Sochi twin toilet photo causes Twitter storm in Russia

A photo of twin toilets in a cubicle at a Sochi Olympics venue has caused a Twitter storm in Russia.

The picture from the Biathlon Centre tweeted by BBC correspondent Steve Rosenberg in Moscow was picked up by opposition leader Alexey Navalny among others.

Alexey Navalny queried how the budget for the games, said to be $50bn (1,700 billion roubles), had been spent.

The photo caused disbelief and much hilarity, with some linking it to the recent debate over gay rights.

Twin toilets in a cubicle at Sochi Olympics venue

Steve Rosenberg tweeted: “Seeing double in the Gentlemen’s Loo at the Olympic Biathlon Centre.”

Retweeting the photo, Alexey Navalny commented: “This is a men’s toilet in a Sochi Olympics media centre for 1.5bn roubles [$45 million].”

Others joked about Russia’s controversial law on “gay propaganda”, which led to calls from international campaigners to boycott February’s games.

The Biathlon Centre was completed nearly two years ago, with investment from the Russian state gas company Gazprom.