Fireworks light up the sky over Sochi

The sky over Sochi lit up with fireworks on Tuesday (February 4) as organisers practised the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics.

The Fisht Olympic Stadium, which is at the centre of the 2014 Games and will welcome athletes from around the world, has a lit up roof which can change colours and draw patterns.

Light displays could be seen through the roof of the stadium as part of the rehearsals.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has spent more than $50 billion (US dollars) at the Olympic Games, a prestige project set to open with great fanfare on February 7.

Putin is expected to revel at the Games opening in the unlikely feat of turning an ageing sub-tropical resort on the Black Sea into a glittering modern hub for a Winter Games in seven years.