-
IP addresses are NOT logged in this forum so there's no point asking. Please note that this forum is full of homophobes, racists, lunatics, schizophrenics & absolute nut jobs with a smattering of geniuses, Chinese chauvinists, Moderate Muslims and last but not least a couple of "know-it-alls" constantly sprouting their dubious wisdom. If you believe that content generated by unsavory characters might cause you offense PLEASE LEAVE NOW! Sammyboy Admin and Staff are not responsible for your hurt feelings should you choose to read any of the content here. The OTHER forum is HERE so please stop asking.
Sochi Winter Olympic 2014
- Thread starter singveld
- Start date
Sochi honey
is that a honey bee?
queen bee, good honey, not the sugar you get in singapore. Fly to Sochi to see the world most expensive olympic.
Saw on twitter that someone was exchanging three light bulbs for a door knob. Maybe it was one of them in the earlier posts.
These protestor are stupid, putin is like Tsar. Nothing can move him. Attack the winter olympics sponsors. Those corporal companies and you yield better results.
-----------------------------
Sochi 2014: Gay rights protests target Russia's games
Gay rights activists across the world have been holding a day of protests against the Russian government, just two days before the Winter Olympics begin in the southern resort of Sochi.
The protests seek to persuade sponsors of the event to speak out over Russia's controversial laws on homosexuality.
The gay rights protests were organised in 19 cities around the globe.
The Olympic torch has arrived in Sochi, having visited 135 cities in the 122 days since leaving Moscow.
It will spend three days in and around Sochi before arriving in the Olympic stadium to light the Olympic cauldron during Friday's opening ceremony.
Wednesday's protests took place in cities including Melbourne, London, Paris and St Petersburg, with more expected during the evening.
Activists want Olympic sponsors such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Samsung and Visa to speak against Russia's new laws on homosexuality.
Last year, Russia banned the promotion of "non-traditional" sexuality - widely seen as an attack on gay rights.
The law makes providing information on homosexuality to under-18s a crime, punishable by a fine.
Critics say its loose interpretation effectively stops gay rights protests in Russia.
Marie Campbell, a director at the equality campaign group All Out, told the BBC that the new Russian laws went against the spirit of the Olympics.
"All our members, as well as everyone else around the world, want to celebrate the Olympic values of personal strength and endurance and integrity," she said.
"All we are saying is that we can't just ignore the fact that this is happening in Russia where these anti-gay laws are preventing the Olympic values being lived and enjoyed by millions of people."
Protesters in Madrid held up sheets of card in the colours of the Olympics rings
In a corporate blog post, AT&T condemned Russia's stance, saying it stood "against Russia's anti-LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] law".
The telecommunications giant is not an IOC sponsor but it does sponsor the US Olympic Committee.
Last month, President Vladimir Putin said homosexuals would be welcome in Sochi for the Olympics but added: "Just leave the children in peace."
"We don't have a ban on non-traditional sexual relations," he said. "We have a ban on the propaganda of homosexuality and paedophilia."
Meanwhile, President Putin has arrived in Sochi amid growing disquiet about whether preparations will be complete by Friday.
Hundreds of visitors arriving this week found that their hotels were unfinished.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Coastal Cluster Olympic Village in Sochi, Russia, ahead of the Winter Olympics on Wednesday
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been visiting athletes settling into the Olympic Village
Last-minute work continues in construction of the Olympic Superstore in Olympic Park, ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics, on Wednesday
International journalists arriving in Sochi are reporting unfinished Olympic facilities and hotel rooms
The BBC's Daniel Sandford in Sochi says that while the venues themselves appear complete, the areas around them still resemble building sites.
Our correspondent says that what President Putin had hoped would be a showcase event is still proving to be a headache.
The estimated cost of the Games has soared from $12bn (£7bn) to over $50bn.
The ratings agency Moody's released a report on Wednesday suggesting Russia was unlikely to receive an overall macroeconomic boost from the event - something which, correspondents say, President Putin had banked on.
It said Sochi and the surrounding area would struggle to maintain Olympic facilities after the event, and it was unclear whether they would receive the hoped-for boost in tourism revenues.
Addressing journalists in Sochi on Tuesday, Mr Putin insisted that the enormous construction effort to prepare the city for the games had greatly improved the environment.
