Holes in sidewalks?
Terrible translation?
Plastic bottles of gin instead of mineral water?
Broken lifts, no heating and hotel rooms are still not ready?
Russia could seem uncomfortable, weird, hilarious, uncivil, unfriendly, chaotic et cetera. I see!
But the main problem with Sochi Olympics is politics.
Our perception of the Olympic Games is politicized. Our attitude towards Russia is prejudged and politicized. Both domestically and outside Russia.
Scandalous laws, violated human rights, strained relationships with European Union and the USA and also the concept of the Olympic Games in Russia as a confirmation of Russia's global power status. All of that had affected the image of Sochi Olympics.
Many of us do not perceive Sochi Olympics just as sports but as an event that could clear up the image of Russia, improve the brand called "Russia" and impact positively on global politics. This may sound too complicated but still this is the case. The trick is that you sometimes think this way but may not notice it.
The way of thinking I've described could be successful. Unfortunately, Russia's social and political background is negative and misrepresented. This is the reason of too high expectations and different stereotypes and personal opinions (that can transform from personal to public with help of media) that do not correspond to the reality.
Reality is that Russia is not prepared to hold global events perfectly. There are definite domestic reasons why we are unprepared.
But do not extend your preconceived opinions to all russians. In this case proving that we are not weird, hilarious, uncivil, unfriendly is just senseless and ineffective. This is a simple truth that happens to be beyond somebody's understanding.
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