On the other hand, I say, we make missiles And blocked Yenisei river And also in the field of ballet We are ahead of the entire planet. Yu. Vizbor «The Story of technologist Petukhov»
For more than thirty-six years I was professionally interested in the choice of capital for future Olympics, the preparations for the Games and, of course, by the competitions, in which more than once I have worked as an accredited reporter. In recent years my attention was naturally attracted to London 2012 and Sochi 2014. And that’s what is surprising: in all these years I do not remember the case when members of the IOC Coordination Committee so often visited the venue of the Winter Games, as it is now.
Caviar prescription
Members of the Committee, headed by Olympic champion Jean-Claude Killy, fly to Moscow for meetings with Medvedev and Putin, and then together with the owners of the Kremlin and the White House go to Sochi as often, as if the doctor has prescribed them to regularly intake Russian black caviar by large silver spoons three times daily before meals. Naturally, the Russian President and Prime Minister of Russia with the guests and attendants are accompanied by cameras of all Russian television channels everywhere, except in the refectory and in the sleeping quarters.
Фото www.newsland.ru
On those channels, the sweet-voiced showmen interpret those parts of the negotiations on which they were admitted. And make for the future of the Olympic Games such PR campaign, which could not be achieved by neither the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from 1977 to 1980, nor by the richer and more advanced United States of America, respectively, four years later.
At the same time Russian and Russian-speaking viewers are so annoyingly overfed with promises of «Fantastic! Everything will be fine! » that I have, as a human being, from the early years of Soviet power weaning trust of the superficial truth, unwittingly stirred in the convolutions of the brain thought: Is there a boy? Will the games be held at all?
A thought, of course, being apparently absurd at first sight, but if properly delve into the minds and stories, no doubt would be unfounded.
Putinkin Village
Sochi as a precisely summer Soviet-Union workers’ health resort was founded by Stalin, who had advisers and experts which were not worse than those of today, officials who were not taking bribes, and masters of all construction professions in any quantity. If Stalin wanted to make the resort fit for winters, Laurentii Pavlochich Beria (head of Gulag) would instantly build a direct rail link from Oimyakon to Krasnaya Polyana for fast uninterrupted supply of ice and snow, and impounded a sufficient number of cars and refrigerators. Or built a giant factory of a respective profile on the then barren land.
I doubt that the Generalissimo of the Soviet Union was more stupid than a retired lieutenant colonel of the KGB or was less versed in the needs of workers. Although the Comrade Stalin ruled without leaving the Kremlin, rather than hanging out in the country as the rose in the hole, being obsessed by mania to grap with his mischievous little hands or a tight control strategic bomber, or the soft breast of Olympic champion, or some other forbidden no-toy …
The «Pictures at an Exhibition» shown to viewers are so convincing, that through thousands of miles to the satellite and back literally rushing through the TV screen one can smell the thick stench of bullshit.
In the Russian Empire such images were called Potemkin villages, in the Soviet — «sosilisticheskim realizmom» but as the name of Sochi, citing Mikhail Leontiev, «bits of the empire”? Putinkin village?
Southern city of Sochi happened never to have professionals able to develop and service facilities for winter sports. Where will they be taken from? Where will they be placed after the Games? To taiga? Next to Shoigu? Get drown, as Ivan the Terrible of his builder-workers?
Supply of snow in the area of the Olympic action will cost many millions of rubles — at whose expense? At Roman Abramovich again’? What will become of Krasnaya Polyana, if cubic meters of snow on it will cost more than cubic meters of sugar — a ski resort for the people or “the Red Courchevel for people’s servants”? Who but a “simple” Russian oligarch and an official of high rank, can afford to ski on such an expensive snow and to live in cottages of megastar category?
All the steam — for the demo
Some of the sports facilities after the Games will be dismantled and transported to other provinces. Does this mean that they will initially build a makeshift, and will not suffer from this fragility the athletes, spectators, staff? Facts about the collapse of dishonestly constructed stadiums are known throughout the world.
What will be built in the city to the vacated areas? Will the tycoons financing the construction of stadiums, tracks and sports palaces agree to the forced loss of a lot of money on the sale of objects of the second freshness? Isn’t it more profitable to sell new, not second hand?
And Mr. Putin as the pioneer, and Mr. Medvedev as chief executor know that expected results from the Russian team Sochi will be no better than achieved at the previous Olympics in Vancouver.
Фото www.gzt.ru
All the steam released by the Russian president after the failure of the national team in Vancouver, which was set to start a motion of a system of training athletes to the event-century, was gone, as usual, to the blast (it should be noted that the prime minister’s engine is not even started).The main culprit of failure, the minister Mutko, instead of a getting a long reserved place under a jail plank-bed, managed to stay in his familiar chair of the ministerial cabinet. Other than Tyagachev, no one even was scratched. Here the head of government made a great disservice (Russian: Bear-service, Medved=Bear) to the head of the state clearly. Or maybe anti-Medved-Service?
