2014 Winter Olympics Andrey Grigoryev The 2014

2014 Winter Olympics Andrey Grigoryev

The 2014 Winter Olympics were a major international multi-sport event held in Sochi, Russia

The Games were held from 7– 23 February 2014, with opening rounds in certain events held on the eve of the opening ceremony, 6 February 2014.

The opening ceremony took place on February 7, 2014. It was mainly focused around Russian cultural aspects. Classical Russian music, history, as well recognized landmarks, traditional dances and reputable literary figures were recognized in the ceremony.

A record 88 nations qualified to compete, which beat the previous record of 82 set at the previous Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

98 events over 15 disciplines in 7 sports were included in the 2014 Winter Olympics

The top ten listed NOCs by number of gold medals are listed below. The host nation, Russia, is highlighted.

The Sochi Olympic Park was built by the Black Sea coast in the Imeretin Valley, about 4 kmfrom Russia's border with Georgia. The venues were clustered around a central water basin on which the Medals Plaza is built, allowing all indoor venues to be within walking distance. It also features "The Waters of the Olympic Park", a choreographed fountain which served as the backdrop in the medals awards and the opening and closing ceremonies of the event

As of October 2013, the estimated combined cost of the 2014 Winter Olympics had topped US$51 billion. This amount includes the 214 billion rubles (US$ 6. 5 billion) cost for Olympic games themselves and cost of Sochi infrastructural projects (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 for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver), and would make the Sochi games the most expensive Olympics in history, exceeding the estimated $44 billion cost of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, which hosted 3 times as many events

The closing ceremony was held on 23 February 2014. The ceremony was dedicated to Russian culture featuring world-renowned Russian stars like conductor and violinist Yuri Bashmet, conductor Valery Gergiev, pianist Denis Matsuev, singer Hibla Gerzmava and violinist Tatiana Samouil. These artists were joined by performers from the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theaters.

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