The Gayest Olympics Ever!

 Russia's  and Putin's own doing, stemming from the country's passage of legislation last June to punish people for the spread of homosexual "propaganda." The law drew condemnation around the world for being vague and stigmatizing gay identity.

"Sometimes things backfire," Tewksbury said. "Trying to make this a non-issue, well, guess what — it's a huge issue.""Sometimes things backfire," Tewksbury said. "Trying to make this a non-issue, well, guess what — it's a huge issue."

What a Putin!

The Simpsons Take on the Sochi Opening Ceremony

As usual, the Simpsons got it right!

Why Sochi Olympics Suck!

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/02/06/2014-olympics-sochi-vancouver-2010-games_n_4739919.html

2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Medal Count

Great site for the Sochi Olympics Medal Count at:

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/sochi-2014/medals/

Side-by-side toilet found at Sochi Olympics

PHOTO: AP Photo

In this photo taken Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014, two female toilets sit side by side at the security screening facility outside the Main Press Center at the 2014 Winter Olympics, in Sochi, Russia. Side-by-side toilets in a single bathroom caused a social media sensation last month when they were discovered at the biathlon course of the Sochi Olympics, swiftly becoming a national joke in Russia. The Sochi organizing committee initially denied knowledge of the second twin toilet, and it has not been able to say whether the loo-loo was built by design or resulted from an error during the plumbing process.

Sochi Snow

Will there be enough snow for the Sochi Olympics?

I really hope not!

I don't like Putin and I hope his 50 Billion dollar Olympics is a great big flop.

Why give the Olympics to a DICTATOR???

 I wonder how much he paid the IOC members????

Sochi Olympic Mascots

The Polar Bear
The Polar bear lives beyond the Arctic Circle on a shelf of ice. In his home, everything is made out of ice and snow: his snow shower, his bed, his computer and even his weight-lifting equipment. Arctic explorers raised the Polar Bear from a very early age. They taught him how to ski, speed skate and curl. But above all, the Polar Bear enjoyed riding sports sleighs. He became a real bobsleigh pro. These days, the Polar Bear’s friends often set up bobsleigh competitions. During the long Arctic nights, there’s never a dull moment.

The Hare
The Hare is the busiest creature in the winter forest. Her friends are always amazed by how she finds time to do so much. The little doe hare not only studies at the Forest Academy (where she gets excellent grades) and helps her Mum in the family restaurant, “The Forest Dam”, but she also takes part in sporting events. In addition, she trusts her friends so much that she doesn’t have any secrets. The hare simply loves sports with all her heart. She also loves to sing and dance.

The Leopard
The Leopard is a rescuer and mountain-climber that lives in the uppermost branches of a huge tree, on the highest peak of the snowy mountains in the Caucasus. He is always prepared to help those in need, and on a number of occasions has rescued nearby villages from mighty avalanches. The Leopard is an experienced snowboarder and has taught all his friends and neighbors to snowboard too. He is a cheerful character who enjoys the company of others and loves to go dancing.

Sidney Crosbey Canada's Golden Boy

Should be a great hockey tournament at the Sochi Olympics!

Lindsey Vonn withdraws from 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi

Vonn posted the following message on her Facebook page:

"I am devastated to announce that I will not be able to compete in Sochi. I did everything I possibly could to somehow get strong enough to overcome having no ACL but the reality has sunk in that my knee is just too unstable to compete at this level. I'm having surgery soon so that I can be ready for the World Championships at home in Vail next February. On a positive note, this means there will be an additional spot so that one of my teammates can go for gold. Thank you all so much for all of the love and support. I will be cheering for all of the Olympians and especially team USA!''

Sochi Winter Olympics and Corruption

The film Russia tried to block: The 'threats and corruption' behind Sochi Olympics

A documentary alleging that behind the scenes of the Winter Olympics in Sochi lies greed, extortion and environmental damage is screened for the first time on Sunday.

more at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/10469999/The-film-Russia-tried-to-block-The-threats-and-corruption-behind-Sochi-Olympics.html

Russian Poverty and the Winter Olympics

THE PUTIN GAMES

Russian authorities last week announced the latest costs related to the games, saying total spending would come to about $51 billion, which would make Sochi the most expensive Olympics in history.
With the Winter Olympics a year away, IOC President Jacques Rogge praised Sochi organizers on Wednesday and defended the

$51 billion price tag.

Just a little research will convince you that many people in Russia are very poor.

The rich are getting richer and the poor poorer.

Putin came to power in a time of great corruption. 

