Nation Branding of Russia through the Sochi Olympic Games of 2014

The choice of the southern Russian city of Sochi as host for the XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014 created a unique opportunity for the country to change its international positioning strategy. The only time Russia hosted the Olympic Games was the summer of 1980, in Moscow, and the event was boycotted by a U.S.-led block of Western nations. Thus the Sochi games may be not only the first winter Olympics ever held in Russia but also a huge international “comeback opportunity” to present a stronger, better, more glamorous as well as to re-position the country’s image globally. The official selection of the southern Russian city of Sochi, in a resort area known as the Russian Riviera, as host for the XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014 created an unparalleled, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the country to boost its international reputation and reshape the “red bear” image. The Sochi Olympics will follow the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and that puts the unknown Russian town in the same arena as the famed British capital, where rich Russians, by the way, already have bought up everything of value. The only time Russia hosted the Olympic Games was the summer of 1980, in Moscow, and the event was boycotted by a U.S.-led block of Western nations in protest of the Soviet military invasion of Afghanistan. There is another interesting historical parallel here, with America’s deep troubles in a certain region of the world accompanied by the plummeting of the dollar. Thus the Sochi games may be not only the first winter Olympics ever held in Russia (by itself, a significant development for a nation that has won 293 Winter Games medals overseas), but also a huge international “comeback opportunity” to present a stronger, better, more glamorous image both politically and economically. It is widely expected in Russia that this triumph of Putin’s will also help the country become more open, prosperous, and democratic. The Russian government has pledged 12 billion dollars to develop the Sochi area as a unique winter sports oasis on the Black Sea coast, near the Caucasus, right at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. The city enjoys the northernmost subtropical climate on earth. The fantastic snow conditions in Sochi’s Krasnaya Polyana area cannot be found elsewhere in Europe; they provide excellent opportunities for Alpine skiing, sliding sports, and ski jumping. The city’s location is symbolic: it lies 1,500 km east of Athens, Greece, the birthplace of the Olympics. So the stakes are high, money is pouring in, the nation’s reputation is on the line, and Mr. Putin personally is supervising all the necessary arrangements in his beloved resort area, far away from Moscow’s intrigues. What Russians expect from this event, according to the Russian Public Opinion Research Center, is the following: increased prestige for the country (52%), a boost for athletic activities (48%), and a rise in national self-consciousness (26%). According to the daily newspaper Moscow News, 81% of the Russian population was in favor of the Sochi Olympic bid. That was the highest level of support among all the candidate countries. Almost 99% of young Russians (between the ages of 25 and 34) show an extremely high degree of interest in the event, though they are greatly concerned about the negative environmental effect of the massive Olympic construction under way in the Sochi area. Apparently, the international image and reputation of the great nation has finally become a matter of importance to virtually everyone in Russia.