2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Comes to a Close
| The Sochi Winter Olympics concluded yesterday, after 16 days of competition on the ice and snow. Host nation Russia won the most medals overall, taking home 33, followed by the U.S. with 28, and Norway with 26. The event was brought to a close in Fisht Stadium last night, with a massive closing ceremony ending with a handoff to Pyeongchang, South Korea, host nation of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Collected below are images of the last days of competition, and last night's closing ceremony. Be sure to also see Olympic Photos Part I, and Part II, earlier on In Focus.
Victor An of Russia reacts as he crosses the finish line first in the men's 500m short track speedskating final at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the 2014 Winter Olympics, on February 21, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. The gold was one of four medals won by An in Sochi.(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States step onto the ice before performing in the figure skating exhibition gala at the Iceberg Skating Palace in Sochi, on February 22, 2014. Davis and White won gold in Ice Dance on February 17.(AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev) # Annalisa Drew of the United States crashes in the Freestyle Skiing Ladies' Ski Halfpipe Finals on day thirteen of the 2014 Winter Olympics at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, on February 20, 2014. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) # Jonathan Quick of the United States tends the net against Canada during the Men's Ice Hockey Semifinal Playoff at the Bolshoy Ice Dome, on February 21, 2014. (Al Bello/Getty Images) # (From right) Norway's winning team members Haavard Klemetsen, Magnus Krog, Joergen Graabak and Magnus Hovdal Moan celebrate by sliding after the flower ceremony for the Nordic Combined team Gundersen event of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games, in Rosa Khutor, on February 20, 2014. (Reuters/Michael Dalder) # In this picture made with a fisheye lens, South Korean speedskaters practice in Sochi, on February 20, 2014.(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) # The team from Canada CAN-3, with Justin Kripps, Jesse Lumsden, Cody Sorensen and Ben Coakwell, slide down the track upside down after crashing in turn sixteen during the men's four-man bobsled competition in Krasnaya Polyana, on February 22, 2014.(AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) # Pilot John James Jackson (center), Stuart Benson (right) and Bruce Tasker of Great Britain team 1 react after the crash of Canada team 3 during the Men's Four Man Bobsleigh heats at Sliding Center Sanki, on February 22, 2014. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) # From left, France's Ophelie David, Canada's Kelsey Serwa, Canada's Marielle Thompson and Sweden's Anna Holmlund compete during the women's freestyle skiing skicross finals in Rosa Khutor, on February 21, 2014. (Reuters/Mike Blake) # Czech Republic's Gabriela Soukalova (left) prepares to shoot during the women's biathlon 4x6 km relay event, on February 21, 2014. (Reuters/Sergei Karpukhin) # Russia's Anastasia Chirtcova crashes during a women's ski cross heat at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, on February 21, 2014. Ahead of her are Chile's Stephanie Joffroy, center, and Switzerland's Katrin Mueller, right. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) # Canada's E.J. Harnden, right, and Ryan Harnden, left, sweep ahead of the rock during the men's curling semifinal game against China, on February 19, 2014. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E) # The team from the United States USA-2, piloted by Jamie Greubel with brakeman Aja Evans, left, prepare to start their third run during the women's bobsled competition in Krasnaya Polyana, on February 19, 2014. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) # A skier competes in a snowstorm during the men's freestyle skiing halfpipe finals at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, on February 18, 2014. (Reuters/Mike Segar) # Valerie Maltais of Canada competes in a women's 1000m short track speedskating quarterfinal at the Iceberg Skating Palace, on February 21, 2014. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) # Korea's Yuna Kim celebrates her silver medal win, holding her flag at the end of the Figure Skating Women's free skating Program at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, on February 20, 2014. (Reuters/Alexander Demianchuk) # Haavard Klemetsen of Norway competes in the Nordic Combined Men's Team Large Hill at RusSki Gorki Jumping Center, on February 20, 2014. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) # Marie-Philip Poulin #29 of Canada celebrates with teammates after scoring the game-winning goal against the United States in overtime as Anne Schleper #15 and Michelle Picard #23 of the United States react after the Ice Hockey Women's Gold Medal Game at the Bolshoy Ice Dome, on February 20, 2014. