The costliest Olympic
Games in history officially open in Russia on Friday, with 98 medals to be won
over 16 days.
Sochi, on Russia's Black
Sea coast, will welcome about 2,900 athletes in 15 disciplines as the opening
ceremony begins at 20:14 local time (16:14 GMT).
The build-up has been
overshadowed by security fears, human rights concerns and delays to
preparations, reports BBC.
But, at £30bn, the cost of these Games is more than
the combined total of all other Olympic Winter Games to date.
Canada, Norway and the
United States are considered the likeliest candidates to top the Sochi medal
table.
Hosting an Olympics for
the first time since the boycotted Moscow Games of 1980, Russian athletes are under
pressure to improve on the embarrassment of 11th place at the last Winter Games
in Vancouver. The nation has devoted £600m to elite winter sport since winning
the bid to host these Games seven years ago.
