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Tag: Russia

  • Ted Ligety Wins Gold Medal in Giant Slalom at Sochi Olympics

    Alpine ski racer Ted Ligety won the gold medal in the giant slalom in Sochi on Wednesday, setting several Olympic records.

    The win made the 29-year-old Park City, UT native the first American male skier to win the Olympic giant slalom. He also became the first American male to win two Olympic gold medals in Apline skiing.

    Ligety previously won the gold medal in the men’s combined event in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

    He joins Andrea Mead-Lawrence as one of only two Americans to take home gold medals in Apline skiing. She won the slalom and giant slalom in 1952 at the Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway.

    “I’ve been wanting to win this medal my whole life, but in a realistic sense the last four years,” Ligety said. “All season long everybody talks about the Olympics, Olympics, Olympics. At a certain point I was just like, ‘Let’s do it already. Let’s just get this thing over with so we can stop talking about the pressure and everything with it.’”

    Ligety finished the race with a combined two-run time of 2 minutes, 45.29 seconds. Steve Missillier of France finished 0.48 behind to take the silver medal and his fellow Frenchman Alexis Pinturault took the bronze, finishing 0.64 behind Ligety.

    “To be able to throw it down in the event I had the most pressure in, and the event I was the favorite in — to be able to do that is awesome,” Ligety said. “This was really the event that I wanted to win. … I know where I stand in giant slalom.”

    Known for being humble and upbeat, Ligety has been called “one of the nicest men in ski racing.”

    Fellow Olympian and Alpine ski racer Bode Miller had nothing but words of praise for Ligety: “I think he’s one of the best GS skiers in history,” Miller said. “He’s so much better at it than everybody else. … He just is so consistent. He makes no errors. And anybody who’s trying to cut off line just ends up making mistakes and it makes a huge gap.”

    Ligety will compete in the men’s slalom event on February 22. Miller, who won the bronze in the men’s super-G on Sunday, announced that he will sit out the slalom after tweaking his surgically repaired knee in the giant slalom.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Johnny Weir Is Not Afraid To Be In Anti-Gay Russia

    American figure skater Johnny Weir, known for his flair and outlandishness on and off the ice, is having the time of his life. After retiring from the sport as a competitor, he now works as the NBC’s figure skating analyst with fellow skater Tara Lipinski.

    NBC was quick to get him as expert analyst for their coverage of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. According to NBC Olympics Executive Produce Jim Bell, they did so because of Weir’s knowledge of the sport and the competitors, and of course, his candid and fearless views. “We are thrilled to have Johnny’s perspective on the competition,” Bell added. Weir affirmed this, saying that NBC hired him knowing full well about the kind of statements he liked to make.

    The task may sound easy for the opinionated Weir, but he admits it was a difficult transition. For one thing, he would be giving commentary on people he knows and respects, and another—the hardest part—he would also have to talk about those he doesn’t like. “I have to find a way to be genuine, to perform with my voice,” he said.

    Weir’s on-air work provided viewers with just the right amount of technical expertise to make them understand what’s happening on the ice. He doesn’t fill the performance with commentary, and just speaks when he has something to add. He and co-analyst Lipinski have an obvious camaraderie that can be easily seen (and heard) during the show.

    Weir is openly gay and is critical of Russia’s anti-gay law. He is not afraid. According to him, “Part of being afraid is not knowing, and I know Russia.” Indeed he does, being a self-proclaimed Russophile. He even taught himself to read and speak Russian. He doesn’t feel an obligation to tone down his glitzy appearance, even joking that he had packed three suitcases the size of a small car to Sochi.

    Weir never imagined he would love broadcasting as much as skating, and he hopes he could continue doing so even after this year’s Winter Olympics.

    Image via YouTube

  • Vladimir Luxuria, Gay-Rights Activist, Detained at Sochi

    Vladimir Luxuria, former Communist MP for Italy and current television personality, was detained twice by Russian police for her gay-rights activism in Sochi.

    Her first detainment came on Sunday after holding up a sign in the Olympic Park which read “Gay is OK” in Russian. According to Imma Battaglia, director of Italy’s Gay Project action group, Luxuria’s arrest on Sunday was no walk in the park: “The arrest by the agents was brutal and aggressive. No one spoke English. She now finds herself alone in a room with neon lights shone into her face presumably in a state of arrest.”

    Battaglia’s report was corroborated by Luxuria, who stated, ”It’s not nice to be all alone in a room with a neon light not knowing what’s going on.”

    Despite being reported by multiple sources, Russian police deny detaining Luxuria on Monday due to no formal records of such an occurrence.

    While Luxuria may have not enjoyed staying in a neon-lit room all by herself, it was not enough to deter her from protesting once again. Luxuria was arrested for a second time on Monday after planning to attend a hockey game while wearing a rainbow headdress and sporting a gay-pride flag. Before heading to the game, Luxuria was shouting “Gay is OK” for approximately 2 hours outside of Shayba Arena.