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) # Canada's goalie Shannon Szabados waves the Canadian flag after their women's ice hockey gold medal win over Team USA at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, on February 20, 2014. (Reuters/Brian Snyder) # The Olympic rings are reflected in the goggles of Norway's Haavard Klemetsen as he makes his attempt during the ski jumping portion of the Nordic combined Gundersen large hill team competition, on February 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky) # Carolina Kostner of Italy casts a shadow as she begins her routine in the figure skating exhibition gala at the Iceberg Skating Palace, on February 22, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev) # In this multiple exposure photo, Sweden's Anna Holmlund (green bib), Canada's Kelsey Serwa (red bib), Austria's Katrin Ofner (blue bib) and Switzerland's Fanny Smith (yellow bib) crest a hill in the women's freestyle skiing skicross semi-finals at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games in Rosa Khutor, on February 21, 2014. (Reuters/Lucas Jackson) # Women's ski cross gold medalist Marielle Thompson of Canada, right, celebrates on the podium with silver medalist and compatriot Kelsey Serwa, left, at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, on February 21, 2014. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) # Russia's skaters start during their men's speed skating team pursuit quarter-finals event at the Adler Arena, on February 21, 2014.(Reuters/Phil Noble) # Canada goaltender Carey Price greets USA goaltender Jonathan Quick after the 1-0 Canada win in the men's semifinal ice hockey game at the 2014 Winter Olympics, on February 21, 2014. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) # Li Zijun of China competes in the women's free skate figure skating finals at the Iceberg Skating Palace, on February 20, 2014.(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) # The Czech Republic's Ondrej Moravec, right, celebrates winning the bronze medal next to silver medalist France's Martin Fourcade, during the men's biathlon 15k mass-start in Krasnaya Polyana, on February 18, 2014. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) # Sidney Crosby of Canada celebrates after scoring his team's second goal in the second period during the Men's Ice Hockey Gold Medal match against Sweden at Bolshoy Ice Dome on February 23, 2014. Canada defeated Sweden 3-0 for the gold.(Martin Rose/Getty Images) # Russian President Vladimir Putin toasts Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (left) and figure skating coach Tatiana Tarasova (right) with glasses of champagne in the presidential lounge before the 2014 Winter Olympics closing ceremony in Sochi, on February 23, 2014. (Reuters/David Goldman/Pool) # An Olympic volunteer sits on the beach along the Black Sea ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics closing ceremony, on February 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/David Goldman) # At the closing ceremony, performers hold light sticks during the closing ceremony for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, on February 23, 2014. (Reuters/Eric Gaillard) # A large mascot, the Olympic Polar Bear, blows out the Olympic flame during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics, on February 23, 2014. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) # Performers take part in the show during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, on February 23, 2014.(Reuters/Pawel Kopczynski) # Performers are suspended in a giant rowboat during the closing ceremony for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, on February 23, 2014. (Reuters/Gary Hershorn) # Giving a nod to the malfunctioning Olympic Rings from the opening ceremony, Performers form an incomplete set of the Olympic rings during the closing ceremony for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, on February 23, 2014. (Reuters/Eric Gaillard) # Performers take part in the closing ceremony in the Fisht Olympic Stadium, on February 23, 2014.(Damien Meyer/AFP/Getty Images) # A performer suspended in mid-air takes part in the closing ceremony in Sochi, on February 23, 2014. (Reuters/Phil Noble) # Performers, large mechanized Olympic mascots and a vessel suspended in the air take part in the closing ceremony, on February 23, 2014. (Reuters/Jim Young) # Artists perform near the flag of South Korea, the country that will host the next Winter Olympics, during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics, on February 23, 2014. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) # South Korean artists perform during the closing ceremony in Sochi, on February 23, 2014. Pyeongchang will host the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev) # Fireworks explode over Olympic Park, bringing the 2014 Winter Olympics to a close, on February 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia.(AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Right now, in Sochi, Russia, the opening ceremony of the XXII Olympic Winter Games is under way. The ceremony is a huge spectacle, including thousands of athletes in the Parade of Nations, pyrotechnics, dancing, lightshows, and more.