However, environmentalists have accused the Russian authorities of damaging the area during construction for the games.
-----------------------------
Sochi 2014: Gay rights protests target Russia's games
Gay rights activists across the world have been holding a day of protests against the Russian government, just two days before the Winter Olympics begin in the southern resort of Sochi.
The protests seek to persuade sponsors of the event to speak out over Russia's controversial laws on homosexuality.
The gay rights protests were organised in 19 cities around the globe.
The Olympic torch has arrived in Sochi, having visited 135 cities in the 122 days since leaving Moscow.
It will spend three days in and around Sochi before arriving in the Olympic stadium to light the Olympic cauldron during Friday's opening ceremony.
Wednesday's protests took place in cities including Melbourne, London, Paris and St Petersburg, with more expected during the evening.
Activists want Olympic sponsors such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Samsung and Visa to speak against Russia's new laws on homosexuality.
Last year, Russia banned the promotion of "non-traditional" sexuality - widely seen as an attack on gay rights.
The law makes providing information on homosexuality to under-18s a crime, punishable by a fine.
Critics say its loose interpretation effectively stops gay rights protests in Russia.
Marie Campbell, a director at the equality campaign group All Out, told the BBC that the new Russian laws went against the spirit of the Olympics.
"All our members, as well as everyone else around the world, want to celebrate the Olympic values of personal strength and endurance and integrity," she said.
"All we are saying is that we can't just ignore the fact that this is happening in Russia where these anti-gay laws are preventing the Olympic values being lived and enjoyed by millions of people."
Protesters in Madrid held up sheets of card in the colours of the Olympics rings
In a corporate blog post, AT&T condemned Russia's stance, saying it stood "against Russia's anti-LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] law".
The telecommunications giant is not an IOC sponsor but it does sponsor the US Olympic Committee.
Last month, President Vladimir Putin said homosexuals would be welcome in Sochi for the Olympics but added: "Just leave the children in peace."
"We don't have a ban on non-traditional sexual relations," he said. "We have a ban on the propaganda of homosexuality and paedophilia."
Meanwhile, President Putin has arrived in Sochi amid growing disquiet about whether preparations will be complete by Friday.
Hundreds of visitors arriving this week found that their hotels were unfinished.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Coastal Cluster Olympic Village in Sochi, Russia, ahead of the Winter Olympics on Wednesday
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been visiting athletes settling into the Olympic Village
Last-minute work continues in construction of the Olympic Superstore in Olympic Park, ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics, on Wednesday
International journalists arriving in Sochi are reporting unfinished Olympic facilities and hotel rooms
The BBC's Daniel Sandford in Sochi says that while the venues themselves appear complete, the areas around them still resemble building sites.
Our correspondent says that what President Putin had hoped would be a showcase event is still proving to be a headache.
The estimated cost of the Games has soared from $12bn (£7bn) to over $50bn.
The ratings agency Moody's released a report on Wednesday suggesting Russia was unlikely to receive an overall macroeconomic boost from the event - something which, correspondents say, President Putin had banked on.
It said Sochi and the surrounding area would struggle to maintain Olympic facilities after the event, and it was unclear whether they would receive the hoped-for boost in tourism revenues.
Addressing journalists in Sochi on Tuesday, Mr Putin insisted that the enormous construction effort to prepare the city for the games had greatly improved the environment.
However, environmentalists have accused the Russian authorities of damaging the area during construction for the games.
Snowboarders' smooth start in Sochi, but off-slope problems persist
Amid the toothpaste terror warnings and the hotel woes, the corruption scandals and the anti-gay controversy, the first sporting events got under way at the Sochi Winter Olympics on Thursday. As snowboarders opened the action on the slopes of the Caucasus mountains high above Sochi, athletes reported excellent conditions and facilities, suggesting that in a sporting sense at least, the Sochi Games could still prove a success.
The Olympics will officially open on Friday evening, in a ceremony at the Fisht Olympic Stadium – a purpose-built, modernist structure on the shores of the Black Sea. President Vladimir Putin will give an address and there will be a lengthy, choreographed ceremony meant to rival Danny Boyle's 2012 effort in London, which will take in Russian historical and literary references, starting with Peter the Great and ending with the Soviet period. The event is directed by Konstantin Ernst, the head of Russia's state-controlled First Channel television station.
