Sochi opens Winter Olympics

SOCHI, Russia -- Music, dance and plenty of Russian bravado unleashed the ultimate achievement of Vladimir Putin's Russia on Friday -- a Winter Olympics to showcase the best athletes on ice and snow that the world has to offer. 

The opening ceremony on the edge of the Black Sea and subsequent games are Russia's chance to tell its story of post-Soviet resurrection to the world, and dispel the anger, fear and suspicion that has marred the buildup to these most expensive Olympics ever.

Just after the sun set over the Caucasus Mountains and along the seashore just outside Fisht Stadium in the wet-paint-fresh Olympic Park, Russian TV star Yana Churikova shouted to a pre-show crowd still taking their seats: "Welcome to the center of the universe!"

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Richard Heathcote/Getty ImagesOne of the Olympic rings failed to transform from a snowflake at Friday's opening ceremony in Sochi.

For the next two weeks, it certainly is for the 3,000 athletes who will compete in 98 events, more people and contests than ever at the Winter Games.

A satellite image of the earth was projected on the floor of Fisht Stadium as they entered during the parade of nations, the map shifting so the athletes emerged from their own country. The athletes from the Cayman Islands arrived wearing shorts.

After Greece, traditionally first as the birthplace nation of Olympic competition, the teams marching into the stadium in Russian alphabetical order, putting the U.S. between Slovenia and Tajkistan.

Before the athlete's entrance, the ceremony hit an early bump when only four of the five Olympic Rings materialized in a wintry opening scene.

Five large, glowing snowflakes emerged from a whimsical opening meant to depict the four seasons. They floated to the top of Fisht arena and, one by one, started to morph into the rings. But only four joined together while the fifth remained a snowflake, apparently stuck behind the rest of them.

The five were supposed to join together and erupt in pyrotechnics to get the party started. Instead, they were eventually darkened and moved out of the arena, just as Putin was introduced.

The broken snowflake isn't the first opening ceremony blunder in Olympic history, of course. Vancouver, Sydney and Seoul all had issues with the torch lighting.

All eyes on Russia as opening ceremony marks start of Winter Olympics in Sochi

By Faith Karimi and Michael Martinez, CNN

February 7, 2014 -- Updated 1137 GMT (1937 HKT)

(CNN) -- Russia kicks off the opening ceremony Friday in Sochi as the world turns its attention to the costliest Olympic Games in history.

Spectators from all over the world will watch the lavish event and introduction of athletes, marking the official start of the Winter Olympics.

Light shows and music, lots of it, will fill the air.

"Most of the ceremony focuses heavily on Russian classical music," said Konstantin Ernst, the main creative producer of the ceremony.

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"Unfortunately, unlike London, we cannot boast a plethora of famous world-known pop performers. This is why we are now focusing on what Russia is best known for musically around the world; namely, classical music."

Despite anxiety about terror strikes, controversy over gay rights and ridicule for poor preparations, the nation's officials have maintained that the sites in Sochi are secure.

It will be "the safest place on Earth during the Olympics," said Dmitry Chernyshenko, head of the Games.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who pushed the International Olympic Committee to hold the Games in the nation, will attend the ceremony.

"The head of state is expected to declare the Games open during the ceremony," Ernst said. "It is a requirement. And naturally, Mr. Putin will be doing just that."

The ceremony, the only event scheduled for the day, will last about two and a half hours.

Olympic Hotel Horrors Have Been Blown "A Little Out of Proportion," Sochi Is "Beautiful"

Us Weekly senior reporter Jennifer Peros checks in from the 2014 Winter Olympics in "beautiful" Sochi, Russia, where she says the city's hotel horrors have been blown "a little out of proportion"Credit: Lars Baron/Getty

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, haven't even officially started yet, but they've already gotten a pretty bad rap, thanks in part to horror stories about the conditions of the city's hotels. Reports of brown water, broken doors, unfinished construction, and plumbing problems have spawned the Twitter hashtag "#SochiProblems" -- but Us Weekly senior reporter Jennifer Peros says things aren't nearly as bad as they sound. Read her first-person, on-the-ground account of Sochi below.

