Football fans have every reason to keep a close eye on the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Four years out from Russia hosting the World Cup, this month’s Games could well prove a disaster.
The Winter Olympics are supposed to be a showcase for winter sports, and for many athletes they’re the defining moment of a career.
But the 2014 Winter Olympics look like being little more than a showcase of the vanity of Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Putin is, in my opinion, a hard-nosed dictator.
The scale of corruption under his leadership is plain for all to see when a Games which will cost more to host than any other Winter Olympics combined, is not even equipped with basic amenities.
Where has most of the staggering $58 billion budget gone?
Straight into the pockets of Putin’s cronies, according to virtually all of his critics.
None of this should come as a surprise to anyone who knows the slightest bit about post-Communist Russia.
What should come as a surprise is that in this day and age, educated citizens across the globe continue not only tolerate, but also to enable such behaviour.
Why do we turn a blind eye to the inherent corruption and cronyism involved in putting on international sporting events?
Both the Sochi Olympics and the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil could prove watershed moments for the way consumers watch international sports, because off-field problems have the potential to far outweigh any actual sporting activity.
FIFA’s panicky response to last year’s Confederations Cup protests proved not only that they were delusional not to foresee them, but also that they expected the tournament simply to proceed at all costs.
This same ‘at all costs’ mentality has seen several Brazilian labourers lose their lives, many more itinerant workers die in Qatar’s unrelenting heat, stadiums built in the middle of nowhere and FIFA open the door for a European breakaway league by calling for a winter World Cup in 2022 – without consulting the stakeholders who actually supply the players.
If the Winter Olympics are not a major flop and this year’s football jamboree somehow spreads more goodwill than upheaval, can anyone really see Putin’s Russia putting on an enjoyable World Cup?
Maybe the Russian state will prevail, but at what cost?
More citizens displaced from their homes, more environmental vandalism, more corruption, more assassinations?
At what point does society say that the cost of hosting these events far outweighs any benefits gained?
At some point, enough is enough.
Both FIFA and the International Olympics Committee lost touch with reality long ago.
The executives who work for them and those who enjoy their benevolence are so far removed from normalcy as to be a dangerous law unto themselves.
That IOC president Thomas Bach recently said he is “sleeping very well” despite the looming spectre of the worst Olympic Games on record is laughable.
He’s obviously not sleeping in a half-finished athletes’ village, nor is he kipping out in the street after a Russian bulldozer reduced his home to rubble.
If life was fair, the 2014 Winter Olympics would mark the beginning of the end for governments and corporations combining to use international sporting events for their own unscrupulous agendas.
Since spectators are these days seemingly so irrelevant to the profit margins of multinational, highly corporate sporting events, perhaps we’d be better off simply refusing to watch?
Unfortunately that’s not a realistic goal in a world where blind patriotism dictates that we throw our support behind our athletes and sporting stars.
We should at least be able to do so in competitions where individual and team glory, not political corruption and corporate greed, are the rewards.
Sadly, the Sochi Games and a football World Cup four years from now are likely to showcase the very worst side of world sport.
c
Guest
Passionate_Aussie I find both of their ramblings and their discussions enjoyable :-)
Simoc
Guest
There are 143 million Russians and I have never met one yet who does not have an opinion on absolutely everything. Talk about corruption. Well we know all about it in Oz, especially the home of corruption in NSW, Oz as corrupt a nation as any. Funny how people everywhere think they're better and know more. Frank Lowy wants all his payments back for the the last world Soccer Cup bid
Australian Rules
Guest
Pussy Riot...Greenpeace...the Snow Revolution..?
Australian Rules
Guest
"Peace for our time" anyone..?
Steve Kerr
Roar Rookie
At the risk of turning this into the 'Oppression Olympics', I'll see your state-sponsored assassination and raise you 'black jails' and open, proud, unambiguous totalitarianism in China- not 'de facto' totalitarianism, but the real deal. China has all Russia's problems, and then some. Then of course, actual slavery in Dubai and corrective gang rape for lesbians in South Africa, just for starters. As far as homophobia goes, let's just try a gay pride parade in Tianamen square, or anywhere in the Middle East. Where did the money for the Beijing Olympics come from? Where did the money generated end up? Was it used to bolster the vanity and prestige of the ruling dictatorship? I actually think your article is very solid and I don't deny what you say about Russia for a moment, I can also see you're a thoughtful and knowledgeable bloke. I just think the general dialogue about this Olympics has become wholly critical of a nation in a way I don't remember happening before, even when similar criticisms could have been more than justified.
expathack
Guest
I'll be filing this alongside Rocky 4 in my reference collection on Russia. Although Rocky likely provides a slightly more nuanced, less hyperbolic perspective.