    When asked why she continued to protest at the games, Luxuria responded, “I think it is important …(to have) the opportunity to talk internationally about these things because otherwise these things happen in Russia and nobody knows, nobody cares. They think: ‘Well, it’s not in our country, it’s far away, it’s in Russia, who cares?’”

    Protests at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi stem from a recent bill passed by the Russian government which makes it illegal to produce propaganda for gay-rights in the presence of children or if it will be found offensive by particular religious groups. Due to this law and International Olympic Committee (IOC) laws outlawing political propaganda at the Olympic Games, the IOC supported Luxuria’s removal from the stadium on Monday: ”I know her stated aim to demonstrate in the venue and I believe after a couple of hours when she finally got to the venue I think she was escorted from there peacefully, not detained,” stated IOC spokesman Mark Adams.

    Even though she has already been detained twice, one should not expect Luxuria to stop protesting anytime soon: “I think this is so important. For me, I’ve experienced in my childhood what it means to be beaten up or abused for the fact that I’m transgender. If I stop wearing the colours of the rainbow, just because somebody took away a flag from me, that means that these people win.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Pussy Riot Members Released After Being Questioned

    Two members of Pussy Riot, a Russian punk band, were briefly detained today in Sochi. The group members were being questioned after a theft occurred at the hotel they were staying at.

    Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were having a meeting with journalists at the time the police took them into custody, according to Petr Verzilov, Tolokonnikova’s husband.

    “They were put to the floor and beaten and physical force was used to them when they refused to be questioned without the presence of their lawyer, who was on his way to the police department,” Verzilov revealed.

    The police proceeded to question the girls, and other guests at the hotel, at the Adler police station near the Winter Olympics. “A survey in connection with the theft at the Hotel Adler is completed, there is no claim against those questioned,” the police said in a statement.

    Tolokonnikova took to her personal Twitter page to voice her outrage. “Unbelievable lawlessness, even we are amazed,” tweeted Tolokonnikova. “Beat on the floor of the department, in the Olympic capital!” She then added, “They dragged me on the floor in the hall of the department, hands tied behind back and thrown to the floor. Putin will teach you to love the motherland!” Tolokonnikova also revealed, via Twitter, that she was forced to testify without a lawyer present.

    Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina were previously imprisoned for nearly two years after they were convicted of “hooliganism” when they performed a song slamming Vladimir Putin in a Moscow cathedral. They were released shortly before the start of the Winter Olympics.

    Image via Twitter

  • Brittany Schussler in Hot Water for Selfie With Vladimir Putin

    Canada’s Brittany Schussler hasn’t won an Olympic medal yet, but if medals were given out for worst selfie, the speed skater would definitely win gold. Schussler found herself in hot water after posting a selfie with Russian president Vladimir Putin to her Twitter page. Putin has been the center of much controversy after defending his country’s new anti-gay law. The 28-year-old speed skater has since deleted the picture from Twitter and said that she never intended to offend anyone with the selfie.

    Schussler took the photo with Putin while the Russian president visited Canada House in Olympic Park on Friday. The skater uploaded the photo to Twitter with the caption, “I should have asked him to be my valentine!” The photo immediately received a lot of backlash, with many people criticizing Schussler for seemingly aligning herself with the anti-gay proponent.

    Check out the offending photo below.

    After receiving a lot of hateful messages, Schussler removed the photo and has since posted a couple of tweets saying she never meant to offend anyone with the photo.

    While many people have blasted Schussler for posting the photo with Putin, a few have come to her defense. Elvis Stojko, a Canadian figure skater and two-time Olympic silver medalist, told the Winnipeg Free Press that he didn’t believe people were right to rake Schussler over the coals for the photo.

    “It’s up to the discretion of the individual athlete to decide how they want to go about it. In this particular situation, just because you pose with someone doesn’t mean you agree with what they’re doing. He was invited into Canada House and he was there to invite us into his country,” Stojko said.

    “Out of respect for him, and he runs the country, they’re being respectful to him. They’re following etiquette,” Stojko continued. “There’s a forum to speak your mind on certain issues. They can speak their mind, but this isn’t really the place for it. This is about the Olympics and bringing everyone together and promoting harmony and peace. That’s the whole point. The opening ceremonies were all about harmony and peace. We want to try and show the positives. The biggest thing, you can’t fix hate with hate.”

    Do you think Brittany Schussler is deserving of all the backlash she is receiving for her selfie with Putin? Add your comments below.

    Image via Twitter

  • Li Jianrou Wins China’s First Gold at Sochi Olympic Games

    Li Jianrou won China its first gold medal of the Sochi Games on Thursday.

    Li was able to avoid a massive pile-up on the ice to take first place in the women’s short-track 500-meter speed skating event.

