Sochi, Russia, a sub-tropical resort city bordering the Black Sea, will transform into a winter wonderland for the 2014 Winter Olympics. The winter games are held every four years and host 15 winter sports including alpine skiing, figure skating, and bobsledding.

The Olympics began with the opening ceremony on Feb. 7 and took place at the Fisht Olympic Stadium which has the capacity to seat 40,000 people. The athletes for the United States national team wore uniforms designed by American designer Ralph Lauren and made in the United States.

Though the venue for the ceremony is highly protected, some worry about security in other parts of the resort city. This concern is fueled by two previous suicide bombings in the nearby city of Volgograd. Nonetheless, according to CTV News, Russia has promised to host the “safest Olympics in history,” and has over 100,000 security officials working to protect the athletes and tourists.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School students are excited to watch the Olympics. “I find it interesting to watch the luge and skeleton because they both seem really fun,” sophomore Kyle Salverda said.

Several sports will make their Olympic debut at Sochi. Among the most anticipated are team figure skating, freeskiing, ski style snowboard racing, and luge team relay. The Winter Olympics end on Feb. 23.