Sochi Olympics

[mendeleyev]

Rains today (Wednesday) have swollen local rivers in Sochi and if continued several Olympic venues may be in danger of high waters. This video is from Sochi:

[mendeleyev]

[mendeleyev]

From the Mendeleyev Journal:

With only 134 days before the start of Olympic games in February 2014, critics are saying that relaxed construction standards and hasty building deadlines  contributed to the damage from flooding over the past two days in Sochi, scene of the 2014 winter Olympics.


(photo: RIA Novosti)

Meanwhile the Russian government says that there was no damage to any of the Olympic facilities. Local residents however are asking if the government is going to compensate them for damage from the flood waters.

Flooding in Sochi has become an increasing concern since the Olympic construction began. The video below documents local street flooding from rains earlier this month.



Sochi is a resort city in the Krasnodar Krai (region) of Russia and is situated on the Black Sea coast near the Caucasus mountains, close to the border of Georgia and Russia.

[Chicagoguy]

I have been to Sochi and I am still wondering if a beach resort can pull off a Winter Olympics. I hope so.

[GQBlues]

They should conduct the summer olympic kayaking event right now. 

But I think Sochi's biggest problem won't be the flooding, the venues nor the accommodations. Their problem will be what almost hit Vancouver...mean temperature.


http://www.weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-min-max-Temperature-fahrenheit,sochi,Russia


Their outside events will suffer greatly with wet snow, if they maintain any snow at all...snow machines won't be much help since they're so close to the black sea and the humidity level will not allow them to make snow.

For Russians' sake, I hope everything will work out just fine.

[Shadow]

They should conduct the summer olympic kayaking event right now. 

But I think Sochi's biggest problem won't be the flooding, the venues nor the accommodations. Their problem will be what almost hit Vancouver...mean temperature.


http://www.weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-min-max-Temperature-fahrenheit,sochi,Russia


Their outside events will suffer greatly with wet snow, if they maintain any snow at all...snow machines won't be much help since they're so close to the black sea and the humidity level will not allow them to make snow.

For Russians' sake, I hope everything will work out just fine.

No problem. Right before the games Putin will strike the anti-propaganda laws and hell will freeze over.

[GQBlues]

Yeah probably...

But isn't Putin also an expert downhill skier, too? Shirtless, no less...

[mendeleyev]

...while balancing a bear on one ski and a leopard on the other. 

[Anotherkiwi]

They should conduct the summer olympic kayaking event right now. 

But I think Sochi's biggest problem won't be the flooding, the venues nor the accommodations. Their problem will be what almost hit Vancouver...mean temperature.


http://www.weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-min-max-Temperature-fahrenheit,sochi,Russia


Their outside events will suffer greatly with wet snow, if they maintain any snow at all...snow machines won't be much help since they're so close to the black sea and the humidity level will not allow them to make snow.

For Russians' sake, I hope everything will work out just fine.

Although the city itself is beside the sea, and is hosting the "ice" (skating, curling, etc) events, the "snow" events are being held in the mountains at Krasnaya Polyana, between 600 and 2000 metres above sea level and 40 kilometres from the coast, so I doubt that there will be too much of a problem with the footing.

[mendeleyev]

I was up there last winter and there was plenty of snow.

It appears that rushed construction has led to some situations that may cause annual flooding unlike Sochi has seen in a while. Residents are upset but officials are mum.

[mendeleyev]

Looking to combine Olympic activities with a way to pay the bills in 2014? Azimut Hotels Group is hiring bi-lingual hotel employees for the Olympic season in Sochi. Flyers advertise housing plus meals along with pay so if interested, check out the telephone and email information on the flyers pictured here.



Clicking on the photo will enlarge it for the flyer phone numbers.

The Azimut Hotel complex is located in the Imeriti lowland with a unique landscape park consisting of two hotels: AZIMUT Hotel Resort & SPA Sochi with 720 four star-level rooms and AZIMUT Apart Hotel Sochi with 2880 three star-level rooms.



There are jobs available at the Olympics and our Russian speaking readers can find that information at this link. Just a little over four months remain until the start of the Games on 7 February 2014.

[GQBlues]

Although the city itself is beside the sea, and is hosting the "ice" (skating, curling, etc) events, the "snow" events are being held in the mountains at Krasnaya Polyana, between 600 and 2000 metres above sea level and 40 kilometres from the coast, so I doubt that there will be too much of a problem with the footing.

Well, I hope so...although it sounds a lot like Vancouver. They also sufferred from unseasonally prior soggy months leading up to the OIympic and eventually had to fly snow up Cypress mtn and Whistler by helicopters.
 