    The short-track 500-meter is known as a thrilling and unpredictable race and it lived up to that reputation in Sochi.

    British speed skater Elise Christie started the pile-up when she attempted to pass Italian Arianna Fontana on the second turn of the race. As Christie and Fontana fell to the ice, they managed to bring down Korea’s Park Seung-hi too.

    Li swerved around them and sped past to take the lead.

    “I feel very lucky,” she said.

    Christie crossed the finish line second, but the judges determined that the crash was her fault and disqualified her.

    “I thought I had more speed so I moved up while I could,” said Christie. “I knew it was going to be a 50-50 call. When I was in the race I thought I was in front, I thought it was more going to go my way than not, but obviously it didn’t and that’s that.”

    “I saw Elise come in and thought I’d stop her, but she kept going,” Fontana said. “This is short track, so that’s what happens. When I was falling I was so sad, then I saw the Korean girl fell and I thought I could still get something so I got up as quickly as I could. I got my silver medal, but for me it’s gold.”

    Fontana took the silver medal and Park the bronze.

    “It is such a great disappointment,” Park said of her third place finish. “But it is also part of my destiny. I have to accept it.”

    The 500-meter is the only short-track event South Korea has never won and Park was hoping to remedy that on Thursday.

    Li’s win was a thrilling victory for China – earning them their fourth straight Olympic gold medal in the event.

    It was a somewhat bittersweet victory – China’s defending champion Wang Meng, who won the gold at both Vancouver and Turin, broke her ankle last month, rendering her unable to compete in Sochi. Li stepped in with relatively little experience in the 500-meter event.

    “I cried because I was so excited,” Li said. “My coach told me this medal is for Wang Meng as well, so I felt very moved.”

    China now joins South Korea as the only two countries to win the same short-track event four Olympics in a row. South Korea won the 3000-meter relay in 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2006.

    Yang Yang won the short-track 500-meter gold for China in Salt Lake City in 2002.

    Image via YouTube

  • Aliona Savchenko: Hot Pink “Pink Panther” Bodysuit Steals the Show

    Russian duo Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov may have simultaneously won the gold and set a new world record in the figure skating pairs short program on Tuesday, but we can’t stop talking about Aliona Savchenko’s hot pink body suit.

    Savchenko and her partner Robin Szolkowy, the figure skating duo from Germany, set their short program ice dance to the tune of Henry Mancini’s The Pink Panther Theme. Szolkowy was outfitted in officious shades of blue, but it was Savchenko’s neon pink catsuit that mesmerized spectators around the world.

    Savchenko and Szolkowy had used the Pink Panther music and costumes a few years ago when they took first place in the prestigious Trophée Eric Bompard Grand Prix competition in Paris, France.

    The decision to revisit the routine for Tuesday’s performance was a somewhat last-minute one, by Olympic standards.

    ”Even in practice it was easy to skate to and comfortable,” Szolkowy said. ”We know this program so well.”

    “We wanted to show that it was easy,” Savchenko said. “We skated it for the fans. When you’re having fun doing your routine and the audience goes with it, it just makes you feel good and less nervous.”


    “We had a good feeling, indeed the most important thing was to skate clean,” Szolkowy added.

    And skate clean they did. Savchenko and Szolkowy performed the routine completely error-free on Tuesday, earning them a 79.64 and the silver medal.

    The bronze went to Russia’s Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov who scored a 75.21.

    “We are happy we changed our program. It was the absolute right choice. Maybe we couldn’t skate it at 110 percent, but at least at 105 percent,” said Szolkowy.


    “When you’re having fun doing your routine and the audience goes with it, it just makes you feel good and less nervous,” said Savchenko.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Brittany Bowe Competes in First Event at Sochi Winter Olympics

    Brittany Bowe took 13th place in the women’s 500-meter speed skating event at the Sochi Winter Olympics on Tuesday.

    Thirteenth place might not sound like much, but it was an impressive race for the 25 year-old Ocala, Florida native. A former inline skating chamption, Bowe didn’t even start ice skating until July 2010. She was playing basketball at Florida Atlantic University during the last Winter Olympics.

    The 500-meter event consists of two heats. Because the distance is too short to allow for lane changes, each skater gets to race on both the inner and outer lanes of the big oval in order to compensate for the slight advantage given the skater on the inner lane.

    Bowe skated a 38.81 in the first heat and a 38.37 in the second giving her a combined time of 77.18.

    The gold medal went to South Korea’s Lee Sang Hwa. Her performance was a record-breaking one. Her time in the second heat – 37.28 – broke the single race record and her combined time – 74.70 – broke the overall two-race Olympic record. Lee was favored to win the gold at Sochi, after having won it four years ago in Vancouver. She set the world record for the distance four times in 2013.

    Bowe’s teammate Heather Richardson took eighth place in the 500-meter with times of 37.73 and 38.02, for a total of 75.75. This is Richardson’s second Olympic Games; she finished sixth in the 500-meter at Vancouver four years ago.

