The location in Sochi was questionable from the start. People usually view Russia as being as nothing but Siberia, a large frozen part of Russia.
But Sochi is in southern Russia, near the former Soviet republic of Georgia.
Putting a Winter Olympics near Georgia (the country) is almost like putting a Winter Olympics in Georgia (the US state).
Plus, a few years after Sochi got awarded the Olympics, there was a border clash between Russia and Georgia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia-Georgia_war
That already gave fears of terrorism landing in Sochi.
Add to the fact the Sochi is also not that far from Chechnya, a mostly Muslim region that rebelled against Russian rule.
Some Chechen descendants did bomb the Boston Marathon last year, which I commented on at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/05/boston-marathon-terrorist-attack.html
Only a few months before the Winter Olympics, there was two bombings in the Russian city of Volgograd.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volgograd_bombings
But luckily, the Sochi games went on without any terrorist incidents
-------------
However, there was another controversy that came up.
Last year, Russia passed a law banning any propaganda promoting "non-traditional sexual relationships" towards minors, which in effect, censored any pro-homosexuality beliefs in the presence of minors. Basically, that means any public mentions of homosexuality, whether via media or via outdoor protests are banned.
There was talk of boycotting the Sochi Olympics. But there wasn't much support for that idea. Since the Olympics are already planned far in advance, the idea was then to defy Russia's anti-LGBT law.
Many European and North American presidents/prime ministers/etc refused to attend the Sochi Olympics but did send a delegation of LGBT ex-athletes as a message of defiance.
There were a few LGBT athletes who did perform (and win) in the Olympics without incident.
But it's not over. Russia hosts the men's soccer World Cup in 2018. Qatar host the same tournament in 2022. Both nations have anti-LGBT laws.
There is now a movement out there that will demand international sports tournaments (ie Olympics, World Cup, etc) to no longer award the games to countries that has laws that officially persecute the LGBT populations.
This comes after decades of anti-apartheid boycotts against apartheid-era South Africa. This also comes after the 2012 Olympics which required all participating countries to have both male and female participants, with Saudi Arabia being one of the last countries to comply.
Not that long ago, the homosexuality was considered just a "fringe" thing, something that needs to be kept in the closet. The idea of same-sex marriage was seen as "bizzare" as equivalent to "marrying my table". Times have changed this millennium. Several countries allow for same-sex marriage. Some, like USA and Mexico, leave the issue up to the states to decide.
But change in attitudes spread slowly. Places like Russia, as well as many Middle Eastern, African, South Asian and Caribbean nations are not accustomed to the idea of LGBT rights. To them, it's just a "fringe" thing promoted by the decadent West. Not only that, those nations have a long history of violence against anyone with a different religion or from a different tribe, so a "fringe" idea like LGBT acceptance has provoked the same violent response.
At this point, a time will come when those places either change or not be awarded hosting rights to the Olympics.
---------
Another issue in Russia is the female punk rock band Pussy Riots. The band had already angered many by their impromptu performances in Russian Orthodox churches, protesting their leadership's ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The band members spent time in jail but were recently released. They were going to set up another impromptu performance in Sochi, but they were attacked by a group of para-military thugs.
http://www.thenation.com/blog/178481/cossacks-play-soldiers-sochi
http://www.thenation.com/blog/178445/sochi-2014-where-pussy-riot-gets-whipped-cossacks
As for Pussy Riot, the group, clad in their trademark pink balaclavas, was attempting to play a song underneath a flashy sign advertising the Sochi Games. The tune was probably going to be a protest track they had pledged to perform in Sochi called “Putin Will Teach You How to Love the Motherland.” They were never able to play a note.
At least ten Cossacks tore off their signature masks and trashed their instruments, with at least one reported to have used pepper spray. One male PR supporter had his face bloodied. Then the Cossacks pulled out the whips. One group member, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, was whipped while lying on the ground. Tolokonnikova was one of the two Pussy Riot members who had spent eighteen months in prison for playing a “punk prayer” in a Russian Orthodox temple. It reportedly took three minutes for the police to arrive on the scene and no arrests were made.
Readers need to understand that three minutes, in the context of a highly militarized Olympic fortress is an eternity. One can ask Vladamir Luxuria about that. Luxuria, an Italian politician who was the first openly trans member of a European Parliament, was arrested last weekend in Sochi. Her crime was unfurling a banner that read, “Gay is OK”. Like other attempted protesters, she was arrested in an eye blink.
----------
The Sochi Olympics was supposed to raise the status of Russia. It was supposed to show the world that Vladimir Putin is "The Man".
So yeah, the games went on with being bombed by terrorists. But it did a violent side with the Pussy Riot getting attacked by street thugs.
Hockey is the ultimate symbol of "play battle" in the Winter Olympics. It was supposed to be Russia's time to shine on their home turf. Neither the men's or women's hockey teams won any medal. Major humiliation for Russia.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has a new leader who, unlike the previous leader, refuse to be compliant towards Russia.
Ukraine has a mix of ethnic Ukrainians and ethnic Russians. Ethnic Russians are fearing they would be targets of hate crimes, which motivated Vladimir Putin to send Russian troops into Ukraine after the Winter Olympics was over.
What next?
The US isn't going to send troops. The people of the US are tired of seeing troops sent to foreign battle.
Will this be the time when Russia takes over a neighboring country and regains the old empire. Or will it be a time when Ukraine stays defiant and defeat the invaders?
Only time will tell.
