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March 01, 2019

Sochi +5

Views of Sochi, five years after the close of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in that southern city.

Bolshoy Palace
The Bolshoi (“big”) Hockey Palace, is in fact bigger than its namesake – Moscow’s legendary Bolshoi Theater. Five times as many people can fit in the Sochi hockey stadium as can fit in the Moscow ballet hall. To prevent the stadium from sitting empty after the 2014 games, a hockey team was created for this subtropical southern city.
 
Kiosk
Since the closure of the Olympics, little shops and kiosks have popped up here and there around the park, offering everything from consumer goods and snacks to souvenirs.
Iceberg
The Iceberg Ice Palace was originally conceived as a temporary construction. The bright facade hides a giant steel frame. After the Olympics, it was to have been taken apart and reassembled in a neighboring region. But as the games approached, it became clear that such an operation would be a rather expensive luxury, so a decision was made to transform it into a cycling stadium after the games. Then, during the games, Russian figure skaters and short track racers did particularly well, and this saved the Iceberg, which is now a training and performance center for figure skating.
Yachts
Yachting marina near the Olympic Park. At the height of the costly building boom prior to the games, a massive storm washed away the coastline. It was rebuilt in time for the games, yet just about every two years another storm takes away part of the restored coastline that begins near this marina.
Cross-country Complex
View from the Biathlon Stadium at Rosa Khutor. This facility continues to be used for cross-country skiing, even though that sport is far less popular than downhill. Locals are largely unaware that this facility is still functioning, although professionals come here often.

 

Olympic Rings
The Olympic Rings at Rosa Khutor. There are three alpine ski resorts in Sochi (Rosa Khutor, Gazprom, and Gorny Karusel), and all were built prior to the 2014 games. Yet only one of them, Rosa Khutor, was used for competition during the games, and that distinction is likely the reason it remains the most popular resort to date, and the best place for downhill skiing in Russia.

 

Tags: photographyolympicssochi

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