Foreign Affairs

unhappycamper

(60,364 posts) Fri Feb 7, 2014, 11:19 AM Feb 2014

The Propaganda Olympics

http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/walter-brasch/54065/the-propaganda-olympics

The Propaganda Olympics
Human Rights | Russia | Sports
by Walter Brasch | February 7, 2014 - 9:56am

For Vladimir Putin, the winter Olympics is not about sports or international camaraderie. It’s a carefully orchestrated propaganda opportunity to try to showcase the nation’s athletes and show the world a Russia that, even with its great culture and arts, may exist only in the imaginations of those who believe in restoring the country’s previous grandeur.

Sochi itself is not typical city for a winter Olympics. It’s a sub-tropical city of about 340,000, located along the Black Sea. Its selection by Russia was to let the world believe that the country in winter is not Siberia but a resort, suitable for tourists.

Under Putin’s personal direction, Russia spent more than 1.8 trillion rubles (the equivalent of about $51 billion U.S.) to build the Olympic village, with its buildings, stadiums, and infrastructure. This is a greater cost than all previous winter Olympics combined. It also includes cost over-runs and various forms of corruption. But, disregard that—that’s an internal problem. Here are a few of the real problems.

Russia has had more than seven years to prepare for this Olympics. But by the first day of competition, some of roads were unfinished, water was undrinkable in many of the newly-built hotels, and the safety of some of the Olympics courses was still in question.

4 replies

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The Propaganda Olympics (Original Post) unhappycamper Feb 2014 OP

BBC radio here in the UK interviewed some athletes earlier this afternoon UK time dipsydoodle Feb 2014 #1

It is becoming obvious and annoying. bemildred Feb 2014 #2

You can't have a F1 Grand Prix in Siberia jakeXT Feb 2014 #3

In an Olympic Record, More Than 50 World Leaders to Attend Sochi Games dipsydoodle Feb 2014 #4

dipsydoodle

(42,239 posts)

1. BBC radio here in the UK interviewed some athletes earlier this afternoon UK time

Reply to unhappycamper (Original post)

Fri Feb 7, 2014, 11:36 AM

Feb 2014

Last edited Fri Feb 7, 2014, 12:09 PM - Edit history (1)

who said it nothing like as bad as the media are depicting it.

bemildred

(90,061 posts)

2. It is becoming obvious and annoying.

Reply to dipsydoodle (Reply #1)

Fri Feb 7, 2014, 11:49 AM

Feb 2014

The knee-jerk disparaging of the Russian Olympics. I don't even watch the Olympics, wouldn't, and it annoys me it is so obvious. At least they could be a little tiny bit subtle, but noooooo ...

jakeXT

(10,575 posts)

3. You can't have a F1 Grand Prix in Siberia

Reply to unhappycamper (Original post)

Fri Feb 7, 2014, 12:08 PM

Feb 2014

Formula Sochi takes active part for the new Russian circuit

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/formula-sochi-takes-active-part-for-the-new-russian-circuit/

dipsydoodle

(42,239 posts)

4. In an Olympic Record, More Than 50 World Leaders to Attend Sochi Games

Reply to unhappycamper (Original post)

Fri Feb 7, 2014, 12:55 PM

Feb 2014

SOCHI, February 7 (R-Sport) – The Sochi Olympics have barely begun yet already the first world record looks sure to be smashed: More than 50 heads of state and government are to attend Friday's opening ceremony.

Among the leaders are Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Norway’s King Harald V and Prime Minister Erna Solberg.

"The Games in Sochi will be record-setting in the history of the Winter Games in terms of attendance of heads of state and government," the Games organizers told R-Sport in a statement.

"That's more than at the last two Games in Turin and Vancouver combined," they added.

US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron are among the more conspicuous names to have turned down invitations; while French President Francois Hollande declared in December he would not attend and German President Joachim Gauck explicitly cited Russia's human rights record as the reason he would skip it.

http://en.ria.ru/sochi2014/20140207/187299658/In-an-Olympic-Record-More-Than-50-World-Leaders-to-Attend-Sochi.html

Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown didn't attend the Vancouver Olympics and Gauck who is East German won't go to Russian anyway as a matter of principal.

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