Some claim Vladimir Putin is the richest man on earth.

Validmir Putin Palace

But Putin wants to fool the world into thinking Russia is a great country. It is a great place to live for a select few.

I wonder what Putin would do if most countries boycotted the 2013 Sochi Olympics.

In a perfect world that is what we should do. He is a dictator in ever sense of the word.

How will the Olympic games help the average Russian??

The venue for the Ski Jumping competition will cost approximately $265 million ! 4-5 times more than projected.
So much money spent on a "sport" that most people will never participate in!!!

What a shame.

All About Sochi

Great site for Discovering all about Sochi at CBC:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/discoversochi/

Sochi Winter Olympics Volunteers

No wonder the Sochi Winter Olympics needs so many volunteers!!!

With at least $50 billion in public and private cash being spent on the Games, Sochi is expected to surpass Beijing 2008 as the most expensive Olympics in history. That figure is five times the original estimate.

An army of 25,000 volunteers, ready and willing to work long hours without pay. With more than 160,000 applications to date, the competition to become a volunteer is rather Olympian.

The Russian word for volunteer -- "dobrovolets". The fashionable word to use now is "voluntyor," 

The world's attention will turn to the likes of Kulagina and this Black Sea resort when it hosts the Olympic Opening Ceremony one year from Thursday.

Mikhail Mordasov / AFP - Getty Images

Sochi’s newly-built Olympic Park

The Olympic Park, in Sochi Russia will house several venues for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

The Park is home to the Fisht Olympic Stadium, Bolshoi Ice Dome, Iceberg Skating Palace, Shayba Arena, Ice Cube Curling Centre and Adler Arena, which form the “coastal cluster” of Games venues.

Sochi 2014 will be the first time in Olympic history that all the ice venues are within walking distance of one another, creating a centralised Olympic Park. The Park will also house the Main Olympic Village, the International Broadcasting Centre and the Main Press Centre.

Sochi Stadium -Stadium Sochi -2014 Olympics and 2018 World Cup

SOCHI (STADIUM SOCHI). Capacity: 47,659 TBC. Also hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics, the Black Sea resort will enjoy four incredible years with the World Cup also coming to town. The stadium, to be used for both the Olympics and World Cup, will be located just 150 metres from the sea offering an incredible setting.

Sochi August 2010 Progress?

The organisers of the London 2012 Olympics may feel they have their work cut out, but Dmitry Chernyshenko - boss of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics - is facing a mammoth task.

His team is having to help transform the Black Sea resort of Sochi, and its surrounding area, into a wintersports arena.

It means the construction of a new winter community in the North Caucasus mountains, the construction of 300 kilometres of roads, 100km of rail, 39 tunnels and 24 thermal and hydro power stations.

"We are well on track," asserts Mr Chernyshenko, a native of Sochi who was handed the games' baton five years ago.

"Our construction site is now probably competing in terms of size with London's," he says.

"It is a most challenging situation."

NHL Player may not participate in the 2014 Winter Hames

While Vancouver was a bonanza, the Sochi Games present bigger challenges — longer travel, the fatigue factor, and the possibility of injuries to the guys who lure ticket-buyers to NHL arenas.

The fact that the International Olympic Committee doesn’t throw even a dime back at the NHL is an impediment as well.

“I can understand,” two-time Olympic gold medallist Scott Niedermayer said this month. “The league has its investment in their players. They want them to remain healthy and on the ice playing for their teams to make money. It’s a business.

“A lot of times it doesn’t get said, but that’s the reality of it. Players are in it as a business to make money, the owners are in it for the same reason and that creates issues and concerns for everybody.”

South Africa to bid for 2020 Olympics But what about Vuvuzelas?

CLICK HERE

2012 London Summer Olympics Fun: Vuvuzelas and Wimbledon Which is louder, the Grunt or the Vuvuzela?

Will the Vuvuzela be banned in the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014?

2012 London Summer Olympics Fun: Vuvuzelas and Wimbledon Which is louder, the Grunt or the Vuvuzela?

Sochi Logo

Commenting on the Sochi 2014 logo, Fred Burt, managing director of design agencySiegel+Gale London, said:

“I’m no fan of the London 2012 identity so it’s a relief to see Sochi 2014 restore some sanity. It feels fresh and up-to-date, promising a new Russia that perhaps the wider world does not know [think how Beijing benefitted in this regard].

“I’ll be interested to see how the URL plays out—has the system been designed to drop the ‘.ru’ in certain circumstances?