Fireworks explode over the Fisht Olympic Stadium at the beginning of the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics on February 7, 2014 in Sochi. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images) People line up to enter the stadium before the opening ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, on February 7, 2014.(Reuters/Mark Blinch) # The sun sets over Sochi's Olympic Park, on February 7, 2014. (Scott Halleran/Getty Images) # Fireworks erupt at the start of the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics, on Friday, February 7, 2014.(AP Photo/Julio Cortez) # Performers take the field during the Opening Ceremony, on February 7, 2014. (Damien Meyer/AFP/Getty Images) # Liza Temnikova, as "Lyubov", is lifted into the air during a performance, holding a long kite, flying above a theatrical Russian landscape, in the Opening Ceremony in Sochi, on February 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) # Liza Temnikova as Lyubov performs Voices of Russia in Fisht Olympic Stadium, on February 7, 2014.(Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) # Reindeer stand near gurs as a Russian rural landscape scene floats past during the Opening Ceremony, on February 7, 2014 in Sochi. (Damien Meyer/AFP/Getty Images) # One of the five Olympic rings failed to unfold during the Opening Ceremony, on February 7, 2014. (Reuters/Pawel Kopczynski) # Performers in lighted clothing in Fisht Stadium, on February 7, 2014. (Reuters/Mark Blinch) # Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, left, applaud during the playing of the Russian national anthem, on February 7, 2014. (AP Photo/David Goldman) # The Greek Olympic team enters the stadium during the Opening Ceremony, on February 7, 2014.(Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) # Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany carries her country flag as the team arrives in Sochi, Russia, on, February 7, 2014.(AP Photo/Matt Dunham) # Todd Lodwick of the United States carries the national flag as he leads team USA into Fisht Stadium, on February 7, 2014.(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) # Nordic combined skier Mario Stecher of the Austria Olympic team carries his country's flag during the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, on February 7, 2014. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) # Members of the Russian team enter the stadium during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Friday, February 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) # A massive troika, three harnessed horses, during the opening ceremony, on February 7, 2014. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) # A Russian ship is projected on the floor of Fisht Stadium in Sochi, on February 7, 2014. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) # Artists perform in Sochi, on February 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) # Actors perform during the opening ceremony in Sochi, on February 7, 2014. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) # A look at Russia's Soviet past in Sochi, on February 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) # Performers in the opening ceremony in Sochi, on February 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) # Liza Temnikova, as Lyubov, releases the red balloon of communism in Fisht Olympic Stadium, on February 7, 2014.(Antonin Thuillier/AFP/Getty Images) # Dancers perform in Natasha Rostova's First Ball on February 7, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) # Dancers Svetlana Zakharova and Ivan Vasiliev perform during the opening ceremony, on February 7, 2014. (Reuters/Jim Young) # Dancers perform during in Fisht Olympic Stadium, on February 7, 2014. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) # Dancers perform during in Fisht Olympic Stadium, on February 7, 2014. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images) # The Sochi Olympics winter games official Hare mascot, in Fisht Olympic Stadium, on February 7, 2014.(Damien Meyer/AFP/Getty Images) # A performance during the opening ceremony in Sochi, on February 7, 2014. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) # A performance during the opening ceremony in Sochi, on February 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) # Olympic athletes are depicted in lights int Fisht Olympic Stadium, on February 7, 2014. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) # Artists perform during the opening ceremony, on February 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) # Fireworks explode over the Fisht Olympic Stadium, February 7, 2014. (Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images) # Russian tennis player and Olympic medalist Maria Sharapova carries the Olympic torch into Fisht Olympic Stadium, on February 7, 2014. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images) # Fireworks explode over the Fisht Stadium during the Opening Ceremony, on February 7, 2014 in Sochi.(PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images) # Former hockey player Vladislav Tretiak (right) and figure skater Irina Rodnina light the Olympic cauldron together on February 7, 2014. (Reuters/Pool) # Fire races up the Olympic Cauldron, on February 7, 2014. (Reuters/Shamil Zhumatov) # Fireworks explode over Sochi at the end of the Opening Ceremony, on February 7, 2014. (Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images) # The Olympic flame, lit during the Opening Ceremony, on February 7, 2014. (Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) # Fireworks explode over Fisht Olympic Stadium, on February 7, 2014. (Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images) # Fireworks explode after the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron, during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, February 7, 2014. (Reuters/Shamil Zhumatov) |
Flushed with pride after its athletes' spectacular showing at the costliest Olympics ever, Russia celebrated Sunday night with a visually stunning finale that handed off a smooth but politically charged Winter Games to their next host, Pyeongchang in South Korea. Russian President Vladimir Putin, these Olympics' political architect and booster-in-chief, watched and smiled as Sochi gave itself a giant pat on the back for a Winter Games that IOC President Thomas Bach declared an "extraordinary success." The crowd that partied in Fisht Olympic Stadium, in high spirits after the high-security games passed safely without feared terror attacks, hooted with delight when Bach said Russia delivered on promises of "excellent" venues, "outstanding" accommodation for the 2,856 athletes and "impeccable organization." The spectators let out an audibly sad moan when Bach declared the 17-day Winter Games closed.
Fireworks explode over Olympic Park during the closing ceremony for the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) "We leave as friends of the Russian people," Bach said. The nation's $51 billion investment — topping even Beijing's estimated $40 billion layout for the 2008 Summer Games — transformed a decaying resort town on the Black Sea into a household name. All-new facilities, unthinkable in the Soviet era of drab shoddiness, showcased how far Russia has come in the two decades since it turned its back on communism. But the Olympic show didn't win over critics of Russia's backsliding on democracy and human rights under Putin and its institutionalized intolerance of gays. Despite the bumps along the way, Bach was unrelentingly upbeat about his first games as IOC president and the nation that hosted it. One of Sochi's big successes was security. Feared attacks by Islamic militants who threatened to target the games didn't materialize. "It's amazing what has happened here," Bach said a few hours before the ceremony. He recalled that Sochi was an "old, Stalinist-style sanatorium city" when he visited for the IOC in the 1990s. Dmitry Chernyshenko, head of the Sochi organizing committee, called the games "a moment to cherish and pass on to the next generations." "This," he said, "is the new face of Russia — our Russia." His nation celebrated its rich gifts to the worlds of music and literature in the ceremony, which started at 20:14 local time — a nod to the year that Putin seized upon to remake Russia's image with the Olympics' power to wow and concentrate global attention and massive resources. Performers in smart tails and puffy white wigs performed a ballet of grand pianos, pushing 62 of them around the stadium floor while soloist Denis Matsuev played thunderous bars from Sergei Rachmaninoff's Concerto No.2. There was, of course, also ballet, with dancers from the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky, among the world's oldest ballet companies. The faces of Russian authors through the ages were projected onto enormous screens, and a pile of books transformed into a swirling tornado of loose pages. There was pomp and there was kitsch. The games' polar bear mascot — standing tall as a tree — shed a fake tear as he blew out a cauldron of flames, extinguishing the Olympic torch that burned outside the stadium. Day and night, the flame had become a favorite backdrop for "Sochi selfies," a buzzword born at these games for the fad of athletes and spectators taking DIY souvenir photos of themselves. "Now we can see our country is very friendly," said Boris Kozikov of St. Petersburg, Russia. "This is very important for other countries around the world to see." And in a charming touch, Sochi organizers poked fun at themselves. In the center of the stadium, dancers in shimmering silver costumes formed themselves into four rings and a clump. That was a wink to a globally noticed technical glitch in the Feb. 7 opening ceremony, when one of the five Olympic rings in a wintry opening scene failed to open. The rings were supposed to join together and erupt in fireworks. This time, it worked: As Putin watched from the stands, the dancers in the clump waited a few seconds and then formed a ring of their own, making