    Richardson and Bowe came in first and second respectively at the qualifying races in Salt Lake City. Along with Shani Davis, they are part of what is considered by many to be the strongest US long-track speed skating team since the 2002 Winter Olympics.

    Bowe will hit the ice again on Thursday for the 1000-meter event, and on Sunday for the 1500-meter. In November, she set the world record in the 1000-meter and the US record for the 1500-meter.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Julia Lipnitskaia Is Russia’s New Figure Skating Star

    It’s undeniable. Julia Lipnitskaia is a star. The 15-year-old Russian figure skating princess electrified spectators in Sochi on Saturday. Veteran male figure skater Evgeni Plushenko called her a “genius”– a sentiment shared by many of Lipnitskaia’s colleagues.

    Retired American figure skater Tara Lipinski, who was also a gold medal winner at age 15, understands first hand what it takes to perform at an elite level at such a young age. “Judging from how prepared she looks – I can see it when they step on the ice – she looks like she believes this is her moment,” Lipinski said, “she is the real package.”

    Julia Lipnitskaia skating was hauntingly beautiful, as she performed to the melodramatic tunes of the John Williams’ soundtrack. Her seemingly effortless routine involved maneuvers considered a technical tour de force. She floated on air, as she performed the lightest of triple jumps, triple Lutz, and combinations of these all while maintaining the grave demeanor of her character.

    Her winning performance helped Russia win the gold medal for the team figure skating event in front of a cheering home crowd . The team of figure skaters were congratulated immediately by Russian President Vladimir Putin, as soon as they got off the ice. Teammate Evgeni Plushenko received a warm embrace from the President, while Lipnitskaia got a fatherly pat on the head as the President shared words and gave thanks to each member of the team. The team’s win marked Russia’s first medal of the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

    Plushenko was flooded in flowers and stuffed animals after his winning performance. He has garnered three Olympic medals in his career, and after undergoing his 12th surgery last year, the 31-year-old decided that the Sochi Olympics would be the last chapter of his stellar career. He scored 19 points for his country while Julia Lipnitskaia led Russia with 20 points.

    Julia Lipnitskaia At 2014 European Figure Skating Championship

    http://youtu.be/mx96OcUKpT0

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Olga Graf, Russian Speed Skater, Nearly Flashes Crowd After Winning the Bronze

    Speed skater Olga Graf won Russia its first medal of the 2014 Olympic Games on Sunday. In a surprising win, she took the bronze medal in the women’s 3000 meter event at Adler Arena.

    Her moment of triumph almost ended in embarrassment though, when – following her cool-down lap – an ecstatic Graf unzipped her skin-tight racing suit right down to her belly button, forgetting that she was wearing nothing underneath.

    “I totally forgot,” Graf admitted through a translator. “We have very good suits and they are very tight. … You just want to breathe and you want to take off your suit.”

    She went on to say “Only afterward did I realize that maybe this video will appear on YouTube. But I don’t think it will be so bad.”

    And sure enough, video footage abounds on YouTube.

    Despite her wardrobe malfunction close call, Graf made her home country proud.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin offered words of praise: “You brought an unforgettable moment of triumph and utter joy to millions of fans by taking the first medal for our team,” he said.

    Graf’s time in the 3000 meter event was 4:03.47. Dutch speed skating legend Ireen Wust took the gold with a time of 4:00.34 and Martina Sablikova took the silver for the Czech Republic with a time of 4:01.95.

    It was Wust’s third straight Olympic gold medal. She previously won the gold in Vancouver (1500 meters) and Turin (3000 meters.)

    “I have won three times in a row, I can’t believe it,” said Wust. “It is unbelievable and it is also a big relief. I have never felt this much pressure. I was not the only one who wanted to win, 17 million Dutchies wanted the same.”

    Sablikova, who specializes in longer distances such as the 3000 meters and who won gold for the distance in Vancouver four years ago, was favored to take the top spot in Sochi.

    Germany’s Claudia Pechstein was expected to be a medal contender in the 3000 meter event. It would have been her tenth Olympic medal. She ended up in fourth place with a time of 4:05.26.

    Her much talked about fashion blunder aside, Graf’s best surprise of the Sochi games was edging Pechstein out of the top three and claiming the host country’s first medal of the 2014 games, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

    “I didn’t expect such support from the audience,” Graf said. “I want to thank them.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • #SochiProblems Are Becoming More Evident

    #SochiProblems Are Becoming More Evident

    The 2014 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony suffered quite the malfunction. Five snowflakes were supposed to expand into the iconic Olympic rings, but couldn’t quite manage.

    While the first four snowflakes transformed into the rings, one snowflake didn’t quite morph leaving four large rings and one random snowflake suspended in the air at Fisht Stadium.

