Sochi was an interesting destination to pick from the get go. Being the "Summer capital of Russia," Sochi never before bothered to cut ski slopes into the surrounding Caucasus Mountains. Sochi has been transformed from "head to toe to soul," said Andrea Sachs in the Washington Post. But aside from that, Sochi has had its fair share of doubters given the recent events.
Several terrorist attacks near the city have left questions regarding the safety of the athletes. But no need to worry, after all, "the Olympic Games are about bringing people... together to overcome our differences in a peaceful way," according to International Olympic Committee President, Thomas Bach. Alright, you got me, that was a tad sarcastic. Two bombings and 32 dead less than 2 months in the city host to elites from most every nation in the world seems to require a response that is a bit more serious than just a reassurance and description of what the Olympics are supposed to do.
I do appreciate what Bach is saying though, because it's true. Once every 2 years the World and its people forget differences, and learn to coexist. This reality makes it very difficult to even consider postponing the games, which seemed like a halfway decent idea in December. The situation seems to be under better control now. And I have all of the confidence in the world that the Olympics will prove to be everything they are supposed to be, and most importantly, the athletes will all remain safe. But let me ask you something. What if something does happen? How will the world react? Will it turn into an "I told you so moment" where questions like, "was this the smartest thing to do" arise? Or will it just be mourned briefly and pushed aside?
Very interesting blog, Ryan. Obviously if something were to happen (which it won't; there's going to be so many security guards and endless amounts of security measures taken) it would change the Olympics forever - people could never forget a horrible event like a terrorist bombing.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the last winter olympics when one of the tobogganers died. The Olympics will still go on no matter what, just as they did in 2010. However, they would probably cancel the rest of this year's competitions if something does go wrong, which would be the smart thing to do. The athletes' safety is so much more important than any competition, even the Olympics.
I don't think it will be an "I told you so" moment though. I would hope, at least, that if something does go wrong, nobody will have the audacity to say that, and that people will instead mourn those lost and try to help as much as possible.