five, drawing laughs from the crowd. Raucous spectators chanted "Ro-ssi-ya! Ro-ssi-ya!" — "Russia! Russia!" They got their own Olympic keepsakes — medals of plastic with embedded lights that flashed in unison, creating pulsating waves of color across the stadium. Athletes said goodbye to rivals-turned-friends from far off places, savoring their achievements or lamenting what might have been — and, for some, looking ahead to 2018. The city where they will compete, Pyeongchang, offered in its segment of the show a teaser of what to expect in four years with video of venues, Korean music and delightful dancers in glowing bird suits. Winners of Russia's record 13 gold medals marched into the stadium carrying the country's white, blue and red flag. With a 3-0 victory over Sweden in the men's hockey final Sunday, Canada claimed the last gold from the 98 medal events. Absent were six competitors caught by what was the most extensive anti-doping program in Winter Olympic history, with the IOC conducting a record 2,631 tests — nearly 200 more than originally planned. Russia's leader had reason to be pleased as the Olympics dubbed the "Putin Games" ended. His nation's athletes topped the Sochi medals table, both in golds and total — 33. That represented a stunning turnaround from the 2010 Vancouver Games. There, a meager three golds and 15 total for Russia seemed proof of its gradual decline as a winter sports power since Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Russia's bag of Sochi gold was the biggest-ever haul by a non-Soviet team. Russia's last gold came Sunday in four-man bobsled. The games' signature moment for home fans was Adelina Sotnikova, cool as ice at 17, becoming Russia's first gold medalist in women's Olympic figure skating. Not every headline out of Sochi was about sport. Going in, organizers faced criticism about Russia's strict policies toward gays, though once they started sliding and skiing and skating, most every athlete chose not to use the Olympic spotlight to campaign for the cause. An activist musical group and movement, Pussy Riot, appeared in public and was horsewhipped by Cossack militiamen, drawing international scrutiny. And during the last days of competition, Sochi competed for attention with violence in Ukraine, Russia's neighbor and considered a vital sphere of influence by the Kremlin. In an Associated Press interview on Saturday, Bach singled out Ukraine's victory in women's biathlon relay as "really an emotional moment" of the games, praising Ukrainian athletes for staying to compete despite the scores dead in protests back home. "Mourning on the one hand, but knowing what really is going on in your country, seeing your capital burning, and feeling this responsibility, and then winning the gold medal," he said, "this really stands out for me." ___ Associated Press journalist Oskar Garcia contributed to this report. AP Sports Writer John Leicester is covering his fifth Olympic Games. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/johnleicester
South Korean artists perform during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. Pyeongchang will host the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip )
The mayor of Pyeongchang Lee Seok-rai, centre, waves the Olympic flag as International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, left, applauds during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
In this image taken with a slow shutter speed, a piano player performs during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip )
Performers recreate the ring that did not open during the opening ceremony during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
Artists perform near the Olympic Flag during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A boat is suspended in the air as performers participate in the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Performers sing on stage before the start of the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
Athletes march into the arena during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Performers recreate the ring that did not open during the opening ceremony during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip )
Fireworks explode over Olympic Park during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
A girl with a Russian flag painted on her face blows bubbles as she waits for the start of the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
When the International Olympic Committee selected Sochi, Russia, as the host of the 2014 Winter Olympics in 2007, the small seaside resort town had no major venues, minimal housing, and few transportation options. Seven years and $51 billion later, the city has built dozens of large facilities, created thousands of housing units, added new rail systems, and toughened security. Now, less than 24 hours before the Opening Ceremony, we take a look back at some of the construction and preparation in Sochi over the years, leading up to athletes making their final practice runs.