    Unfortunately this isn’t the only issue the Winter Olympics have had thus far. It’s starting to seem like everyone in Sochi just can’t catch a break. The struggles have become so evident that “#SochiProblems” has become one of the most popular Olympic-related hashtags.

    Check out some of the hilarious #SochiProblem tweets below.

    What’s the funniest/craziest #SochiProblems that you’ve come across? Leave comments below.
    Image Via YouTube

  • Olympic Charter Referenced With Google Doodle Supporting Gay Rights

    Google has a doodle up on its homepage throughout the world today celebrating the Olympic Games, but also making a statement in favor of gay rights.

    Olympic Charter

    Not only does the doodle resemble a rainbow flag, Google has actually quoted the Olympic Charter on its homepage underneath the search box. It says:

    “The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.” –Olympic Charter

    The link simply takes you to Google’s search results for “olympic charter,” which points to the document on Olympic.org as the top result underneath the news box. From there you can access it in PDF form.

    The quote Google uses appears as number 4 under “Fundamental Principles of Olympism”.

    The charter is the set of rules and guidelines for the games, and has been used throughout history to decide the outcome of various controversies. The organization has turned to it to rule on issues about citizenship, performance-enhancing drugs, and sexism, among other things.

    Obviously Google is aiming the doodle and message at Russian anti-gay law, and these appear on Google’s Russian homepage just like the rest of its international properties.

    Image via Google

  • Toothpaste Alert? Legitimate Fear, Bizarre Sources

    According to CNN, the United States is telling all airlines headed for Russia to be on the lookout for something peculiar: toothpaste.

    The House Homeland Security Committee’s chairman said Wednesday night that they believed that there is a possibility that individuals would attempt to smuggle explosive materials in toothpaste tubes and cosmetic cases. Sochi, where the Winter Olympics is being hosted, is the anticipated target of these efforts.

    CNN says that a law enforcement source told them that the concern of the officials is limited to the immediate start of the games. Even though U.S. officials are confident about the level of security around Sochi and the actual Olympic games, they say they have heard an increased amount of discussion regarding the targeting of places outside of Sochi, such as public transportation.

    For those that are monitoring the issues with terrorism in Russia, the Caucasus region has been a particularly active source of extremist activity. At the same time, the United States is concerned about the possibility of al Qaeda-related terrorism.

    There were letters sent to several European nations and the United States back in January that threatened Olympians through a possible bombing. Though the letters were dismissed at the time, it may be possible that the latest intelligence may make officials take a closer look.

    As for this new information, as bizarre as it is to connect toothpaste with terrorism, the authorities feel this lead to be true.

    “It’s real. It’s real and we got very good information,” an anonymous government official told the network, “It’s based on a credible source. We’re taking it seriously.”

    When it comes to threats on the United States, it appears for now there is no major concern about any related or unrelated threats at this time. However, there is concern for Americans who are traveling to Russia to watch the games or participate.

    The Obama administration has not declared the event unsafe for Americans to travel to despite the concerns about terrorism. Secretary of State John Kerry says the US isn’t telling people not to go. “…Anybody who wants to go to the Olympics, which are just a great event, should go.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Sochi Olympics: Will Security Be Tight Enough?

    The Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia are preparing to get underway as teams across the world begin competing for the gold, silver, and bronze on Thursday evening.

    Both snowboarding and team figure skating will be broadcast on Thursday, even though the Opening Ceremonies will not take place until Friday, February 7th at 7:30 p.m. EST. The Ceremonies will be held at Sochi’s Fisht Olympic Stadium.

    NBC is the official broadcasting network of the Games, and will stream coverage – everything except for the Opening Ceremonies – from Sochi on their website.

    Amid the excitement of the upcoming Games, one question is clearly on the mind’s of fans across the world; how secure will Sochi be? Ticket sales have proved to be dismal, with only 213,000 spectators expected in Russia. An estimated 10,000 of these travelers will be from the U.S.

    In light of the bombings at the Boston Marathon almost a year ago, many of the would-be travelers are avoiding the Games because of safety threats. Back in the summer, the leader of Caucasus Emirate, a terrorist group, implored fellow extremists to wreak havoc on the Games, according to reports from USA TODAY.

    As well, Russian forces have been relentlessly hunting a group of “black widows,” the wives’ of extremists who have been killed by the Russian military; three of these women are believed to have perpetrated two suicide bombings just 400 miles from Sochi two months ago. The deadly bombings, which took place in Volgograd, killed 34 people.

    However, amid the security threats of “black widows” and other radicals, the measures in place to prevent terrorism are numerous; the Russian military is on high-alert and well-staffed, already checking travelers at train stations and other transportation hot spots.

    The United States has prepared a Naval ship to be stationed nearby Sochi, on the Black Sea, to evacuate the thousands of American citizens attending the Games should the need arise. As well, former members of the special ops military group, Delta Force, founded a private security company that will be tracking its clients every move throughout the area, saying that they are able to locate a person within a 3-foot radius using their system. The firm, TigerSwan, is also working with Olympic officials and sponsors of the Games to provide tighter security.

