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The Final Dakar · Feb 4, 2014, 01:03 PM

I'm not even sure what qualifies as a disaster, but from a few articles I've read it sounds like the place is still in a state of construction with a few days to go. And I don't even mean finishing touches, but like roads, electricity, etc. I don't even get why the Olympics are such a big deal (from a financial perspective). I think that London was the first profitable one in years and Sochi has already spent more than the last few combined. Kind of a travesty.

P · Feb 4, 2014, 01:36 PM

What blows the budget is when you have to build new arenas and hotels. If you can reuse existing ones with some remodelling, it works out fine. If you have the Summer Olympics in a big city, like London or LA (which also went well financially, IIRC), it's not too bad, and even if you build new arenas, they can be used for other things later.

What usually breaks the Winter Olympics is the tracks for luge, bobsleigh & skeleton. The tracks cost a lot to build and are essentially only used for the competitions and then never again as the sport is so small. For the Summer Olympics, it's accepted to have competitions like sailing and the equestrian events somewhere far from the main events (on the other side of the globe on at least one occasion), but for some reason this is not OK for the winter events.

BadKosh · Feb 4, 2014, 04:15 PM

I wonder if any of those 'stray dogs' they are shooting will end up on the menu? When will the bombings start?

ShortcutToMoncton · Feb 4, 2014, 05:22 PM

Basically, corruption. Which if you know anything about Russia, makes complete and total sense. Starting right from, as I understand it, Putin owning land in the quiet resort town of Sochi, which with its subtropical climate is a surprisingly unsuitable Russian location for the Winter Games in the first place. Oh, and Putin's personal meetings with the IOC committee to sell the town as their choice......oh to be a fly on the wall during those, haha.

You have to measure Sochi on a Winter Olympics scale as well (much smaller than the summer Olympics) - I haven't looked at any numbers but I would suspect it is at least several times more expensive than the nearest Winter Olympics budget. Again, given that it apparently had zero of the necessary facilities available from the get-go....well.....shit son, Putin.

subego · Feb 4, 2014, 08:06 PM

Sochi pic:

Spheric Harlot · Feb 5, 2014, 02:16 AM

Journalists have been arriving, to great hilarity.

Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hilarious and gross hotel experiences - The Washington Post

BadKosh · Feb 5, 2014, 11:50 AM

The Russians may get to be the worlds LAUGHING STOCK over this disaster.

Laminar · Feb 5, 2014, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by BadKosh

The Russians may get to be the worlds LAUGHING STOCK over this disaster.

How could O'Bummer have let this happen???

Shaddim · Feb 5, 2014, 01:49 PM

"Going to be"? It appears that it already is.

I'm so glad we stayed home.

subego · Feb 5, 2014, 03:59 PM

Pic of the local planning committee:

Shaddim · Feb 5, 2014, 05:51 PM

The funk you say?

BadKosh · Feb 6, 2014, 10:09 AM

Squirrels are being 'poached' ? What happened to all the dogs? Trading light bulbs for pillows? Toothpaste bombs?

The Final Dakar · Feb 6, 2014, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

Journalists have been arriving, to great hilarity.

Journalists at Sochi are live-tweeting their hilarious and gross hotel experiences - The Washington Post

That's what inspired the thread. Heard some people got hurt this morning because one of the ski jumps is too big. This is going to be a shitshow.

ShortcutToMoncton · Feb 6, 2014, 01:32 PM

That happens every Olympics. A snowboarder broke his collarbone a couple days ago and the slopestyle course was modified. In Vancouver a luger died on the course during a test run.

I'm just sayin, that sort of stuff is not unusual for the exteme-ier type of winter olympic sports - skiing, snowboarding, skeleton/luge, etc.

The Final Dakar · Feb 6, 2014, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton

That happens every Olympics. A snowboarder broke his collarbone a couple days ago and the slopestyle course was modified. In Vancouver a luger died on the course during a test run..

I do remember that. Some kind of extreme turn, right?

auto_immune · Feb 6, 2014, 01:42 PM

Now they are claiming anyone accessing the internet in Sochi via phone. laptop, or tablet is getting immediately "hacked"!

wtf....

The Final Dakar · Feb 6, 2014, 02:12 PM

Apparently they have surveillance in the bathrooms (if one of the officials is to be believed)

Sourbook · Feb 6, 2014, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar

Apparently they have surveillance in the bathrooms (if one of the officials is to be believed)

Apparently, the athletes will be surveilling each other in the bathrooms.

Why Sochi's terrible bathrooms are the perfect symbol for Putin's Olympics - The Week

mattyb · Feb 7, 2014, 05:21 AM

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar

Apparently they have surveillance in the bathrooms (if one of the officials is to be believed)

It's to ensure no homosexual activity.

subego · Feb 7, 2014, 05:28 AM

Shaddim · Feb 7, 2014, 06:16 AM

I'm seeing pics taken today in Sochi, showing people in shorts, quite a few. That's not good for a Winter Olympics.

The Final Dakar · Feb 7, 2014, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by mattyb

It's to ensure no homosexual activity.

Then why we got figure skating?

I keed, I keed

osiris · Feb 7, 2014, 10:39 AM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

I'm seeing pics taken today in Sochi, showing people in shorts, quite a few. That's not good for a Winter Olympics.

That's ok, I've seen students at Cornell U in frozen Ithaca, NY wearing shorts when the temp goes above 30. Especially if it's sunny.

osiris · Feb 7, 2014, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar

Then why we got figure skating?

