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Sochi Watch: What the Papers Say, Feb. 10

The Olympic rings in Sochi.

Kommersant


1. Alexei Dospekhov article headlined "Our ice skates" reports on the first Olympic gold medal won by the Russian figure skating team in Sochi; pp 1, 12 (787 words).


2. Yekaterina Istomina report "To Channel One without ceremony" looks at the celebration at Russia's Bosco House in Sochi where Channel One's director and general producer for the Olympic ceremony Konstantin Ernst has been congratulated on the success of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games; p 7 of Kommersant Boscosport supplement (800 words).


Nezavisimaya Gazeta


1. Oleg Matveichev article headlined "'Superweapon' in soft power" comments on a documentary called "The Philosophy of the Soft Way" about the people who have made the 2014 Winter Olympics possible, which was broadcast by Rossia 1 television channel just after the opening ceremony on Feb. 7, as a display of President Vladimir Putin's personal philosophy; p 2 (1,030 words).


2. Igor Naumov article headlined "Police guard Olympic calmness in Sochi" looks at security measures that have been taken during the Olympics in Sochi; p 2 (512 words).


3. Yury Roks article headlined "Political clouds over Georgia" says that the Georgian opposition has demanded that the Georgian authorities should take adequate measures in response to Russia's ruse at the Olympics opening ceremony. The outlines of Georgia's breakaway republics South Ossetia and Abkhazia were covered with clouds at the map of Georgia displayed at the ceremony; p 7 (603 words).


Vedomosti


1. Maria Snegovaya article headlined "Olympics as basic instinct" says that the Olympic Games play an important role in legalizing political regimes and forming national identity; pp 6-7 (1,400 words).


2. Olga Kabanova article headlined "Not Olympia" says that many people have described the Olympics opening ceremony as surprising in its contents; p 22 (600 words).


Izvestia


1. Edvard Serzhan article headlined "Russia's first gold won by team" reports on the first Olympic gold medal won by Russia in Sochi; pp 1, 12 (687 words).


2. Yegor Sozayev-Guriyev article headlined "'Putin devotes himself to Olympics to last drop of his blood'" gives an account of Vladimir Putin's meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics in Sochi; p 2 (442 words).


3. Maxim Sokolov article headlined "Notes by stranger" compares media coverage of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi; p 9 (693 words).


Rossiiskaya Gazeta


1. Nikolai Dolgopolov article headlined "Test of gold" gives an update on the Sochi Olympics; pp 1, 3 (2,200 words).


2. Maxim Makarychev article headlined "Russia opens itself to world" says that the Olympics opening ceremony has impressed the entire world; pp 1-2 (776 words).


3. Kira Latukhina article headlined "It was brilliant" reports on Putin's meetings with the Japanese prime minister and the Kyrgyz president on the sidelines of the Sochi Olympics; p 2 (433 words).


Moskovsky Komsomolets


1. Irina Stepantseva article headlined "Do not be afraid, Russia!" gives an update on the Sochi Olympics; pp 1, 8 (1,314 words).


2. Mikhail Rostovsky article headlined "To Olympics denouncers" ridicules a U.S. journalist who has written a critical article about the Sochi Olympics; pp 1, 7 (840 words).


3. Tatyana Fedotkina article headlined "Ceremony of pride for Russia" glorifies the Olympics opening ceremony; p 7 (644 words).

Feb. 10, 2014 / BBC Monitoring / ©BBC

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