Sochi poor location to host the Winter Olympics

Who picked Sochi, Russia, to host the 2014 Winter Olympics? The combination of the high threat of terrorism and high costs due to poor geographic location make Sochi a bad place to host the Winter Olympics.

With terrorism threats rampant, it is no wonder that it will be lightly attended. Even President Barack Obama has decided to skip the games because of the potential danger.

Numerous threats of terrorism from a Caucasus group, Imarat Kavkaz, have already led British officials to deem terrorism during the Olympics as “very likely to occur,” according to BBC news. Due to the high likelihood of terrorism, attending the no doubt exciting event is not worth risking one’s life for. 

According to BBC news, there have already been three suicide bomber attacks in Volgograd, a city only 430 miles northeast of Sochi. These bombings killed 34 people and injured more than 100, and two of these bombings occurred just a few weeks ago.

Additionally, the cost of this Olympics is $50 billion (and rising), which is over seven times more than what was spent in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and even more than what was spent in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In fact, the Sochi Winter Olympics is the most expensive Olympics in history. 

The high costs are due to Sochi’s poor geographic location. The alpine athletes have to compete at a ski resort a few dozen kilometers away from Sochi because there is actually no snow in Sochi itself. In addition, the area has erected dozens of structures for the games.

When the Olympic committee awards the Olympics for future games, they should keep the example of Sochi in mind and find safer, more accessible locations.