    CEO of TigerSwan, James Reese, says that they also have an emergency assistance team armed and ready.

    Other officials and security experts are not quite as certain of the safety of fans at the Games, saying that while security may be tight at the events, it would be difficult to incorporate such a high level of the same security at all transportation meccas in the area. Also cited are the threats of terrorism that have already taken place.

    Bill Rathburn, a former Olympic security director recently said, “This is the only Games in history where there’s been an announced credible threat well before the Games. Since that threat was made last July, there’s been at least three terrorist incidents that have demonstrated their capability of carrying out that threat. So I think it’s very, very real.”

    Main image courtesy @Olympics via Twitter.

  • Sochi Olympics Not Winning Over Americans, Poll Says

    According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, 4 of every 10 Americans have unfavorable impressions of the upcoming Winter Olympiad in Sochi. Half of respondents had a favorable impression and 10 percent didn’t care either way. In comparison, the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics saw 72 percent approval and only 16 percent unfavorable impressions.

    This lukewarm reception likely stems from a mishmash of sources, from the mindboggling price tag (over $50 billion), concerns over security, and President Vladimir Putin’s anti-gay remarks and legislation.

    The Washington Post-ABC poll numbers are backed up by a Pew Research Center poll released Tuesday that showed a plurality of Americans believing that holding the Olympics in Russia was a “bad decision.” Respondents in that poll overwhelmingly cited security concerns.

    Fifty-three percent have favorable views on Russia’s anti-terrorism efforts, a tepid but generally positive assessment is strongly connected to how the games are viewed overall. Those who view Russia’s efforts on terrorism favorably likewise tend to see the games favorably by a 68 to 25 percent margin; those who have unfavorable impressions invert those figures, with 68 percent unfavorable to 29 percent favorable.

    American liberals are least enthusiastic—with only 44 percent favorable impressions—likely due to a series of rows over gay rights. Moderates weighed in at 57 percent and conservatives at 51. So, essentially, we’ve finally found a salve for American partisan bickering—everybody can dislike the Olympics at roughly the same proportion.

    But while Sochi lags well behind London in American hearts and minds, pollsters provided a frame of reference that takes out some of the sting. While Americans are collectively “meh”ing over Sochi, they gave President Putin a far worse evaluation at only 27 percent favorable impressions. And who do we hate even more than Putin? Tonya Harding, clinging to relevance in 2014.

    Here’s a sampling of Olympic-related poll numbers over the past 20 years:

      Olympic swimming (2012) 79% favorable, 16% unfavorable
      London Olympics (2012) 72% favorable, 16% unfavorable
      Nancy Kerrigan (1994) 54% favorable, 38% unfavorable
      Sochi Olympics (2014) 50% favorable, 40% unfavorable
      Dressage (2012) 47% favorable, 27% unfavorable
      Vladimir Putin (2014) 27% favorable, 58% unfavorable
      Tonya Harding (1994) 10% favorable, 78% unfavorable

    So apparently Americans disliked Tonya Harding as much as they liked Ryan Lochte. Go figure.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Google Adds Street View Imagery To Russia, And For First Time Slovenia

    Google has announced the addition of Street View imagery to more towns, cities and sights in Russia, and to Slovenia for the first time.

    Slovenia makes the fifty-fifth country Google has launched Street View in.

    “In Russia, our drivers reached the far away corners of the world’s largest country,” says Google Street View program manager Carlos Reolid. “Users can take a walk around Yakutsk, the city with the greatest seasonal temperature swings on Earth (the lowest recorded winter temperature was −64.4°C with the highest summer peak hitting 38.4°C).”

    “In total, Street View cars covered 300,000 kilometers in Russia in 2013, an area housing almost 60 percent of the population,” he adds. “We mapped the biggest Russian island of Sakhalin and the Russkiy Bridge, the world’s longest cable-stayed bridge. While snapping the M52 highway, also known as Chuya Highway or Chuysky Trakt, Street View drivers met indigenous tribes.”

    In Slovenia, users will be able to find imagery for cities like Ljubljana, Maribor, Celje, Kranj, and Koper, as well as for Bohinj Lake and Piran.

    Google says it felt like this was a good time to add all this imagery as “the eyes of winter sports fans” turn to Russia. The Olympic Winter Games, of course, start this Friday in Sochi.

    Image via Google

  • Sochi Mayor Claims No Gay People Live In His City

    A Russian drag queen that goes by the name Madame Zhu-Zha said that there is in fact a gay community in Sochi and throughout Russia. “There are very many clubs for gay people in Moscow, in Sochi we have two gay clubs as well. In some places there’s serious prejudice against gay people.”

