by talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and Hansen. USA Luge officials distanced themselves from the incident, with spokesman Sandy Caligiore stating, "I can tell you that our organization is not happy with the incident. Sochi problems? Sochi fail? That's not USA Luge speaking."[191] Throughout the duration of the Olympics the @SochiProblems Twitter account had nearly 100,000 more followers than the official IOC feed @Sochi2014.[192] The blog GossipSochi.com was later set up to debunk @SochiProblems postings, with many revealed to be fakes.[193][194]

In an interview, IOC supervisor Jean-Claude Killy stated that several hotels intended to house the foreign media were unfinished by the opening of the Olympics because officials realized "too late" that construction had fallen behind.[195] According to David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians, many of the incidents early in the Olympics were "standard problems" and were not unique to Sochi. Wallechinsky further noted, "When you mess up with the media before the Games start, you're going to have a problem."[192] In an interview that aired on Russian television on 24 February, Vladimir Putin opined that much of the criticism stemmed from rivalry in international politics, saying "There is a cohort of critics that are far from sport, they are engaged in a competitive struggle in international politics. They used this Olympic project to achieve their own objectives in the field of anti-Russian propaganda."[196]

The mood greatly improved as the Games progressed.[197][198] With a few notable exceptions, NBC largely avoided broadcasting negative material, although several segments deemed "overly friendly to Russia" were harshly criticized by some U.S. conservatives.[199] Following the closing ceremony, Mark Sappenfield of The Christian Science Monitor concluded that by many measures the Olympics were "very successful." Sappenfield singled out the organization as particularly good, writing that "Athletes and Olympic officials were nearly unanimous: This was an extraordinarily well run Olympics."[200] Thomas Bach also voiced support, stating "We saw excellent Games and what counts most is the opinions of the athletes and they were enormously satisfied...You have to ask all those who criticised whether they change their opinions now."[201]

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External links[edit]

Portal icon Olympics portal
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2014 Winter Olympics.
Wikinews has related news: Category:2014 Winter Olympics
Preceded by
Vancouver		 Winter Olympics
Sochi
XXII Olympic Winter Games (2014)		 Succeeded by
Pyeongchang
Summer Games
Olympic rings
Winter Games
Events at the 2014 Winter Olympics (Sochi, Russia)
Coastal Cluster
Mountain Cluster

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