Sochi? What is that?
Here in Vancouver, Canada, we are head over heels in preparations for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, and the city is slowly but surely transforming into the Olympic capital it is bound to become in just three months.
But, did you know that the next Winter Olympic Games after Vancouver would be held in Sochi, Russia? From talking to people about Sochi, I realized that North Americans do not really associate the word “Sochi” with Russia. My friend once asked me if Sochi was some place in Japan. Well, I know the name is sort of unusual for a city in Russia, but the tiny town of Sochi will indeed be welcoming the world for the 22nd Winter Olympiad in 2014. And, it sure hopes to show class while doing that. I hear the 2014 Games are a tremendous occasion for Russians, and Sochi is sure to be worked up to impress.
I get a sense that whenever Russia gets to host a major international event nowadays, it becomes almost a pride thing to do really, REALLY well. Such was the case with the Eurovision 2009 Song Contest that Russia hosted this past May. Eurovision is an annual singing competition that is becoming a showbizz bonanza of multinational scale. This year, it was the first time in the event’s 55 years of existence that Russia got to host the contest. The outcome? Russians built the biggest and the flashiest stage in the history of the contest with lots of other perks, which in the end had Russia put together the most expensive edition of the contest – the bill came down to a whopping 40 million dollars.
So, when it will come to making the 2014 Games stand out, I am sure Russia will not hold anything back to make sure that its Games become the best Olympic Games ever.
Today’s launch of the Olympic brand, emblem and slogan of the 2014 Games will sure be a huge milestone for Sochi. And already, sky is the limit -- the Olympic news source GamesBids.com quotes Sochi 2014 President Dmitry Chernyshenko saying the Sochi 2014 logo will be the most innovative in the history of the Olympic Games. "It's a totally new experience and it's our philosophy, our way of thinking - it's quite simply unique", explained Chernyshenko.
Whether the new Olympic brand and Russia’s Games are going stand up to the hype remains to be seen.
Coming up on this blog: Sochi 2014 Russia House at the Science World in Vancouver – will it be the hottest ticket in town during the 2010 Vancouver Games?
