Sochi Critic Imprisoned
A Russian environmentalist who had been critical of Sochi Olympic preparations was sentenced to three years in a penal colony on Friday.
A judge ruled that Evgeny Vitishko, who was convicted of causing damage to property, violated his parole. The suspended sentence that Vitishko was already serving was converted to an actual sentence.
"The ruling is a show of force for other environmental activists," Vitishko told AFP.
Vitishko, a geologist and member of a regional NGO, is currently working on a report that will highlight Sochi’s detrimental effect on the environment.
He and another activist received three-year suspended sentences for causing damage to a fence in a forest, an act labeled as "hooliganism" by the court. The group, however, claimed the fence was illegally erected in a public forest around the home of a regional governor.
Vitishko’s movements have been tracked constantly since receiving the sentence, and courts now claim he has broken the rules of his parole twice in the last eight months.
He now has 10 days to appeal the ruling.
Sochi Pucks Released
Two different puck designs will grace the official Sochi 2014 ice hockey pucks.
Sochi 2014 CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko and Russian ice hockey legend Vladislav Tretiak presented the pucks at the Bolshoy Ice Dome on Saturday.
Pucks used at the Bolshoy Ice Dome will feature a purple design, while pucks in the Shayba Arena will be blue.
The pucks feature the Sochi 2014 "patchwork quilt" design along with the Sochi 2014 logo on one side. The other side is adorned with the Olympic Rings and the inscription "XXII Olympic Winter Games, Sochi 2014."
Following the presentation, Tretiak went into goal to make the first official save with the Sochi 2014 puck.
"I am sure that each of these pucks used on Sochi Olympic ice will give all the fans unforgettable moments and the hockey tournaments will be a real spectacle of the Winter Olympics in Sochi," said Dmitry Chernyshenko at the unveiling.
USA Podium Uniform
Team USA will be wearing silver Nike jackets on the podium in Sochi.
The jackets are made of down and feature Nike technology to keep Team USA athletes dry and warm during the medal ceremonies.
Medalists will also wear Nike sneakers made from Flyknit threads.
Sochi Weather
It was partly cloudy today in Sochi with a high of 5⁰C/ 41⁰F.
In Krasnaya Polyana, it was partly cloudy with a high of 4⁰C/ 39⁰F.
Written by Nick Devlin and Aaron Bauer
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
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