Sochi is beautiful and everything is brand-new. Definitely different from most of Europe, though! No one really speaks English, including most volunteers in Olympic Park. It's also not a resort town...yet. They built a city for these games, and it's not quite ready.

Sochi Olympic Games officially under way

The 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia have begun. Downhill skiing, luge and figure skating are among the first events.

Nikola Sudova of the Czech Republic performs a jump during the women’s freestyle skiing moguls qualification round at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games in Rosa Khutor. (REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)

http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/2014/02/sochi-olympics-begin/

Maria Sharapova downplays Sochi security worries

Maria Sharapova lived in Sochi for a few years after moving to the city with her family at the age of 2.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Maria Sharapova is confident the 2014 Winter Olympics will be a success
• Tennis star believes people should not worry about their safety in Sochi
• The Russian spent a number of years living in Sochi as a child

(CNN) -- The build-up to the 2014 Winter Olympics has been blighted by concerns for safety but tennis star and Games Ambassador Maria Sharapova is convinced there is nothing to worry about.

Be it fears for security during the 18-day-long event or doubts about how gay people will be treated, there has been a sense of uneasiness surrounding those heading to Sochi.

Recent months have seen bombings in Volgograd and reports of suicide bombers dubbed "black widows" readying themselves for operation during the Games, which run from February 6-23.

Meanwhile the host nation's government banned what it defined as "gay propaganda" in 2013 -- a move that many believe effectively stops the freedom of gay rights protests in Russia.

Despite all of this, Sharapova, who moved to Sochi at the age of two and went on to spend much of her childhood there, is expecting the Olympics to be a success.

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"Once I arrived here, I knew that all the athletes will feel extremely safe," the 26-year-old told CNN in Sochi.

"I certainly had my doubts before, because I've been reading a lot about the city itself. Over the last few months I've been reading a lot of the media and watching television, but now I've seen how everything has come together."

Despite her worries prior to returning to Sochi, the four-time grand slam winner has stressed that anybody attending the Games, including the athletes themselves, has no reason to be concerned.

"The security has been tough but in a very safe way and in a safe manner," she said.

Sharapova is an Olympian herself, having represented Russia in the Olympics Games two years ago, when she won a silver medal in the women's singles.

The world No. 5 experienced first hand the hard work that went into making London 2012 a success, and sees no reason why that cannot be replicated in Sochi.

"As an athlete, security is really important. I experienced it in the Summer Games and really appreciated it. I think it's extremely important and we all expect that kind of safety," she said, before turning her thoughts to the preparations.

"For many years we were hearing whether everything would be ready or not: whether the the rail stations would be ready, how were the athletes going to go up to the mountains from the Olympic Park.

"All those questions raised a lot of concerns, but once I got here I realized that everything would be alright."

Sharapova explained that watching the Olympics was a far bigger childhood memory for her than viewing any grand slam tennis competition, and revealed that figure skating and ice hockey were the sports she was most looking forward to following.

She is similarly excited about the transition of her former home city.

"Many things have changed in the last 20 years or so," she said.

"It has been such an incredible turnaround since winning the (right to host the) Olympics. I am so happy that everyone has a chance to come here and visit the true meaning of the city - because at its core, it's a very beautiful city that is so full of nature.

"It's such a unique opportunity to be able to swim in the Black Sea and then drive an hour up to the mountains to ski -- that's the type of experience we want to share with everyone that comes here."

#sochi2014, #sochi, #olympics

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/05/sport/sochi-maria-sharapova-winter-olympics/

Everything You Need to Know About Sochi, Russia

 By ALYSSA NEWCOMB (@alyssanewcomb)

ABCNews.com

It's been seven years since Sochi was chosen as the site to host the 2014 Olympic Games, and the Russian city's moment on the world stage has finally arrived.

