Sochi Scene -- Mountain Report; Ukraine Fallout; Putin on Hockey

Action Slows in Krasnaya Polyana

Thursday is the slowest competition day of the 2014 Games in the Krasnaya Polyana mountain cluster.

Only two of the five venues are staging events.At the Ruski Gorki Ski Jumping Center, the Nordic combined team event takes place with medals at stake. After the large hill ski jumping phase, Germany leads and will begin the cross-country 4x5km portion with a seven-second lead over 2010 Olympic champion Austria and 25 seconds ahead of Norway.

Men’s ski cross and women’s halfpipe, in the evening under the lights, are on the docket at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Center. Eight of the twenty freestyle skiing and snowboard events are taking place at night under the lights at the joint freestyle/snowboard venue.

Athletes will compete under mostly sunny skies, mild temperatures and without precipitation expected in Thursday’s weather forecast.

Unfinished Sochi Hotels "Not a Catastrophe"

The IOC’s executive director for the Olympic Games says unfinished hotel rooms for media in Sochi are "not a catastrophe."

Speaking at the daily joint IOC and Sochi 2014 briefing on Thursday, where the topic was transfer of knowledge from one Games to another, Gilbert Felli said it was important to understand that shortcoming within "the scope" of the project.

He said three percent, or 1,200 hotel rooms, had "some problems."

Felli said some hotels being used for the Games were originally going to be finished in the summer and the locations of the hotels are excellent.

"Some of the clients could have been put someplace else, but they didn’t want to go someplace else because the rooms were so well-located, they wanted to be there."

Ukraine Olympian Said to Have Left Sochi

Ukrainian skier Bogdana Matsotska has reportedly left the Sochi Olympics to stand in "solidarity" with anti-government protesters.

According to the Associated Press, Matsotska’s coach and father, Oleg Matsotskyy, posted the news on his Facebook profile.

"Instead of resolving the conflict through negotiations (which we had hoped he would when we left for Sochi), has drenched the last hopes of the nation in blood," Matsotskyy posted.

"In solidarity with the fighters on the barricades ... and as a protest against the criminal actions made towards the protesters, the irresponsibility of the president and his lackey government, we refuse further performance at the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014."

IOC communications director Mark Adams denied reports that Ukraine athletes had to be dissuaded from wearing black armbands while in competition to show their support and sympathy for protesters. Adams says all NOCs are aware of the IOC rule that prohibits political displays within venues.

World Cup at Olympics

FIFA 2018 World Cup organizers are taking part for the first time in the Olympic Games Observer program.

The observers from the Russian organizing committee join the usual group of observers from organizing committees of upcoming Olympic Games - Rio de Janeiro, Pyeongchang, and Tokyo - as well as forthcoming additions of the Youth Olympic Games.

Representatives from the five cities applying to bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic games are also taking part in the Sochi observer program.

Putin Had High Hopes for Hockey

At a January 17 roundtable interview, Around the Rings editor-in-chief Ed Hula asked Russian President Vladimir Putin about the importance of Russia’s ice hockey success in Sochi.

"I should be honest. It does matter," Putin responded.

"Not for me personally, not to satisfy any ambition. Rather, it is important for the millions of our ice hockey fans."

Team Russia, who only scored eight goals in five games at the tournament, was eliminated from the tournament by Finland on Wednesday. They now fail to medal for the third Olympics in a row.

"I would like to stress that in ice hockey, just like in any other sport, we expect success and victory, yet what is most important is that excellence and character are demonstrated," said the Russian president.

"Then nobody will reproach them for a failure to achieve a desired result," he said.

Wo Ist Thomas?

IOC president Thomas Bach will see both clusters on Thursday. He’ll watch women’s half pipe skiing in the mountains and gold medal rounds in curling, women’s figure skating, and women’s hockey on the coast.

Written by Brian Pinelli and Ed Hula III

Homepage photo: Getty Images

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