After Vancouver, Now It's Sochi's Turn

VANCOUVER — As the Vancouver Olympics came to a close, the focus turned across the world to Russia's first Winter Games in 2014 — taking the Olympic movement to a new territory and a new set of challenges.

"We are next," Sochi organizing chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said. "The bar has been well and truly raised."

Sochi's first big moment in the global spotlight came during Sunday's closing ceremony, with the Olympic flag handed from the mayor of Vancouver to the mayor of Sochi.

The world got a first taste of what Sochi has to offer during an eight-minute segment featuring Russian sports stars, music and dance performers and giant glowing spheres called "Zorbs."

"This is a historic event for Sochi," Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov said before the ceremony. "We understand it is a huge responsibility for Sochi and for Russia and we can't let anyone down."

After the showbiz, the hard work will continue back home as organizers continue to prepare for an event that has the prestige of Russia and its leaders — including Prime Minister Vladimir Putin — on the line.

Ever since Sochi was awarded the games by the International Olympic Committee three years ago, questions have been raised: Can Sochi complete its massive construction projects on time? Will the funding hold up? Will the games be safe in a city near the separatist Abkhazia region in neighboring Georgia?

Putin, Russian president at the time, was instrumental in Sochi securing the games when he traveled to Guatemala City in 2007 and personally lobbied IOC members. He and President Dmitry Medvedev remain centrally involved in making sure that the games are a success.

"It's so important for Russians that they will not allow it to fail," senior Canadian IOC member Dick Pound said. "Whatever has to be done will be done."

Sochi organizers say the games will feature the most compact layout in Winter Games history, with a cluster of ice arenas situated along the Black Sea coast and snow and sliding venues a half-hour away in the Krasnaya Polyana mountains. A new rail line is being built to connect the two clusters.

"You can swim in the warm Sochi sea, and after 24 minutes on a train, you can change clothes and go skiing in the mountains," Pakhomov said.

First, Sochi has to build virtually all of its Olympic facilities from scratch — "literally from nothing," Chernyshenko said.

All venues are now under construction, with 16,000 workers busy on "what is probably the biggest construction site in the world," he said.

"We are well on track and in some areas ahead of our ambitions," Chernyshenko said.

Sochi promises that all venues will be ready two years in advance to allow for the holding of Olympic test events. The first trial run will take place a year from now with a second-tier European Cup event in Alpine skiing. More than 70 test events are planned in 2012 and 2013.

The cost of the Olympic infrastructure project is put at $7 billion.

"All the money is allocated, and we don't see any risk for a shortage of finance," said Chernyshenko, who has a separate operating budget of $1.8 billion.

The construction and design of Sochi's bobsled and luge track will be under scrutiny following the high-speed training crash that killed Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili on the day of Vancouver's opening ceremony.

IOC president Jacques Rogge has written Chernyshenko asking him to ensure that the track is safe. The Russian said plans already called for the track to be 10 to 15 kilometers per hour slower than Whistler's.

"We will learn from this tragedy," Chernyshenko said. "We will do all we can do guarantee the safety factor."

Security is also an issue on a wider front. Sochi is located in a volatile region, just north of the border with Abkhazia, where Russia has thousands of troops. Russia defied the West by recognizing Abkhazia and another separatist region, South Ossetia, as independent after its war with Georgia in 2008.

"Sochi has been the safest city in the country, the summer residence for the president and prime minister," Chernyshenko said. "This is a rather calm city. The government is doing everything to protect this region from any risk."

Sochi brought a team of 150 observers to Vancouver to watch and learn. One key lesson so far: have contingency plans in place for the type of weather problems that caused havoc at the snowboard and freestyle venue at Cypress Mountain.

"We are already thinking seriously about Plan B if the weather doesn't cooperate," Chernyshenko said, citing plans for new technology and snow-making techniques.

Another priority for Sochi is recruiting volunteers. Vancouver organizers brought in about 25,000 volunteers, who won rave reviews for their smiling hospitality. Russia doesn't have a tradition of volunteerism but is recruiting volunteers from all over the country.

"The games are about people and the human factor," Chernyshenko said.

The biggest challenge might be in replicating the way that Vancouver celebrated these games, with festive crowds in the streets and arenas packed with cheering fans. IOC officials said it's the best Winter Olympic atmosphere since the magical 1994 Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

"The Canadian atmosphere here is electric," Chernyshenko said. "That is exactly what we want to reach in Russia. We will do it with a Russian touch, a Russian look without the stereotypes."