2014 Winter Olympics
Multi-sport event in Sochi, Russia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about 2014 Winter Olympics?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games (Russian: XXII Олимпийские зимние игры, romanized: XXII Olimpiyskiye zimniye igry) and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (Russian: Сочи 2014), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening rounds in certain events were held on 6 February 2014, the day before the opening ceremony.
Host city | Sochi, Russia |
---|---|
Motto | Hot. Cool. Yours. (Russian: Жаркие. Зимние. Твои., Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi) |
Nations | 88 |
Athletes | 2,873 |
Events | 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) |
Opening | 7 February 2014 |
Closing | 23 February 2014 |
Opened by | |
Cauldron | |
Stadium | Fisht Olympic Stadium |
Winter
Summer
2014 Winter Paralympics |
These were the first Olympic Games under the International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidency of Thomas Bach. Both the Olympics and Paralympics were organized by the Sochi Organizing Committee (SOOC). Sochi was selected as the host city in July 2007, during the 119th IOC Session held in Guatemala City. It was the first Olympics to be held in a CIS state after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Soviet Union was previously the host nation for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
A record ninety-eight events in fifteen winter sport disciplines were held during the Games. A number of new competitions—a total of twelve 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.
The 2014 Winter Olympics were the most expensive Games in the history of the Olympics. While originally budgeted at US$12 billion, major cost overruns caused this figure to expand to US$51 billion, more than three times the cost of the 2012 London Olympics and even surpassing the estimated cost of US$44 billion for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The 2014 Games achieved a record broadcast audience of 2.1 billion people worldwide.[1]
In 2016, an independent report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed allegations that the Russian Olympic team had been involved in a state-sponsored doping program, active from at least late-2011 through August 2015. The program was active during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, and athletes had benefited from the cover-up.[2][3][4] The IOC stripped thirteen medals from Russian athletes in 2017, but nine were reinstated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. In December 2017, the IOC voted to suspend the Russian Olympic Committee, with an option for whitelisted athletes to compete independently during the 2018 Winter Olympics.[5][6]
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.[7] 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.
City | Country (NOC) | Round 1 | Round 2 |
---|---|---|---|
Sochi | Russia | 34 | 51 |
Pyeongchang | South Korea | 36 | 47 |
Salzburg | Austria | 25 | — |
As of October 2013, the estimated combined cost of the 2014 Winter Olympics had topped US$51 billion.[9] This amount included the cost for Olympic games themselves and cost of Sochi infrastructural projects (roads, railroads, power plants). This total is over four times the initial budget of $12 billion (compared to the $8 billion spent for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver), and made the Sochi games the most expensive Olympics in history, exceeding the estimated $44 billion cost of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing,[10] which hosted 3 times as many events.[11] Dmitry Kozak was the main overseer for the events in Sochi.[12][13][14]
In its final budget published in June 2014, Olimpstroy—the state corporation that oversaw the Sochi Olympics development—reported the total allocated funds for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics of 1,524 billion rubles (US$49.5 billion).[15] However, only about a fifth of that budget ($10.8 billion) was directly related to the Olympic games, while the rest went into urban and regional regeneration and the conversion of the Sochi region into an all-year round sea and alpine resort.[15] The breakdown table below is based on a report that has analyzed the distribution of Olimpstroy's $49.5 billion budget. Estimates also suggest that additional unrecoverable operational costs (including for security) could have added another $3 billion.[15]
The breakdown of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics costs
Item | Cost | |
---|---|---|
million RUB | million US$ | |
