An outsized nesting doll sits on the slopestyle course in the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park that hosts skiing and snowboarding events, and matryoshkas – the dolls’ names in Russian – are certain to make an appearance during the opening ceremony.
Matryoshkas are a set of ever-smaller wooden figurines nested inside each other. They have an old tradition in Russia, though not as old as you might think. The first set of dolls was produced by a Russian craftsman in the late 1800’s and was likely inspired by nested dolls from Japan or China. But this didn’t stop matryoshkas from quickly becoming the most recognizable and sought-after Russian souvenir.
