Sochi Olympics will test gay rights

[manhn]

Last time I checked, Johnny Weir is a figure skater.

[skatesindreams]

akkto, no one forces anyone to post if they are not interested in a topic.

[skateboy]

akkto, no one forces anyone to post if they are not interested in a topic.

Thank you.

[SkatingLover]

My partner and I were so excited to go to Sochi to see our first Winter Olympics, then after vacationing in Phuket with an abundance of Russians (biggest shock of my life)

What was special about the abundance of Russians?

[Morry Stillwell]

I've seen some of the footage (with a British commentator) of the women's competition (Team and AA) in gymnastics from Moscow 1980. I'm almost glad our athletes weren't in that competition - it came across as a Communistic pissing contest between the Soviets and Romanians.

Specific to Figure Skating

I stay with my original post. The honor of participating in the Olympic games, no matter how one finishes, will be remembered and cherished for life. I cannot think of any Figure Skater chosen to represent the country, who would not be crushed to find their opportunity to compete taken away due any outside pressure.

[caseyedwards]

I've seen some of the footage (with a British commentator) of the women's competition (Team and AA) in gymnastics from Moscow 1980. I'm almost glad our athletes weren't in that competition - it came across as a Communistic pissing contest between the Soviets and Romanians.

They had the best gymnasts - it was like that in 76! and 1980 had east Germany too maxi ganuck

[4rkidz]

I'm just wondering this: Does anyone contend anything was accomplished by these boycotts?

Good point.. I think if anything by opening up your country to the rest of the world, it gives an opportunity for enlightening others.. any time we can get an opportunity to educate people I think is more productive than just banning everything.. I have friends who live and work in China in the teaching profession and they believe the western influence from the Olympics was positive.. The human race has a lot of shame and we can point to everyone and ourselves.. but I think as a society we are getting better and continually evolving.. social media I think is a positive aspect as it opens communication..

[akkto]

Thank you.

I´m not worried about being forced to post here. I´m freely doing it again because I haven´t gotten yet a response to my question about what a discussion about gay rights in Russia has to do with figure skating, beyond the fact that a Russian town is hosting the Winter Games.
I´m not against any kind of debate, but I just thought that this would not be the place for this one in particular as I´m afraid that a thread about the Sochi regional cuisine would not be adequate here neither.
It is a sincere doubt of mine, since the rest of themes discussed in FSU seem to have a conexion with the sport of figure skating. I just don´t understand this exception. I hope to not have offendend anyone, and sorry for any grammar mistake that I might have made.

[Asli]

It is a sincere doubt of mine, since the rest of themes discussed in FSU seem to have a conexion with the sport of figure skating. I just don´t understand this exception.

The connection is the following: Russia is hosting the Winter Olympics. The olympic movement is not supposed to be only about sport and about promoting Coca Cola.

"The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity." I know this, because I have copied and pasted it from the educational kit of the IOC.

Another connection is that figure skating is a sport which counts more gay athletes and gay fans than most other sports and therefore many heterosexual fans with more than the average percentage of gay friends. Therefore this subject is more relevant to us than the regional cuisine of Sochi, which you gave as an example to how irrelevant this discussion is.

I hope this answers your question.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

I've seen some of the footage (with a British commentator) of the women's competition (Team and AA) in gymnastics from Moscow 1980. I'm almost glad our athletes weren't in that competition - it came across as a Communistic pissing contest between the Soviets and Romanians.

What I'm not glad about though is that the Soviets and other Eastern Bloc countries (except Romania) didn't compete in the 1984 gymnastics competition and wipe the floor with Mary Lou Retton thus saving the world from her obnoxiousness and shameless self-promotion.

However, Retton did sort of jump-start the American Gymnastics program by inspiring little girls around the country to become gymnasts, thus getting the 1992 and 1996 gymnastics teams and beyond. So maybe, it was a good thing...if you're a U.S. gym fan.

[Morry Stillwell]

I´m not worried about being forced to post here. I´m freely doing it again because I haven´t gotten yet a response to my question about what a discussion about gay rights in Russia has to do with figure skating, beyond the fact that a Russian town is hosting the Winter Games.
I´m not against any kind of debate, but I just thought that this would not be the place for this one in particular as I´m afraid that a thread about the Sochi regional cuisine would not be adequate here neither.
It is a sincere doubt of mine, since the rest of themes discussed in FSU seem to have a conexion with the sport of figure skating. I just don´t understand this exception. I hope to not have offendend anyone, and sorry for any grammar mistake that I might have made.