Few western leaders will be in attendance but the Chinese, Japanese and Turkish leaders will be at the stadium, as well as the embattled Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych. Putin held talks with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, on Thursday.
The first competitive action at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park in the "mountain cluster" above Sochi was an Olympic debut – slopestyle snowboarding, where riders perform tricks on a series of rails and jumps.
British rider Jamie Nicholls came fourth in the qualifying round to make it straight through to Saturday's final. At the end of the run he said: "I feel amazing. I can't explain it. I came here and all I wanted to do was land a run and landing a run and getting to the finals is a dream come true."
Meanwhile, to cacophonous noise in the Iceberg Skating Palace, one of a number of shimmering new venues, Russia's multiple medallist Evgeni Plushenko appeared on the first day of the new team figure skating event.
Ban Ki-moon makes a point at a podium with the IOC flag in the background
Ban Ki-moon speaks to the IOC's general assembly before the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Photograph: David Goldman/AP
Nevertheless a day before the official opening ceremony, the political cloud of Russia's "gay propaganda" laws refused to dissipate. The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, used his speech to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday to condemn attacks on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, amid growing criticism of the Russian laws."Many professional athletes, gay and straight, are speaking out against prejudice," said Ban.
"We must all raise our voices against attacks on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex people. We must oppose the arrests, imprisonments and discriminatory restrictions they face."
More than 50 current and former Olympians have called on the IOC to uphold principle six of its charter, which forbids discrimination of any kind, and this week more than 200 writers added their voice to the protest against the new laws in a letter to the Guardian. Speaking to reporters after his address, Ban, who later met Putin, added: "I know there has been some controversy over this issue.
"At the same time I appreciate the assurances of President Putin that there will be no discrimination and that people with different sexual orientation are welcome to compete and enjoy this Olympic Games."
Asked about the new laws on Thursday, the Russian deputy prime minister, Dmitry Kozak, said Russia did not discriminate against anyone based on their religion, sexuality or nationality but said the new laws were to protect children.
He said: "We are all grown up and every adult has his or her right to understand their sexual activity. Please, do not touch kids. That's the only thing. That's prohibited by law in all countries whether you are gay or straight."
Kozak also appeared to highlight an apparent inconsistency between the IOC and the Russian organisers over the issue. The IOC president, Thomas Bach, has said athletes should not protest against the issue on the medal podium but are free to speak out in press conferences. But Kozak said: "Political propaganda is prohibited during the sporting event. It is prohibited by the Olympic charter not by Russian law."
Kozak was also asked about renewed security concerns sparked by reports that US homeland security sources had warned that terrorists might try to smuggle explosives aboard flights bound for Sochi in toothpaste tubes. He said he had not received information about this particular threat, and the department said later that it was not aware of any specific threat.
A poll released by the independent Levada Centre this week suggested it is not just western media who are sceptical about the Games.
Asked what they saw as the main reason behind authorities' desire to hold the Games, 38% said it was "opportunity for graft" and only 23% said it was important for national pride and to serve for the development of sport. About half of respondents put the record price tag of the Sochi Games down to corruption.
Kozak said there was no evidence of any large-scale corruption or theft during the run-up to the Games, and that to say otherwise would "violate the democratic principle of presumption of innocence".
The Games will last for two weeks and take place in two separate clusters – one by the sea and one in the mountains. Much of the construction work has gone down to the wire and many journalists have arrived to find their hotel rooms incomplete.
But for competitors, it is a different story. Team GB chef de mission, Mike Hay, praised the facilities. "The engineering and construction that has gone on is amazing. The quality of the accommodation in the coastal village and the mountain village are as good as we've seen at any Olympic Games.
"We're quite spoiled about the proximity to the venues. The venues are stunning and state of the art and will be thrilling for our athletes to compete in."
Amid the toothpaste terror warnings and the hotel woes, the corruption scandals and the anti-gay controversy, the first sporting events got under way at the Sochi Winter Olympics on Thursday. As snowboarders opened the action on the slopes of the Caucasus mountains high above Sochi, athletes reported excellent conditions and facilities, suggesting that in a sporting sense at least, the Sochi Games could still prove a success.
