my daughter's coming for the paralympics i have a cousin here so it's reading in our family actually it certainly is an absolute family of elizabeth gilbert joining us live here at all the international wishing you all the best for the twenty fourteen winter olympics and thank you very much indeed for volunteering yourself to be a very a volunteer and to help with the ongoing lympics thank you very much indeed lois when we continue our live special coverage international sushi let's toss it back to you kevin though in no way back so you guys. you know most of so you put the torch. before you're going to leave on the road but talking about flames fly on the flame for equality it's a bit of a turn but we need to talk about it big big issue it was a p.r. issue prior to the sochi twenty four olympics the controversy connected with the ban on gay propaganda to minors which of course came into force in russia last year cause huge roar among communities worldwide and much hype in the foreign media it's

still going on sometimes the indignation pretty exotic foods bartender spilling vocal you may recall the street some celebrities loving it to lambaste the law politicians and. russian authorities. calling for a boycott of lympics wasn't the most successful call there was a no i.o.c. officials repeatedly stated that russell's mom banning gay propaganda to minors does not violate the olympic charter as anti discrimination laws and that they are fully satisfied with president president putin's worth everyone not withstanding religion nationality or sexual orientation are welcome to sochi twenty four teams. one of three openly gay athletes in the u.s. she says she doesn't think you can pick fruit from the software. i'll be representing then you know that states have pride as an openly gay citizen so while that may lead to a bit of controversy i don't have any questions. at my own safety i think that

within the boundaries of the games the spirit is positive and optimistic and open minded and i'm hoping to share that same experience along with the spectators and citizens of russia but i really hope we all see in russia is the dedication devotion not only of the russian people to put on an extraordinary winter olympic games and i have every reason to expect that this olympic games will be exceptional in every way but also to the volunteers on the ground that's what makes the olympics possible the devotion of the volunteers their sacrifice their support by far and away they're the most important part of the olympic games calls for a boycott through a very negative reaction from vice president of the international olympic committee it's going to. a certain type of politics bad politics has repeatedly tried to hijack the games in an attempt to cash in on their popularity in one thousand nine hundred my country joins the boycott of the moscow olympics our team carried no flag and competed with no name

we weren't even called italy all this because carter believed the soviet union had to be punished for an invasion of afghanistan thirty four years later there was still war in afghanistan and now it involves italian and u.s. troops later the requests to boycott the seoul games then the beijing games is now sorted i am tired of seeing the olympics being exploited again and again for a variety of causes of course gay rights are worth fighting for with the games should not be used as a political stage to discuss all sorts of moral civil and social issues perhaps this gay propaganda didn't come at the right time that being said russian politics is efficient it has approached the issue with intelligence therefore i'm absolutely certain that gay athletes will feel perfectly at home and as for the absence of certain international leaders from the games here in italy we have a saying and absentee is always in the wrong.

well let's not talk too much and we have some. more the dignitaries and things that are more national leaders need to be at these games than any other winter olympics in history that's right more than forty heads of state were present at the opening ceremony and at least sixty will visit sochi as these games progress into a bit of perspective that's almost twice as many as were present at the previous games in vancouver back in twenty ten what's more many of these visiting leaders perhaps surprisingly come from countries that are not the closest friends i guess showed indeed end of the day the spirit of the games can bridge even the deepest countenance. so than in the matter of years the humble seaside resort of sochi and then has been turned into a modern and fashionable sporting what will happen to all those facilities one feeling picked season winds up in march let's find out for martinis paul scott i

hope we can join him alive he's down in the coastal cluster as it's called sochi. moments ago guys i gave you a minute to talk good evening god gives meaning to have a few moments ago i gave you guys a bit of a guided tour around the six venue's that we've got in the coastal cluster just posed the question on many viewers lips will be well what's going to happen to those stadiums once those olympic games are once these olympic games are over well the fact is that the legacy is the word that organizers of these games have been talking about for some time it's what organizers of every olympic games talk about and they have plans for all the venues let me just talk you through was going to happen in the coastal cluster first of all the ice cube curling center that i mentioned the one the house is three thousand people on the show. arena which is where seven thousand people are going to be watching ice hockey matches. both of

