Russian Winter Olympics

VTech
VTech Posts: 4,736
edited February 2014 in The cake stop
Who else thinks that the Russians have done a most wonderful job with this winter olympics ?
Ive been mesmerised by the event and although I can't remember really paying much attention to those in the past, I have to say that this has been awesome.
As perfect as could ever been expected and then some !
Living MY dream.
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Comments

  • I have to agree. Having spent a lifetime with zero interest in the Winter Olympics I have to say I've really enjoyed this one. I never thought I'd get interested in Curling but I was actually setting the Tivo to make sure I didn't miss any!

    And I love the speed skating and even grudgingly enjoyed watching the ice dancing. Oh dear, what's happening to me.
  • Davdandy
    Davdandy Posts: 571
    Stunning,simply stunning.

    The opening ceremony alone was the BEST i have ever seen.Russia can be real proud of what they have done.Kudos to everyone involved.
    Cannondale CAAD 8 105
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  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    Just seen the closing ceremony, son came in saying "boring" but I loved it, simply amazing.
    Living MY dream.
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    Pretty good. Been a bit distracted by all the cricket from lovely warm places but I've enjoyed what I've seen of it...
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    VTech wrote:
    Who else thinks that the Russians have done a most wonderful job with this winter olympics ?

    Overshadowed for me by their appalling attitude to human rights :roll:
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    arran77 wrote:
    VTech wrote:
    Who else thinks that the Russians have done a most wonderful job with this winter olympics ?

    Overshadowed for me by their appalling attitude to human rights :roll:

    Were the olympic committee part of that group ?
    Living MY dream.
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    VTech wrote:
    arran77 wrote:
    VTech wrote:
    Who else thinks that the Russians have done a most wonderful job with this winter olympics ?

    Overshadowed for me by their appalling attitude to human rights :roll:

    Were the olympic committee part of that group ?

    Did I say they that?

    And what 'group' are you referring to?
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • FocusZing
    FocusZing Posts: 4,373
    Yes, brilliant. Loved Ed Leighs commentary amongst others. Real happy vibe.

    Looks like a great tourist destination. F1 in Sochi this season, street race.
  • arran77 wrote:
    VTech wrote:
    Who else thinks that the Russians have done a most wonderful job with this winter olympics ?

    Overshadowed for me by their appalling attitude to human rights :roll:

    Agreed. Utterly vile.
  • adamfo
    adamfo Posts: 763
    Davdandy wrote:
    Stunning,simply stunning.

    The opening ceremony alone was the BEST i have ever seen.Russia can be real proud of what they have done.Kudos to everyone involved.

    The main stadium was designed by the London office of an American architectural practice.
    The special effects lead contactor was British. The UK has a long history of special effects lighting etc. from rock and pop concerts.
  • k-dog
    k-dog Posts: 1,652
    It's not like the $50Bn could have been used for anything useful in that part of the world...

    It's probably even worse than the summer games in that respect - a running track and swimming pool can encourage locals to take up sports - but I'm not sure we'll see a flurry of bob sledding and mogul skiing in Sochi.

    I loved watching it - but it does make me uncomfortable - the sports are great but there's so much greed and corruption behind it that it leaves a bad taste.
    I'm left handed, if that matters.
  • mouth
    mouth Posts: 1,195
    I'm always gonna watch the ice hockey simply cos as a sport it's in my blood. I like to watch the short track speed skating - kinda comparable to track cycling, but maybe with more chaos. I don't like to watch the figure skating but by jove do I appreciate what they do - I've skated all my life (hockey, mind you) and can't do a 10th of what the figure skaters do - I've tried and it hurts.

    Skiing, sliding etc etc I have no appreciation or experience for how hard they must be and can take it or leave it but the one that always gets me glued to the box is boarder cross. Reminds me of BMX or Moto-X racing.

    Did Russia produce the best ever Olympics? That question gets mooted after every Winter or Summer Games that I can remember.
    The only disability in life is a poor attitude.
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,718
    I've enjoyed some of it, no different to any other Olympics Winter or Summer. Have I enjoyed it more than any previous Olympics ? No. Highlight for me has been the curling and the short track speed skating - though the elimination of Elise Christie in that third event wasn't the happy ending was it - I still think there's a chance the judging was bent in that one as there is just no way the decision was consistent with other decisions they made.

    As far as the British team are concerned I do find it hard to get behind athletes who had no interest in the sports until they were talent scouted for physiological traits then had millions pumped in to making them medal contenders - I know it's the modern way but for me that isn't quite sport.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    I hate to say it but I'm not surprised at some of the above comments. It's completely British to find the negative in everything.
    Yes Russia has poor human rights, yes it's not the place to be if your gay or black/Asian and it's one of the costliest places I've ever visited but that was never part of my comments, I was only really interested in the games which I felt were great. Well organised, pleasant to watch and a great time had by almost all.
    Living MY dream.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,223
    The athletes make the Olympics.

    It's just a good event for people to watch. Not sure how much credit the Russians get for that.
  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    The athletes make the Olympics.

    It's just a good event for people to watch. Not sure how much credit the Russians get for that.

    The athletes competed. I wasn't aware they built, organised and hosted the event together with running security and televising the whole event.
    Living MY dream.
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    k-dog wrote:
    I loved watching it - but it does make me uncomfortable - the sports are great but there's so much greed and corruption behind it that it leaves a bad taste.

    Absolutely agree with this.

