Russian Security Check

From The Moscow Times:
"Fans Must Pass Security Check for Sochi Games"

Fans hoping to attend the Sochi Winter Olympics won't be able to watch the games without receiving security clearance, according to a government order published Friday. The order, published on the Economic Development Ministry's website, says that ticket holders should apply for a registration card from the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee and that fans must present this card to access Olympic venues.  Applicants will have to present their passport and pass security checks to receive the registration card, the order added. According to the order, tickets for the Winter Olympics will be sold from Feb. 7. If a ticket holder fails security clearance, he will be able to return his ticket. The Sochi Olympics, set to start on Feb. 7, 2014, will take place in the southern Krasnodar region, which borders on the Black Sea.

^  This is a very dumb idea. Not only will most foreigners have to pay around $200 for a visa and then register that visa in every Russian city they spend longer than 3 days in, but now they will have to have a background check too. It wasn't needed for the London games and nothing happened there. Maybe Russia isn't as sure of it's security as it claims to be. I thought Sochi was supposed to show Russia as a modern country, but instead it seems to be more like the 1980 Moscow Games held in the USSR. I wouldn't bother going through all the hassel and Russian red-tape just to see some sport. ^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/fans-must-pass-security-checks-for-sochi-games/473119.html