Countdown to Sochi

• 3.5 billion people will watch the Sochi 2014 Winter Games on television
• There have been 160,000 volunteer applications
• There are 60,000 construction workers on Sochi’s construction sites
• Russia will be aiming to win 15 gold medals in Sochi, and a total of 40 to 45 medals

One year before the Winter Olympic Games open in Sochi, officials have admitted that the cost of preparations have spiked again, to R1.5 trillion, or $50 billion. This figure is roughly seven times the original estimate made in 2007, and likely will make Sochi the most expensive Olympic Games in history – even though Winter Games are usually far cheaper than Summer Games. The 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, cost less than $2 billion.

Sochi may be Russia’s hope for returning to “winter time” during winter, moving it closer to Europe by one hour. IOC official Jean-Claude Killy sent a letter to Dmitry Kozak, the Russian minister responsible for the Sochi Games, saying that Russia needs to decide soon whether or not it will make the time switch, after months of uncertainty. TV stations need to know well in advance when the competitions will be broadcast. While the current three-hour difference with Paris would inconvenience European television viewers, Russia’s reversion to winter time would make the time difference greater for Asian countries.

Sochi residents have picked a local version of Paul the Octopus, who retired recently after correctly predicting outcomes to dozens of sports events. The otter, christened Ashley, was rescued from poachers by tourists and is now recovering in the Sochi Oceanarium, where she awaits her forecasting duties.

“We could build a new pool, stadium, ice rink, and sports complex in each city in the country. Give every boy between 5 and 25 a new soccer ball, basketball, hockey skates, and rollerblades. Give each girl between 5 and 25 a volleyball, figure skates, and rollerblades. Give everyone in Russia a jump-rope with an electronic counter. And we would still have 20 billion rubles left over! We would make an explosive breakthrough in sport and beat everyone in all competitions... instead we will witness an expensive fireworks display that has no relation to developing sports in the country.”

(Blogger Yegor Bychkov, who actually calculated the costs behind his argument: bit.ly/bychkov)

Russian artists have taken up issues plaguing the country – like police and prison violence – and turned them into dystopian posters about the Sochi Winter Olympic Games. The posters, by artist Vasily Slonov, were on display in Novosibirsk. One features five Olympic rings made of barbed wire, another a skier coming face to face with a monstrous, wooly Cheburashka, the symbol of Moscow’s 1980 Olympic Games.

bit.ly/rusposters