Forgive me while I laugh. I have found the whole trending topic of the problems in Sochi at the Olympics pretty absurd. I think it speaks louder to just how out of touch and pampered most US international travelers really are. I believe this is making us as a country look foolish and spoiled.
Going to the Olympics or any other event at this scale is a privilege. Spending time in some of the best and worst situations in nearly 40 countries now, I have learned to cope with situations that are often out of our own norms. It is interesting how our own press pushes agendas of diversity and coexistence, yet the first time they have to take a dump in a toilet that is unfamiliar to them it becomes international news.
Sure, I get there are issues. Maybe Russian quality is not the same standard as it is in the U.S. I also distinctly remember problems in the Atlanta and Salt Lake Olympics. The Lake Placid Olympics left local businesses with huge debt and the State of New York had to devise a rescue plan.
As an adventure traveler you learn to deal with situations and cope with newness. We have now arrived at a point where there are so many false postings through social media, we can no longer tell what is true and what is …..well an outright fabrication.
My point is this. The games are really for the athletes. The Olympics lost its allure the day the Soviet Union fell, East German athletes stopped taking massive doses of testosterone and united with the west, and the media became the focal point. As far as I am concerned you can keep Bob Costas and his political views (and those red eyes) away from my TV set, televise more sports that have a winners and losers based on a puck in the net and not a judge, and less….much less figure skating. In fact, can we make prancing on ice in flamboyant outfits an exhibition sport?
Suck it up darlings. Your in a different country getting your meals paid for by your parent companies. You are getting opportunities most cannot even dream about. You want bad conditions? Go live in a tent-city, do the doo in a community stall, and shower in a makeshift facility that uses wood pallets as the flooring. I’m not sympathetic with your plight and once again you have proven to be a bunch of whiny @$$ wimps.
BTW– great article here… http://www.policymic.com/articles/81663/sochiproblems-is-more-of-an-embarrassment-for-america-than-it-is-for-russia
Adventure IQ 