Sochi and the Winter Olympics

[john]

Chris Kuc ‏@ChrisKuc Feb 7
With opening ceremony of Olympics just five hours away, men are still hard at work in #Sochi. pic.twitter.com/CUeO65pZWa

Mark Connolly@MarkConnollyCBC Follow
A lot of complaints about the accommodations. This is the foyer of my apartment. #SochiProblems

Sochi Problems@SochiProblems Follow
We torture your bowels with complex toilets. #SochiProblems #Sochi2014

Stacy St. Clair@StacyStClair Follow
My hotel has no water. If restored, the front desk says, "do not use on your face because it contains something very dangerous." #Sochi2014

Stacy St. Clair@StacyStClair Follow
Water restored, sorta. On the bright side, I now know what very dangerous face water looks like. #Sochi #unfiltered

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Jo-Ann Barnas@JoAnnBarnas Follow
Watch your step @Sochi2014 -- I've noticed on walkway and on sidewalks that not all man holes are always covered.

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[Miguel]

(Reuters) - Western criticism of Russia's Winter Olympics was reminiscent of Cold War ambitions to hold the Soviet Union back, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday, despite signs that the world was warming to the most expensive Games ever held.

...Putin wants to use Russia's first Winter Games, which cost $51 billion to stage, to project the country as a resurgent nation that belongs among the world's elite powers.

He has defended the scale of the project, saying it helped shield Russia from the worst of the financial crisis.

Not all Russians are convinced, however. A recent survey by independent pollster Levada showed 47 percent of them believe the cost of the Games has soared because funds have been embezzled or mismanaged.

Norway, bidding to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, said in Sochi on Monday it would limit its budget to around $5 billion.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/1...T820140210

[My Alter Ego]

Spoiler alert: If you don't want to know the outcome of ice dancing STOP NOW.

So 38 years after the sport/art of ice dancing was included at the Olympics, Charlie White and Meryl Davis became the first U.S. team to take Olympic Gold! They had only been skating together a mere 17 years, beginning when they were both children. Yeah for them and their parents' years of support (financial, physical, and emotional).

I love figure skating and over the years have become very good a recognizing the best performances and why, even if I still can't tell a salchow from a loop from an axel (much less a toe loop, flip, and lutz).

Though I love both ice skating and dancing, the judging involved with ice dancing eludes me. Unfortunately, I have yet to see vids of either the White/Davis or Virtue/Moir performances, but from what I've read and in watching prior performances, I'm glad I didn't have to make decisions. Both couples are exceptionally good!

If you're interested, here's an interesting analysis of the two pairs:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/olymp...g-rivalry/

[mercfan3]

What do you think of Lynitskaya?

I don't know much about skating, but I was completely awestruck by her. Even when she fell..

I do understand scoring and math though, so I'm not that upset with the Adelina win. (Not sure she should have won by as much as she did..but when she hit all of her points, I figured she wasn't going to get beat.)