The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics, is a major

international multi-sport event being held in Sochi, Russia. Scheduled for 7 23 February 2014, opening rounds in figure skating, skiing, and sn owboard competitions were held on the eve of the Opening Ceremony, 6 February 20 14. Both the Olympics and 2014 Winter Paralympics are being organized by the Soc hi Organizing Committee (SOC). Sochi was selected as the host city in July 2007, during the 119th IOC Session held in Guatemala City. It is the first Olympics i n Russia since the breakup of the USSR in 1991. The USSR was the host nation for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. A total of 98 events in 15 winter sport disciplines are being held during the Ga mes. A number of new competitions a total of 12 accounting for gender are being held during the Games, including biathlon mixed relay, women's ski jumping, mixed-te am figure skating, mixed-team luge, half-pipe skiing, ski and snowboard slopesty le, and snowboard parallel slalom. The events are being held around two clusters of new venues; an Olympic Park constructed in Sochi's Imeretinsky Valley on the coast of the Black Sea, with Fisht Olympic Stadium and the Games' indoor venues located within walking distance, and snow events in the resort settlement of Kr asnaya Polyana. In preparation, organizers focused on modernizing the telecommunications, electr ic power, and transportation infrastructures of the region. While originally bud geted at US$12 billion, various factors caused the budget to expand to over US$5 1 billion, surpassing the estimated $44 billion cost of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing as the most expensive Olympics in history. The lead-up to the 2014 Games was marked by major controversies, including alleg ations of corruption leading to the aforementioned cost overruns, concerns for t he safety and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) athl etes and supporters during the Games due to the country's recent restrictions on the promotion of LGBT sexual relationships (which have led to ongoing protests) and various security concerns over threats by jihadist groups tied to the insur gency in the North Caucasus. Contents [hide] 1 Bidding process 2 Financing 3 Venues 3.1 Sochi Olympic Park (Coastal Cluster) 3.2 Krasnaya Polyana (Mountain Cluster) 3.3 Tentative post-Olympic usage 4 Marketing 4.1 Emblem 4.2 Mascots 4.3 Video game 4.4 Stamps 5 Construction 5.1 Telecommunications 5.2 Power infrastructure 5.3 Transportation 5.4 Other infrastructure 6 The Games 6.1 Torch relay 6.2 Opening ceremony 6.3 Participating National Olympic Committees 6.3.1 National houses 6.4 Sports 7 Medals

7.1 Medal table 8 Calendar 9 Security 9.1 Measures 9.2 Incidents 10 Media 10.1 Filming 10.2 Broadcasting rights 11 Sponsors 12 Concerns and controversies 12.1 LGBT rights 12.2 Budget and infrastructure issues 12.3 Security threats 13 Notes and references 14 External links Bidding process Main article: Bids for the 2014 Winter Olympics Sochi residents celebrate IOC's decision to hold 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, 4 July 2007. Sochi was elected on 4 July 2007 during the 119th International Olympic Committe e (IOC) session held in Guatemala City, Guatemala, defeating bids from Salzburg, Austria, and Pyeongchang, South Korea.[2] This is the first time that the Russi an Federation has hosted the Winter Olympics. The Soviet Union was the host of t he 1980 Summer Olympics held in and around Moscow. ballot results 2014 host city election City Country (NOC) Round 1 Round 2 Sochi Russia 34 51 Pyeongchang South Korea 36 47 Salzburg Austria 25 Financing Funds approved from 2006 until 2014 Year Billions of roubles[3] 2006 5 2007 16 2008 32 2009 27 2010 22 2011 27 2012 26 2013 22 2014 8 As of October 2013, the estimated combined cost of the 2014 Winter Olympics had topped US$51 billion.[4] This amount includes the 214 billion roubles (US$ 6.5 b illion) cost for olympic games themeselfs and cost of Sochi infrastructurual pro jects (roads, railroads, power plants). This total, if borne out, would be over four times the initial budget of $12 billion (compared to the $8 billion spent f or the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver), and would make the Sochi games the mo st expensive Olympics in history, exceeding the estimated $44 billion cost of th e 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing,[5] which hosted 3 times as many events.[6] According to Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee President an d CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko, partnership and commercial programs allowed the use o f funds generated by Sochi 2014 for the 2009 10 development period, postponing the need for the state funds guaranteed by the Russian Government. He confirmed tha

t the Organizing Committee had raised more than $500 million through marketing i n the first five months of 2009.[7] The Russian Government provided nearly 327 b illion roubles (about US$10 billion) for the total development, expansion and ho sting of the Games.[8] 192 billion roubles (US$6 billion) coming from the federa l budget and 7 billion roubles (US$218 million) from the Krasnodar Krai budget a nd from the Sochi budget. The organizers expect to have a surplus of US$300 mill ion when the Games conclude.[9] Financing from non-budget sources (including private investor funds) is distribu ted as follows:[10] Tourist infrastructure: $2.6 billion Olympic venues: $500 million Transport infrastructure: $270 million Power supply infrastructure: $100 million Venues Main article: Venues of the 2014 Winter Olympics Sochi (Afro-Eurasia2) Sochi Sochi Location of Sochi on the coast of the Black Sea (north of Turkey). With an average February temperature of 8.3 C (42.8 F) and a humid subtropical cli mate, Sochi is the warmest city to host a Winter Olympic Games.[11] Sochi 2014 i s the 12th straight Olympics to outlaw smoking; all Sochi venues, Olympic Park b ars and restaurants and public areas are smoke-free during the Games.[12] Sochi Olympic Park (Coastal Cluster) The Sochi Olympic Park was built by the Black Sea coast in the Imeretin Valley, about 4 km (2.5 miles) from Russia's border with Georgia.[13][14] The venues are clustered around a central water basin on which the Medals Plaza is built, allo wing all indoor venues to be within walking distance. The new venues include:[15 ] Fisht Olympic Stadium ceremonies (opening/closing) 40,000 spectators Bolshoy Ice Dome ice hockey (final), 12,000 spectators Shayba Arena ice hockey, 7,000 spectators Adler Arena Skating Center speed skating, 8,000 spectators Iceberg Skating Palace figure skating, short track speed skating, 12,000 spectat ors Ice Cube Curling Center curling, 3,000 spectators Main Olympic village International broadcasting centre and main press room