Theoretically it is possible to assume, that in 2014 neither Medvedev nor Putin will no longer move the levers of power. All the same it is unlikely it would be pleasant for them to sit in the stands for the honored guests and even more honorable hosts and keep smiling through gritted teeth, looking at flags of other countries rising above the podium and listening to foreign anthems. Will the two heads of an eagle, facing at opposite directions, keep good faces on bad games? As history teaches us: the lower the height, the higher ambition.
In addition, the new leaders of the same party «Indivisible Russia», who unanimously voted in favor of dismissal of Yuri Luzhkov «for the reason of lost confidence», may decide to offer the mayor’s fate to “Leningrad cowboys» in the same way. Primitive-democratic Russia Boris Yeltsin has sunk into oblivion, and the Investigation Committee must have already sewn dozens of volumes of the criminal case against at least one. The second one will go in the same case as an accomplice (he knew and did not react).
Sworn friend Mishiko
Weighing all these facts and a lot more, you begin to think that the only opportunity for the company, «Vovan and Dimock,» to save its skin, scalp, image and expropriated wealth can only be resolved by a cancellation of the Olympics. And set them aside by somebody else’s hands — the IOC and the world media.
Is there a possibility to refuse the Olympic Games without losing face? In principle, this is not so difficult. Several explosions arranged by name, though even without orders from Georgian, Ingush, or any other terrorists during the regular visits of dignitaries of the International Olympic Committee will quickly force leadership of the IOC to acknowledge: Sochi site is unsafe, and the change of the venue is not only possible but necessary. Especially if the shooter «accidentally» slightly wounds someone from the foreign dignitaries. Moscow has enough specialists able to cope with this task, without giving, so to speak, blunders. The possibility of harm to the Games was also hinted by the nearest neighbor Mishiko Saakashvili, while picking out scraps of his red neckties from his teeths.
Thanks to his chatter, Russian media can regularly heat up a non-existent «Georgia’s Threat.»
Blue Black Sea
In this version of events the unrealized White Olympics will benefit those who bought in Sochi and the surrounding area. And the wolves will be fed and the sheep shorn bald. Athletes as «muscle meats» will get the glittering trinkets to decorate themselves, the prettiest women athletes will be gifted with babies (those to whom it was presented during the last Olympics will get a seat in the Duma for the next term and 250,000). And millions of Russian television viewers will be entertained by concerts and shows like «Blue ice on the Black Sea,» or just «Blue Black Sea», in which the figure skaters will compete with hockey players and Curling. I am sure people will be delighted to follow Ilia Averbukh duel with Alexander Zhulin on hockey skates and hockey sticks on one side and Vladislav Tretiak with Vyacheslav Fetisov on figure skates on the other. Tatiana Tarasova will be the judge, but not as Navka. AstroNavka.
Formula «Christmas Eve»
In concluding essay on the free theme, I would like to summarize all that is written above. In my opinion, the financial game around the Olympic Games in Sochi has long begun, and will end no later than the winter of 2013. The games can take place only if the interests of owners of hotel, restaurant and gaming business in the city of Sochi will prevail over the attempt to rescue the state’s image. I believe that the final answer to the «to be, or not to be, that is the question» will be taken based on the world championships on winter Olympic sports in 2013.
But the «Formula 1» will stay. This sport is just for the new owners of the city of Sochi. I think they will erect a racetrack based on the last cry of technology, along with a hat factory, a strawberry plantation and dairy farm for the production of cream to the strawberries and at the same time expel the indigenous population of another part of the land to build a football stadium for 2018.
The author does not consider his point of view, the only true and does not want to impose it on anyone. Opponents have every right to speak on any of the websites or in any media. At a conference of this site the criticism of the author, responses and answers will be published starting from February 7, 2014.
PS After the World Championships in Turin, I tried to draw the attention of Mr Mutko on the disastrous state of the Russian figure skating and its prospects for 2014. In response, received the following letter on a blank sheet of paper without signature:
№ 01-03-18/775
From 04/02/2010
Werner A.
According to the letter of the State Duma department on work with citizens on February 25, 2010 № 2.8-15-8092-45 Ministry of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy of the Russian Federation said that information from your website within the purview of Minsportturizma Russia reviewed and accepted for consideration.
Director of the Department
public policy
development of elite sport, DV Pankratov
App. Olga Y. Koroleva
601 94 56
Those who want to know what measures to improve the training of athletes taken Sport Minister Mr Mutko may call the phone number, displayed above.
Translated into English by Alexander Werner, Canada