As the globe's elite winter athletes get settled in Sochi, here's everything you need to know about the city by the Black Sea.

How Do You Pronounce Sochi?

Let's get the basics out of the way. The city's name is pronounced So-chee. Not So-chai. Not Saatchi, like Nigella Lawson's husband. Listen to the Merriam-Webster pronunciation here.

Reuters

Where Is Sochi?

Sochi is located 5,178 miles east of New York and 995 miles south of Moscow.

The subtropical resort town is situated along the Black Sea and boasts pebble beaches and palm trees, making it a playground for Russian jet-setters.

While it may be a nice place to visit, Sochi has some volatile neighbors.

An alert issued by the U.S. State Department ahead of the games noted a recent string of suicide bombings in Volgograd, Russia, a transportation hub to the northeast of Sochi. It also cited the region's decade-plus-long struggle against Islamic terrorism, which has included bombings at airports, hotels, entertainment venues and markets, among others.

Mikhail Mordasov/AFP/Getty Images

Here's Why Sochi Is Known As the 'Russian Riviera'

It may be the site of the winter Olympics, but Sochi is actually a popular summer resort town with some incredible Black Sea beaches.

The subtropical temperatures make Sochi a hotspot for tourists who want to soak up the sun.

Vladimir Putin called the town a "unique place" when it was being considered by the International Olympic Committee as a potential spot for the 2014 Games.

"On the seashore you can enjoy a fine spring day, but up in the mountains it's winter," Putin said, according to the Sochi Project.

Sochi's Infrastructure Has Been Revamped for the Games

Billions of dollars have been poured into Sochi ahead of its big moment on the world stage. According to the Official Sochi 2014 guide, that includes:

More than 200 miles of roads and bridges and more than 125 miles of railway tracks.

At least 690,000 jobs were created or maintained due to Olympic projects.

Sovfoto/UIG/Getty Images

Even Joseph Stalin Had a Home in Sochi

The former Soviet dictator had a luxury villa in Sochi where he was said to retreat for breaks during World War II.

Among the things tourists can expect to see in Stalin's home are an eerily life-like wax figure of the dictator, the bullet proof couch where he liked to watch movies and a weighted cue he used to shoot billiards.

There's also a must-see mosaic of another dictator, Vladimir Lenin, located in the center of town.

For the Traveler

The easiest way to get to Sochi is to fly into Moscow or St. Petersburg and then hop on one of the multiple daily flights to Sochi.

Expect jet lag if you're coming from the U.S. Sochi is nine hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and a full half-day ahead of people on the West Coast of the United States.

It's recommended travelers have Russian rubles on hand to use during the games. In case you're wondering the exchange rate, US$1 is equal to about 35 rubles.

Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images

Sochi's Mayor Claims There Are No Gay People in Town

There's been anti-gay sentiment brewing in Russia and now, ahead of the games, Sochi's mayor has claimed there are no gay people in his city.

"It's not accepted here in the Caucasus where we live. We do not have them in our city," Anatoly Pakhomov told BBC Panorama in an interview.

Windows to Russia: by Kyle Keeton

KYLE KEETON, an American born in The Midwest of the USA, lives in Russia with his wife Svetlana, he has found his dream woman and dream country. That's what he says about his decision to come and stay in Russia.

Here are some of his postings in his Windows To Russia Blog:
My Sweety!
The First Impression Of Moscow!
Everything About Russia That You Never Wanted To Know!
The old Soviet Union, CCCP

I strongly recommend you to read these and other posts of Kyle Keeton, there are very interesting.

The Omsk City Photo Blog

Surfing around I found the Omsk City Photo Blog with nice images of Omsk. The Archive dates back to December, 2004.

My Russia Blog

An English teacher, working in Russia, writes about his everyday experiences in his "My Russia Blog ", offering his opinion on what is happening in Russia.

Russian Cafe

Let me present you a Russian Cafe blog. It features links to interesting content about Russia and the former Soviet Union, finds the best English language articles, websites, photos and videos about Russia and delivers them to you via website.