    How is it possible that the two alleged gay clubs in Sochi stay in business when the city’s Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov claims that there are no gay people in his city? “It’s not accepted here in the Caucasus where we live. We do not have them in our city.”

    One thing that the Olympics is sure to do is shine a light on a locale’s ideology. Since the cold war ended, we haven’t had the same eye on Russia that we did thirty years ago. It looks like, from a tolerance standpoint, that very little has changed.

    Just last June, the Russian Government passed a law banning the distribution of information about homosexuality to children. In fact, if a person gives any information to anyone under the age of 18 about homosexuality, they will be fined.

    If you’re gay and are participating or planning to attend the Olympics next month in Sochi, you shouldn’t have to worry as long as you keep your lifestyle on the down low. The Russian President himself wants to assure the LBGT community that the red welcome mat will be rolled out for them. However, Vladimir Putin does want to make sure that you leave the children alone. “Our hospitality will be extended to everyone who respects the laws of the Russian Federation and doesn’t impose their habits on others.” He added, “We don’t have a ban on non-traditional sexual relations. We have a ban on the propaganda of homosexuality and pedophilia.”

    The 2014 Winter Olympics will commence on February 7th. The Games have already had their fair share of controversy. Of course, there’s this whole gay propaganda warning which has led to possible boycotts and fears among the LBGT community. In addition, there have been numerous concerns over security.

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  • Winter Olympics Will See The Least American Visitors

    As we’re weeks away from this year’s Olympic games, it looks like Sochi will see the least amount of American spectators visiting an Olympic games in the last 20 years. US tour operators blame poor reception on several factors: terrorism fears, lack of hostels and resorts, and the difficulty of obtaining a travel visa to Russia. Now, there’s even been a travel alert issued, after two suicide bombings in nearby Volgograd killed 30 people.

    It’s been reported that Russia, who was expecting to do well with ticket sales, still has 30% of tickets unsold for the games. (The last Winter Olympics, held in Vancouver, sold 97% of their tickets.) Despite Putin’s promise that the games will be safe, along with thousands of police and security patrolling the area, the threats against the games feel very real and possible to many spectators.

    ”It doesn’t take an expert to look at that region and say the Olympics will be such a large target that insurgents will not try to do something,” says a security analyst for NBC. ”There has been an average of 10 to 15 attacks in North Caucasus every month in recent years. It’s just now the press is paying more attention to it.”

    Lt. Col. Robert Schaefer, a who wrote on the conflict happening in the North Caucasus, says the biggest concern should be in the construction workers: “many of them foreigners, they could have taken bribes to look the other way while explosives were buried or caches of weapons stored in the frenzied buildup of facilities over the last few years.”

    The games were decided to be held in Sochi back in 2007, when a personal appearance by Putin, selling his scenic snowy mountains and resort town by the Black Lake, convinced the committee on the location over South Korea and Austria. Now it seems up to Putin onto hold that promise. Schaefer also says that this is Putin’s chance to show that’s he’s the president that can tame the rebellion. ‘What could sell the world more than anything else is he’s the guy who finally did what all Russian Czars couldn’t – he tamed the Caucasus,” Schaefer says. ”You have a large Olympics and you pull it off without incident, then you demonstrate to everybody that you’ve beaten them.”

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  • Ukraine Protests Continue: At Least Two Protestors Slain

    Reports indicate that turmoil is amplifying in Ukraine as protests stretch beyond its capital.

    On Friday, protestors in cities near Kiev surrounded government buildings, confronting authorities. The demonstrations, which began in November, were initially spurred after Ukraine opted out from signing an accord on more cooperation with the EU, and instead decided to strengthen its relationship with Russia.

    The discord came to a head last week and devolved into violence on the heels of new anti-protest laws. Sunday there were reports that demonstrators launched firebombs into the Ukrainian House building and set off fireworks while police were inside.

    Authorities retaliated with tear gas.

    President Viktor Yanukovych recently made proposals to the opposition, when he extended to their leader, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the position of Prime Minister, suggesting Valai Klitschko (former boxer) also take the post of deputy prime minister. Yatsenyuk, a former foreign minister, rejected the offer, insisting that key demands must be met, including new elections, and that talks will continue.

    While the concession itself is considered a coup, the opposition aspires to a full coup d’etat and is proceeding as such.

    Despite the uncertainty about whether President Yanukovych even means to honor the proposals he has offered, the move is regardless viewed as a weakness on his part and fuel for the opposition to move forward. However, it is surmised that Yanukovych has a method to his madness as well; by prolonging negotiations with the opposition and centering attention and time onto Yatsenyuk potentially being appointed the position of prime minister, the energy of the protest movement could slowly deflate should with the redirected the focus.

    As the most recent Kiev incident illustrates, however, there’s no absence of passion in the protests, presently.

