Sochi 2014

Yep, it's that time again. While the 2014 Winter Olympic Games doesn't officially open until tomorrow, the Russians are hosting qualifying for Downhill Skiing, Slopestyle Snowboarding, Moguls, and Team Figure Skating as I type. What are your thoughts on this year's winter games? And how bad do you think NBC is going to screw up their Olympic coverage this time around?

EDIT: In response to Russia's cancerous anti-LGBT laws, I have replaced the original song with "Same Love", a brilliant song by Macklemore. Listen to the song here.

edited 6th Feb '14 5:07:14 PM by sanfranman91

It's already proving itself to be as ill-conceived an idea as everyone said it would.

The conditions that the contestants are staying in are horrible.

So who's all deployed as security there? MVD/FSB? OMON? VDV?

edited 6th Feb '14 8:54:18 AM by MajorTom

The only reason I care about the Olympics at all this time is the controversy surrounding them and Russia's anti-LGBT laws.

Man, the orgies at the Sochi games are gonna suck.

There are worse ways to start an orgy.

I keep catching myself thinking "What's the fuss, it's not even the real Olympics"...

And there was some Russian political activist on some TV documentary earlier who said it takes a special kind of 'skill' to stare at a map of cold, frozen Russia long and hard until you find the one subtropical place that never gets snow and decide that's a good place for the winter games. That was amusing.

I imagine the Cherkess are drawing straws right now to see which one of them will have to come out as gay, so that people will notice them at last.

I find that highly amusing.

I always love the Olympics. The new slopestyle event is fantastic and very exciting, and the team figure skating today was great. The Russian pairs figure skaters are truly spectacular.

I can say I don't know a lot of the games. At first I thought it was Kochi. Then I found out it was in Russia. I haven't heard a lot about them except that there are gay athletes involved.

There's gay athletes in all the recent Olympics. Russia's draconian anti-gay laws are the new thing. "Gay Propaganda" is banned, though Putin is fine with gay athletes coming to Sochi as long as they "keep away from children".

I think I preferred Soviet Russia, at least theoretically everyone was equal.

Equally oppressed.

Which my dad witnessed the effects of.

Pff, yeah.

Sure, some were more equal than others, but yeah, all equal.

Yeah, those that worked for the government were a bit "equal-er."

I'm really torn about these Olympics. On the one hand, I hate the LGBT treatment in Russia, and it seems that everything is terrible in Sochi.

On the other, it's the Olympics, and I watch the shit out of the Olympics on principle.

I think the Olympics aren't as good as they used to be.

That sounds of Nostalgia Filter.

But these Olympics are really, genuinely corrupt and terrible, I hear. And I can't not watch it! D:

Yeah, how come the Olympics don't stop or at least postpone wars anymore?

edited 6th Feb '14 2:26:48 PM by Demetrios

Other way 'round, wasn't it.

Because none of the countries care anymore.

Aww yeah! It's the Winter Olympics! Really looking forward to this, even though I'm supposed to be reviewing Human Rights Law while it's on. But hey, Russia is one step ahead of me and including some examples in-between events, woo!

Especially looking forward to Cross-Country, Biathlon and Curling, since that's where our medal-chances lie. Sprints on Saturday, super excited.

I like the Winter Olympics better than the Summer ones.