Tag Archives: Sochi

Sochi Paralympic Games Open Against Backdrop of Ukraine Crisis

By The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> The 11th Winter Paralympics officially started in Sochi on Friday night with Russia keen to repeat its successful performance in last month's Winter Olympics, in which it topped the medal table, and showcase the transformation in Russian attitudes to people with disabilities. ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

Sochi Ready for Tourists After Games End

By By Yekaterina Kravtsova and Ivan Nechepurenko <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> With the end of the Olympics, the number of volunteers and Russian sports fans in Sochi has fallen, but crowds of foreign visitors still flooded Sochi on Monday, making the city look like more of an international tourist destination than it was during the games. ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

Critics Fear Post-Sochi Crackdown

By By Natalya Krainova <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> With three days to go until the Winter Olympics in Sochi draw to a close, fears are growing among many Russians that the apparent tolerance of President Vladimir Putin toward critics of his government in the run-up to the games will dissipate after the last foreign participant leaves. ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

Sochi Notebook: Ukraine Far Off the Olympic Radar

By By Ivan Nechepurenko <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> Amid ongoing violence in neighboring Kiev on Wednesday, most spectators at the Winter Olympics in Sochi said they were more interested in the final days of the Games and were not following the situation in Ukraine closely. ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

Pussy Riot Arrested

By Sally Jenkins Two members of Pussy Riot were detained in downtown Sochi near the Olympic Games on Tuesday as they were planning to film a protest video. They were among nine people swept up by Sochi police altogether, along with well known environmental activists, and journalists. Read full article >> ...read more

Source: The Washington Post

    

In Sochi, athletes tiptoe around Olympics sponsorship ban; IOC says open to discussing change

Want to see the glasses and goggles that aerials skier Lydia Lassila and snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis wore at the Sochi Olympics? If you go to the website of the company that manufactures their eyewear, you might be in for a shock. ...read more

Source: Fox News

    

More Adventures in Sochi

By By Scott Antel <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> Friday, Feb. 14. 08:00. After a short week at work, I play "hooky" and head back to Sochi early Friday morning. Domodedovo Airport security is much more vigilant than at Sheremetyevo the week before, and they confiscate my tiny toothpaste and lip balm. The flight is clearly an Olympic "fan ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

Konstantin Ernst's Blockbuster History in Sochi

By By Stephen M. Norris <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> If you tuned into NBC to watch the Olympic opening ceremony, you might have missed some important details about the spectacle. The early headlines about Sochi had focused entirely on the expensive cost of the Games, on Vladimir Putin's role in getting the Games to Sochi, on the president's leadership, ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

Italian Transgender Former Lawmaker Detained in Sochi for Pro-Gay Banner

By By Anna Dolgov <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> Police in Sochi detained a transgender former member of the Italian parliament, Vladimir Luxuria, for holding a sign that read "Gay is OK" in an apparent violation of Russia's "gay propaganda" law, Italian LGBT rights activists said. ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

U.S. men, considered favorites, leave Sochi super combined empty-handed

American's Ted Ligety and Bode Miller had been considered the strongest competitors in the Sochi super combined ski event. But, following disappointing runs on an especially challenging slalom, they left empty-handed. CBSNews.com's Nick Dietz reports. ...read more

Source: CBS News

    

Russian figure-skating icon Evgeni Plushenko withdraws from Sochi Games as men’s competition gets under way

By Liz Clarke SOCHI, Russia—Four days after helping Russia to gold in figure skating's team competition, Evegni Plushenko withdrew from the individual competition at the Sochi Olympics on Thursday — just seconds after his name was called to perform his short program at Sochi's Iceberg Skating Palace. Read full article >> ...read more

Source: The Washington Post

    

Russian volunteers smuggle Sochi strays to new life, far from Olympics host city

By Will Englund TUAPSE, Russia — The purple Chrysler PT Cruiser sped through the night, barreling around rain-slicked hairpin curves on a clandestine rescue mission. It was 3 a.m. Ahead glared the harsh lights of a security check point. Sochi was 60 miles behind. This was the outer edge of the “Ring of ...read more

Source: The Washington Post

    

Sochi drone shooting Olympic TV, not terrorists

That drone you might have spotted hovering and zipping around the Sochi Olympic slopes isn't searching for terrorists or gay rights activists hiding behind the fir trees.