Shelly Gotlieb, Stefi Luxton, Christy Prior and Rebecca Torr, snowboarders from New Zealand, pose for a picture in the Olympic Rings at the Athletes Village ahead of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, on February 4, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. (Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
Mud and debris, pictured in front of a Sochi sign near the village of Esto Sadok at the Rosa Khutor alpine resort near Sochi, on February 2, 2014. (Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach) #
(1 of 4) A view of the Bolshoy Ice Dome under construction at the Olympic park near Sochi, on May 20, 2011.(Reuters/Sergei Karpukhin) #
(2 of 4) Construction of the Bolshoy Ice Dome, photographed on December 23, 2010. (AP Photo/Igor Yakunin) #
(3 of 4) A stray dog walks outside the Bolshoy Ice Dome, as preparations take place for the 2014 Winter Olympics, on February 3, 2014. A pest control company which has been killing stray dogs in Sochi for years recently told The Associated Press that it has a contract to exterminate more of the animals throughout the Olympics. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) #
(4 of 4) A volunteer walks along a concourse at the Bolshoy Ice Dome, where ice hockey will be played, on January 25, 2014.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip) #
(1 of 4) In this photo from April 25, 2009, people work on their vegetable gardens near the construction site of the Olympic facilities in Sochi. In less than five years, somewhere in this expanse of short grass, stones and weeds by the Black Sea, the 2014 Winter Olympics are to open with a ceremony watched worldwide. In April of 2008, the site was still and silent and the International Olympic Committee's Jean-Claude Killy warned Russia must work "hard and fast" to get Sochi in shape for the games.(AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev) #
(2 of 4) An aerial view of the 2014 Winter Olympics sites construction, near the Black Sea, on October 26, 2010.(Mikhail Mordasov/AFP/Getty Images) #
(3 of 4) Security guards walk along the debris of abandoned buildings with the Olympic Park in the background, on February 17, 2012. (Reuters/Denis Sinyakov) #
(4 of 4) An aerial view from a helicopter shows the Olympic Park on December 23, 2013. Sochi will host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in February. The view shows (clockwise from top) the Fisht Olympic Stadium, the Shayba Arena, the Bolshoy Ice Dome, the Ice Cube Curling center, the Adler Arena and the Iceberg Skating Palace. Picture taken December 23, 2013.(Reuters/Maxim Shemetov) #
Workers cordon off a badly-leaning building in Sochi, on March 3, 2013. A three-story house under construction tilted after a road tunnel being constructed for the 2014 Winter Olympics had collapsed nearby, the local media said. (AP Photo/Artur Lebedev) #
(1 of 2) In this photo taken on May 19, 2011, Rosa village, a new ski resort is shown under construction in Krasnaya Polyana, near Sochi. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) #
(2 of 2) Rosa village is seen from a gondola prior to the 2014 Winter Olympics, on February 4, 2014, in Krasnaya Polyana.(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) #
A construction worker in the mountain Media Village on top of the village of Esto Sadok at the Rosa Khutor alpine resort near Sochi, on February 2, 2014. (Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach) #
(1 of 3) A view of the Iceberg Skating Palace, under construction at the Olympic park near Sochi, on May 20, 2011.(Reuters/Sergei Karpukhin) #
(2 of 3) Construction of the Iceberg Skating Palace during a media tour of the Olympic venues in Sochi, on February 10, 2012.(Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay) #
(3 of 3) Technicians stand on the ice as they work on the score clock at the Iceberg Skating Palace, on August 20, 2013.(Reuters/Gary Hershorn) #
A volunteer walks past a construction site with an unfinished building under a tarp decorated with paintings of windows, in Sochi, on February 6, 2014. (Reuters/Eric Gaillard) #
(1 of 4) On May 10, 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron visit the Fisht Olympic Stadium where the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics will be held. At right is Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov, at left is Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Alexei Nikolsky) #
(2 of 4) A picture shot through the window of a house -- scheduled to be torn down because it is within the perimeters of the Olympic Park -- shows the Fisht Stadium, on February 18, 2013. (Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach) #
