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CONSTRUCTION WORK THAT should have been long since completed is still in full swing on the eve of the Sochi Olympics.
While the main venues and Olympic Village are finished, the area around the Olympic Park and a number of hotels are effectively construction zones, according to widespread reports.
Among the nightmare stories: Hotels with stray dogs in the rooms, hotels without working elevators, and even one hotel that told its guests not to wash their faces with water because it was dangerous.
Two weeks ago Russian blogger Alexander Valov took a series of photos that showed Sochi half-built and covered in trash 15 days before the games. The sidewalks were falling apart, and construction equipment dotted the muddy patches on the outskirts of the Olympic Park.
Combined with the travel nightmares we’re seeing from a variety of journalists, there’s a growing impression that Sochi is not fully ready for the Olympics, despite spending a record ~$50 billion to stage the games.
WiFi? No problem
Water, on the other hand, could be tricky
No. Not the Curtains. ANYTHING but the curtains!
Maybe this guy is overreacting just a little
On the other hand…
Bruce Arthur of the National Post is in Sochi. He wrote a round-up of travel nightmares from journalists. The best tidbits:
- Journalist Joerg Reuter found construction workers sleeping in his bed. When he was moved to a different room, there was a stray dog in it.
- The Ekaterininsky Kvartal hotel has no elevator.
- One journalist was told he will not get a shower curtain.
- Brian Cazeneuve of Sports Illustrated had to leave his room through a window because all the doors are stuck locked.
- One of the twin beds in a journalist’s room was covered in semen when they arrived.
Officials say 97% of hotel construction is complete.
A worker told Arthur, “In general, it is done. But the details are not done. And the details are everything.”
When it won the bid in 2007, Sochi was a mid-sized resort town without the necessary infrastructure to host the Olympics. They had to build roads, train stations, 11 world-class sports venues, and dozens of hotels from scratch. Along the way there were numerous delays, and countless accusations of corruption.
Think i am next in line for a call up at this stage
Probably do a better job!
Lump on montenegro they are even money..we have no chance
Makes no sense playing an international friendly this time of year
Our first competitive match is September I thought, we need to play something
does it clash with your precious English league?
Nip down the Astro and grab a few lads
This doesn’t come as a surprise to me, what professional is going to line up for an international friendly against a fairly rough Serb side a couple of days before his club season begins. Only the FAI would be stupid to schedule it for then .Im sure players like Hoolahan and Pilkington want to play for Ireland but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Norwich team doctor or Paul lambert have had a little word as well, and who could blame them?
I’m pretty sure Paul Lambert won’t mind as he’s at Villa now….
ah why would paul lambert talk to norwich players??
I’ll get my coat……..
jesus a dislike for asking that……
lol
non event
with playing our first qualifier in September for the next campaign, this is far from a non event. trap has to try something new after the slaying he got because of the euros.
Just before the kick off of the season of course the clubs are going to do a sick note for the players.Silly time for friendlies.
How do you replace a whole team/organisation.
Trap’s policy of not blooding new players has come back to haunt him. He refused to introduce young players into games in the past. Now that he has lost some of his core team we have a very inexperienced squad.. It’s hard to blame the younger players for not being enthusiastic about playing for him after their previous treatment. I have to agree with the criticism about the timing of the game. This a money making venture for the FAI and has no consideration for players or their clubs?
Think your going to get a lot of this over the next couple of years have a feeling a lot of players might not want to play under trap
Once again Delaney and Co, make a mess, with just days before the start of a new English season he has a friendly, just to try make a few bob to cover his and Trapps wages.
In the words of the great Gnarls Barkley “who cares?”