Editing Sochi (section)

==Sports==

=== Sports facilities ===

A local [[tennis]] school spawned the careers of such players as [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] champions [[Maria Sharapova]] and [[Yevgeny Kafelnikov]] (Kafelnikov spent much of his childhood here, while Sharapova relocated to [[Florida]] at the age of seven). In late 2005, the [[Russian Football Union]] announced that it was planning to establish a year-round training center for the country's national teams in Sochi. The city's warm climate was cited as one of the main incentives. Sochi is also the home for the football team [[PFC Sochi]] which plays in the [[Russian Premier League]] and for the ice hockey team [[HC Sochi]] which plays in the [[Kontinental Hockey League]].

===2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics===
{{Main|2014 Winter Olympics|2014 Winter Paralympics}}
[[File:RusskiGorki Estosadok1.jpg|thumb|210px|[[RusSki Gorki Jumping Center|Russki Gorki ski jump arena]]]]
The nearby ski resort of [[Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort|Roza Khutor]] at [[Krasnaya Polyana, Sochi, Krasnodar Krai|Krasnaya Polyana]] was the location of the alpine and Nordic events for the [[2014 Winter Olympics]].

In June 2006, the [[International Olympic Committee]] announced that Sochi had been selected as a finalist city to host the [[2014 Winter Olympics]] and the [[2014 Winter Paralympics]]. On July 4, 2007, Sochi was announced as the host city of the 2014 Winter Games, edging out [[Pyeongchang County|Pyeongchang]], [[South Korea]] and [[Salzburg]], [[Austria]].<ref name="Host">{{cite web|url=http://olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/full_story_uk.asp?id=2221|title=Sochi Elected as Host City of XXII Olympic Winter Games|author=International Olympic Committee|date=July 4, 2007|access-date=July 4, 2007}}</ref>

This was Russia's first time hosting the Winter Olympic Games, and its first time hosting the Paralympic Games. The site of a training centre for aspiring Olympic athletes, in 2008, the city had no world-class level athletic facilities fit for international competition.<ref name="A Major Tuneup for a Sports Machine">{{Cite news |last=Schwirtz |first=Michael |date=2008-07-29 |title=A Major Tuneup for a Sports Machine |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/sports/olympics/29russia.html?pagewanted=2 |access-date=2025-05-18 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Severe cost overruns made the 2014 Winter Olympics the most [[Cost of the Olympic Games|expensive Olympics]] in history; with Russian politician [[Boris Nemtsov]] citing allegations of corruption among government officials,<ref>{{cite news|last=Bennetts|first=Marc|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/vladimir-putin/10581829/Sochi-Olympics-Nothing-but-a-monstrous-scam-says-Kremlin-critic.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/vladimir-putin/10581829/Sochi-Olympics-Nothing-but-a-monstrous-scam-says-Kremlin-critic.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Winter Olympics 2014: Sochi Games "nothing but a monstrous scam," says Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov|work=Telegraph|date=January 19, 2014|access-date=February 4, 2014|location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and Allison Stewart of the [[Saïd Business School]] at [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] citing tight relationships between the government and construction firms.<ref name="sochi">{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/news/europe/21581764-most-expensive-olympic-games-history-offer-rich-pickings-select-few-castles|title=The Sochi Olympics: Castles in the sand|newspaper=The Economist|date=July 13, 2013|access-date=August 8, 2013}}</ref> While originally budgeted at US$12 billion, various factors caused the budget to expand to US$51 billion, surpassing the estimated $44 billion cost of the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] in Beijing. According to a report by the [[European Bank for Reconstruction and Development]], this cost will not boost Russia's national economy, but may attract business to Sochi and the southern Krasnodar region of Russia in the future as a result of improved services.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/economic-impact-winter-olympics-not-great-russia-sochi-stands-gain-1554153|title=The Economic Impact Of The Winter Olympics: Not Great For Russia But Sochi Stands To Gain|date=February 8, 2014|agency=International Business Times|work=ibtimes.com|access-date=February 10, 2014}}</ref>

