Posts Tagged Skiing

Russian oligarchs foot most of 2014 Sochi Olympics

In this Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010 file photo, then, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, second right, Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone, second left, and Oleg Deripaska, toast after a signing ceremony in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, southern Russia. Oleg Deripaska's Basic Element, insists its projects were all designed to be profitable. The company is building an Olympic village and a seaport and has just finished revamping the Sochi airport, for a combined cost of $1.4 billion. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel, File)

SOCHI, Russia (AP) — The mountains of Sochi are now home to Potanin’s slope, Gazprom’s gondola lift and Sberbank’s ski jump. The nicknames used by locals and an army of construction workers leave no doubt about who is paying for the 2014 Winter Games: Russia’s business powerhouses.

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Who is building what in Sochi for 2014 Olympics

In this Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010 file photo, then, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, second right, Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone, second left, and Oleg Deripaska, toast after a signing ceremony in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, southern Russia. Oleg Deripaska's Basic Element, insists its projects were all designed to be profitable. The company is building an Olympic village and a seaport and has just finished revamping the Sochi airport, for a combined cost of $1.4 billion. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel, File)

SOCHI, Russia (AP) — The cost of the 2014 Winter Games in the Russian city of Sochi now stands at $51 billion, making it the most expensive Olympics in history. More than half of the bill is being footed by Russian state-controlled companies and business tycoons. A look at what the major players are building in Sochi:

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