The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, began on February
7, 2014, with a memorable opening ceremony of Russian culture and history – as
well as a mishap when only 4 out of 5 giant snowflakes electronically morphed
into Olympic rings. Some would say that this electronic malfunction would prove
to only be the beginning of many problems experienced during the Sochi
Olympics. However, controversies surrounded the Winter Games months before the
opening ceremony.
The Sochi Winter Olympics cost more than the sum of all
previous Winter Olympics – a total of over fifty billion dollars, much of which
was embezzled or mismanaged. But was this price really worth it for Russia’s
President Vladimir Putin? I don’t believe so, particularly because, generally,
news reports surrounding the games have not involved the actual sports. Rather,
they have discussed Russia’s issues with human rights, anti-gay propaganda laws,
and extreme Islamist terrorist groups. As well, Sochi’s contracted killings of
hundreds of stray dogs have sparked an outrage with organizations like the
Humane Society.
Apart from sociopolitical controversies, Russia has dealt
with backlash from athletes, reporters, and visitors who are experiencing less
than ideal conditions in Sochi. Reports have flourished from unhappy tourists
complaining about uncovered potholes on walkways, contaminated water,
unsanitary bathrooms with toilets placed directly next to each other, and
unfinished hotel rooms that lack light bulbs, chairs, and even doorknobs. From
these issues has arisen the infamous Twitter account, @SochiProblems. Equipped
with the hashtag “SochiProblems,” tourists staying in Sochi are live-tweeting
posts and pictures depicting the problems they are encountering.
These are just some of the many examples of Sochi’s poor
planning in preparation for the Winter Olympics. So what have they done to fix
the situation? They’ve made it much worse.
Instead of apologizing for the abhorrent lack of planning
and the many head-scratching procedures taken to fix Sochi’s issues, Russian
President Putin blamed Western civilization for its criticism and compared the
criticism to that of the Cold War’s ambitions to hold back the Soviet Union.
Additionally, on the same day that Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak asked gay
visitors, “Please don’t touch the kids,” he also let it slip that there were
cameras in hotel room showers.
PR people know that to fix a crisis, you don’t point
fingers. Putin should’ve owned up to his (many) mistakes, and accepted that
they were trying to fix them the best way they could. With Kozak, well, he
could really use Olivia Pope right about now.
This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Tyler Cameron.
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