I keed, I keed

I suppose hockey makes up for it.

The Final Dakar · Feb 7, 2014, 11:37 AM

If there's a word for something that blends irony and hypocrisy, t.a.T.U. performing at Sochi has to be it.
yep, i took the time to spell their name that way

ajprice · Feb 7, 2014, 12:05 PM

Communal crapping?

BadKosh · Feb 7, 2014, 12:28 PM

The finest in Russian Craftsmanship....

turtle777 · Feb 7, 2014, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by ajprice

Communal crapping?

BYOTP ?

-t

ort888 · Feb 7, 2014, 05:51 PM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

I'm seeing pics taken today in Sochi, showing people in shorts, quite a few. That's not good for a Winter Olympics.

From what I've heard, Sochi is where all the indoor stuff is taking place and the outdoor stuff is taking place in some other mountain city miles away.

ajprice · Feb 10, 2014, 09:56 AM

American Bobsledder Johnny Quinn Gets Locked In Olympic Village Bathroom, Proceeds To Do This...

Johnny Quinn from the USA bobsled team got trapped inside an Olympic Village bathroom, gets out through the door anyway...

P · Feb 10, 2014, 10:06 AM

Less than a day before the opening cross-country race, the brother of one of the Norwegian skiers died unexpectedly. The skier in question did not start, and the rest of the team wore black bands around their arms during the race. Now all the skiers have been given an official warning by IOC. Apparently this was an unapproved display of...something? Are they human over there?

The Final Dakar · Feb 10, 2014, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by P

Less than a day before the opening cross-country race, the brother of one of the Norwegian skiers died unexpectedly. The skier in question did not start, and the rest of the team wore black bands around their arms during the race. Now all the skiers have been given an official warning by IOC. Apparently this was an unapproved display of...something? Are they human over there?

It'd be fine if Nike sponsored the black bands.

osiris · Feb 10, 2014, 11:06 AM

I'll tell you what's a disaster: NBC's embarrassing coverage of the Sochi Olympics. From the looks of it, it seems as though only North America is competing.

The Final Dakar · Feb 10, 2014, 11:12 AM

Speaking of coverage, I imagine there are quite a few cord cutters here, how are you watching the games? (If you're interested)

osiris · Feb 10, 2014, 11:13 AM

hola.org installed on Chrome.

BadKosh · Feb 10, 2014, 11:28 AM

The Russians don't seem to have nice words for the US either. At least their TV vomintators don't.

Jawbone54 · Feb 10, 2014, 11:54 AM

Originally Posted by ajprice

American Bobsledder Johnny Quinn Gets Locked In Olympic Village Bathroom, Proceeds To Do This...

Unbelievable.

Person Man · Feb 10, 2014, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by ajprice

American Bobsledder Johnny Quinn Gets Locked In Olympic Village Bathroom, Proceeds To Do This...

Johnny Quinn from the USA bobsled team got trapped inside an Olympic Village bathroom, gets out through the door anyway...

WTF?? The bathroom door is made of cardboard???

ShortcutToMoncton · Feb 10, 2014, 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar

Speaking of coverage, I imagine there are quite a few cord cutters here, how are you watching the games? (If you're interested)

In Canada, cbc.ca streams many or most of the events live in hi-def, and makes them available for later viewing as well. Not sure if that applies only to events in which Canadians are participating, but that's mostly all of them anyway. It's very distracting at work.

ajprice · Feb 10, 2014, 06:41 PM

Originally Posted by Person Man

WTF?? The bathroom door is made of cardboard???

Looks something like this

Cardboard honeycomb in a wood frame with a veneer skin. Probably cheap and not that strong or Olympic guy proof

Shaddim · Feb 10, 2014, 11:51 PM

45F during the women's downhill, the competitors are complaining about overheating. Obviously the fix is for them to wear swimsuits.

Ω · Feb 11, 2014, 03:30 AM

Originally Posted by Person Man

WTF?? The bathroom door is made of cardboard???

He should feel lucky that he had a door.

mattyb · Feb 11, 2014, 08:22 AM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

45F during the women's downhill, the competitors are complaining about overheating. Obviously the fix is for them to wear swimsuits.

Yum yum, more bikini skiing vids on YouTube !!!!

osiris · Feb 11, 2014, 09:54 AM

I vote for the bikini thing in women's skiing.

The Final Dakar · Feb 11, 2014, 10:16 AM

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton

In Canada, cbc.ca streams many or most of the events live in hi-def, and makes them available for later viewing as well.

Damn socialist TV

osiris · Feb 11, 2014, 10:24 AM

I'd even say communists - if they show it for free.

The Final Dakar · Feb 11, 2014, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by osiris

I'd even say communists - if they show it for free.

It was in response to my post about cord cutting so that seems to be the inference.

ShortcutToMoncton · Feb 12, 2014, 05:06 PM

I see your snarky references to socialism and raise you a "CBC means Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and yes it is a massively state-subsidized public television [and radio] broadcasting service, and yes anything they stream or webcast is completely free, including many/most events from the Olympics."

The Final Dakar · Feb 12, 2014, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton

I see your snarky references to socialism and raise you a "CBC means Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and yes it is a massively state-subsidized public television [and radio] broadcasting service, and yes anything they stream or webcast is completely free, including many/most events from the Olympics."

It's true, explaining jokes makes them less funny

mattyb · Feb 15, 2014, 07:13 PM

For the Russian Ice Hockey Team, lets hope so.

Fcuk you Vladimir !!!