Technicians prepare a spider camera prior to a nordic combined training session in the ski jumping stadium at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. ...read more

Source: The Sacramento Bee

    

Sochi facing questions over empty seats, lack of atmosphere so far at Olympics

It's an issue that comes up in the early days of almost every Olympics: What to do about those empty seats and lack of buzz? It's the case again in Sochi, with some senior Olympic officials voicing concern about less-than-capacity crowds and a dearth of spectator enthusiasm. ...read more

Source: Fox News

    

IOC spokesman defends broadcast sleight of hand during Sochi’s Opening Ceremony

By Liz Clarke SOCHI, Russia—The 40,000 Russians who filled Fisht Stadium for Sochi's Opening Ceremony collectively cringed when the fifth of five giant snowflakes failed to morph into an Olympic ring, as scripted. It was a glaring technical glitch in a highly orchestrated pageant, leaving puzzling spectators gazing at four shimmering Olympic rings ...read more

Source: The Washington Post

    

Of anthems and ballet: sopranos, choruses, and classical music open Sochi games

By Anne Midgette The contrast was striking. A week ago, an American classical star sang America's national anthem at the Super Bowl: Renee Fleming offered a restrained but still slightly ornamented, slightly pop-tinged version of the song. Tonight, the opening ceremonies of the Sochi Olympics did not lack for spectacle and glitz, and ...read more

Source: The Washington Post

    

Olympics open in Sochi with extravagant pageant

By Kathy Lally, Will Englund SOCHI, Russia — Glowing volcanoes, the planet's oldest and deepest lake, great forests of birch, horses galloping in a 215-foot troika, Peter the Great, waltzing nobles, dazzling ballet, soaring opera, a cast of thousands and, yes, even revolution. The Winter Games' Opening Ceremonies gathered the world into the great, chaotic, ...read more

Source: The Washington Post

    

US Olympic hockey GM David Poile expected to delay his trip to Sochi after undergoing surgery

U.S. Olympic hockey general manager David Poile is expected to delay his scheduled trip to the Sochi Games this weekend as he recovers from two surgical procedures after getting hit in the face with an errant puck. ...read more

Source: Fox News

    

Fear hackers? Sochi is little worse than elsewhere

How safe is Sochi for your electronics and personal data? The games, like nearly all international events, have sparked a series of online calls to arms, with various branches of the nebulous Anonymous movement pledging action over issues as diverse as gay rights, Chechnya, and the destruction of stray dogs. ...read more

Source: phy.org

    

Pic of the Week: Let the Games Begin!

The Winter Olympics in Sochi are set to begin, so I thought I'd share this remote sensing image of the skiing and snowboarding sites.

In this false color view looking southwest, the red colors are indicative of vegetation. The Rosa Khutar ski resort is in the big valley at the center ...read more

Source: Discover Magazine

    

Deputy Prime Minister Lets Slip Comment About Surveillance in Sochi Hotel Rooms

By By Eva Hartog <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> An attempt to defend Russia from a wave of reports about faulty infrastructure in Sochi by pointing the finger at guests backfired when a top official seemingly admitted to spying on hotel guests in their bathrooms. ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

With global spotlight on Sochi, human rights activists look for openings to challenge Russian law

With the world’s focus turned to Sochi, Russia, for Friday night’s Opening Ceremony and the Olympic competitions to come, human rights activists hope to keep attention on the host country’s law prohibiting so-called gay propaganda. They’re facing a challenge. ...read more

Source: The Sacramento Bee

    

In Sochi, Athletes Hit The Slopes as Officials Counter Critics

By By Ivan Nechepurenko <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> As snowboarders and skiers flew through the Olympic snow in Sochi on the first day of sporting events Thursday, the organizers have attempted to respond to intensifying criticism of the first Winter Games in Russia. ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

Sochi Notebook: The Old Man and the Hill

By By Yekaterina Kravtsova <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> One particularly picturesque hill in central Sochi is being transformed into the new Svetlana district, an area being built up with prestigious apartment buildings that offer a spectacular view of the sea. ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

What to Do If You Get Sick in Sochi

By By Yekaterina Kravtsova <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> More than 1,000 doctors from Russia's regions have been sent to Sochi for the Olympic period, with more than 250 million rubles allocated for providing health care to athletes and tourists, but visitors who do not speak Russian could run into problems if they have to deal with the Sochi ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

For Migrant Workers, Olympic Dream Turns to Nightmare in Sochi

By Reuters <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> When Sasa Matic was offered a job on a building site in Sochi, he suspected it was too good to be true.
Yet he and scores of others from Serbia and Bosnia heeded the siren call of Russia's 2014 Winter Olympics, seduced by the prospect of earning more in two months ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

Russian deputy prime minister confirms Kremlin view on gay rights in Sochi: Leave kids alone

