Countdown to Sochi 2014

Last Wednesday marked 80 days till the long awaited 2014 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The Sochi games will not only be the first winter Olympics hosted in the Russian Federation but will also be the most expensive at $50 billion dollars.

The events will take place within two areas; The Coastal Cluster where all ice events will be held and venues will look over the Black Sea, and the Mountain Cluster where all the snow and sliding events will be held within the Krasnaya Polyana Mountains outside the city. Some of the venues include the Bolshoy Ice Palace, the Maly Ice Palace, and the Central Olympic Stadium which will also be used for the 2018 World Cup which will also be held in Russia.


Athletes to watch for this Olympic Games include a young American skier Mikaela Shrifflin who is expected to rival fellow skiing champion and icon of the sport Lindsay Vonn. Sticking to the slopes, Shawn White will be focusing on defending his gold medal against a high flying Japanese and Canadian that appeared on the radar after the 2013 X-Games.