The Olympics will officially open on Friday evening, in a ceremony at the Fisht Olympic Stadium – a purpose-built, modernist structure on the shores of the Black Sea. President Vladimir Putin will give an address and there will be a lengthy, choreographed ceremony meant to rival Danny Boyle's 2012 effort in London, which will take in Russian historical and literary references, starting with Peter the Great and ending with the Soviet period. The event is directed by Konstantin Ernst, the head of Russia's state-controlled First Channel television station.
Few western leaders will be in attendance but the Chinese, Japanese and Turkish leaders will be at the stadium, as well as the embattled Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych. Putin held talks with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, on Thursday.
The first competitive action at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park in the "mountain cluster" above Sochi was an Olympic debut – slopestyle snowboarding, where riders perform tricks on a series of rails and jumps.
British rider Jamie Nicholls came fourth in the qualifying round to make it straight through to Saturday's final. At the end of the run he said: "I feel amazing. I can't explain it. I came here and all I wanted to do was land a run and landing a run and getting to the finals is a dream come true."
Meanwhile, to cacophonous noise in the Iceberg Skating Palace, one of a number of shimmering new venues, Russia's multiple medallist Evgeni Plushenko appeared on the first day of the new team figure skating event.
Ban Ki-moon makes a point at a podium with the IOC flag in the background
Ban Ki-moon speaks to the IOC's general assembly before the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Photograph: David Goldman/AP
Nevertheless a day before the official opening ceremony, the political cloud of Russia's "gay propaganda" laws refused to dissipate. The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, used his speech to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday to condemn attacks on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, amid growing criticism of the Russian laws."Many professional athletes, gay and straight, are speaking out against prejudice," said Ban.
"We must all raise our voices against attacks on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex people. We must oppose the arrests, imprisonments and discriminatory restrictions they face."
More than 50 current and former Olympians have called on the IOC to uphold principle six of its charter, which forbids discrimination of any kind, and this week more than 200 writers added their voice to the protest against the new laws in a letter to the Guardian. Speaking to reporters after his address, Ban, who later met Putin, added: "I know there has been some controversy over this issue.
"At the same time I appreciate the assurances of President Putin that there will be no discrimination and that people with different sexual orientation are welcome to compete and enjoy this Olympic Games."
Asked about the new laws on Thursday, the Russian deputy prime minister, Dmitry Kozak, said Russia did not discriminate against anyone based on their religion, sexuality or nationality but said the new laws were to protect children.
He said: "We are all grown up and every adult has his or her right to understand their sexual activity. Please, do not touch kids. That's the only thing. That's prohibited by law in all countries whether you are gay or straight."
Kozak also appeared to highlight an apparent inconsistency between the IOC and the Russian organisers over the issue. The IOC president, Thomas Bach, has said athletes should not protest against the issue on the medal podium but are free to speak out in press conferences. But Kozak said: "Political propaganda is prohibited during the sporting event. It is prohibited by the Olympic charter not by Russian law."
Kozak was also asked about renewed security concerns sparked by reports that US homeland security sources had warned that terrorists might try to smuggle explosives aboard flights bound for Sochi in toothpaste tubes. He said he had not received information about this particular threat, and the department said later that it was not aware of any specific threat.
A poll released by the independent Levada Centre this week suggested it is not just western media who are sceptical about the Games.
Asked what they saw as the main reason behind authorities' desire to hold the Games, 38% said it was "opportunity for graft" and only 23% said it was important for national pride and to serve for the development of sport. About half of respondents put the record price tag of the Sochi Games down to corruption.
Kozak said there was no evidence of any large-scale corruption or theft during the run-up to the Games, and that to say otherwise would "violate the democratic principle of presumption of innocence".
The Games will last for two weeks and take place in two separate clusters – one by the sea and one in the mountains. Much of the construction work has gone down to the wire and many journalists have arrived to find their hotel rooms incomplete.
But for competitors, it is a different story. Team GB chef de mission, Mike Hay, praised the facilities. "The engineering and construction that has gone on is amazing. The quality of the accommodation in the coastal village and the mountain village are as good as we've seen at any Olympic Games.
