介绍:
Monday marks the start of the second half of the Sochi Winter Games. How do the Russian people view the Olympics held at home?
Our Olympics correspondent Ding Lulu has the story.
Report:
(Act 1, spectators cheering for Russia, phase out)
In every stadium of the Olympic Park, you can hear chanting whenever there's a Russian team or athlete playing.
Russian spectators who poured into the stadium expressed that they couldn't help but feel proud about hosting the Winter Games in Sochi.
(Act 2, two males in English)
"It's a great moment for us and an honour for our people.
We are really excited about it and everything was fine."
Statistics show that over a million tickets have been sold for the games in Sochi.
With a week to go, Sochi's sales figures are already higher than that of the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics.
Even Russia's most beloved athlete and two-time gold medalist, Evgeni Plushenko was overwhelmed by the cheering crowd.
(Act 3, male in Russian, Plushenko)
"When I was with my team, I couldn't hear the spectator's cheering clearly, but when I stood in the middle of the ice rink, I was instantly overwhelmed by the enthusiastic applause throughout the whole stadium. I didn't realize my fans are so passionate."
But the crowd went silent when Plushenko stumbled with a back injury that marked the end of his figure skating career.
Whilst some mourn the exit of Plushenko and express dismay at the loss of the potential of wining a gold for Russia, Leila, a local citizen of Sochi says, winning gold medals isn't the most important thing about the Olympics. She describes the transformation of the city because of the Games as victorious.
(Act 4, female in English, Leila)
"The Olympic village. that place was a great field, farm; during the summer, we worked with our pupils to gather cabbage, tomatoes, and so on. Now there's a wonderful Olympic village. We are surprised it was built in seven years. We are very much proud of it. It seems to me this is the great victory that we built our city on and now a lot of people can come here for the Winter Olympic Games."
According to Russia's pole vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva, besides the new roads, train stations and airport, the Olympics has left Russia with something more valuable--a better future in winter sports..
(Act 4, female in English, Isinbayeva)
"Before Sochi, we didn't have any conditions to given to try it (practice winter sports) here in Russia, but I think after the Olympics Games it will help the next generation, the new and young Russian national team for the next Winter Olympic Games well-prepared."
Russia spent a record 51 billion US dollars on the games, which is 11 billion dollars more than China spent on the 2008 Summer Olympics.
