Russia has already ruled out turning its clocks back one hour this winter, and the Sochi Olympic Organizing Committee president offered 300,000,000 more reasons why.
“We forecast, other than the reputational risk and discomfort to our athletes, logistical issues and financial risks,” Dmitry Chernyshenko said, according to R-Sport. “The extra expenditure needed from the federal budget to compensate international broadcasters who might lose advertising contracts in the event of a time change will lead to penalties, and we will have to compensate for it. The sum of the risks could exceed $300 million.”
Russia stopped turning its clocks back in 2011. Sochi is currently eight hours ahead of Eastern time and will be nine hours ahead after daylight savings time ends Nov. 3 and through the Olympics.
The times of competitions for the Sochi Games will be vastly different from the London 2012 Olympics (five hours ahead of ET) and the Vancouver 2010 Olympics (three hours behind ET).
Here is a full viewers guide, and here are the times of some major Sochi Olympic events:
Friday, Feb. 7: Opening ceremony — 8 p.m. Sochi/11 a.m. ET
Tuesday, Feb. 11: Men’s snowboard halfpipe final — 9:30 p.m. Sochi/12:30 p.m. ET
Wednesday, Feb. 12: Women’s downhill — 11 a.m. Sochi/2 a.m. ET
Wednesday, Feb. 13: Women’s snowboard halfpipe final — 9:30 p.m. Sochi/12:30 p.m. ET
Friday, Feb. 14: Men’s figure skating free skate (medal contenders) — 10 p.m. Sochi/1 p.m. ET
Thursday, Feb. 20: Women’s hockey gold-medal game — 9 p.m. Sochi/Noon ET
Thursday, Feb. 20: Women’s figure skating free skate (medal contenders) — 10 p.m. Sochi/1 p.m. ET
Sunday, Feb. 23: Men’s hockey gold-medal game — 4 p.m. Sochi/7 a.m. ET