Russia's deputy prime minister has confirmed the Kremlin's view on gay rights in Sochi, asking athletes to "leave the kids alone." Dmitry Kozak told a news conference Thursday that Russian organizers will not discriminate against visitors or athletes because of their sexuality, but he backed the government's support for the ...read more

Source: Fox News

    

Sochi 'Ready' Despite Final Scramble

By By Matthew Bodner <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> As the Olympic Torch arrived in Sochi on Wednesday and President Vladimir Putin personally presided over the raising of the Russian flag in the Olympic Village, the Internet was abuzz with tales of construction blunders and the popular Twitter hashtag "#Sochiproblems." ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

Sochi Social: What Journalists Didn't Expect From Their Stay in Sochi

By The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> Being a host city is never an easy task. But the flood of Western journalists into Sochi this week in the run-up to the Winter Games, many of whom have probably never been to Russia before, was paralleled by a flood of complaints and comments on social media. ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

Putin's Guest List: Which World Leaders Are Going to Sochi?

By By Matthew Bodner <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> With all the upheaval surrounding those leaders who won't be attending the Winter Games in Sochi, you would almost forget

Russia is expecting 60 senior officials representing foreign governments at the Olympic opening ceremony. Here's a look at who is coming to Sochi. ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

Sochi squalor: Journalists report hotel horror stories as Russians scramble to finish construction

Sportswriters from around the world have begun cataloguing a litany of accommodation-related woes in Sochi, Russia as organizers scramble to finish the construction of some hotels three days before the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics, and two days before some competitions get underway. ...read more

Source: Fox News

    

Outcry over the fate of Sochi's stray dogs mars Games preparations

By Timothy Heritage, Reuters Quinn Rooney / Getty Images Stray dogs walk in front of the Bolshoy Ice Dome ahead of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics on Feb. 2, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. By Timothy Heritage, ReutersSOCHI, Russia – An outcry over the fate of stray animals being rounded up in Sochi ...read more

Source: NBC

    

Putin Rolls Out His English for IOC Opening in Sochi

By By Christopher Brennan <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> President Vladimir Putin concluded the 126th session of the International Olympic Committee in Sochi on Tuesday evening just as he delivered Russia's appeal to committee voters in Guatemala in 2007 before they chose a city for the Winter Games: in English. ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

Sochi city hall orders killing of stray dogs

A pest control company which has been killing stray dogs in Sochi for years told The Associated Press on Monday that it has a contract to exterminate more of the animals throughout the Olympics.

A stray dog walks outside the Ice Dome venue as preparations take place for the 2014 Winter ...read more

Source: The Sacramento Bee

    

With Sochi Locked Down, Worries Arise of an Attack Elsewhere

By By Yekaterina Kravtsova <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> Amid unprecedented security measures by the authorities to secure Sochi for the Winter Olympics, observers have expressed concerns that other cities in Russia have been left unprotected, with law enforcement personnel and technical equipment needed to prevent terrorist attacks having been concentrated in the Olympic capital. ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

Olympic Loo-Loo: Another twin toilet found in Sochi

APIn this photo taken Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014, two female toilets sit side-by-side at the security screening facility outside the Main Press Center at the 2014 Winter Olympics, in Sochi, Russia. SOCHI, Russia — Twin Toilets, No. 2.Side-by-side toilets in a men's bathroom caused a social media sensation last ...read more

Source: NBC

    

Australia Restricts Travel for Athletes in Sochi

By The Associated Press <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> The Australian Olympic Committee has imposed travel restrictions on team members in Sochi, advising athletes not to travel into downtown areas outside the secured perimeter of Olympic Games venues. ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

Navalny Publishes Sochi Corruption Report

By By Yekaterina Kravtsova <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> Whistleblower and opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Monday published an investigation into the construction of Olympic facilities in Sochi that said contracts had been repeatedly altered to inflate their cost, allowing officials to embezzle billions. ...read more

Source: The Moscow Times

    

Half of Americans fear terrorist attack in Sochi

By Aaron Blake Half of the United States thinks it's at least somewhat likely there will be a terrorist attack at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, next month, according to a new poll. The Quinnipiac poll shows 12 percent think it's "very likely," while 38 percent think it's "somewhat likely." Read full ...read more

Source: The Washington Post

    

Sochi terror threat: 'All on Russia' for response if something goes wrong

By Erin McClam, Staff Writer, NBC News Maxim Shemetov / Reuters fileThe Olympic Park, under construction in the Adler district of Sochi, in December.By Erin McClam, Staff Writer, NBC NewsA catastrophic terrorist strike at the Sochi Winter Olympics would present the United States with a logistically mind-boggling and diplomatically delicate challenge: How to get more than 200 ...read more

Source: NBC