People watch the sunset while standing under the Olympic rings hanging outside a train station after the 2014 Winter Olympics, Monday in Adler, Russia.
While many worried about the terror threats and protests over Russia’s homophobic laws and complaints over the hotel rooms that lacked doorknobs among other things, the Olympics carried on.
But none of the worst fears came to pass (unless Johnny Quinn was terrified of being stuck in a bathroom). Instead, the games showcased athletes of all kinds, such as South Korean figure skater Yuna Kim (who was upset by Russian Adelina Sontnikova), the most decorated Winter Olympian bi-athlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and a Ukrainian team that won its first ever gold medal in 20 years even as the country teetered on the brink of absolute chaos.
While from an American perspective the results were slightly disappointing, the new events were captivating to all ages of all crowds, and for that we must applaud the officials. The new Olympic events appeal to generations new and old, and keep the Olympics in their prestigious standing.
But now that the events are over, so is the Olympic mask that Russian leader Vladmir Putin has been sporting. He spent so much of his time on these games, upholding the fantasy that they will provide the economic boost and smiley face sticker that his freedom-crushing regime so desperately needs.
The ski facilities in Krasnaya Polyana will bring in winter tourists, yes. The addition of rail lines, hotel rooms and a theme park in and around Sochi will boot summer tourism, yes. But the Olympics can’t magically make a country into something it desperately needs, or even wants, to be.
Let’s take a look at history. Sarajevo’s hosting of the 1984 Winter Games didn’t stop the former Yugoslavia from falling into civil war. Mexico City hosted the 1968 Summer Games but didn’t turn Mexico’s economy into something to envy. Cities like Vancouver, Salt Lake City and Sydney would still be urban metropolises with or without the games they hosted.
As for Russia, the games can’t change the fact that it has a tendency to a rule with less than desirable results both at home and abroad. Though President Putin was on his best behavior during the games, don’t look for that change to hold steady.
I think humanitarian policies to instill the rule of law in Russia and abroad would be far more impressive. Here’s to hoping.