    How far removed is all of this spectacle from the original games? I've no doubt that that original sentiment behind the games is largely still there but I'm not sure all the glitz that goes with it now sits too well.
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • bianchimoon
    bianchimoon Posts: 3,942
    VTech wrote:
    I hate to say it but I'm not surprised at some of the above comments. It's completely British to find the negative in everything.
    Yes Russia has poor human rights, yes it's not the place to be if your gay or black/Asian and it's one of the costliest places I've ever visited but that was never part of my comments, I was only really interested in the games which I felt were great. Well organised, pleasant to watch and a great time had by almost all.

    Could it be you're mistaking, opulence, grandeur, posturing and theatre for sport?

    The games themselves have nothing to do with the 'look how well our political system is doing 'cos we can spend £50b on theatre and stadiums?

    Just a thought :wink:
    All lies and jest..still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest....
  • jordan_217
    jordan_217 Posts: 2,580
    Never mind the Ruskies, the BBC came up trumps:

    xQ94IjMp.jpeg
    “Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.”
  • VTech wrote:
    I hate to say it but I'm not surprised at some of the above comments. It's completely British to find the negative in everything.
    Yes Russia has poor human rights, yes it's not the place to be if your gay or black/Asian and it's one of the costliest places I've ever visited but that was never part of my comments, I was only really interested in the games which I felt were great. Well organised, pleasant to watch and a great time had by almost all.

    It's beyond naive to think of any event occurring in a vacuum. One can't overlook the deplorable attitudes in the context of the games given Putin's comments beforehand, that gays were ok if they left the kids alone.

    In another era, we could manage a sporting and cultural boycott of bigoted regimes. The Russian regime's policy is no less toxic than that of apartheid South Africa. Participation in the winter olympics was moral cowardice.
  • Now the fuxkwit has finished with his show games his next stop will now doubt be Ukraine…

    And as for well organised – did you see the state of the place? Anyway, the event is over and Sotchi will have all its money pulled and in 10 years the place will be popping up on one of these “exploring abandoned buildings” websites.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,213
    I thought the IOC was all about minimising environmental impact, sustainability and legacy these days. I didn't see any of this in Sochi. Surely Russia had existing resorts that could have been developed into an Olympic standard resort and where they didn't have to freeze last year's snow to ensure they had somewhere to ski? At least the London games allowed the regeneration of a deprived part of the capital, I'm not sure what long term benefits Sochi has achieved - it is just a big ego trip.

    Like others, I've enjoyed the sport but I really don't see how anyone can even consider it as one of the best Olympics, summer or winter. In recent years the summer games in Sydney, Beijing and London have all been better IMHO. Winter games are always a bit more low key usually.
  • k-dog
    k-dog Posts: 1,652
    ^ You mean like this?

    11.jpg

    http://myfox8.com/2014/02/22/eerie-phot ... cs-venues/

    (although to be fair they did have a war fairly soon after)
    I'm left handed, if that matters.
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    Now the fuxkwit has finished with his show games his next stop will no doubt be queer bashing

    FTFY
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • arran77 wrote:
    Now the fuxkwit has finished with his show games his next stop will no doubt be queer bashing

    FTFY

    Indeed. Although I'm willing to bet that Vladimir is actually a repressed homosexual. No wife, staged 'girlfriends', wrestling men with beards bare chested and getting his right wing thugs to beat up the gay community…a confused man.

    Joking aside, what’s happening in Ukraine could be about to go very, very wrong.
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    arran77 wrote:
    Now the fuxkwit has finished with his show games his next stop will no doubt be queer bashing

    FTFY

    Indeed. Although I'm willing to bet that Vladimir is actually a repressed homosexual. No wife, staged 'girlfriends', wrestling men with beards bare chested and getting his right wing thugs to beat up the gay community…a confused man.

    Joking aside, what’s happening in Ukraine could be about to go very, very wrong.

    When the Russians wade in saying that what happened is not legitimate, it's a mutiny etc., you've got to worry that things are about to go very sh1t shaped indeed :shock:

    Seriousness aside, I reckon you're right that Vlad is a marmite miner :wink:
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • capt_slog
    capt_slog Posts: 3,939
    I've watched bits over the last couple of weeks and what I've seen has been good.

    My enjoyment is always tempered somewhat by the thought of how much money has been thrown at it, but it's hard to blame them for wanting to look good in front of the world.


    The older I get, the better I was.

  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    Indeed. Although I'm willing to bet that Vladimir is actually a repressed homosexual. No wife, staged 'girlfriends', wrestling men with beards bare chested and getting his right wing thugs to beat up the gay community…a confused man.

    Not so sure now, here he is telling Yulia Tymoshenko what he'd like to do to her norks :wink:

    article_0_024_F527_A0000044_D_82_964x656.jpg
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,213
    k-dog wrote:
    ^ You mean like this?

    11.jpg

    http://myfox8.com/2014/02/22/eerie-phot ... cs-venues/

    (although to be fair they did have a war fairly soon after)

    That's so sad to see but as you say it's just a reflection of what happened to the rest of the country. I believe they recently got the ice rink back up as Torville and Dean performed there to celebrate their 30th anniversary but even that isn't to its former glory. I see Sochi ending up like that but just from lack of use.

    Incidentally, I drove into Cheltenham the other day and discovered it was twinned with Sochi. Seems an odd pairing!
  • arran77 wrote:
    Seriousness aside, I reckon you're right that Vlad is a marmite miner :wink:

    That might not be the best choice of words when we're discussing the persecution of a minority in Russia :shock: :(