Sochi 2014 Olympics DO
 

Thinking of doing a quick Sochi Olympics MR/long weekend. I've always wanted to attend the Olympics and thought it might be fun to do so with some FlyerTalk faithful!

If it happens, this will be a very quick trip, arriving at SVO on the afternoon of Feb. 7 and staying there overnight, flying SVO-AER on 2/8 and staying for two nights.

Just gauging interest at this point.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was some major boycotting, given that the Russians are promising to arrest anyone gay that shows up (including the athletes).

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Both of these issues might end up killing the idea. I'm monitoring the room situation, which right now is basically nonexistent (unless you want to spend $800/night on a hostel). There was an $850 ORD-SVO fare on SAS last night, which I tried to book but was told this morning was gone before they could ticket it. Let's keep an eye on things.

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Yes, If someone who will be arrested. if you see someone who bothered you. You have notify the police immediately. Don't go near the place. It can be very extremely dangerous out there.

I am gay and a frequent visitor to Russia. I consider it my "adopted homeland" and have many friends and business contacts there.

I am on the fence about going. Not because of the recent laws (well, its Russia) but because its going to be f-ing cold. I've been in Moscow before in February and, its seriously cold. -30C / -22F , with windchill, its even colder ( Sorry I can't handle). For what its worth, Sochi is more temperate. Many people question why Sochi was picked for this reason.

A plus for me wanting to go : Many people will be boycotting the games so crowds are bound to be low. Hotel rates are bound to be attractive. There is a Hyatt that is allegedly due to open in time, but as of yet they are not yet taking reservations. Also, I should note that the Russian Federation spent $56 Billion US dollars on this, I'm curious to see where this money went to.
(double what the Canadian's spent?)

BTW - reports of Gay people getting arrested upon entry are totally false.
Russia is very much misunderstood, often by people who have never even set foot there/don't know what they are talking about.

OP : I retired from FT for various reasons, and rarely post. I also choose not to participate in FT events "officially" . If this is an FT event, and non FT-ers are welcome, please PM. Otherwise, godspeed...

I am in the process of trying very hard to volunteer, if I get selected I would be more than happy to meet up with FT members (official or otherwise ;) ) during any downtime I have!

Please keep me in the loop!

Any update / interest from anyone? Would love to get together with other FT members.

Many thanks for your perspective meFIRST. I'm sure I'm not the only one who admires your honesty in coming out of retirement to divulge what is quite likely to be a somewhat controversial but nonetheless quite brave perspective on what is happening in Russia at the moment. I have very mixed feelings on the Sochi Olympics, as I have always wanted to attend an Olympics--any Olympics--but yet feel that I might be doing very close friends and family who happen to be gay a disservice if I support the Russian Olympic effort. That said, this is a fantastic opportunity from an affordability standpoint, and ultimately, the hand-wringing is for me to figure out.
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After all of that, however--and sadly--my work is quite likely to need me in Singapore that week, so I can no longer commit to this (this is a fairly new development, and since I have already booked my travel to Sochi, I have lost some money on the airfare). However, I will keep an eye on the thread, and if anything at all changes, I will let you know. Nonetheless, I think a Sochi Olympics DO would be wonderful, and if a FlyerTalk delegation that is same-sex couple-friendly can go...well, all the better, I guess (sorry if this gets into Omni PR territory, as it is not my intention). Frankly, it's all about the experience, and any do-gooding will likely be a simple side effect of our presence in Sochi.

I will be in Sochi from 2/13 until 2/15 - attending curling & ski jump and sleeping on a cruise ship. Would love to meet up with any other FTers who will be around.

I disagree. Based on Athens, Beijing and Vancouver (the Olympics I have been following for lodging), rooms always become available at quite reasonable rates within about a month of the event.

Also, it is not the Russian Olympic Committee but the International Olympic Committee that requires all hotel rooms be turned over to them. It is a condition of a city receiving the Olympic bid.

So it's official (visa pending, of course) I'll be volunteering at Sochi from January 27 through February 24!

If there is an official (or unofficial) DO, please let me know, I'll do my best to make it, and if anyone will simply be there, definitely send a PM - I'd love to meet fellow FTers far from home!

At this point I have no idea how regular my access to internet will be - Canadian roaming is AWFUL so it'll be disabled while I'm there and I'll have to rely on WiFi or get a Russian SIM - but I'll try my best to stay connected.

It might be good to have the first post (or a wiki) utilized to keep track of when FTers will be in Sochi, perhaps something similar to this thread from Torino 2006 - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...ry-2006-a.html

Are you staying in one of those cruise ships mentioned earlier? I am seriously considering them but I will be there for close to a month and dont know if I should just go ahead and buy that or see if hotels open up.

Yep, I am staying on the Louis Olympia in the Adler Port. All things considered, it seemed to be the best option. Plus, how many chances will you have to say you stayed on a cruise ship in the Black Sea during the Winter Olympics?

