Spaniards like Sochi Olympics

By Vestnik Kavkaza

Ahead of the Olympic Games in Sochi, the Western mass media criticized the process of preparation for the Games. They wrote about corruption and unreasonable expenditures, they cast doubt on the site for holding the Olympics, worried about security of athletes and guests of the Games, stating that “terrorism can cancel out all Putin’s attempts to restore Russia’s image in the world.” However, after the Olympics the mass media’s assessments became more positive.

Vestnik Kavkaza presents parts of an article published by the Spanish socio-political newspaper El Pais.

Speaking about security, El Pais concludes that “the secret is in prompt attention. Fearing terrorist attacks, the Russian government spared no expense to provide security at the Games. Even small children were checked; to access stadiums all spectators have to have accreditation with a photo, and this led to long queues at register centers in the first days.”

The Spaniards liked Sochi's climate: “People involved in the organization of the Olympic Games looked at the sky all the time and followed weather forecasts. The first week of the competitions was sunny and hot; and snow covered only the tops of the mountains. At the beginning of the second week only fog could disturb holding some competitions (snowboarding and biathlon), which were quickly shifted to other dates, even though the schedule was tight.”

Describing the Sochi infrastructure built for the Olympics, El Pais states: “Everything is brand-new! A big part of the investment was spent on improving roads and railroads. 367 km of highways were built, which unite the Olympic Park and mountain districts. The transport system worked well, considering the distances and reality of a seaside city.”

As for communication, according to El Pais “25 thousand volunteers of Sochi wore colorful Bosco suits. They could be easily noticed in a crowd. Volunteers were young: 82% of them were aged from 18 to 30, the average age was 23. They could be found anywhere. The main problem was communication. Only 9% of Russian citizens speak English at an intermediate level; in Sochi only 2% of residents speak English. Daily about 100 thousand spectators came to Sochi.”

The Spanish newspaper calls the Olympic facilities “luxurious”: “Illumination of every stadium was impressive, especially of the Bolshoi Stadium where the hockey tournament took place.”

“Politics,” El Pais states, “stayed behind the scene. Despite protests against the government of Putin ahead of the Games in Sochi, there were few incidents in the Olympics.” Finally, El Pais cites the IOC: “The Russian government promised to respect Olympic rules during the Games and fulfilled the promise.”