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
One of the better articles on The Roar in quite a while Mike. Most aren't prepared to talk about these things. Sheds a bit of light at least.
bill boomer
Guest
The winter oly ... whatever it is can stop now and frankly who cares? Those involved and diehard "aussie" fans of questionable intellegence, oi oi... The inflation of that Torah girl to a beauty. She is a horse and the whole thing no more than a marketing festival and propaganda machine. Never mind that the sport on offer is unrelate-able. Just another example of Australia targetting sports where there is the least competition. swimming,archery in fact any equipment dependent sport and any sport for women.
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Russophobia? Hardly...
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
There are widespread allegations of electoral fraud after every Russian election, while protesters are routinely rounded up and detained. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/06/world/europe/observers-detail-flaws-in-russian-election.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
No, because among things, state-sponsored assassination is not a common political tactic as it is in Russia. http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1851854,00.html
Griffo
Roar Guru
Les Murray is no longer a member of the ethics committee, hence he has begun writing more of these types of articles again http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/les-murray/blog/1180630/FIFA's-Qatar-test
Mitcher
Guest
Angry people. Are you all Fuss in disguise?
Stam
Guest
A lighter look at the topic http://thechive.com/2014/02/06/conditions-at-the-sochi-olympics-are-badhilarious-32-photos/
Quintin Branford
Guest
Wow, talk about Russophobia. This column makes the mainstream "western" media seem fairminded toward Russia. Where to even start. First off, President Putin is not a "dictator." Russia has regular elections, which are generally viewed as "free and fair" by impartial observers. It is, in fact, a multiparty democracy, and United Russia represents the moderate center in the Russian political spectrum, supported by an outright, even significant, majority of the population in most polls (the main oppostion parties are the Communists and the far right). Are you saying that a the majority of the Russian population don't support United Russia? Secondly, I would argue there is more free speech in Russia than in many of the western countries. Lets be honest, the main western media gripe toward Russia seems to be the ban on gay parades and propaganda. Homosexuality is completely legal in Russia. Basicially this is much ado about nothing. On the other hand, in many western countries its illegal to criticize the gay lobby. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw free speech stones. Further, Russia has been a leader in promoting internet freedom. The "Russian Facebook" VK.com is mostly free from government spying unlike western social media. Corruption? Sure, there's corruption just like in any country. Corruption was far worse under Yeltsin; Putin has cleaned much of it up. Sochi is going to evolve into a year round world class Black Sea resort after the Olympics and will drive economic growth in the entire region, hardly a useless folly from a "crazy dictator." There was plenty of corruption in South Africa, but its World Cup was considered decent or even good, so will both the Sochi games and the World Cup in Russia.
Silver_Sovereign
Guest
at the time of the decision for Hitler's Germany to hold the games, Adolf wasn't seen as the mad lunatic he was proved to be. Remember this is 1936, 3 years before the start of the war and the Nazis hadn't yet committed big time offences. In fact most of the world approved of Hitler at the time as he had gotten Germany back on its feet and done everything he had promised to do
Steve Kerr
Roar Rookie
Tolerant and democratic compared to China, Qatar, and South Africa?
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
Who draws the line in the sand for what is an acceptable amount of corruption etc to accept or not to accept and where would that line be drawn?
Marchisio
Guest
Although there is a lack of evidence put forward in this article, and I'm actually genuinely surprised to find a well thought out piece from you Mike... every dog does have his day huh? At last we've found a topic you understand. Perhaps you should write about politics rather than football. Seems a better fit for you. Keep it up.
Football
Guest
Sydney should never have gotten the Olympics because of its treatment of Aborigines. America should never receive any sporting events because of how they invade foreign countries for resources. London should never have received an Olympics because of their horrible past and their support of america.