Now Sochi’s Over, What did it All Mean?

Last Sunday saw the official end of the Olympic Games held in Sochi. Considering the controversy they caused before they started, I wanted to ask what did it all mean?

Oliver Rawlings readers you must remember all the debate and discussion that took place before the Winter Olympics this year. People were furious that they games were taking place in Russia.

Russia is a country that under the leadership of Vladimir Putin has become notorious for its anti-gay laws and for the imprisonment of political prisoners. Human rights campaigners were incensed that the IOC could even think of holding the Winter Olympics in such a place.

However despite the protests the Winter Olympics did indeed take place in Sochi. Now that they’re over we have to consider how it all went and was it really as bad as people thought it would be?

The games largely went off without a hitch. With the exception of an Olympic ring not lighting up in the opening ceremony, there were no terrorism threats, no major international incidents etc. The sports gripped the people of the world, as always and it took place as any other winter Olympics would.

However it didn’t take place without incident. Human rights campaigners including punk band pussy riot were arrested and allegedly beaten for protesting at Sochi. There is evidence to suggest that when confronted with the internationally recognised right to protest, Putin was ready and able to crush opposition.

However despite the fact that these incidents gained some media coverage, they didn’t gain anywhere near as much as they would have done before the games. These arrests gained some coverage but often the events themselves grabbed the bolder font in the national papers.

This seems like an anomaly to me. Don’t get me wrong, I know the Olympic Games are important. They promote honest values through friendly competition and foster international relations. However to me it seems a little irresponsible to be emphasising curling and hockey matches over human rights issues.

So what was Sochi really all about Oliver Rawlings readers? Some would suggest that despite everything it was still the Winter Olympics and as such the focus should be on sport. However I would suggest that this neglects the underlying concept of the games; to promote international relations.

We don’t make this world a better place for us all to live by ignoring the issues that we’re facing as an international community. That’s what for me Sochi was really all about.