Journalism of Courage
Flushed with pride after a spectacular showing at the costliest Olympics ever, Russia celebrated 17 days of sport-driven global unity with a farewell show that hands off the Winter Games to their next host, Pyeongchang in South Korea. (AP)
Said the head of the International Olympic Committee: "Russia delivered all what it had promised." (Reuters)
Raucous spectators chanted "Ro-ssi-ya! Ro-ssi-ya!" "Russia! Russia!" before being surrounded by multicolored fireworks and carried through a visually stunning, sometimes surrealistic panorama of Russian history and culture. (Reuters)
"This is the new face of Russia our Russia," said Dmitry Chernyshenko, head of the Sochi organising committee. He called the games "a moment to cherish and pass on to the next generations." (Reuters)
In a charming touch, the Sochi organizers used the ceremony to make a joke at their own expense. Dancers in shimmering silver costumes formed themselves into four rings and a clump in the center of the stadium. (Reuters)
That was a wink to a technical glitch in the February 7 opening ceremony, when one of the five Olympic rings in a wintry opening scene failed to open. The rings were supposed to join together and erupt in fireworks. (Reuters)
This time, it worked: As Russian President Vladimir Putin watched from the stands, the dancers in the clump waited a few seconds and then formed a ring of their own, making five, drawing laughs from the crowd. (Reuters)
The closing ceremony, a farewell from Russia with love, pageantry and protocol, started at 20:14 local time a nod to the year that Putin seized upon to remake Russia's image with the Olympics' power to wow and concentrate global attention and massive resources. (Reuters)
"Now we can see our country is very friendly," said Boris Kozikov of St Petersburg, Russia. "This is very important for other countries around the world to see." (Reuters)
The nation's USD 51 billion investment topping even Beijing's estimated USD 40 billion layout for the 2008 Summer Games transformed a decaying resort town on the Black Sea into a household name. (Reuters)
All-new facilities, unthinkable in the Soviet era of drab shoddiness, showcased how far Russia has come in the two decades since it turned its back on communism. (Reuters)