(3 of 4) A workman carries a bag of cement inside the Fisht Stadium as construction continues at the Olympic Park, on August 20, 2013. (Reuters/Gary Hershorn) #
(4 of 4) The completed Fisht Olympic Stadium, on February 2, 2014. (Joe Scarnici/Getty Images) #
A worker is dwarfed against the sky as he stands at the top of the Olympic cauldron ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics, on February 4, 2014, in Sochi. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E) #
The Olympic torch, left, is tested before the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Olympic Park, on January 29, 2014.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip) #
Mountain climber Karina Mezova, front, and Abdul-Khalim Elmezov, head of Kabardino-Balkaria climbing federation, head to light the Olympic flame on the summit of Mt. Elbrus during the Olympic torch relay in Kabardino-Balkaria province, southern Russia, on its way to Sochi, on October 25, 2013. The 65,000-kilometer (40,389 mile) Sochi torch relay, which started on October 7, is the longest in Olympic history. (AP Photo/ Konstantin Dikovsky, Olympictorch2014.com) #
Sarah Reid of Canada makes a practice skeleton run ahead of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at the Sanki Sliding Center, on February 5, 2014. (Alex Livesey/Getty Images) #
A biathlete practices ahead of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at the Laura Cross-Country Ski and Biathlon Center on February 5, 2014. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) #
Vanessa James of France practices with her pairs partner Morgan Cipres at the figure skating practice rink ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics, on February 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev) #
Snowboarder Sven Thorgren of Sweden trains on the slopestyle snowboard course in Rosa Khutor, Russia, on February 4, 2014.(Reuters/Dylan Martinez) #
Russian pair skaters Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov practice for their event in Sochi, on February 5, 2014.(AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
In just over one year, the small Black Sea resort town of Sochi, Russia, will host the 2014 Winter Olympics. Sochi won its bid to host the games back in 2007, and has been preparing ever since - upgrading telecommunications, transportation, and other infrastructure, and constructing many huge new venues in two main locations: the Coastal Cluster along the Black Sea shore in the Imeretinskaya Valley and the Mountain Cluster in Krasnaya Polyana. With construction deadlines approaching next summer, here is a look at the progress so far in Sochi.
A view of the Bolshoi Ice Palace construction site at the Olympic Park in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, on December 16, 2011. The Olympic Park will be able to accommodate about 75,000 visitors when full, and all the ice arenas will be within walking distance of one other. Sochi will host the 2014 Winter Olympics that start on February 7, 2014. (Mikhail Mordasov/AFP/Getty Images)
An aerial view of the construction area of the Olympic Park in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, on May 18, 2012.(Mikhail Mordasov/AFP/Getty Images) #
People fishing from the shore near the construction site of the Olympic Village in the Imereti Valley in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, on November 22, 2012. (Mikhail Mordasov/AFP/Getty Images) #
Security guards walk along the debris of abandoned buildings with the Olympic Park in Imeretinskaya Valley seen in the background, in Sochi, on February 17, 2012. (Reuters/Denis Sinyakov) #
Construction of the Olympic Oval skating center during a media tour of the Olympic venues in Sochi, on February 10, 2012. The Olympic Oval will host the speed skating events of the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The stadium will be used as a trade and exhibition center after the Games. (Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay) #
The newly constructed Iceberg skating palace, which will host the short track speed skating and figure skating events in Sochi, part of the coastal cluster for the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics, on December 7, 2012. (Francois Xavier Marit/AFP/Getty Images) #
The Bolshoi Ice Palace under construction at the Olympic park in Sochi, on May 20, 2011. (Reuters/Sergei Karpukhin) #
Residents work in their garden, with the under-construction Olympic Park in Imeretinskaya Valley seen in the background, in Sochi, on February 17, 2012. (Reuters/Denis Sinyakov) #
