Putin'S Olympics: Central Asian, Russian & Eastern European Studies

This book examines President Vladimir Putin’s Olympic project as a window into understanding the workings of Russia today. It argues that Putin’s top-down approach to the Olympics is an illustrative case study of his leadership style for Russia as a whole. The book highlights the history of Russia’s involvement with the Olympic movement and explains why the Games are important to Putin and his political system. It discusses the various debates surrounding the history of Sochi, and goes on to examine the political, security, business, ethnic, societal, and international components that define this upcoming mega-event. The book looks at what the Sochi Olympics tells us about Russia’s current political and economic systems and how they are likely to evolve after the games.

Robert W. Orttung is the Assistant Director of the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at The George Washington University, USA.

Sufian Zhemukhov is a Visiting Scholar at The George Washington University, USA.