those venues so state of the art that they can be dismantled and removed to different parts of the country so you could sing sing the. ice cube the ice keep turning center move to how about off score you katherine bird for example so there's no problems with the legacy that now the bolshoi going to continue to host sporting competitions and also concerts so it's going to be a bit of a cultural hub once these games are over the adler arena the one i mentioned the long flat low one that's hosting the speed skating and also the iceberg skating palace those two venues are going to be rehabbed as does they're going to remain where they are the arena is going to become an exhibition center and the iceberg skating palace is going to become a cycling velodrome so the sporting legacy is going to continue here in sochi and of course the fish stadium is going to remain in place and is going to host games

during the twenty eighteen football world cup when that comes to russia will have more not in a few moments time and staying in the olympic the olympic village down in the coastal cluster i mentioned the athletes' village and i can tell you as well that that's going to become i can tell you what will happen to that in a few moments time but there's even a plan for the massive media center i told you about where all the world's journalists are going to be that's going to have a life after these games as well as take a listen to what the city's mayor has to say about that. all the olympic venues were initially designed to play more than one role for instance there's the media center the olympic park which your colleagues are already working right after the games the center will turn into a shopping mall and recreation center. the new amusement park like a russian disneyland is something the country has never had before the newly built hotels who operate only around all these venues. supposed to attract visitors to

conferences forums exhibitions and sports events we have really good residential facilities with first class immunities all these venues are infrastructural foundation for tourism development. briefly mention that the athletes village in what's going to happen to those forty seven buildings some of them are going to be turned into hotels unused all year round of course the hope is the legacy is that such becomes a hotspot a tourist destination for people from all over the world and the ones that aren't turned into hotels are going to be turned into apartments to are to increase housing in the region as well that's what's happening in the coastal cluster brought about the venue's up in the mountain cluster my colleague andrew farmer now reports. on russia won the right to host these olympics there wasn't even a paved road leading to the ocean who never mind a telly cabin but now look at it it is a fully fledged european style ski village there are hotel chains here is what is restaurants and cafes and there's even

a nightclub around the corner but this place is in it for the long haul because long after the olympics have packed up and gone home it's hoped that many thousands of tourists will come here for decades to come to something like sixty kilometers worth of ski runs in three ski areas around this place and that is set to be expanded so this little tour even though it's been short does show that there's much more to these olympics than just sporting venues it's all about the overhaul and the entire regeneration of a region. probably porting framework lays a great foundation anymore grounds for surveillance and store for a start. well it's a huge decade of sports in russia and in particular for our facility we've touched on the other winter olympics but later this year in october formula one is going to make a return to russia for the first time in exactly one hundred years formula one that was run on russian territory. in nine hundred thirteen and in one thousand nine

hundred fourteen in st petersburg. didn't reappear after the first world war and didn't a pager in soviet times there were plans and talks about getting formula one to return to russia was long ago was nineteen eighty three so this is being thirty years in the making formula one is coming to this region it's going to be you know . the it's going to be the third longest truck in the calendar behind spar in belgium and silverstone in britain as well it's the first time as i say in one hundred years the formula one has been on russian territory but perhaps even more significantly is the fact that the football world cup is coming to russia in two thousand and eighteen and the fish the stadium. hosted the opening ceremony this evening is going to be hosting one of the games during the football world cup and if we think that the focus of the world is on russia and in sochi right now then we should wait four years time for the football world cup to arrive because

that really is one of the biggest sporting events on the planet. it is indeed paul scott reporting to us down from the coastal cluster where of course tonight main event was the opening ceremony and in fact joining us now is someone who was there watching the entire thing our producer daria still got thanks for coming in and you ran here as fast as you could help with your life really. massive this is the way that we would. really i'm not kind of out of it yet because i'm still. running i was i came in there by name because we had some of their stuff you're always late for everything you can for this that's not so it's still i came in there were some music playing russian. then. all of a sudden there was like this massive come down on this huge screen. and now everything

