What started as a banner year for Russian involvement in sport turned ugly by year's end. Russian organizers gained kudos for the Sochi Winter Olympics and the country's first Formula One Grand Prix. But sanctions levied over Russia's involvement in the Ukrainian conflict have caused a currency crisis that is threatening the country's top hockey and football leagues, and construction on stadiums and infrastructure for the 2018 World Cup is slowing.
SOCHI GAMES: The year kicked off with the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. For a little more than two weeks, from Feb. 7-23, the sports world looked to the Russian Black Sea resort. While the Games were a great success for Russia and President Vladimir Putin, its price tag of $50B, security concerns, Russian anti-gay laws and warm temperatures led to controversy ahead of and during the event. Following the Games, pictures showed abandoned streets and buildings at the mountain cluster in Krasnaya Polyana. Those images raised questions about Sochi’s Olympic legacy and were further evidence that reforms regarding future host cities are necessary.
SOCHI GP: Sochi also played host to the first Russian F1 Grand Prix. The race took the drivers around Sochi's Olympic Park and was won by Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. The Sochi Autodrom, which was designed by architect Hermann Tilke, was named “Motorsport Facility of the Year” by governing body FIA. Following the race, Hamilton said, “I didn’t know that F1 was something that people followed here [in Russia]. I saw thousands of people and they were enthusiastic about the event.” A total of 65,000 spectators attended the event.
2018 WORLD CUP: Russia is already preparing for its next global sporting event. The country will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and preparations are in full swing. There will be 11 host cities spread from Sochi in the south to St. Petersburg in the north, and from Kaliningrad in the west to Yekaterinburg in the east. Projects connected to the World Cup are estimated to cost $13B, with the new Zenit Arena in St. Petersburg alone expected to cost around $1.1B. In addition, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko announced a deficit in next year’s budget, meaning officials must seek financial support from the private sector. A FIFA delegation, which has visited four host cities in October, said that stadium construction is “ahead of schedule.”
KHL FINANCIAL TROUBLES: The Kontinental Hockey League is experiencing financial troubles. The KHL, which was founded in ’08 as a competition to the NHL, is experiencing economic problems with teams struggling to stay alive due to Western sanctions and a falling Russian ruble. At least three teams -- Slovan Bratislava, Atlant Moscow Oblast and Dinamo Riga -- are believed to be on the verge of financial collapse. KHL President Dmitry Chernyshenko is expected to hold crisis meetings among team execs to discuss the issue. Sponsors have been forced to pull funding to several KHL teams; as a result, many players are getting paid late or not getting paid at all. While teams are struggling to stay afloat, a collapse of the entire league seems unlikely.
CRIMEA/RUSSIAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION: The annexation of Crimea by Russia and the ongoing conflict in the rest of Ukraine has caused tension between the countries' FAs. In August, UEFA announced that it will not recognize any Russian football matches involving teams from the disputed region of Crimea. UEFA's statutes outlaw "combinations and alliances" of clubs from different associations, and FIFA would only allow any such move if both the Russians and Ukrainians agreed to it. The conflict between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists has also led to calls from politicians to boycott the 2018 World Cup or strip Russia of its hosting rights.