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi saw [[Concerns and controversies at the 2014 Winter Olympics|concern and controversy]] following a new federal law approved in Russia in June 2013 that bans "[[LGBT rights in Russia|homosexual propaganda to minors]]".<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-08-09 |title=Q&A: Gay rights in Russia |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23604142 |access-date=2025-05-18 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> There were also concerns over [[Islamic terrorism|Islamist militants]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Winter|first=Jana|title=US, Russian forces hunt jihadist widow feared inside Olympic zone|url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/01/21/us-russian-forces-hunt-deadly-jihadist-widow-feared-inside-olympic-zone/|publisher=FoxNews.com|access-date=January 21, 2014|date=January 21, 2014}}</ref>

====Construction work====
[[File:Sochi adler aerial view 2018 14.jpg|thumb|210px|Olympic Park]]
The state-controlled [[RAO UES]] announced in July 2007 that it might spend 30&nbsp;billion roubles (about US$1.2 billion) on upgrading the electrical power system in the Sochi area by 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kommersant.com/p780519/public_utilities/ |title=Power Supply to Be Stepped Up to Sochi by 2014 |url-status=dead |access-date=December 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012020448/http://www.kommersant.com/p780519/public_utilities/ |archive-date=October 12, 2012}}. ''Kommersant''. July 6, 2007</ref> The power generating companies [[Inter RAO UES]] and [[RusHydro]] would have to build or modernize four thermal power plants and four hydroelectric plants—and the federal grid company [[FGC UES]] has to replace the Central-Shepsi electricity transmission line, which reportedly often fails in bad weather. The new power line would run partly on power towers and partly across the bottom of the Black Sea. By 2011, the power supply of the resort area would increase by 1129 MW—of which 300 MW would be used for Olympic sports facilities. "The cost of the work is estimated at 83.6&nbsp;billion rubles (about US $3.26&nbsp;billion), of which 50&nbsp;billion rubles (about US$2&nbsp;billion) will go to investments in the electricity grid," the power companies announced. They did not say how much of the bill the state would foot. In February 2007, when UES had planned to spend 48.8&nbsp;billion rubles (about US$1.9&nbsp;billion) on the Sochi area, the share the state had been ready to pay 38&nbsp;billion roubles (about US$1.48&nbsp;billion) of that.

===Other sports events===
[[File:F1 Grand Prix Russia 2014 start lane.jpg|thumb|right|F1 [[Russian Grand Prix]] 2014]]
[[File:Sochi adler aerial view 2018 23.jpg|thumb|The [[Fisht Olympic Stadium]] hosted the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]] games]]
The [[Silk Way Rally]] which is part of [[Dakar Rally|Dakar series]] took place in Sochi in 2010 for the last stage between the capital of the [[Republic of Adygea]] [[Maykop]] to the city of Sochi through [[Lazarevskoye Microdistrict|Pseshwap]].

President [[Vladimir Putin]] had reached a deal with [[Bernie Ecclestone]] for the city to host the [[Formula One]] [[Russian Grand Prix]] from 2014.<ref>{{cite news|last=English|first=Steven|title=Russia set to announce race from 2014|publisher=[[Haymarket Group|Haymarket Publications]]|work=autosport.com|url=http://autosport.com/news/report.php/id/87444|date=October 14, 2010|access-date=October 14, 2010}}</ref> However, because of the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]], Sochi is not allowed to host future races.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56720589 |title=Why has Russia invaded Ukraine and what does Putin want? |work=BBC News |last=Kirby |first=Paul |date=17 April 2022 |access-date=22 April 2022}}</ref>

The [[World Robot Olympiad]] took place in the [[Adler Arena Skating Center]] on November 21–23, 2014.

The [[2014 World Chess Championship]] between [[Viswanathan Anand]] and [[Magnus Carlsen]] was played in Sochi in November 2014, with Carlsen emerging as the winner.

The [[Fisht Olympic Stadium]] was also used to host [[2018 FIFA World Cup]] [[association football|football]] matches.

Since 2014, the city has hosted [[HC Sochi]], who play at the [[Bolshoy Ice Dome]] in the [[Kontinental Hockey League]].