Construction work on the train line that will connect the Olympic coastal venues with the mountain venues, on December 9, 2012 in Sochi, Russia. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) #
A ski resort under construction near the Black Sea resort of Sochi, on May 19, 2011. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) #
Views of the river running through Rosa Khutor mountain venue for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, on November 7, 2012.(Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) #
The RusSki Gorki Ski Jump, which will be used for the Ski Jumping event at the Sochi Winter Olympics 2014, during the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup on December 9, 2012. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) #
A snowboarder passes by an advertising poster for Gorky Gorod, an under-construction ski resort in Krasnaya Polyana, some 40 km (25 miles) outside of the Black Sea city of Sochi, late February 18, 2012. During the 2014 Olympics, Gorky Gorod will be used as the Olympic Media Village. (Reuters/Denis Sinyakov) #
A trial jumper soars over construction sites surrounding the ski jumping hill of Krasnaya Polyana, on December 7, 2012, before the start of the Sochi Ski Jumping World Cup tournament. The hill will be a venue for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.(Reuters/Michael Dalder) #
Gondolas sit near a track at the Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort on Aibga Ridge, part of the complex of facilities to be used for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, on November 7, 2012. (Reuters/Pawel Kopczynski) #
An aerial view of a partially demolished house, owned by the Khlystov family, in the Black Sea city of Sochi, on September 19, 2012. Workers arrived at Sergei Khlystov's gate on a Friday evening to bulldoze his home and clear a path for sewage pipes to the Olympic village being built in Sochi. (Reuters/sochinskie-novosti.ru/Artur Levedev) #
Tatyana Samokhval (left), daughter of local resident Sergei Khlystov, embraces her crying mother Valentina Khlystova in front of their partially demolished house in the Black Sea city of Sochi, on September 19, 2012. Khlystov and his 33-year-old son-in-law, Maxim Samokhval, at first tried to block the bulldozers but then stood aside and watched as the two-story house was destroyed. The earthmovers ended Khlystov's battle to stay in his house, one of the last razed in the Mirny neighborhood to make way for the Winter Olympics in 2014. (Reuters/sochinskie-novosti.ru/Artur Levedev) #
The accommodation and facilities complex, under construction in Sochi, with the Bolshoi Ice Dome in the background, on December 2, 2012. Construction is due to be completed by August 2013 according to organizers. (Reuters/Pawel Kopczynski) #
Workers on the roof of the Bolshoi Ice Dome, a venue for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics under construction on December 2, 2012.(Reuters/Pawel Kopczynski) #
A view of the Adler Arena, the Olympic 2014 Speed Skating venue during the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2012 at the Iceberg Skating Palace on December 7, 2012 in Sochi, Russia. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) #
The Fisht Olympic Stadium, a part of the complex of facilities to be used for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, under construction in Sochi, on December 2, 2012. (Reuters/Pawel Kopczynski) #
A journalist walks inside the under-construction Bolshoi Ice Palace in the Olympic park in Imeretinskaya Valley, on May 30, 2011.(Reuters/Denis Sinyakov) #
The partially-completed interior of the Shayba Arena, part of the complex of facilities to be used for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, on November 6, 2012. The Shayba Arena is designed to accommodate 7,000 spectators, and will host Olympic ice hockey competitions and Paralympic ice sledge hockey competitions. (Reuters/Pawel Kopczynski) #
A man cleans the floor of the Adler Arena venue for Speed Skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics on November 6, 2012 in Sochi, Russia. (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) #
The exterior of the Shayba Arena, part of the complex of facilities to be used for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, on November 6, 2012. (Reuters/Pawel Kopczynski) #
Several buildings under construction in the Olympic Park to be used for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, on December 9, 2012. The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics opens on February 7, 2014. (Reuters/Pawel Kopczynski) |
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