KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia - With Sochi and the surrounding area resembling a huge construction site, it is hard to imagine that in two months the region will host the first test events for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Men's and women's downhill and super-G ski races, part of the Alpine Europa Cup competition which is one notch below the World Cup, will be held at Krasnaya Polyana ski resort in mid-February.

When Sochi was awarded the 2014 Games in 2007, critics said the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was taking a big gamble, not only because all the infrastructure had to be built from scratch but also because the city had no expertise in staging international sports competitions.