Will the Sochi Olympics Be a Success for Putin?

Back in 2007, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, traveled to Guatemala City to convince the International Olympic Committee (IOC) he would turn Sochi into a “world class resort” for a “new Russia” by investing $12 billion in the Winter Games. But unfortunately a few days before the Games begin on February 7, Russia has a lot of scandals and criticism to overcome if it wants to succeed in showing off Sochi as its new beginning. Some international criticism is related to the cost of the Games. The Sochi Olympics is the most expensive Olympics in history. According to the research of Bent Flyvbjerg and Allison Stewart, of the Saïd Business School at Oxford University, all Olympics have overrun their costs. The average overruns are 179 percent in real terms and 324 percent in nominal terms. However Sochi’s price tag coming in at $51 billion, over four times the initial bid, trumps all previous Olympics. Considering, China’s 2008 Summer Olympics cost a mere $40 billions and had three times the amount of events, four times the number of athletes, and over two times the number of venues compared to Sochi, critics question if most of the money went into kickbacks and fueling corruption. Both Russian officials and the IOC President, Thomas Bach, have said in press conferences that the majority of the billions is not directly related to the Olympics. Instead much of it was spent on infrastructure and regional development, which would have been completed anyway. Yet the spending still seems exorbitantly high for what was built. I think it will be very interesting to watch the Games and see exactly what $51 billion has created and if it looks worth the investment. Political controversies are also challenging Putin’s Olympic success. For example, in June a new federal law was launched to suppress “propaganda on nontraditional sexual relationships”. Although Bach has spoken out saying these laws will not affect the Olympics, many athletes, sponsors, and nations are concerned about what actions the laws will lead to and the impression it will give the world. It is clear the Games will go on regardless of the anti-gay law and how the $51 billion was spent. But the Games themselves are threatened by potential terrorist attacks. In late December, two suicide bombings killed 34 people 400 miles outside Sochi. And, currently, Russian forces are seeking out three “black widow” suicide bombers, who are wives of militants killed by Russian forces. Sochi has more than 40,000 troops and police ensuring the Olympic area is secure. In addition, the USA has two naval ships deployed to the Black Sea ready if there is a need for them. Regardless of all the military efforts, many people are still nervous for what may happen in Sochi. I think it is amazing that Russia still appears to have the IOC’s full support through all the current scandals. But, Russia’s biggest challenge is yet to come. I don’t think anyone will know how to label the Sochi Olympics until it ends on February 23. For Russia, it will all come down to avoiding terrorist attacks, preventing anti-gay laws from disturbing the Games, and making the world admire the $51 billion investment instead of assuming corruption took place. If Russia is able to get through the Games unscathed from the intense issues it is facing, the world may look at Russia differently, just as Putin hoped. Otherwise, the Games and the $51 billion investment may prove to be a huge waste for the nation. Becca Boehringer