Sochi 2014: Russia's New National Idea

It’s official. Russia will host its first Winter Olympics. In 2014. In the seaside city of Sochi (population 330,000). 

How did we do it? Well, there is the sarcastic answer, which circulated by email soon after the vote, that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) delegates voted for Russia because they were guided by a simple calculus: “Luchshe Olimpiada bez snega, chem Evropa bez gaza” (“Better an Olympics without snow than Europe without gas”), referring to Europe’s dependence on Russian natural gas. 

Funny, sure, but not really an answer to the questions, “Why Russia?” and “Why Sochi?”