There is very little time left before the long-awaited start of the Winter Olympics in Sochi. This ambitious project evokes a mass of the most contradictory moods in society. Millions of dollars have been spent on the preparation of the Games, and many are concerned about the fate of expensive facilities, the level of safety and the quality of buildings.
Today we offer an unusual Top-10, which included the loudest scandals around the Sochi Olympics.
10. Olympic Art Exposition in Perm
In June 2014, at the White Nights in Perm festival, an art exposition on the theme of the 2014 Olympics, made in the spirit of political satire, was presented. The pictures presented to the audience shocked the officials, and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation demanded an explanation from the Perm authorities.
9. The documentary film "Putin's Games"
Alexander Gentelev's painting tells about corruption during the construction of Olympic facilities. The creators of the picture stated that the Russian authorities received an offer to buy the tape for 600,000 pounds. The film took part in the prestigious International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam.
8. Boycott of the Olympics by the top officials of European countries
German President Joachim Gauck has already announced that he will not attend the Games in Sochi. British Prime Minister David Cameron, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and French President Francois Hollande will also not go to Sochi.
7. The budget of the Olympics has grown 5 times
Six years ago, no one even imagined how much the Olympic venues would eventually cost. Over the years of construction, the budget for the Games increased 5 times and amounted to about 1.5 trillion rubles (37.5 billion euros).
6. Recommendations of the American Ministry of Health when attending the Olympics
The published recommendations of the Center for Disease Prevention in the United States caused a considerable stir. Among the recommendations for future guests of the Olympics are the following:
- take more warm clothes with you;
- be careful when crossing the street - Russian drivers do not give way;
- wash your hands more often;
- get vaccinated against hepatitis A.
5. Boycott of the Olympics by representatives of sexual minorities
Because of the 2013 "anti-gay" law, Russians have heard a lot of reproaches. It was precisely the oppression of sexual minorities that President Hollande explained his refusal to come to Sochi, and the singer Cher because of the law refused to speak at the opening ceremony of the Games.
4. Theft of Olympic money
In the first half of last year alone, the prosecutor's office initiated the initiation of 11 cases on the facts of encroachments for 170 million rubles allocated for the construction of facilities in Sochi. However, none of them have yet been brought to trial.
3. Boris Nemtsov's report "Winter Olympics in the subtropics"
The revelatory article notes such facts as the fourfold change of the leadership of the SC Olympstroy, the unsuccessful choice of the venue for the Games, and environmental damage to the region. They also mention the fact that 96% of the costs were made at the expense of state investments - it was not possible to attract private investors to the Olympic construction site.
2. Problems with the Olympic torch
The long-suffering Olympic flame has been extinguished 70 times during its relay. The loudest scandal was associated with a ceremony on Red Square, when a torch was lit by a new FSB officer. Then the Olympic flame almost burned the beard of Santa Claus in Veliky Ustyug, and in Samara the fire was extinguished with a blanket.
1. Delay in wages to builders in Sochi
Scandals with delays in payments to Olympic construction workers occur with enviable regularity. According to ordinary workers, salaries are not paid for 6 months, while people are fed with expired food, and they have to live in the absence of basic amenities. As a rule, payments are made only after the intervention of the General Prosecutor's Office. According to media reports, to date, 7 contractors at the Olympic construction site owe wages in the amount of 277 million rubles.