Direct Olympics costs (a)+(b)+(c) | 331,098 | 10,753 |
(a) Olympic venues | 221,592 | 7,197 |
Coastal Cluster | 96,366 | 3,130 |
Fisht Olympic Stadium | 18,994 | 617 |
Bolshoy Ice Dome | 10,102 | 328 |
Shayba Arena | 3,484 | 113 |
Adler Arena Skating Centre | 7,406 | 241 |
Iceberg Skating Palace | 8,127 | 264 |
Ice Cube Curling Centre | 735 | 24 |
Main Media Centre | 17,426 | 566 |
The Olympic Park | 9,871 | 321 |
Olympic Village (3000 places) | 12,217 | 397 |
A complex for Olympic partners (1285 apartments) | 8,003 | 260 |
Mountain Cluster | 125,226 | 4,067 |
Rosa Khutor Extreme Park (freestyle skiing, snowboarding) | 3,393 | 110 |
Rosa Khutor Alpine Skiing Centre | 11,911 | 387 |
Sanki Sliding Centre (bobsleigh, luge, skeleton) | 7,487 | 243 |
RusSki Gorki Jumping Centre (ski jumps, Nordic combined) | 9,889 | 321 |
Laura Centre (biathlon and cross-country) and Olympic Village (1100 places) | 74,525 | 2,420 |
Main Alpine Olympic Village (2600 places) at Rosa Khutor | 18,021 | 585 |
(b) Site preparation and supporting infrastructure | 85,370 | 2,773 |
Key infrastructure for Olympic venues (roads, energy, water, waste, security), planning and other works | 81,413 | 2,644 |
SOCOG office building | 3,957 | 129 |
(c) Operational costs (part of) | 24,135 | 784 |
Opening/closing ceremonies (equipment and organisation) | 3,444 | 112 |
Broadcasting and photo equipment | 13,330 | 433 |
Vehicles for visitors and logistics | 6,958 | 226 |
Live Sites city programme | 403 | 13 |
INDIRECT COSTS (d)+(e) | 1,193,348 | 38,758 |
(d) Skiing and tourist resorts | 189,937 | 6,169 |
Gazprom Alpine Tourist Centre | 60,723 | 1,972 |
Rosa Khutor | 35,078 | 1,139 |
Gornaya Karusel/Gorky Gorod | 72,728 | 2,362 |
Alpika Service | 21,408 | 695 |
(e) Other projects | 1,003,411 | 32,589 |
Hotels and health resorts | 130,755 | 4,247 |
Formula One racing | 11,982 | 389 |
Olympic University | 12,946 | 420 |
Combined road and railroad linking the two clusters | 317,224 | 10,303 |
Railways and rail terminals | 38,015 | 1,235 |
Road infrastructure | 189,532 | 6,156 |
Sochi Airport | 22,895 | 744 |
Sochi Seaport | 27,673 | 899 |
Housing projects | 11,379 | 370 |
Power generation and grids | 74,305 | 2,413 |
Gasification projects | 46,048 | 1,496 |
Other engineering, water, waste, telecommunications and other infrastructure | 104,912 | 3,407 |
Nature and culture parks | 11,346 | 369 |
Two hospitals | 4,399 | 143 |
Total (a)+(b)+(c)+(d)+(e) | 1,524,445 | 49,511 |
With an average February temperature of 8.3 °C (46.9 °F) and a humid subtropical climate, Sochi is the warmest city to host a Winter Olympic Games.[16] Sochi 2014 is the 12th straight Olympics to outlaw smoking; all Sochi venues, Olympic Park bars and restaurants and public areas were smoke-free during the Games.[17] It is also the first time that an Olympic Park has been built for hosting winter games.[citation needed]
Sochi Olympic Park (Coastal Cluster)
The Sochi Olympic Park was built by the Black Sea coast in the Imeretinsky Valley, about 4 km (2.5 miles) from Russia's border with Abkhazia/Georgia.[18][19] The venues were 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.[20][21] The new venues include:[22]
- Fisht Olympic Stadium – ceremonies (opening/closing) 40,000 spectators
- Bolshoy Ice Dome – ice hockey (final), 12,000 spectators
- Shayba Arena – ice hockey, 7,000 spectators
- Adler Arena Skating Center – speed skating, 8,000 spectators
- Iceberg Skating Palace – figure skating, short track speed skating, 12,000 spectators
- Ice Cube Curling Center – curling, 3,000 spectators
- Main Olympic village
- International broadcasting centre and main press room
Krasnaya Polyana (Mountain Cluster)
- Laura Biathlon & Ski Complex – biathlon, cross-country skiing
- Rosa Khutor Extreme Park – freestyle skiing and snowboarding
- Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort – alpine skiing
- Sliding Center Sanki – bobsleigh, luge and skeleton
- RusSki Gorki Jumping Center – ski jumping and Nordic combined (both ski jumping and cross-country skiing on a 2 km route around the arena)
- Roza Khutor plateau Olympic Village
Post-Olympic usage
A street circuit known as the Sochi Autodrom was constructed in and around Olympic Park. Its primary use is to host the Formula One Russian Grand Prix, which held its inaugural edition in October 2014.[23][24]
In January 2015, work began on adapting Fisht Olympic Stadium into an open-air football stadium to host matches during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[25][26]
A new ice hockey team in the Kontinental Hockey League, HC Sochi Leopards, now plays in Bolshoy Arena.
