"For the first time in Russia, but is tired." Bashny.Net

For many foreign athletes Pre-Olympic Week - the first opportunity to visit Russia. Previously, they had heard of our country only stories about bears and vodka, and now they have all the charm in the sebe.Vzyato HERE. Ended, soobschu1. ARRIVAL IN SOCHI "Goodbye cold, we are waiting for Sochi Beach. First impressions, uh, terrible. We landed in a thunderstorm, then it began to rain, a lot of rain, "- the team of the Austrian Ski Jumping (December 7).

"Ready to Sochi" - a Norwegian ski jumper Anders Bardal (December 6). "In Russia, we were greeted by a nightmare, all unorganized mess. We arrived at seven in the evening to the airport and five o'clock stuck in the queue to check the rifle. Come populated, many people are not made of accreditation, which operate only in Russia, since accreditation IBU (International Biathlon Union - approx. Sports.ru) is not valid ", - Lithuanian biathlete Natalia Kochergina (March 5th).

"After 12 hours of travel will be nice to sleep" - Slovenian biathlete Jakov Fak (March 4). "Arveds, Armgren and Elin stuck to Russian customs. Since then, nothing about them heard. I hope that they will soon come back "- Swedish biathlete Carl Johan Bergman (March 4).

"I'm the first in Russia, but I'm already tired here. It all started with the fact that I did not pass customs with a rifle. Then I did not have accreditation, and the like. In the end, I came to the apartment a few hours after the rest "- the Swedish biathlete Ted Armgren (March 6).





2. The city tour "We went into the restaurant and got into a terrible traffic jam. It closed the road in front of the arrival of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, "- he surprised the American skier Noah Hoffman (February 3)." Sochi - a ghost town. Wealthy houses built like mushrooms among slush everywhere something to dig, around tired workers. All empty, everything makes me feel uncomfortable, "-" fueling "the French biathlete Marie Dorin Habert (March 4).



3. checking into the hotel, "100 people, at the same time establishing themselves in the hotel. Meat "- a Norwegian ski jumper Tom Hilde (December 7)." It's hard to find a place for everyone in the Olympic Village, where only 280 beds, "- outraged biathlon coach of Switzerland Steffen Hauswald, (March 5).



4. On the sports facility "Stadium - the biggest and most expensive of those that I saw. I do not know what they would do with such spaces, especially when you consider that it is planned to present a maximum of 5,000 spectators. This is the most disappointing fact in Sochi. Here built one of the most expensive stadiums, destroyed a large part of the previously untouched mountains "- American biathlete Lowell Bailey (March 6).

"Near the stadium a lot of forest. Nowadays, the forest is cut down in the arena. But the nature of Sochi much more. I love it "- trying to make a note of the positive Frenchman Raphael Poiret, coach of the Belarusian biathlon (March 5th).

"Unfortunately, the Olympic track designed by the Norwegian activist, who was invited not us. We will carefully redo it next year, "- came to herself president of the Federation of Russia Elena ski racing Vyalbe (December 12).

"We made the track, but in the other direction - invited workers Latvians who our real opponent and remade the whole scheme, which we have worked. Direct competitors who came and did everything for themselves, for their athletes - it's just awful "- outraged Russian bobsledder Alexander Zubkov (16 February). 5. In training: the nature of "What a beauty" - laconic Italian biathlete Lukas Hofer. (March 6). "What a beautiful view opens from the stadium, if you remove all these cranes and temporary structures", - says the Czech biathlete Michal Šlesingr (March 6).



6. AFTER TRAINING "German men's team met in a modest local shop for guest workers. Credit cards, of course, do not take at the box office, and the euro too. But the guys turned out to be prepared - Calculate Russian rubles! "- The head of a media service RRF Maria Baidina (March 6)." The area of ​​the restaurant, like the rest of Sochi - to repair ", - said the American skier Noah Hofmann (February 3)." Only Russia has snikersni buffet "- joked Leif Nordgrin American biathlete. "I do not know if you noticed, Leif - but they are solid as a rock. This just in Russia ", - says the journalist Jerry Kokesh IBU. (5th of March).



7. TRAINING AND COMPETITION "We were on the home stage on home soil, and the support was not there! I'd like to come more Russian fans! I hope that the Olympic Games will be a good support ", - the Russian ski jumper Dmitry Vasilyev (13 December)

"Russian claim that our wax-truck can not drive up to the stadium. They bought a bus, so I suspect that it is already there ", - the manager of the Norwegian ski team Vidar Lefsus (January 28).

"Honestly, I thought it would be much worse. I just did not know what to expect, I never saw the pipe in Russia. Park also did not see even a video was not any. I know, it was very hard rain, the weather is warm, the snow a little. But nowhere in the world in such circumstances does not build a better pipe that was built in Sochi, "- Swiss snowboarder Iouri Podladtchikov (February 19).

"Four months ago, two workers Uzbeks for fun decided to test a big jump. First, it was lowered to a pack of cigarettes - is the bullet flew down. Not reassured, found plastic litter and rolled them. And instead of a gold medal got broken legs, two months in the hospital and deported to their homeland, "- says the journalist of" Soviet Sport "Kirill Belyakov (December 10).

"Mother Russia is killing me. We spent two weeks in Sochi, but only three days to train. And it is in the capital of the Olympic Games, nothing to train.

Rains? Good. But today, lucky with the weather, but you can not jump again. And what level you expect from us after that, "- Russian snowboarder Alain Alekhine (February 9).

"We have submitted all the required documents in two months, as we were asked to get local security accreditation. This I have never met. The documents we have filed now fly, and there's nothing anybody can not find.

The vicious circle turns out: the local accreditation permits are not issued without security, and them to us just one issue and can not. I wanted to go to the store, and I say that there can not be without accreditation ", - President of the Federation of biathlon struck Volodymyr Brynzak (March 5). 8. ITOGI.Vsё "I do not know what's changed in a year, but so far I think that Sochi - a waste of money, and the Olympic spirit here and does not smell" - categorical French biathlete Marie Dorin Habert (March 4).

"I know that the athletes have mobility problems due to the fact that the IBU accreditation Sochi no effect. But his line we did everything we could. After all accreditations and is now engaged in the organizing committee of Sochi 2014. I hope that we still debugging a system of accreditation by the end of the test events, and during the Olympics will be all right "- Lieutenant-General Leonid Police Gerbanovsky (March 5th).

"Everything is built and curious to know whether built before the Olympics," - German biathlete Florian Graf (March 4).



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