Normally I really look forward to the Olympics with excitement. However, with the opening ceremonies mere hours away, I find myself really disappointed.
As you should know by now, the Games are in Sochi, Russia. Russia last year passed a bunch of anti-gay laws that make the country quite dangerous for gay people and LGBT allies. Free speech and freedom of association have gone out of the window there. This, however, is old news (yet still sad of course).
Pretty much every story I’ve heard about the conditions in Sochi are terrible. There are stories about stray dogs being rounded up and systematically euthanized. It sounds like a canine Holocaust. Also, the hotels are in terrible condition. People who worked on building the venues, many of whom are Uzbeki people driven into Russia, have not been paid. This depressing list goes on and on, and it has taken away most of my usual enthusiasm for the Games this year.
I will say that there is one part of this Games that I’m still looking forward to: the Ice Dance event. I’m really hoping that Meryl Davis and Charlie White win the gold. They’re the reigning silver medalists (the reigning gold medalists will be competing too), they’re the reigning world champions, the reigning Grand Prix champions, they’re undefeated this season. They have put together some really great programs and I love their skating to bits. My one wish for the outcomes of these Games is that they bring home the gold. I’m far too invested in this for my own good. I’ll leave you with the programs they’ll be bringing to the Olympics (these performances are from U.S. Nationals, which they also won.
Short Dance:
Free Dance:
Other than this, I'm pretty much checked out of these Winter Games. Call me again in 2018.
I'm trying very hard to forget all the crap, and just support the athletes.
ReplyDeletePeace <3
Jay