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.[27] 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.[28]
Telecommunications
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.[29][30]
The 2014 Olympics is the first "fabric-enabled" Games using Shortest Path Bridging (SPB) technology.[31] The network is capable of handling up to 54 Tbit/s of traffic.[32]
Infrastructure built for the games included:
- A network of TETRA mobile radio communications for 100 user groups (with capacity of 10,000 subscribers);
- 712 km (442 mi) of fiber-optic cables along the Anapa-Dzhubga-Sochi highways and Dzhubga–Krasnodar branch;
- Digital broadcasting infrastructure, including radio and television broadcasting stations (building and communications towers) with coverage from Grushevaya Polyana (Pear Glade) to Sochi and Anapa cities. The project also included construction of infocommunications centre for broadcasting abroad via three HDTV satellites.
During the Games, the core networks of Rostelecom and Transtelekom were used.[33]
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.[34]
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.[35]
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 for Monitoring & Development of Infocommunication Technologies (Russian: Центр МИР ИТ).[36]
Russian mobile phone operator Megafon expanded and improved Sochi's telecom infrastructure with over 700 new 2G/3G/4G cell towers. Sochi was the first Games to offer 4G connectivity at a speed of 10 MB/sec.
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.[37][38]
Power infrastructure
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.[39]
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 at the end of May 2009 was 424 MW. The power demand of the Olympic infrastructure was expected to be about 340 MW.
- Poselkovaya electrical substation became operational in early 2009.
- Sochi thermal power station reconstructed (expected power output was 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 was 360 MW[40]
- Bytkha substation, under construction[when?] 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.[41]
Transportation
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 mi) of roads were paved.[42]
The Sochi Light Metro is located between Adler and Krasnaya Polyana connecting the Olympic Park, Sochi International Airport, and the venues in Krasnaya Polyana.[43]
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 partly built in Russia.[44]
At Sochi International Airport, a new terminal was built along a 3.5 km (2.2-mile) runway extension, overlapping the Mzymta River.[45]
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.[46] The cargo terminal of the seaport would be moved from the centre of Sochi.
Roadways were detoured, some going around the construction site and others being cut off.[47]
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:[48]
- 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 stated the road construction costed more than 200 billion rubles.[49]
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.
Other infrastructure
Funds were spent on the construction of hotels for 10,300 guests.[51] The first of the Olympic hotels, Zvezdny (Stellar), was rebuilt anew.[52] 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.[53]
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, customers had access to unique services including two new products, Fotomarka and Retropismo. Fotomarka presents an opportunity to get a stylized sheet of eight souvenir stamps with one's own photos, using the services of a photographer in the office. Retropismo service allows a customer to write with their own stylus or pen on antique paper with further letters, winding string and wax seal affixing. All the new sites and post offices in Sochi were opened during the Olympics until late night 7 days a week, and employees were trained to speak English.[54]