The Winter Olympics has seen its share of oddities, from an eye infection that felled Bob Costas to bobsledder Johnny Quinn breaking down doors. Now on the menu: a secret Starbucks at the NBC media grounds.
According to the Wall Street Journal, deep within NBC's media center exists a Starbucks for its some 2,500 on-site employees. Since the nearest Starbucks to Sochi is reportedly over 350 miles away, NBC flies in a rotating crew of 15 baristas from Starbucks locations all over Russia. These employees serve a limited menu of the coffee chain's drinks to NBC staff, as well as get paid their regular wages and housing at Sochi.
See also: Top Moments From Sochi: Olympic Fog, Injuries and Bobsled Begins
The secret Starbucks treads a thin line of corporate sponsorship rules at the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) enforces strict regulations that protect its corporate sponsors, meaning any brand not sponsoring the Olympics is not allowed to show its logo or otherwise affiliate itself with the lucrative event.
The Starbucks at the NBC media center is not open to the public, so it hasn't yet run afoul of the tight regulations. NBC representatives indicate the media giant it simply trying to fuel its staff with the coffee they love. “It’s what Napoleon said: An army travels on its stomach,” John Fritsche, NBC’s senior vice president of Olympic operations told the WSJ. “We, in a lot of ways, operate that way.”
The official coffee provider for the Olympics, McDonald’s, with its McCafé drinks, appears unfazed. "McCafé continues to be a popular beverage choice for athletes, media and spectators who want to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee," a McDonald's spokeswoman said to the Journal.
With 69 Starbucks in Russia, NBC will likely have the barista-power to continue its rotation of Starbucks employees at Sochi for the duration of the games, barring any outcry from official Olympic sponsors.

Fans limbo under a U.S. flag to celebrate Jamie Anderson's gold medal in the women's snowboard slopestyle final at the 2014 Winter Olympics on Feb. 9 in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia.
A fan awaits the start of the women's freestyle skiing moguls final at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park on Feb. 8.
Judges look on during the ladies' normal hill individual ski jumping training at the Ruski Gorki Jumping Center on Feb. 9.
Norwegian fans enjoy the atmosphere during the alpine skiing men's downhill at the Rosa Khutor Alpine Center on Feb. 9 in Sochi.
A Russian supporter smiles on his way from the Laura Cross Country Ski & Biathlon Center on Feb. 9.
A fan cheers during the men's 5,000-meter speed-skating event on Feb. 8.
Russian supporters attend the men's alpine skiing downhill at the Rosa Khutor Alpine Center on Feb. 9.
A pin collector displays his bling ahead of the men's luge singles on day two of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Sliding Center Sanki on Feb. 9.
Fans look on (one perhaps more enthusiastic than others) during the men's figure skating free skate at the Iceberg Skating Palace on Feb. 9.
Supporters snap a few shots before the men's luge singles at the Sliding Center Sanki on Feb. 9.
Under orange lighting, gold medalist Sven Kramer of the Netherlands walks through a crowd of cheering fans after winning the gold in the men's 5,000-meter speed-skating race Feb. 8. Kramer set a new Olympic record during the event.
Decked-out fans amuse themselves before the men's luge singles at the Sliding Center Sanki on Feb. 9.
Fans cheer at the finish line during the men's singles luge final on Feb. 9 in Krasnaya Polyana, Russia.
A Norwegian fan dressed as a viking smiles ahead of the medal ceremony at Medals Plaza on Feb. 9.
Semen Pavlichenko of Russia passes fans, as he brakes at the finish line during the men's singles luge final on Feb. 9.
A fan waves the Russian flag at the men's 5,000-meter speed-skating event at the Adler Arena Skating Center on Feb. 8.
Olympic supporters cheer at the finish line during the men's singles luge final on Feb. 9.
The crowd gets riled up during the women's 3,000-meter speed skating competition on Feb. 9.
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