started there was this russian alphabet going on and video basically and. then it was distorting all then it was. going to him and it was very beautiful and quiet were singing and. ses that people around me they were all cheering to every single thing that was happening on the floor basically i was up on top and i think you guys are you some of my instigators it was a feel like an official you know i think well. they couldn't realize how big it is actually until you could see those those huge. floating on this floor when they were coming to you and when you can see the cars actual size but for me as i was sitting on the top it was so small and i could understand that it was big we were watching on the screen here and some of those three d. graphics that they were sought from an aerial camera just one moment i didn't i

didn't understand that it was real that it was actually people walking on it it wasn't just some kind of cartoon or something where they've thrown to you seem a little bit shaken up if you just emotional in your russian of course so this is for you what does that mean in terms of how you're going to be i had tears in my eyes at some point this was the part that i like the most was the one about moscow it was basically called moscow and it was. playing this kind of skyscrapers getting out of the four men. and you could see how big it is and then of course russian belly with the dancing with everything and the woman who was sitting next to me like a big down she was literally crying and it went through the entire russian history base and yeah basically that's what it was that's what it was and it started off with the. founding of russia and it went through some will it was called in the

program that i have in my hands right now it's basically says that it was his stupidity but there was basically. a change kind of russia then you went to the peter the great times with the great graphics on the floor black and white and no. people marching and even cannons what do you have to say every time this sums of course the leader of the host country gets to say a sentence no more than a sentence and was the break the protocol two thousand and two george bush broke the code to a protocol would putin have to say that it was a quick sentence was it was it was just there now and the games. started you know not something you see with him quite often i'm going on i'm actually jealous to you guys because you could see those fireworks also you don't because we couldn't see them because we were inside and basically it was all for for people

who are watching t.v. but really jealous of you because you're inside so yeah i think here's the deal i was as we have so yeah i am. i delighted that i got. to see that and i could say the there were no empty seats when i was there had messages from my friends asking why there and there was you know showing up to six but that was because we filled by the courts. kicked off i had so many messages from my friends puts up why what's happening to what it was from your neck through and you know my own medal did you want to be fourteen. so i know the audience all about the lights of the audience so the light well basically we had this and i have no idea how this works. but at some point it just lights up with different colors so you just wear it in the way it is yes and that's how we would work so i don't really i don't know that i was always coming up stairs right now it

actually going to go went blue and hasn't gone off. your program yes you can have a look at it yeah i remember when we were going to see your super best job of thank you multiply the premier enough to say we don't be jealous or it's the only thing. so much for all their spontaneous or of course focus here but it's fair to say that only the tip of the olympic iceberg really end of the day the residents of such you've received a hefty heritage here of course the infrastructure of the resorts been hugely transformed something locals are really enjoying well let me just give you an idea of how much effort has been put into this more than thirty seven billion dollars went on the regional improvement which actually makes up more than half of the entire budget the brand new power station look took i should say among the biggest by over eight hundred million dollars close behind is the state of the art airport at around seven hundred million you know when the price of talking about these figures and how the money's being spent you kind of think about that. i just see

the post here now you can see all the money has been poured into it ok well you didn't even recognize the city as well when you came here and it's difficult to recognize from above as well that because so many roads are changed and it's a new airport those roads have been expanded to three hundred sixty kilometers in front of the money is going on there and if you don't want to drive there's an extra two hundred kilometers of railroad from scratch as well so when the olympics because there's one parked. residents and tourists are going to enjoy the perks of the events legacy for a lot of years to come up i'm glad you mentioned the tourists because after the games they will get several new hotels to choose from plus three new residential areas have been built in sochi for those who bike to stay a bit longer that's for the media center been talking about earlier on huge pledge that seven red squares and. that's going to swap the reporters for retailers it's going to become a shopping mall goes to plan but how does it all compared to other cities which have the honor of hosting the games well march down to can tell us more. you see

that we're going to have to worry about him for a loan officer because what about not. having a bit of fall to the very busy week he's going to be with us of course seriously i just want to give our audience little bit of background of art he's been coming here for seven years on and off ahead of these olympics has been here at the. this year and has already been in sochi with time around for a week that's right have actually the reason why i'm late is because i was busy doing facebook and twitter and answering a million e-mails in the rectory and into absolutely talking about the legacy of it what is left for the for the people who believe that your use an associate change was the idea to program the series i travel to seventy five cities around us by the way farah was a popular show on the shore in the early days of r.t. and i came to fear a few months after it was announced and it was literally a village i mean. obviously there's lots controversy surrounding the fifty one billion or whatever it is that spent people as thomas bach said the president does say you have to realize that this is gone from a village to live jug and take

