Did NBC Smuggle an Entire Starbucks Into Sochi?

I love coffee. I have to down two big mugs every, each loaded down with some type of flavored creamer. A lot of people share my addiction, apparently-- including the folks who are producing this year's Olympic coverage for NBC.

Starbucks is not an Olympics sponsor.  McDonald's has the rights to be the official coffee of these Olympics.  And that means Starbucks can't have an official presence at the Olympics.

The closest Starbucks to Sochi is 350 miles away, in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.  In other words . . . if you went to Sochi, you were looking at two weeks without Starbucks.  And apparently, that was NOT alright with the people at NBC.

So they very quietly smuggled an entire Starbucks into their compound at the Olympic media center.  It's open 24 hours a day and they staffed it by flying in 15 baristas from other Starbucks in Russia.

Fifty-seven of the countries participating in the Olympics have fewer than 15 athletes.  In other words . . . Starbucks has more contraband baristas in Sochi than the majority of countries have athletes.

Only the 2,500-or-so people working for NBC over there have access to it.

NBC has had its own private Starbucks at every Olympics since the 2000 Olympics in Sydney . . . but this is only the second time the host city doesn't have a Starbucks.  The 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was the other.

McDonald's can't be thrilled by the Starbucks there, but technically, NBC is within the rules. 

Broadcasters are allowed to bring in, quote, "supplementary facilities" as long as they aren't publicized.

SOURCE: Wall Street Journal