LIVE BLOG: Here's The Sochi Olympics That Putin Doesn't Want You To See
REUTERS/Phil NobleInternational Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach of Germany and Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) stand together during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, February 7, 2014.The Interpreter is a daily-updated online journal dedicated primarily to translating media from the Russian press and blogosphere into English. The site is running a live blog for the Sochi Olympics and have given us permission to republish it.
Welcome to The Interpreter's Sochi Olympics Liveblog, day three. Click here to see yesterday's Sochi Liveblog: The First Events Start, But is Sochi Really Ready?
17:03 GMT (12:04 EST): A Canadian Olympian, Justin Kripps, has a brand new website -- which he can't see, because it is blocked in Russia.
The joke about a camera in his room is a reference to yesterday's strangest news story. Journalists spent much of Wednesday complaining about the horrible conditions of their hotel rooms. A Russian Olympic official responded by saying that journalists had sabotaged the rooms themselves. How did the official know? They have cameras in the showers:
16:48 GMT (11:54 EST): Yet another sign that Russia is going to have a hard time recouping $50 billion of Russian taxpayer money-- the attendance at the games is shockingly low. This was taken just before the start of the opening ceremony:
But the seats never filled up:
16:30 GMT (11:30 EST): Several activists have been arrested today, and several more have been stopped from boarding flights to Russia. The group "Human Rights in Russia" (HRO) reports:
There are other reports of arrests in other cities, such as Moscow:
This relates to our previous update below:
16:18 GMT (11:18 EST): Four protesters have been arrested in St. Petersburg for simply carrying a banner that said "Discrimination is incompatible with the Olympic Movement," a quote from Principle 6 of the Olympic charter. Buzzfeed quotes other activistsas suggesting that Russian police must be monitoring central areas of major cities to break up protests as soon as they begin to emerge:
16:02 GMT (11:02 EST): Did a Russian snowboarder take to the slopestyle on a snowboard painted to resemble Pussy Riot? Alexey Sobolev's snowboard has many images on it, including the picture of a woman, wearing a balaclava, a ski mask that Pussy Riot members wear while performing, and holding a knife.
Sobolev gave vague answers to questions about the board:
15:38 GMT (10:38 EST): The Canadian Institute of Diversity and Inclusion is having plenty of fun criticizing Russia's policies towards homosexuals. They have released this little video where they point out that the Olympics have always been "a little gay."
15:18 GMT (10:18 EST): A quick look at the Russian-language Twittersphere reveals some interesting criticism of the Sochi games. Mikhail Delyagin, director of the Problems issued by Globalization Institute, and a former politician, commented on the corruption and crassness of the Sochi Games at a press conference in Moscow on Wednesday, reported here. While stating that the security risks from terrorism were, although genuine, were a "forgiveable" risk given the threats posed by terrorists in general, he said:
Meanwhile, the indispensable Leonid Ragozin, a former BBC and Russian Newsweek reporter, makes a blunt observation:
Also, if you go to Google.com today, you'll find a rainbow colored Olympic theme, perhaps a subliminal dig at Russia's homophobic laws and culture:
Well, Ragozin has Tweeted a remix of that image, originally made by Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny:
15:00 GMT (10:00 EST): A Russian trade war has played a part in pushing Ukraine's President to reject his country's bid for membership in the European Union. That decision has led Ukraine to the brink, with protests, and riots, grinding Ukraine to a halt. We'll see what kind of reception he gets in Sochi:
"Viktor Yanukovych has arrived in Sochi to boost the morale of Ukrainian athletes"
14:50 GMT (9:50 EST): In the oddest development so far today, Olympic organizers have announced that tATu, the Russian pop group famous for their (faux) lesbian antics, will be part of the opening ceremony. Russian state-owned Ria NOVOSTI reports:
If readers are unfamiliar with the group, they made international controversy in 2002 when they released their video for "All the Things She Said," in which the two, both under the age of 18, kissed and embraced in the rain:
14:30 GMT (9:30 EST): The @inter Olympics opening ceremony is just a few hours away, but the central controversy -- Russia's homophobic policies and laws -- have once again taken central stage. UN Secretary Ban Ki Moon is attending the games, dressed in a multicolored tracksuit and carrying the Olympic torch.
But when Moon addressed the International Olympic Committee, his words were less festive. Likely a reference to Russia's laws against "gay propaganda," Moon condemned homophobiaand said that hatred "had no place in the 21st century."
A Russian official, Dmitry Chernyshenko, President of the Sochi Olympic Organizing Committee, responded by saying that nothing would happen to those who spoke out to gay rights, but he reiterated that sports, not politics, should be the focus:
Russian news, analysis, and translations can be found at InterpreterMag.com.