"We're quite spoiled about the proximity to the venues. The venues are stunning and state of the art and will be thrilling for our athletes to compete in."
Sochi's Indigenous People
Diaspora Circassians watch a traditional dance performance in a cultural center in Bolshoy Kichmay in Greater Sochi on Oct. 15, 2013. Circassians are a people indigenous to the North Caucasus region, most of whom were scattered across the globe by a 19th century tsarist military campaign that caused the deaths of huge numbers.
Circassian men wearing traditional clothes pose for a photograph in a tea field during the visit of a delegation of diaspora Circassians in Golovinka, near Sochi on Oct. 15
Diaspora Circassians watch a traditional dance performance in a cultural center in Bolshoy Kichmay in Greater Sochi on Oct. 15, 2013. Circassians are a people indigenous to the North Caucasus region, most of whom were scattered across the globe by a 19th century tsarist military campaign that caused the deaths of huge numbers.
Circassian men wearing traditional clothes pose for a photograph in a tea field during the visit of a delegation of diaspora Circassians in Golovinka, near Sochi on Oct. 15
A diaspora Circassian takes a photograph of local artwork at a museum in the Lazerevskoye district of Sochi.
A woman in traditional dress welcomes a delegation of diaspora Circassians with a traditional bread and salt dish as they visit a school in Bolshoy Kichmay, Greater Sochi.
A delegation of diaspora Circassians pose for a family photograph at a waterfall in Bolshoy Kichmay, greater Sochi.
Local Circassian men wearing traditional clothes watch a welcome ceremony for diaspora Circassians at a tourist lodge in Golovinka, outside Sochi on Oct. 15.
Circassian villager Ais Tlyf poses for a photograph in his kitchen in Tkhagapsh in the Lazerevskoye district of Sochi. "The clan of my ancestors settled on this plain in the mountains in 1872 along with other Circassian families. It was long after the end of the Russian Caucasian war when hostilities had ceased and the Russians dismantled their military fort that used to be here," Tlyf said. Tkhagapsh is one of the few remaining settlements in the Sochi region, that mainly consists of ethnic Circassians.
Circassian villager Ashirkhan Chachukh, 82, and her great-grand daughter Saira, 4, sit in the living room of their house in the village of Tkhagapsh in the Lazerevskoye district of Sochi. "The Olympic Games are far away, they don't concern me. The only thing I wish is that they pass peacefully. God forbid, only no war! Then everything is good" Chachukh said. Tkhagapsh is one of the few remaining settlements in the Sochi region, that mainly consists of ethnic Circassians.
Circassian villager Madin Chachukh walks past a traditional four-legged storage house in the village of Tkhagapsh in the Lazerevskoye district of Sochi. "As every small nation, the biggest threat we face today, is the loss of our language and subsequently our culture. There are only very few of us left, too few. We wish the government gave us money to help us preserve our language. Its loss would be a tragedy. I fear it will eventually happen, but we have to slow down this process," Chachukh said.
Animal farmers Indris Chachukh (left) and Zoya Chachukh, the last two villagers who still perform this trade, stand in Tkhagapsh in the Lazerevskoye district of Sochi on Oct. 26. Tkhagapsh is one of the few remaining settlements in the Sochi region, that mainly consists of ethnic Circassians.
Members of Russia's speedskating team practice at the Adler Arena on the Olympic Park as preparations continue for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
People stand outside the Bolshoy Ice Dome as its roof is illuminated as preparations continue at the Olympic Park for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
Actress Ino Menegaki as high priestess, left, gives an olive branch to the first torch runner Greek champion skier Giannis Antoniou during the ceremony for lighting of the Olympic flame in Ancient Olympia, west southern Greece on Sept. 29. Using the sun's rays at the birthplace of the ancient Olympics, organizers carried out a successful ceremony to light the flame for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Feb. 7-23, 2014 in Russia.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak (L) holds Olympic flame as he arrives for a ceremony signaling the start of the torch relay in Moscow's Red Square, Russia, on Oct. 6. Russia welcomed the Olympic flame for the start of an epic torch relay across the country leading to the opening ceremony of the winter Games in Sochi on Feb. 7, 2014.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lights a torch in Moscow on Oct. 5, to start the relay across Russia, as the Olympic Flame for the XXII Winter Olympic Games Sochi 2014 arrived in Russia.
