13 February 2014 | Source: NHK
Visitors to the Russian city of Sochi are having a bit of summer fun, even as the athletes compete on ice and snow in the Winter Olympic Games.
The mercury soared to 17 degrees Celsius at the Olympic Park on the Black Sea coast on Wednesday. That’s more than 10 degrees higher than the average for February. The sunny weather lured people out onto the nearby beach and into the sea.
Sochi is a famed resort city with a mild winter. It has little snowfall except for its mountain areas, where the skiing and snowboarding events are held.
Warm weather has prevailed since the Olympics opened last week. Volunteers and security guards working for the Games were among those swimming and angling and having some fun out of season.
An off-duty guard on the beach said that in Sochi, he can ski after one hour’s drive to the mountain area but can also enjoy swimming on the beach.
But some are concerned that the rising temperatures, which have left snow melting even in the mountains, could badly affect the Olympic Games.
13 February 2014 | NHK
The Moroccan Times, 13 February 2014
