Sochi Will Be the Capital, but Not of the Olympic Games

The French biathlonist Mari Doren-Aber - the double prize-winner of Olympic Games-2010 in Vancouver - called Sochi ghost city in the message on her own official site. According to her, building of the Olympic objects in Sochi represents waste of money not corresponding to the spirit of Games. Doren-Aber arrived in Sochi as a part of French national team to take part in the World Cup on biathlon which will take place in this city from March, 7 to March, 10.

The biathlonist declared that she and her colleagues on the national team had to wait several hours at the airport and "to show passport thirty times", to be photographed and to make photos of rifles.

Natalia Kochergina, the Lithuanian biathlonist, shared impressions about arrival in Sochi where the eighth stage of the World Cup will pass.

"We live near to Grand hotel in cottages. We were met in Russia badly, everything’s unorganized, it’s a mess. We arrived to the airport at seven in the evening and wasted five hours in the turn to check rifles. Then we went to cottages, many had no accreditations which are valid in Russia as the ones from IBU don't work here.

I wasn’t made accreditation, so I can’t leave the cottage to have meal or just walk as there are safeguards everywhere. My passport was taken away in the hotel where we eat, I can’t reach this hotel to take it back. They didn’t bring my belongings and if they do it, I can’t get them without accreditation and passport.

If I will survive here for a week — it will be good. So, there are two troubles: the first - roads, the second — you know yourself. I don’t know anything about trainings and competitions. God grant, they will allow to leave normally", - the sportswoman wrote on the page on social network.

The prize-winner of the World Cup, the Belarusian sportswoman Nadezhda Skardino told about dishonesty of employees of shops in Sochi where the Olympic Games will pass in a year.

"Sochi – city of spirituality and good! City met us with such slogan! In 2 days we were tried to be deceived in three shops from three. Our claims were answered with the words that we are not in fairy tale? Prices appear not valid, cash register suddenly goes out of order and then it turns out that the sum become ten times bigger, than when it uses to be before breakage! It’s ok that we know what to do, while poor foreigners, probably, won't notice that they are deceived... It is necessary to hope that these are only exceptions to the rule... That the slogan after all speaks truth!" - Skardino wrote on her page in "VKontakte".

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From editorial board: Something prompts me that fears concerning future Olympic Games in Sochi are more than proved.

It’s clear what is the main task of the organizers of the Olympic construction - grandiose kickback and not convenience of athletes and impression of the audience. Spit on them, they are not the main.

Though there is, for example, Putin. If he doesn’t understand that there is grandiose theft from the budget? No, he is not a fool, certainly he understands everything. Nevertheless he agreed on it. Why?

It is impossible to tell that Putin is in share – he doesn’t need, he doesn't need to intrigue - he can simply take something. To take as much as he wants and nobody would say a word. So why then?

I have the only reasonable explanation - ambitions. He is in power for so many years and what’s the result? What great things did he make? Nothing in fact. While he has example of Peter the First before his eyes - who founded the Northern capital and new "Petersburg empire". Or at least Nazarbayev who created new capital striking with magnificence in steppe.

So, Putin is creating own capital - in Sochi. He is the northern person, I understand him very well, I am writing now from the Crimea... After all at first Peter was going to found new capital in Taganrog and to cut "window to Europe" through Bosphorus and Dardanelless. Yes he didn’t succeed in it. Ekaterina managed to create at once several magnificent cities in Novorossy, but she, being born in small German principality, even in thoughts had no idea to leave brilliant Petersburg. Only late Romanovs made the Southern coast of the Crimea "summer capital", but didn’t end up the matter.

So, Putin (who restored Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, the Romanovs had no money to do it) - already moves nobility who builds palaces round Praskoveevka where the palace of his majesty is already finished. Though country house, even palace is not what he wants – he need a city corresponding to imperial greatness... So, under the pretext of the Winter Olympic Games he builds himself “summer capital” in subtropics in Kuban as the Crimea has been already lost on budget money.

What sportsmen you are talking about? What competitions? Certainly, magnificent buildings of new Sochi have no relation to the Olympic Games. As though palaces, parks and fountains of Petersburg had any relation to base of the Navy. It’s only an occasion.

Putin isn't young and wants to spend remained years of reign in comfort of subtropical Sochi, not in slushy Petersburg or Moscow winter. It’s normal desire. Though why all of us have to pay so much for execution of his desires?

Аnatoly Baranov

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