MANILA, Philippines – Residents and volunteers gathered in the central square of Sochi, the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics, to mark 100 days to the Games. At the moment when “100” appeared on the Olympic countdown clock, people released balloons into the air and celebrated. Russia is spending more than $50 billion on the February games, a top priority for President Vladimir Putin, who wants to use the Games to showcase the country’s modern face to the world two decades after the fall of the Soviet Union. -- Mornings @ ANC, October 30, 2013.