a city so it was really the window here this huge site the size of monaco we turn to works what was there before all this nothing there was literally nothing and it's very very important to tell people here and it's very confusing because really where not insults you know where in the area of the old holiday resort sochi itself is almost an hour away to the left and if you go to the right it's almost past the airport's another forty five minute journey which was originally an old mountain road that takes you to the area of cross and probably other which is literally seventy years ago one ski slope and that was it now the whole area is transformed and really we've got so much to look forward to the for the future tell us about what people there are so many spectators here what can they do in sochi i five from the games they're going to have some time between all of the events yes they can and i also want to say that one of one thing i was sort of very worried about was the traffic because the traffic in sochi is actually famously worse than moscow but they have built all these roads like

a lot hundreds of kilometers of railroads and motorways but there is lots to do but i'm going to not talk about that now i've got a little package which i want to share with you but the cultural activities you can enjoy here in the wonderful city of sochi take a look. skiing shopping and some bathing. sochi has it all surrounded by the snow capped caucasus mountains and the glistening waters of the black sea coupled with its subtropical climate arguably the longest city in europe in over one hundred forty kilometers sochi is now officially on the international map the whole region has many attractions to offer for anyone who loves nature wildlife sports history entertainment and night life among others in the region today is a far cry from its soviet past the whole area of sorts who has drastically changed since my first visit several years ago as you can see it's bright sunny clean and secure it just really does feel like most european cities that i visit and also the

atmosphere where you can really almost feel the excitement in the air here this week sees thousands of foreigners here for the olympics so how safe to visit is really feel i feel safe man i'm not worried about not been you know what i'm more worried about is that you go you know you couple of friends you have a good time and everything fade bali's guys everything goes garner mysel as you can ask for we've had a great time in searches that are we spent the last two days is walking around experiencing and we've had a great time going to come out tonight and hang out with the local hotels nightclubs restaurants old and new all a welcoming the influx of new visitors this week western brands and chains have come here in the hundreds to set up shop here it's not been an easy road a learning curve for some and there have been issues of locations not finished and peculiar designs looking problems and obvious cultural differences being shared on social media a few teething problems perhaps but one place that's managed to in them out is the

russian seasons to luxor to help situated opposite bill and pick park it offers plush accommodation and a sensational location and features an indoor swimming pool a fitness center and a spa center with sort of. one of the many accommodation options available there's also a vast array of eatery. to entice the taste buds this is to restaurant cheika located on the second floor of the historical seaport terminal makes the most out of this great location serving mostly italian cuisine grab a coffee relax and enjoy the views of a sort she's picturesque port. get a fresh strong to i've been asked to taste the famous and a puddle of a desert a moroccan based dish named after the russian ballet dancer. in the desert was created to celebrate and the power of his visit to new zealand in nineteen twenty six. thank you very much thank you. well well they say the proof is in the putting so let's try.

absolutely gorgeous often called the unofficial summer capital of russia or the black sea sochi is russia's biggest and busiest summer sea resort attracting more than four million visitors annually and with formula one stopping by later this year to the world cup in twenty eighteen the city of sochi will continue to hog the limelight for some time to come in the meantime stroll down the problem take a cable car in the mountains of crossing pollyanna or relax with a cool drink under the rays of the sun a trip to sochi is something you will never forget martin andrews he such a. thing i spoke of public over there as well just before my disappearance we had a bit of hot gossip but we can't verify it from his various contacts hundred you're going to be under the. shower. of course it's

a world class event watched around the world we want to see how it was watched around the world a pointer across what was in london she went to a sports bar there let's take a look. when it comes to this to be a lympics it's not just about the sports but it is a war about the opening ceremony. i know you've been here is the extravaganza has been getting big round and a move there it's one of those rare events that the us across the globe are going to be choosing into and in this london is a gathering to take in the spectacle over of fights or to hear excited to win tournaments so i guess it's going to be premier in sierra grace who you can be cheering for team g.b. of close to go see you conclude switching to my crew that will slice it. and what about team g.b. you can be reaching for them in any particular pool guess what wants to go to. the skating bowl i guess but i wish what's the buyouts with the cross-country skiing

