Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the "issue of whether the buildup of Sochi's infrastructure for the 2014 Winter Games was overpriced should and will be determined by the relevant law enforcement authorities," according to RAPSI. The president stated that "a great deal of money has in fact been invested into the Games, but that it would not be appropriate at present to discuss how much was spent, or whether any of the contracts were overpriced." He asserted that "this should and will be dealt with by the relevant law enforcement bodies."
He expressed hope that the infrastructure built up for the Games "will serve people for upwards of a decade, and maybe for upwards of a century, as has happened in some European countries" (RAPSI, 2/10). In London, Kathrin Hille reported "the sighs of relief from Russian officials are almost audible" as the foreign media turn to stories about proud locals and pictures of Putin partying with Austrian athletes instead of yellow tap water and missing hotel doorknobs.
The Sochi Games "are becoming a normal Olympic show after all." Russia, it seems, "has got more than its fair share of bad press." To many Russians, "the Sochi criticism fits a recent pattern of western bias" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 2/10).
