Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: Storylines to Follow on the First Day
After all these years, it's finally go time.
The Russian resort city of Sochi, which was notified by the International Olympic Committee in 2007 that it would ultimately host the 2014 Winter Games, is now just hours away from the two-week flurry of activity that's already generated a pre-blizzard of commentary, concern and consternation from myriad parties.
It's the first time that Russia, in its existing form, will host the Winter Olympics. The Games were last in that part of the world back in 1980, when Moscow—then the capital city of the Soviet Union—was the site of the Summer Games best remembered for the United States' decision to boycott.
Opening ceremonies for the 2014 event will take place Friday, but some competition will actually begin on Thursday, which is irreverently being referred to as Day -1.
Click through for the top storylines on the eve of the Sochi kickoff.
Let the Games Begin
1 of 8
Though the pomp and circumstance of the opening ceremony don't arrive until Friday, the actual competition in Sochi will be up and running a day earlier.
The team trophy figure skating competition begins with the men's short program, as does the team pairs competition. In freestyle skiing, it's moguls qualification for the women, and in snowboarding, it's men's and women's qualification rounds in the slopestyle discipline.
By the time it's all over on Feb. 20, just short of 100 gold medals (96, to be specific) will have been won, including several in events that are brand new to the Olympic program: ski halfpipe, ski slopestyle, snowboard slopestyle, snowboard parallel slalom, women's ski jumping, biathlon mixed relay, team figure skating and the luge team relay.
How Will Jeremy Abbott Perform in His Final Olympics?
2 of 8The figure skating team competition kicks off on Thursday with the men's and pairs' short programs. Competing for Team USA will be Jeremy Abbott for the men and Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir for the pairs, both 2014 national champions.
Abbott has already announced that he is competing in his final Olympics, and since he's not the favorite to medal in the men's individual competition, team trophy is a golden opportunity for him to win an Olympic medal. As the first skater for the U.S., he will be setting the tone for the team.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, national runner-up Jason Brown will be skating the free skate for the men, so this will be 28-year-old Abbott's only skate to help out Team USA. After finishing a disappointing ninth place in the Vancouver Games, this four-time U.S. Champion will be skating to seize his chance at Olympic glory.
Will Hannah Kearney Safely Qualify in Freestyle Skiing Moguls?
3 of 8
Freestyle skiing is such an unpredictable sport that even though American Hannah Kearney is the favorite to win the gold medal, it's still crucial that the 27-year-old gets through her qualification rounds without a disaster so that she can move on to the medal rounds on Saturday.
After all, Kearney has experienced disaster before—she was the favorite going into the Turin Games, but she bobbled the landing of her first jump and didn't even make it through to the medal round.
Now the defending champion is trying to become the first freestyle skier to ever win two Olympic gold medals. But to get to the top of the podium, she first must make it safely through qualifying.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
How Healthy Are Marc McMorris and Shaun White?
4 of 8
UPDATE (February 5): White has withdrawn from slopestyle to focus on winning his third straight Olympic gold in the halfpipe.
One of the biggest Olympic showdowns will begin before the opening ceremony does, as Mark McMorris and Shaun White hit slopestyle to try and qualify for the semifinals.
McMorris, the candid Canadian who has spoken out against White before, was considered by some to be the favorite in this event before he fractured his ribs during the X Games last month. He's in Sochi and claims to be feeling fine, but his health will have a major impact on the event.
Meanwhile, White has been dealing with injuries all season long, and his woes continued on Monday when he jammed his wrist on a training-run fall. Afterwards, he spoke out against the dangerous course in Sochi, which has already taken medal favorite Torstein Horgmo of Norway out of the Games. His wrist injury doesn't seem serious, but it's certainly worth keeping an eye out for on Thursday, as are the course conditions.
If White and McMorris are both compromised, McMorris' countryman, Max Parrot—who just won gold at the X Games—would become the favorite.
Will the Games Be Secure?
5 of 8
Given the turbulent global environment and the incidents of domestic terror on its soil late in 2013, Russia is surely seeking an ideal middle ground that will both guarantee a safe experience for athletes and visitors, while also not overtly perverting the Olympic spirit with an armored tank on every corner.
Russian officials indicated the number of security personnel in Sochi would top 40,000 and perhaps go thousands higher, and the U.S. State Department has instructed Americans to be prepared for frequent checks of their documents and routine meetings with security at event locations.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has characterized the security apparatus in Sochi as a "ring of steel."
Two Austrian athletes, skier Bernadette Schild and skeleton racer Janine Flock, were reportedly the subject of kidnapping threats early this week—which triggered a counter-terrorism investigation, according to the British-based Guardian newspaper.
Will the Facilities Be Ready?
6 of 8
While the arrival of every Olympics brings a sense of desperation to get the venues and the accommodations complete, it seems the Sochi Games have had a particular spotlight shone on them when it comes to the level of preparedness.
The New York Times referred to the opening event of these Olympics as "The Hotel Construction Sprint" and suggested the level of incompletion in Russia dwarfs that of previous host sites:
"The list in Sochi seems extraordinarily large. There are unopened boxes of heating and air-conditioning parts and other essential hardware all over the place. On Sunday, a man in a lobby was drilling into a ceiling, working above and just to the left of a blinking Christmas tree.
"
Will There Be Protests?
7 of 8
Some athletes were aghast. Some others said it would do them no good, as foreign athletes, to comment on the legislative goings-on of a government that was not their own.
Either way, the law passed under Russian President Vladimir Putin that criminalized promotion of "non-traditional sexual relations" was one aspect of the Sochi Games that was getting publicity long before the first wave of competitors began arriving in the host city.
Several U.S.-based gay rights groups, however, have decided not to send personnel to Russia and instead wage their propaganda campaign via social media while the events are taking place, as reported by Erin McClam of NBC News
Julie Dorf, senior adviser for the Council for Global Equality, suggested continuing the drumbeat both during and after the Games is more vital than making a controversial scene, per McClam's report :
"I think what’s most important is to really stay focused on true solidarity beyond Sochi. Sochi in many ways is the beginning of a new chapter in the LGBT movement, and our work is to educate people at home.
"
Will It Pay Off?
8 of 8
Estimates on how much the host country spent to get ready for the Sochi Games have ranged from the $7 billion suggested by Russian President Vladimir Putin to several times that figure, via Kremlin.ru (h/t The New York Times' Steven Lee Myers).
And the lofty numbers have triggered a sidecar debate on whether or not such expenditures—regardless of the final figure—ever pay off. Most economists seem to say absolutely not.
Per Ari Shapiro of NPR, organizers of the 2012 Summer Games in London have claimed Great Britain has raked in at least $1 billion more than the $15 billion it ultimately shelled out, and they point to a government report that emerged last summer trumpeting the return on investment.
Others, however, suggest it's a losing proposition all the way around.
"You end up with a very indebted city or host nation long after the confetti is cleaned up," Bob von Rekowsky of Fidelity Investments Shapiro. "Someone has to pay the bills for it."
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
