In less than 130 days Russia will host the 22nd Winter Olympics Games. Skiiers, snowboarders, skaters, hockey players, bobsledders and curlers from around the world will arrive in the most unique Olympic destination yet. Next stop: Sochi…
Sochi is a city you wouldn’t expect to find in Russia. It’s not a winter wonderland nor a traditional or historical town. No, Sochi is a beach resort with a rare subtropical climate, palm trees and a mountain range. No wonder there’s 450,000 cubic metres of snow being stored for the games!
Here are some facts you didn’t know about Sochi:
- In summer, Sochi is, on average, warmer than Sydney and in winter it’s only a little bit cooler.
- Sochi is home to Europe’s highest mountain, Mt. Elbrus at 5642m.
- The Winter Olympics in Sochi are thought to be the most expensive games yet, at an estimated $50billion, more than twice the cost of London 2012.
- Sochi has the same latitude as the South of France and is closer to Istanbul, the capital of Turkey than to its own capital Moscow!
- Russia has never hosted the Olympic Games so Sochi is the first Winter Olympic Village in the country.
Photo credit: www.sochi2014.com
The games will provide two Olympic hubs in Sochi. The coastal cluster is based right on the Black Sea and will be the home of figure and speed skating. The mountain cluster will host the ski and snowboard events in a resort called Krasnaya Polyana. Sochi’s prime location below the Caucasus mountains means that it will offer a vast area of snowsports and snowy fun as well as good weather!
2,800 athletes will compete for those all important medals in an Olympic venue quite like no other. The extortionate cost of new venues and buildings in Sochi is a sign that they are preparing for a long-lasting legacy as well as an economic boom.
We’ve seen London raise the bar. Can Sochi set the Olympic standard to a new level? We will have to wait and see.
Edited by Caroline Chan