Winter Olympics preview: A look a Sochi’s Olympic Stadium

Winter Olympics preview: A look a Sochi’s showcase venues, including the Fisht Olympic Stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

Beijing (2008) had the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube, Montreal (1976) had the “Big O” — will Sochi end up with an iconic Olympic venue as well?

Organizers hope so, and the Fisht Olympic Stadium could be a strong contender. Named after Mount Fisht, the design of the main venue, which is shaped like a shell, gives a nod to Fabergé art (think of the famous decorated eggs). The stadium walls and roof are one continuous surface, made of a translucent polycarbonate material that reflects sunlight off the nearby sea during the day. The opening of the bowl offers a view to the north of the Krasnaya Polyana Mountains, while the upper deck looks southward, with a view of the Black Sea. Illumination shows will play across the roof during the run of the Games.

Sochi 2014 will be the most compact Winter Games in the history of the Olympics. A total of 11 venues have been built for the Sochi Games, and they are divided into two clusters: a mountain cluster and a coastal cluster. Travel time is less than 30 minutes between the clusters via a newly built railway. The Olympic Park is the central piece of the coastal cluster, and the venues here will encircle a water basin where the Medals Plaza is located. All indoor venues will be within walking distance of one another.

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Complete 2014 Winter Olympics Day-By-Day TV Schedule

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Winter Games At A Glance

Click on sport to view TV schedule.

Opening/Closing Ceremonies Feb. 7, 23

Alpine Skiing Feb. 9-10, 12, 14-16, 18-19, 21-22

Biathlon Feb. 8-11, 13-14, 16-17, 19, 21-22

Bobsled Feb. 16-19, 22-23

Cross-Country Skiing Feb. 8-9, 11, 13-16, 19, 22-23

Curling Feb. 10-21

Figure Skating Feb. 6, 8-9, 11-14, 16-17, 19-20, 22

Freestyle Skiing Feb. 6, 8, 10-11, 13-14, 17-18, 20-21

Ice Hockey Feb. 8-23

Luge Feb. 8-13

Nordic Combined Feb. 12, 18, 20

Short Track Speed Skating Feb. 10, 13, 15, 18, 21

Skeleton Feb. 13-15

Ski Jumping Feb. 8-9, 11, 14-15, 17

Snowboard Feb. 6, 8-9, 11-12, 16-17, 19, 22

Speed Skating Feb. 8-13, 15-16, 18-19, 21-22

All sports have live and on demand coverage on NBCOlympics.com and on the NBC Sports Live Extra mobile app.

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