Picture a subtropical riviera on the Black Sea with palms waving in the wind and spas perched on seaside cliffs. Way down in the southwest corner of Russia, this coastline region may be the only speck of land in the mammoth nation where snow doesn’t fall. Welcome to Sochi, the summer resort town that was picked to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Opening February 7th, the Sochi Games will be the most expensive Olympics in history. London 2012 racked up a price tag of around $14 billion; Vancouver 2010 rang in a shade under $9 billion. Costing more than all previous Winter Olympics combined, the Sochi events are at $50 billion and counting.

So where is the money going? Russian politician Boris Nemtsov vehemently claims that much of the exorbitant budget is finding its way into the back pockets of those who are friendly with the project’s auteur, President Vladimir Putin.

If we ignore the possibility that Putin is orchestrating a mafia-like scheme behind the scenes, the budget almost makes sense, given how challenging it must be to build an epicenter of snow and ice mere kilometers away from palm trees and beaches. But sidestepping the corruption charges and defending his odd decision to contrive a winter wonderland in the subtropics, Putin asserted in a January interview that the costs are all related to standard Olympic stuff, like constructing the stadiums and infrastructure needed to showcase world-class athletes and bring in millions of tourists.

But the true challenge Sochi faces—one that is far more disquieting, possibly even more costly, and certainly more crucial—is in protecting those athletes and tourists. Dangerously close to highly disputed ex-Soviet territories, Sochi has a tumultuous past. Hidden in the mountains of the North Caucasus, a violent insurgency known as Caucasus Emirate has proclaimed war on the Sochi Olympics, describing the event as a callous dance on the bones of its ancestors.

After claiming responsibility for multiple suicide bombings in the past few years, the Emirate is considered a terrorist organization in the eyes of both Russia and the United States. Last year, this umbrella organization, made up of multiple factions and led by Islamist militant Doku Umarov, threatened to use “maximum force” to stop the Sochi events. Whether or not the rumors of Umarov’s recent death are true, the struggle is as vicious as ever. Another Islamist group recently claimed responsibility for orchestrating two deadly suicide bombings in Volgograd in late December, which has security officials preparing for the worst-case scenario in Sochi.

And it’s not just terrorism that security forces are worried about. Less than five kilometers south of Sochi is the region of Abkhazia, a no man’s land between Russia and Georgia. Bad blood has existed between these entities for decades, culminating in 2008’s South Ossetia War between Russia and Georgia. At the time, Russia had already been awarded the games for 2014, and to be engaged in an active war is a direct violation of the Olympic Truce. Consequently, Russia formally recognized Abkhazia as an independent state in order to swiftly end the so-called Five-Day War. But with Russia provoking anger by extending its security zone into Abkhazia during the Games, the title may just be a bandage on a volatile geyser.

With security a huge concern, it’s probable that a good chunk of the budget will go toward keeping certain people out. But barricades might not be necessary in many cases, considering the myriad forces calling for a boycott of the games. Thanks to Russia’s institutional chauvinism, many world leaders and human rights organizations are refusing to attend the games. The United States, Germany, France, and Poland are just some of the countries that have taken a stand against Russia’s draconian laws against LGBT and other marginalized communities. Far more ironic than winter sporting events taking place in the balmy subtropics is the paradox that this supposedly magnanimous event of world peace will be held in a milieu fraught with human rights abuses.

And that’s all just the tip of the iceberg: reports across the world illuminate the devastation of Sochi’s environment, the mistreatment of migrant workers, and the blockade on free speech being enforced by officials in the region.

While the Sochi Games will surely be a dazzling display of international athleticism, will the informed viewer still get lost in the spectacle, or be left preoccupied by its blunders?