To elaborate: If you need to be near the Mountain Cluster, the cruise ships are most likely not the best option. If you need to be near the Coastal Cluster, it's almost impossible to get any closer than the ships in the Adler Port without being in the Olympic Village. Hotels are around the same price as the cruise ships, but locations are generally not going to be as convenient. There is always the possibility that point redemption options become available closer to the Games, but I didn't want to take that chance since some properties (specifically Marriott) aren't even viewable on the website. Some have also recommended Airbnb, but those prices are not regulated by the government and are thus absurd during the Games.

Thanks so much, I sent you a PM for a little more detail.

If anyone still needs tickets, check the CoSport site. They are still putting up new tickets. For example, just the other day they put up Cat C tickets for the Opening Ceremony.

I am still interested in meeting up with some fellow flyertalkers! I will be there Feb 6th through Feb 24th!

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I will be in Sochi Feb 9-13 and would love to meet up with fellow flyertalkers. I will be staying in the city center.

I'll be in Sochi from 2/9 to 2/12. If you're there, feel free to PM and we shall grab drinks or some food!

I've added a wikipost to this page, to make it easier to coordinate any kind of FT get-together(s).

Feel free to add/edit/remove your schedules as needed.

Awesome, thank you!

Hey, thanks for the wiki! No idea how to create them, but they can come in handy. :) I did a minor edit to put names in order of arrival (just makes it cleaner if, by chance, things gets out of control and there are lots of us down the road).

I would love to meet up with people whenever our times coincide, but I'm going to wait until I get that visa confirmed before making plans. It's getting a bit ridiculous at the moment - Organizing Committee tells me I can only get my 'humanitarian' visa through the Embassy in Ottawa, and their website says I must apply in person (I live in Vancouver!!). Of course none of this is a direct conversation with a live person - it appears no one answers the phones in Ottawa and Russian communication is all by email that appears to have gone through Google Translate. Sigh. I don't do well with red tape. I hope you guys aren't having as rough a time as spectators!

Totally looking forward to getting there though! Should be an awesome time! :D

Just added my name to the wiki; I'll be there Feb 12-22, onboard the Grand Holiday.

nomadic.relief, are you in the Facebook Sochi volunteer group, they've pretty much figured out the whole humanitarian visa process over there. I applied to volunteer but couldn't commit to long stay they asked of me, so I'll be a spectator instead.

kjnangre which one? LOL I'm in the Canadian one and it seems like the visa invitations are just coming out there and so there is still some confusion. I've got this week off, so I'll just keep hitting re-dial until someone answers at the embassy! ;)

nomadic.relief, there's one main group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Soch.../?notif_t=like

And then yes, dozens of national sub groups

Thanks kjnangre! I'll add myself there too - all my documents have been mailed off, so now it's just waiting for the best Christmas/New Years/birthday present to arrive! :D

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Great idea with the ship name. Was just gonna add mine, and saw someone did it for me! Awesome!

Sochi Bonspiel
 

I will be in Sochi Feb 10 - Feb 21 at Yozh Hostel, in Sochi, not Adler. If I don't mess up the invitation and visa. Failed once already at the Istanbul Russian consulate. They would only take applications from residents. I am resident in Canada - but was only there during the ice storm season once the 45 day visa application window started, and near Edmonton, far from any consulate. They hadn't heard of the simplified process where you get a same day visa at the "Olympic Window". I live in Uzbekistan, with diplomatic accreditation, but am I a "resident" in Russian eyes? Going to talk to my travel agent today to find out if I need to ship my passport to Ottawa.

Mostly watching curling (my cousin coaches Switzerland women) and have 2 tickets for the terrorist event of the year -- the USA - RUS hockey game.

Hope to see you there.

Sochi 2014 Olympics DO
 

I can't access the wiki as I am on a tablet, but my accom will be in Loo, just north of sochi. I still have no clue about my shifts, but I fly out tomorrow! (couple days in Turkey 1st) Please get in touch if you want a random dinner companion!

Where are you volunteering? That looks like quite a commute from either of the venue clusters.

Yeah, it appears as though it will be quite the trek ... my roll as it stands is something to do with Medal Ceremonies which is somewhere in the Olympic Plaza, not the Mountain Cluster thankfully! Not exactly clear what, nor what shifts I'll be working ... could be indoors, more likely outdoors ... totally in the dark! :)

Pin shopping
 

Is there anyone going pin shopping that might be able to pick up a few for me? Please PM if you can help.

Safe travels.

If any one does make it to the Olympic Park, please come look for me at the Medal Plaza - I'll be at a gate. Entrance, exit, security control point. Easy to I'd as I always have a Canada tattoo of some kind on my face! Work nights this week (not Wed).

Hope everyone who makes it here has a good time!

I looked for you on Friday afternoon ~4pm before I went up to the mountains for the ski jump but I suppose it was too early. Keep up the good work.