Sochi Awaits Frenzy; Fasel on Hockey; Sliding Training -- On the Scene

Sochi Awaits Frenzy to Come

A trip from the Olympic Park into Sochi two days before the start of competition at the 2014 Winter Games is low-key and suggests none of the excitement soon to hit the region.

On the plus side, there were no lines at the Olympic Village railway station.

That’s because security personnel manning the 32 metal detectors hustled people – even those traveling together -- down the row until they reached an unused aisle.After the passengers sent their belongings through screening, they were very thoroughly patted down.

The trip to Sochi takes about 40 minutes as the new, high-speed trains move at a leisurely pace down the coast through Adler, Khosta, and Matsesta.

Departing Sochi Central Station, there are just a few Olympic banners, while across the street signs point the way to spectator registration, ticket booths, and the Live Site at the seaport.

While there’s no shortage of volunteers on the streets in their official gear, not many other accredited persons could be seen wearing their credentials.

Some Canadian athletes, who are staying near the port, were not afraid to wear their team apparel.

A couple of stray dogs basked in the sun on the sidewalk outside the station, unaware that a pest control company has been tasked with rounding them up and killing them before the Olympics.

While several locals tell visitors about a street market selling souvenirs near the station, it has apparently been moved.

However, on the promenade by the Black Sea, store windows are filled with Sochi Olympic paraphernalia.

ASome haggling is acceptable, but that only brings the prices more in line with the official Sochi shops.

Large, standing blue and white signs direct people to Olympic-themed attractions, such as a museum to honor sports glory. Some people posed with giant Olympic rings and then, further down the road, with the three mascots. The bear and leopard are each more than 6 feet tall.

Security outside the train station was just as thorough as the procedure at the Olympic Village stop, but more confusing.

There are separate screening lanes for long distance trains and for the Olympic stops. If you go through the wrong area, you have to come out and start again, which includes another patdown.

On Tuesday, it was dark inside the station because the electricity had gone out. That also meant the turnstiles didn’t work, so a guard allowed people to go around them.

It remains to be seen if that kind of flexibility will be employed once the Games begin.

Recipe for "Olympic Ice Hockey Success"

International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel says the world’s best players, no big injuries and "no bums" will be the recipe for Olympic ice hockey success.

Fasel made the comments to Around the Rings on Tuesday at the Sochi Olympic Village.

He declined to make a prediction about which team might win gold, saying there are as many as five legitimate medal contenders, and even a minnow like Slovenia could pull off a surprise.

"Momentum is so important" with the three-game round-robin rounds to open the tournament, he said.

He added: "the size of the ice will play a part." The rink for Sochi is much larger than NHL rinks, which will necessitate faster skaters.

Officiating, a topic near and dear to Fasel, a former ice hockey referee, will also be important for the tournament. His goal?

"No bums officiating."

Sliding at Sanki

Bobsleigh and skeleton athletes began training today at the Sanki Sliding Center in Krasnaya Polyana.

For the first time, under new FIBT rules, the top ten ranked athletes will be allowed to choose their starting position for the first heat of competition with the number one ranked slider selecting first and so forth.

Five days of luge, beginning Saturday, kick off the sliding events at Sanki before women’s skeleton hits the ice for their first day of competition on Thursday the 13th.

Written byKaren Rosen,Brian Pinelli, andEd Hula IIIin Sochi

Homepage photo courtesy of Getty Images

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