    In half the country, demonstrators have fervently pressed on past Kiev in all directions. Protesters have occupied the council building in Sumy, been exposed to tear gas and smoke grenades by police in Zaporizhzhya, were arrested and driven out of the regional state and administration building in Cherkasy, and erected barricades outside a Chernihiv regional administration building.

    Following the 100 protester occupation on Saturday at the headquarters of the energy ministry in Kiev, Minister Eduard Stavitskiy has said the country’s nuclear energy facilities are on high alert.

    However, the consequences were direr for some demonstrators.

    Last week, 25 year-old Mikhail Zhiznevsky was one of at least two activists killed. In Kiev, thousands of his fellow protesters carried his coffin though the streets while loudly praising him with the chant “hero!

    During his weekly Angelus prayer, Pope Francis said, “I am close to Ukraine in prayer, in particular to those who have lost their lives in recent days and to their families,” expressing a hope for “constructive dialogue between the institutions and civil society,” and adding that “the spirit of peace and a search for the common good should be in the hearts of all.”

    He then had two peace doves released… and this happened:

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  • “Black Widows” Sought Before Sochi Olympics

    As many as four women with ties to terrorists may be plotting acts against the Olympics, according to Russian sources.

    The women–called “black widows” because they often want to avenge the deaths of their husbands–may be in the area of Sochi, where the Olympic games are set to kick off on February 7. Russian security officers have distributed “Wanted” posters for at least one woman, Ruzana Ibragimova, saying she may be used by two men who have claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings that hit Volgograd in December and killed 34 people.

    “That which we will do, that which we have done, is only a little example, a little step,” one the men, from the Islamist organization Anars Al Sunna, said in a video which was released over the weekend.

    “We’ll have a surprise package for you,” the other man said. “And those tourists that will come to you, for them, too, we have a surprise.”

    The games have been a major area of concern for months, since Chechen rebel Doku Umarov swore to bring violence to Sochi.

    “They plan to hold the Olympics on the bones of our ancestors, on the bones of many, many dead Muslims, buried on the territory of our land on the Black Sea,” he said.

    While officials have done everything they can to make the games safe–including added beefed up security such as bomb-sniffing dogs, drones which will patrol the Olympic facilities, boats to patrol the coast, and troops to keep watch in the mountains around the area–authorities say these “black widows” can be harder to spot in a large crowd because, as women, they can easily change their appearance with makeup and don’t particularly look like Islamic militants.

    “There’s every belief they’ll make it secure and do whatever it takes to do that,” said an American senior law enforcement official. “But it is a large country, and these groups can get a lot of bang for their buck if they are able to do something in the country, wherever it is, during the Olympics.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Vladimir Putin Defends Anti-Gay Law

    Vladimir Putin Defends Anti-Gay Law

    Russian President Vladimir Putin recently defended his country’s new controversial anti-gay law, and explained that it was not intended to discriminate against anyone.

    “It seems to me that the law that we have adopted does not hurt anyone,” he said during an interview in Sochi on Friday. “Moreover, individuals of non-traditional orientation cannot feel like second-rate humans in this country because they are not discriminated against in any way.”

    The new law was passed last year, and according to Putin, outlaws “propaganda” of “non-traditional sexual relations” around minors. However, many residents have realized that the law outlaws public homosexuality completely. “It has nothing to do with persecuting people for their non-traditional orientation,” Putin said. “My personal position is that society must keep children safe.”

    The most recent concern was that gay athletes would receive criticism at the Sochi Olympics. However, Putin assures us that that will not happen. “I couldn’t care less about their sexual orientation. We will welcome all athletes and all visitors to the Olympics,” he said. “None of our guests will have any problems.”

    “The Russian people have their own cultural code, their own tradition,” Putin said when he heard that several countries had considered boycotting the Olympics. “We don’t interfere, don’t stick our noses in their life and we ask that our traditions and culture are treated with the same respect.”

    Although President Barack Obama will not be attending the Sochi Olympics, he has picked several interesting candidates to send in his place as part of the presidential delegation. The delegation will include tennis player and LGBT activist Billie Jean King, and the openly gay hockey player Caitlin Cahow. Obama’s decision to send openly gay athletes is sending a clear message to Russia, regarding their new law.

    “Basically, the White House is highlighting Americans who know what it means to have freedoms and liberties under the Constitution. That’s really what we’re representing in Sochi and it’s not at all different from what’s espoused in the spirit of Olympism,” Cahow explained. “So I think it’s just a great group of people. I can’t believe I’ve been named one of them because it’s a remarkable roster and I just think that we’re going to represent what the best America can be. Hopefully, it will unify all of Team USA and send a message of love and acceptance to the world.”

    “Between major countries there certainly always are some common ground and points of tension,” Putin said. “With respect to athletes I’d recommend and advise them not to think about the political differences. Politics should not interfere with sports. And sports should impact politics.”

    What do you think about Russia’s anti-gay propaganda law? Leave your comments below.

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