by Antonio Martinez

Created on: August 04, 2009

I was excited to hear the news that Sochi would host the 2014 Winter Olympics over Pyeongchang and Salzburg, the two finalists who also lost to Vancouver for the right to host the 2010 Winter Olympics.

There are three reasons why I believe Sochi was the right choice. One was Sochi's climate, but the other two reasons may surprise other people.

One, it is very difficult to dispute having the Winter Olympics in an area of Russia that is warmer that the Caucasus region in southern Russia. Its average temperature is usually above freezing year round, and can even reach a balmy 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter months. Its proximity with the Caucasus mountains is ideal for great skiing events, particularly at Krasnaya Polyana.

Two, I could not think of a better region to get an opportunity to host a major event than Central Asia/Eastern Europe. Four of the seven finalists for the 2014 Winter Olympics came from either Eastern Europe or Central Asia (Sochi, Russia; Sofia, Bulgaria; Almaty, Kazakhstan; Borjomi, Georgia). In recent years, we have seen Eastern European or Central Asia get the honor or even opportunity of serving as hosts or applying a bid to host. This includes Moscow hosting the 2008 UEFA Champions league final, as well as Poland and Ukraine successfully winning a bid to host the 2012 European Championships in soccer. This is a region we will see host some very successful tournaments in years to come. Even the Caucasian countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia expressed interest to host the 2020 edition of the European Championships in soccer. Regardless of the sport, this region will be great hosts.

Three, I always looked as the Caucasus region not just as a wonderful summer and winter resort. It is the perfect place one can go, even if it was for exile. I always remember the great Russian writer Alexander Pushkin. After the Decembrist uprising, Pushkin was force into exile. The Decembrists were forced into the harsh, unforgiving cold of Siberia. The question was where would he go that was not as harsh as Siberia, but not as far aways a Tahiti? The Caucasus mountains provide the most serene environment one can imagine, and the best part was that Pushkin did not have to travel very far to find paradise.

The organizers of the Sochi bid must remember one thing: if they can inspire and unite all groups of Russia, regardless of past conflicts and show that Russia is not always about the rich exploiting the poor, then it will end up being a great thing that Russia hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics. As a Russian Area Studies minor from college, Russia will be great hosts for this event.

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