Putin's Sochi Price Tag Cost Winter Games Dearly

[ PHOTO: THE GUARDIAN ]

The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics skewed the future of the Games because the estimated $50 billion budget bankrolled by Russian President Vladimir Putin's government has put off future bidders. The view is shared by Hugh Robertson, the then British sports minister responsible for delivering the 2012 London Summer Games and former International Olympic Committee (IOC) marketing director Michael Payne, speaking ahead of next month's Pyeongchang Games.