"The games in Sochi are our chance to show the whole world the best of what Russia is proud of. Our hospitality, our achievements, our Russia!" -Dmitry Chernyshenko, head of Sochi Olympic Committee
'Welcome to the center of the universe," yelled Russian TV star Yana Churikova during the pre-show at the 2014 Winter Olympic Ceremony, held in Sochi, a resort town. The 22nd Winter Olympics, which will last for 17 days, features 98 winter sporting events, including figure skating, skiing and hockey. Sochi was selected as the host city in July, 1997, and marks the first time the Olympics is held in the Russian Federation. Moscow hosted the Summer Olympics in 1980.
The 2014 Winter Olympics are also perceived as Russian President Vladimir Putin's financial and political gamble, largely since the total costs of the Games reached $51 billion, the largest in the Games' history. Organizers have said that hefty price tag stems from great efforts with modernizing the telecommunications, electric power and transportation infrastructures.
The Sochi Games surpassed the $44 billion costs of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China to make it the most expensive in the history of the Olympics.
The 2014 Games features over 3,000 athletes hailing from 88 different countries.
Security precautions and measures have have been intense as Sochi is located near the perilous Caucasus. Sochiis located on the Black Sea coast near the border with Georgia.
"More than 90 percent of the money being used in Sochi is coming from the government and not private enterprise," as reported by CNBC.
"The Russian government has a ridiculous amount of money invested in the Sochi games. The issue is: Can they create a brand new ski resort area for people to come to? It could lead to an investment benefit, but who knows if it will," said Christopher Finlay, a professor of communication studies at Loyola Marymount University.
The breakdown of the budget has been distributed as follows: $2.6 billion devoted to tourist infrastructure, $500 million to Olympic venues, $270 million to transport infrastructure and $100 million devoted to power supply infrastructure.
The 2016 Summer Olympics and the Paralympic Games are being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with a reported cost of $14.4 billion, as reported by CNBC.
This 2014 Olympics are seen as political theater for Putin. The Russian President has been a vigorous and active proponent of the Games, oft-times trying out Olympic clothing, inspecting all facets of its planning, and even practicing with its national hockey team.
On the subject of hockey, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry displayed great enthusiasm:
"As a hockey fan, I'm really excited - that I think we're competitive this year," Kerry said of the U.S. team. "It's going to be a really exciting series of matches, and it's fun to come here and just sort of celebrate the Olympics and celebrate hockey."
The 2014 Winter Olympics can best be epitomized as Putin's Show.
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