The 2014 Sochi Winter Games are about to kick off and I’ve been here on the ground in Sochi since last week. If you missed it, I’m here working for the Organizing Committee through February and am super excited to play a small role in these Games. Sochi is being called “the most compact Winter Games ever” but there are still two very separated areas of Sochi playing host to the world. On the shores of the Black Sea sits the “Coastal Cluster” which is home to the indoor sports like speed skating, curling, hockey and figure skating. Over the last few days I’ve spent a lot of time hanging out in the Sochi Coastal Cluster so I thought I would share a first look at the venues and landscapes that will soon be seen around the world.
The centerpiece of the Coastal Cluster is an elaborate medals plaza adorned with a very large version of the iconic Olympic rings.
From the Coastal Cluster you can soak in views of both the Black Sea as well as the Caucasus Mountains that play home to the remaining Olympic venues.
Everywhere you look you see the smiling faces of volunteers getting ready to show the world the real meaning of Russian hospitality,
The Bolshoy Ice Dome is one of the Olympic Park’s hockey venues as well as one of the most imposing structures in the Cluster,
Iceberg Skating Plaza is home to Olympic skating events and kind of looks like a frozen version of Beijing’s Water Cube swimming venue,
The Main Press Center sits adjacent to the Olympic Park and serves as home base to the world’s media covering the Games.
If you don’t believe Sochi really is a tropical destination, here are Palm Trees. Next to the Main Press Center. In Russia. In February.
Not far from the Olympic Park you’ll find specially built villages for Olympic staff and volunteers. A village like this is my home for the next month here in Russia.
Just beside the staff villages is a beautiful waterfront overlooking the Black Sea. The point where you see the coast end in the background is the border with neighboring Georgia/Abkhazia.
Stay tuned for a similar preview of Sochi’s Mountain Cluster!
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