Galina Zhigunova, an employee of Baltika Breweries company, takes part in the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic torch relay in front of the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood in central St. Petersburg, on Oct. 27.
A motor boat disguised as a lodya, traditional old style Russian wooden rowing boat, with an Olympic torch aboard making its way on the Volkhov River while arriving in the ancient Russian city of Veliky Novgorod, some 500 km (311 miles) northwest of Moscow on Oct. 24. Russian torchbearers have started this month the history's longest Olympic torch relay ahead of February's Winter Games in Sochi, which will take the flame across the country through all 83 of its regions, including extreme locales such as Chukotka, the remote region in Russia's Far East, the turbulent North Caucasus, and even Russia's European exclave Kaliningrad.
A torch bearer, Russian swimming coach Pavel Dudchenko, carries an Olympic torch during a relay in Tula, 300 km (188 miles) south of Moscow, Russia on Oct. 14.
A girl smiles during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic torch relay in the Russian city of Severodvinsk, some 1046 km (650 miles) north of Moscow on Nov. 1.
Children look at the Olympic flame torch held by torchbearer Segrey Menshikov during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic torch relay near the ancient Russian city of Vladimir, 200 km (120 miles) south of Moscow on Oct. 16.
Torchbearers rise their torches at a foundry of a copper processing plant in the Siberian city of Norilsk, 3000 km (1850 miles) northeast of Moscow on Nov. 7.
A torchbearer rides atop a deer sleigh, near Yakutsk, the capital of Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, about 4,830 km (3,000 miles) east of Moscow on Nov. 9.
A puddle reflection of a torchbearer during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic torch relay in the Russian Baltic Sea of Kronshtadt, 30 km (19 miles) west of St. Petersburg on Oct. 28.
Three-time world champion and two-time Olympic champion in gymnastics, Svetlana Khorkina, carries the Olympic torch in front of St. Basil's cathedral just outside the Red Square in Moscow, on Oct. 7, during a ceremony to kick off the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic torch relay across Russia.
A torchbearer sits with his torch in a cable car in Khanty-Mansiysk region, some 2700 km (1677 miles) north-east of Moscow on Nov. 6.
A torchbearer holds on to a torch with the Olympic flame as he rides in a kart during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic torch relay in the Russian city of Severodvinsk, some 1046 km (650 miles) north of Moscow, on Nov. 1.
A group of torch bearers hold the Olympic torch at the North Pole, Arctic Ocean on Oct. 30. The nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy (50 Years of the Victory) is in the background.
A group of torch bearers hold various countries national flags and an Olympic torch at the North Pole, Arctic Ocean on Oct. 19. For the first time in history the Olympic flame was brought to the North Pole, on board the nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy (50 Years of Victory) as part of the torch relay to the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.
Torchbearers hold Olympic torches during a relay on a board of a Russian Navy sail training ship Kruzenshtern, a four-masted barque and tall ship that was built in 1926 at Geestem¸nde in Bremerhaven, Germany, near Kaliningrad, Russia on Oct. 29.
Torchbearers Russian swimming coach Pavel Dudchenko (L) and Alexey Shpilevoy, 'kissing' with their torches to pass the Olympic flame during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic torch relay in the ancient Russian city of Tula, 300 km (188 miles) south of Moscow on Oct. 14.
Two torchbearers 'kiss' their torches to pass the Olympic flame in front of the Peterhof palace outside St. Petersburg, Russia on Oct. 28.
Two torchbearers 'kiss' their torches to pass the Olympic flame in the ancient Russian city of Veliky Novgorod, some 500 km (311 miles) northwest of Moscow on Oct. 24.
People take photos of a torchbearer carrying an Olympic torch during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic torch relay in Russia's European exclave of Kaliningrad, 1,300 km (812 miles) west of Moscow on Oct. 29.
A torchbearer holds his torch as he rides atop a dump truck in the 525 meters (1,722 ft) deep 'Mir" ("Peace' or "World") former open pit diamond mine in Mirny, Russia on Nov. 8.
Similar threads