I could not agree more with akkto. Surely there must be more interest in the figure Skating facility in Sochi from information gathered at the recent Grand Prix final. This is a Figure Skating Blog is it not?

Administrators - This discussion take drift to its maximum.

[MacMadame]

Oh, Morry, you've been here long enough to know that threads aren't always in their proper place. Why make a big deal about it especially as the issue is actually somewhat pertinent to figure skating AND the article includes a quote from a figure skater who is hoping to compete at Sochi....

To say this thread takes drift to its maximum is just to me.

[Willowway]

This is a Figure Skating Blog is it not?

Yes, it is. And sometimes, thank goodness, we discuss very important large issues which are pertinent to the sport we love. We're not small, narrow people and we know that every once in a while figure skating can take us to a place that really transcends elements and arenas because that issue, in this case LGBT rights, affects the skaters and their fans everyday. We rarely have these discussions, but I'm proud that we do share the bigger picture with each other now and then.

For those who feel that this issue has wasted an extra five minutes of their time, apologies.

[Kasey]

For those who feel that this issue has wasted an extra five minutes of their time, apologies.

Don't apologize. People here are allegedly adults (although some act like 3 year olds) and can take on the responsibility to NOT READ any further if they feel it's a waste of their time.

[Iceman]

The Olympic Games have been used as a platform to promote political ideologies almost from its inception.

[Domshabfan]

Unlike Vancouver, Sochi is building every single stadium from scratch. They want to establish Sochi as the top-notch winter sport destination not just in Russia but in Europe. For instance, Russia did not have a Bobsleigh, Luge and Skeleton track for a long time after the break up on Soviet union. The soviet training base was in Siguada in Latvia. Hence after the breakup they had no international tracks, now they have a track outside of Mosocw where they train. Even then if you compare this to at least 5 tracks available to Germans (all of them hosted luge world cups, 5/9 world cups where held in Germany). They also build alpine and cross country center, so Kahnty-Mansiysk is not the only good training centre.

Sochi also upgraded its transport system, high speed railway from Moscow, Upgrading Adler airport. On top of that Sochi is going to host Russia's formula one race, so construction for that. Sochi is also one of the proposed host for the 2018 football world cup. So technical russia is fully building a city or more accurately a metropolis.

I think Russia could do with a lot of re-building, I think Kazan is going through some amount of rebuilding for Universiade. Most of russia transport system will get a much needed upgrade by the start of 2018 world cup. The price tag is huge, if they can afford it why not.

[overedge]

Not counting the ski infrastructure as I'm not that familiar with them (the tragedy that occurred at the Sliding Centre is well known, but beyond that, I don't think revenue generated is matching the expenses to maintain it yet), Vancouver only built two new facilities--the curling arena and the speed skating oval. Prior to conception, both were planned to be converted to recreation centres.

Both the Hillcrest Community Centre (where the curling was held) and the Trout Lake Community Centre (whose ice rink was a practice rink) were almost compeltely rebuilt to accommodate the Olympic usage. I would classify both of those as new facilities, even though they were on the site of existing facilities.

[danceronice]

They can live on reservations by choice, but it isn't mandated. Native Americans (and Canadians) are free to live wherever they choose.

My local tribe and up where my parents are have casinos. Their standard of living is way over mine--up there, tribe members are "shareholders" and get a "dividend" from the casino hotel, down here the local tribe pours all the money back into infrastructure and have build elder housing, an awesome education center, and a kick-butt health service. I'm going to apply for the new place that's opening literally up the road (because it's going to do so much to our road and traffic residents of our township have hiring priority after tribal members.)

(Also, both tribes object strenuously to being lumped in a generic "Native American" box. The one up north is the Saginaw band of the Chippewa, the local tribe here is the Pokagon Potawatomi.)

Anyway, side point. There's a difference between wrongs that were done decades or centuries ago and which are now recognized as misconduct, and ongoing issues. I don't support punishing athletes by boycotting as a team, but I would not spend my tourism dollars in a country which had governmental or social issues I found severely problematic (I would not be dumping tourist dollars in Pakistan or Iran, either, for example.) Or one that has past wrongs which they not only don't want to directly acknowledge or accept blame for.

[onionviper]

nice

[augustus]

It's a culture war. Anyways the op's article is rather misleading when it says "What year are we in? People are still being arrested for saying it's OK to be gay?" Who, where, when, what?