Putin’s $48 Billion Olympic Legacy Faces 100-Day Sprint to Open
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One hundred days before the start of the most expensive Winter Olympics, President Vladimir Putin’s $48 billion vision of a newly empowered Russia rests in the hands and shovels of laborers working around the clock.
Construction continues on the main stadium, hotels and athlete housing for the Feb. 7-23 Winter Games, which will cost about seven times more than any previous edition. Still, Dmitry Kozak, the deputy prime minister overseeing preparation, said in an Oct. 21 interview that 95 percent of the facilities are complete in Sochi. Organizers originally pledged to have all work done two years ahead of time, later saying they underestimated the task they faced.