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Russian fans have been solidly behind their team at the Sochi Winter Olympics. Photo: Reuters
Opinion
Tim Noonan
Tim Noonan

Look beyond the logistical irritations and you might get a glimpse of a proud nation doing well in Sochi - and deservedly so

Look beyond the logistical irritations and you might get a glimpse of a proud nation doing well in Sochi - and deservedly so

We are a little more than one week into the Sochi Winter Olympics and while there has been some early buzz generated over the events and the athletes, it pales in comparison with the tales being told of half-finished hotel rooms.

For better or worse, Sochi has become fodder not only for late-night talk-show hosts, but for millions of ravenous social-media devotees as well. The negativity was already firmly in place coming into the Games and a series of miscues and a lack of preparedness by organisers have only served to heighten it. By now most people have seen endless pictures of twin toilets, open manhole covers and yellowish-brown tap water while hearing tales of clueless hotel staff, stray dogs and people finding construction workers sleeping in their beds.

Logistically, there have been more than enough issues of incompetence and whether it is fair to let those stories dominate the narrative seems immaterial at this point because everything comes back to one number: 50 billion US dollars. When you spend US$50 billion of government money, an unprecedented amount for any project let alone an Olympics, it inherently becomes the dominant theme.

This is a country that has been an absolutely dominant power on the Olympic stage for decades. They most definitely deserved a shot at running their own Games and not everybody working at them is a big supporter of Putin
Tim Noonan

One of the greatest things about sports, at least to me, is the way it offers a view into a culture and how a society works. The games people play and the way they play them is a perfect window into a society and these days there is nothing more revealing, or political, than hosting the modern Olympic Games. The blatant lust for hosting the Games and the invaluable propaganda it affords you has an intoxicating allure and nobody has embraced this tantalising beast like Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Rarely, if ever, has an Olympic Games had such an identifiable face as Putin. From top to bottom, his fingerprints are all over Sochi and neither he nor the Russian government is shy about it. A one-man authoritarian ruler, Putin is the most enduring and dominant political figure of the 21st century and these Games are the official coming out party for Vlad the Impaler's new Russia. The government's controversial anti-gay legislation and stench of rampant corruption was always going to be a tough tale to overcome and has served as a convenient narrative for the media to perpetuate. But if you look past the hype, the events are actually coming off quite smoothly, which in itself is something of an accomplishment considering the organising problems some recent Olympics Games have had. Many have also raved about how accommodating and helpful Russian volunteers have been at the Games. They are desperately trying to put a friendly face on the new Russia, and having the Russian Police Choir do a stirring and ironic version of Daft Punk's at the opening ceremonies was a nice touch.

Many Russians are certainly trying and just because they have a leader who values defiance over diplomacy does not mean that they have to follow his lead. So when all the international media start whining again about the Wi-fi cutting in and out at the media centre, tell them to take it up with the IOC. You know, the people who awarded the Games to Russia?

This is a country that has been an absolutely dominant power on the Olympic stage for decades. They most definitely deserved a shot at running their own Games and not everybody working at them is a big supporter of Putin. In fact, many are not and perhaps it's time a few of them told the whining masses in no uncertain terms that, yeah, maybe 50 billion US doesn't buy you what it used to. But you know what, it's our money, not yours. And he's our leader, not yours. These are domestic issues we have to deal with, not you. If you want to come to judge us then make sure you come from a place that is perfectly run with nary a hint of corruption, turmoil or social strife.

Russians are some of the most pragmatic people in the world and after centuries of brutal hardships they come by it naturally. Is it possible to feel patriotic about this moment in their country's history without feeling good about Putin? According to some Russian friends, yes it is. They despise what he has done to the country but that doesn't mean they aren't enthusiastic about wanting Russian figure skaters or the hockey team to win a gold medal. Far from it, they don't see a victory by those athletes as a validation of Putin's tyrannical reign. We do. The perception is all ours.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Beware a rush to judgment
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