How corruption in Russia, and the civil and political breakdown of the Ukraine have drowned the lingering high of the Olympics, and sobered the global community before the athletes had even returned home.
When the Olympics wrapped up in 2010, it seemed like the emotional high of Vancouver had wafted right across the country, leaving Canadians with a happy hangover we were all too content to let last for weeks. Canada had just broken the record for most gold medals at a winter Olympics, Crosby had put the Americans to bed with one of the all-time classic overtime goals, and an Olympics that had started with fears of too little snow ended with Canada’s best ever Olympic showing. Though the games were marred by the tragic death of an athlete, and local concerns over crowds and infrastructure, the event was largely seen as a success worthy of a few weeks of self-congratulation.
Though I write this from half a world away, I have little doubt that Russians have had to sober up from the Olympic high much quicker than we did. The games themselves are coming under significant scrutiny, and the political tension in the Ukraine has become a predominant theme in global politics. Media coverage of the protests is at an all-time high, and with Putin recently being granted authority to send troops into the country, we can be sure the tensions will only continue to rise. This is not to say that the Olympics were a failure. Despite some questionable construction efforts and hotel rooms with, shall we say, varying etiquette standards, the games were a success for the host nation from an athletic and cultural standpoint. The Russians proved in many cases to be gracious and caring hosts, and many of our athletes returned with significant praise for their experience in the Olympic village.
Despite the successes, the corruption behind Sochi is already being well documented. It runs right through the host notion up to the International Olympic Committee. The IOC has always been seen as a secretive organization, with a maligned history of favouritism to dictators. Historic ties to fascism exist through former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch, who also served as sports minister under Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. This history may explain why Putin was so easily able to spend $51 billion on an Olympics without coming under any scrutiny from the organizing committee. Given that he likely paid out the (now standard) $50 to $100 million in lobbying fees to the IOC, it’s a wonder he didn’t spend even more.
However, I should stop myself there, because no one really knows how much he spent. The area around Sochi was built up with private properties under auspicious titles such as “Science Research Centre” that allow no public access, and are not all covered under the released budgetary figures from Sochi. Even of the money that is accounted for, so much was granted in large contracts that it is impossible to know if it was ever spent for legitimate purposes. In one story presented by the Globe and Mail, it is detailed how 84 Sochi homes were demolished to make way for a new city centre. Construction stalled to a point that only 7 buildings were ever made, of which 6 have no tenants. It is this story, among others, that cast a shadow over the games in their immediate aftermath, but it is the news from Ukraine that truly brings the Olympic high back down.
A month before the Olympics, Russia handed out $15 billion in aid to the Ukraine, as well as providing relief on energy prices. Though this staggering handout should have triggered red flags about the precarious situation in the country, most of us were still caught off guard when the violence broke out. Now that the situation has fully deteriorated, countries are weighing their options as Russia prepares to go on the offensive. It is a difficult and tense situation, especially given the history between the now ousted President Yanukovych of the Ukraine and Vladimir Putin. Putin will most likely act to defend his stake in the country, and with his ally gone, the potential for more violence has certainly risen. Hopefully the international community will apply the necessary pressure to dissuade Putin from standing in the way of the Ukrainian people.
There is a longstanding history of the Olympics serving as a convenient distraction for various tyrants and dictators, one that was supposed to continue with Russia. The joy and jubilation of the Olympics was supposed to keep the world distracted from the terrors of corruption for at least or week or two after the torch had been extinguished. However, in 2014, it seems we’ve met the limit of what the Olympics can offer to those who wish to keep our eyes averted. The focus must now be on showing Russia that they must do more than entertain, and that accountability and democracy are of far more value to the global community than the pomp and circumstance of the Winter Games.