that's my favorite which particular disciplines you could try to bargain. for last lot of not the pope's life has got the large dogs in it and i love summer olympics so we're watching the winter ones as well it will be no one should be lost like for the same as they did the summer olympics and hopefully bring our engine gold but their knowledge versus most successful medal haul let's have winter games was back in one thousand nine hundred twenty four when they pulled back full medals mind you just sixteen nations took part in those particular games but this year britain has a good fifty seats in sochi too and no doubt in the east by britain's success at the previous summer games that were hosted in the u.k. on to two years ago and this year they could be hoping for a cold number of medals at these winter games and they're going to be cheered on by their fans from the comforts of their local police boy k. aussie london. talk of the time in london and britain as well over

a pint or two must have been a fun the talking a from mark as part of the cigarette did you know what enormous fun but hey that's right the fact that mommy mommy will mark the area of salt she is officially the longest city in your butt around one hundred forty six kilometers so he says very very quick also. i would tomorrow genocide me that's more yes such the land is opening its first western theme park is i situated right next to the big park and i'm excited about this roller coaster at the american ski gold teeth which are situated behind three john zarella has the right russian theme we shall not let you get it we're excited to let you put it up for tomorrow i got the part at city hall that says i was to say that's it for us from tonight we should be so lucky we're off to bed you're off to bed you're up early in the morning the party that's right they promised the olympic opening ceremony would be one to remember and if you ask me personally i think they certainly don't live or from us mike thanks for watching we'll be back with much more from sochi over the next three weeks one of us. president obama says the u.s.

immigration system is broken canopy fixed acclaimed actor producer director and social activist edward james olmos is here to tell us what he'd like to see from the president congress as they tend to limit gratian reform plus are the sochi olympics safe we'll have security assessments from russia's ambassador to the u.s. and a high ranking congressman just back from russia. all next on politics. i . love the politicking on larry king and we start the show talking about immigration joining us here in the studio is my friend the acclaimed actor producer director social activist edward james olmos big story in tuesday's washington post

new momentum in tongues for a broad overhaul of border control laws demanding that president obama hauled deportation of millions of american young people the white house is consistently said that obama cannot illegally expand the effort what do you think of all this. where in a dogma or it's impossible to move forward. this has become a political issue to gain votes on both sides and i got to tell you this is really what the issue becomes whenever humanity's place behind politics we have a big issue and the issue is that a lot of children a lot of families who have come here for years been here for decades are getting separated more than ever in the history of this country under any president we're getting shipped they're sending people back now that should make a lot of people happy and i'm sure a lot of people to watch your interest and that's good that's good they should have

been here the problem is none of us should have been here if that's the case we all immigrated here if you all come on eddie don't start that when do you stop that when you tell the native american indians excuse us for taking over the entire situation here never no that's old news we're talking about today you want amnesty for all i would like to see something done immediately to humanistic aspect of what we're talking about. the separation of families the inconsistency why are they coming here larry out of a need different company here to get rich the coming here to survive you have water on one side and you have no water over here they're going to go where the water is and that's the simple direct are you saying the obama administration is not an advocate of of ending all this the stupidity as you call it on the immigration issue you think obama's been bad on your side. my side is not side it's

humanistic how do you assess obama assess him as being someone that has spoken very clearly on issues that are good for him and his party and i got to say the democrats are very pro your side well they're prone respects of trying to make things happen but guess what they haven't been able to and the reason is because of the separation of the different parties in this country why are you blaming obama because under his watch if the buck stops with him under his watch more people have been deported now than they've ever been deported in the history of this country but he's advocating reform he wasn't specific but he's advocating reform of the whole immigration situation well is he strong enough to make it go through what he what he's really is it what do you want him to do honestly logically honestly he would have to sit down with everybody on both sides and work this thing through no one point the senate had a bill that they pushed through an idea and a call.