Sochi had to cancel a few world wide events due to either lack of snow, rain, or crusty/slushy/wet (low/high temp variation) snow levels, etc...last year. Previous to that, they had too much snow at the top but bare at the bottom.
 
"...In February, World Cup snowboard cross and ski cross events were canceled because of a lack of snow, and other competitions at the Extreme Park were held amid criticism of slushy conditions.
       
Two years earlier, part of the European Cup Alpine skiing championships was canceled because of too much snow. Low clouds rearranged the schedule for last month’s Russian Alpine ski championships, an official test event.
 
During the World Cup luge event in late February, it rained.       
 
At the Olympics, unlike at test events, competitions cannot be canceled...."
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/sports/olympics/with-weather-concerns-organizers-are-storing-snow-for-winter-olympics-in-sochi-russia.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
 
Anyway, I hope this goes without a hitch.
 
 

[LAman]

Mendy, I see you have pic of area where the speed skating events will be held...... maybe even some curling in that pond!!! 



 

[XMan]

I have been to Sochi and I am still wondering if a beach resort can pull off a Winter Olympics. I hope so.

I drove to the Red Valley about an hour from Sochi and there was still some snow at the top of the ski lift in early June. 
But the roads, on the other hand, were terrible.  Hard to imagine handling large numbers of people.

[Fishingguy]

I'm going to hope and pray that safety won't even be an issue and topic of discussion and that the only stories will be about the games and human interest stories - and of course that little policy that has been barely mentioned...

From the Mendeleyev Journal:

With only 134 days before the start of Olympic games in February 2014, critics are saying that relaxed construction standards and hasty building deadlines  contributed to the damage from flooding over the past two days in Sochi, scene of the 2014 winter Olympics.


(photo: RIA Novosti)

Meanwhile the Russian government says that there was no damage to any of the Olympic facilities. Local residents however are asking if the government is going to compensate them for damage from the flood waters.

Flooding in Sochi has become an increasing concern since the Olympic construction began. The video below documents local street flooding from rains earlier this month.



Sochi is a resort city in the Krasnodar Krai (region) of Russia and is situated on the Black Sea coast near the Caucasus mountains, close to the border of Georgia and Russia.

[mendeleyev]

From the Mendeleyev Journal: Russia to spy for Sochi Olympics security.

Let's be nice and call it eavesdropping. That has a much better sound than spying. It is for security of course, and we believe that given the security threats associated with the Sochi Olympic games. 

Not that we condone it but certainly the threat to security is very real given the proximity of the restive Caucasus region to Sochi.


KGB logo: the successor to the KGB is the FSB.

Oh, and this is special--the United States is warning citizens that Russia will monitor cell phone transmissions! Pardon us while we pick ourselves off the floor from fits of laughter but the United States, home of the NSA, is concerned about someone spying on American citizens.

The US State Department is advising Americans to leave their mobile phones and laptops at home because the Russian security forces will be snooping. Yes, leave those things at home; it will make it easier for NSA to do the snooping while you're away.

[GQBlues]

I know you're always on top of current events in Russia, Mendy...so maybe I missed it and if so, my bad. It's technically a non-Sochi Olympic matter but rather security issue...

Were you aware of the suicide bomber last month in Volgograd? Do you know what the details about that incident are?

[mendeleyev]

GQ, it is very close to the subject of Olympic security.

The best coverage was done by RT and I'm posting a link where you can get the entire story, included a car webcam that just happened to be following the bus and you can see the explosion happen on video.

http://rt.com/news/volgograd-terrorist-attack-video-567/


President Putin has signed a new law that hold families responsible for damages of terror acts.

[calmissile]

Oh, and this is special--the United States is warning citizens that Russia will monitor cell phone transmissions! Pardon us while we pick ourselves off the floor from fits of laughter but the United States, home of the NSA, is concerned about someone spying on American citizens.

The US State Department is advising Americans to leave their mobile phones and laptops at home because the Russian security forces will be snooping. Yes, leave those things at home; it will make it easier for NSA to do the snooping while you're away.

OMG I am rolling on the floor laughing also.     

[calmissile]

GQ, it is very close to the subject of Olympic security.

The best coverage was done by RT and I'm posting a link where you can get the entire story, included a car webcam that just happened to be following the bus and you can see the explosion happen on video.

http://rt.com/news/volgograd-terrorist-attack-video-567/


President Putin has signed a new law that hold families responsible for damages of terror acts.

Gotta love the dashcams.  After seeing so many in Ukraine I just had to get one when I got home.      so far only caught a couple of fender benders, but need to monitor this 'peaceful' religion closely.