Winter Olympics 2014: Get to know the 11 Sochi venues

The Coastal Cluster, along the Black Sea in the Adler district of the City of Sochi, is where most events will take place during the 2014 Olympic Games. The opening and closing ceremonies, all medal presentations, ice hockey, figure skating and all the other indoor sporting events will take place right along the coast in the “Olympic Park.”

Nearby, the International Broadcast Centre and press building will be the center of the Olympics for the thousands of media members descending on Sochi. There’s also an athlete’s village in the Coastal Cluster.

As you can see in this GIF posted on Reddit, the Coastal Cluster was basically an empty patch of land as recently as 2005, and now it’ll be the center of the sporting world. Let’s take a closer look at each venue.

Capacity: 40,000
Construction cost: $603 million
Events: Opening ceremony, closing ceremony
After the Games: Host of Russian National Team soccer, 2018 FIFA World Cup

Capacity: 12,000
Construction cost: $180 million
Events: Ice hockey, including medal games
After the Games: Multi-purpose sports/entertainment venue

Capacity: 7,000
Construction cost: $27.2 million
Events: Ice hockey
After the Games: Will be dismantled and moved to another Russian city

Capacity: 8,000
Construction cost: $32.8 million
Events: Speed skating
After the Games: Exhibition center

Capacity: 12,000
Construction cost: $43.9 million
Events: Figure skating, short track speed skating
After the Games: Undecided. Options include skating rink, cycling velodrome

Capacity: 3,000
Construction cost: $14 million
Events: Curling
After the Games: Could be relocated to another Russian city

The Mountain Cluster sits roughly 40 kilometers to the northeast of the Coastal Cluster in Krasnaya Polyana, another district of the City of Sochi. A rail link was built specifically for the Olympic Games, in addition to the winding mountain road that already connects Krasnaya Polyana to the rest of the world, but the athletes won’t have to travel back and forth much, as there’s another athlete’s village located in the Mountain Cluster.

Basically any outdoor event at the Olympics, aside from the opening and closing ceremonies, will take place in the Mountain Cluster. Luge, bobsled, skiing, ski jumping, etc. All the “snow” sports will take place amidst the powdery peaks of the Caucasus Mountains in Krasnaya Polyana.

Let’s get to know the Mountain Cluster venues a bit better.

Capacity: 7,500
Construction cost: Unknown
Events: Biathlon, cross-country skiing, ski portions of Nordic combined events
After the Games: Stadium will be dismantled, tracks will remain

Capacity: 6,250 for snowboarding, 4,000 for freestyle skiing
Construction cost: Unknown
Events: Snowboard, freestyle skiing
After the Games: Permanent facility, can host other international competitions

Capacity: 6,250 for snowboarding, 4,000 for freestyle skiing
Construction cost: Unknown
Events: Alpine skiing
After the Games: Operating alpine ski resort, host of other international competitions

Capacity: 10,000, mostly standing room
Construction cost: $4 million
Events: Bobsled, luge, skeleton
After the Games: Training center for Russian athletes, host of other international competitions

Capacity: 7,500
Construction cost: Unknown
Events: Ski jumping, ski jump portion of Nordic combined events
After the Games: Host of other international competitions

• SB Nation’s Winter Olympics medal tracker | Meet Team USA

• Meet Ashley Wagner, the Olympics’ first genuine meme

• What you need to know about figure skating | Figure skating schedule

• Miracle Put on Ice: 1984 US hockey team never had a chance

• Hockey: Men’s schedule | All 12 men’s rosters | USA roster analysis