That’s a wrap! The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia concluded Monday after 17 days of top winter sports performances. The host team of Russia placed first with 13 gold, 11 silver and nine bronze medals. Followed behind Norway and Canada, Team USA placed fourth at the winter games and took home an impressive 28 medals. While we all are a little melancholy the Winter Olympics are over, there were great (and not so great) moments other than the teams and athlete’s performances to look back on while we wait for Rio 2016 and Pyeong Chang 2018.
The frustrating, the odd and the unsanitary. Reporters took to social media as they piled into a town unknown to most of the world adjacent to the Black Sea. Despite the $51 billion invested into reconstructing this sleepy resort town, the city was simply not prepared. Some of the first tweets from media, athletes and spectators were criticizing the poor and strange living conditions.
I see what you did there, Russia. Fisht Olympic Stadium was constructed for the sole purpose as being the location for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics. After nearly $600 million was invested into the structure, all eyes were on the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics creative director Konstantin Ernst’s artistic creation to honor Russia as seen through the eyes of a little girl.
There were floating, colorful structures, choirs singing songs like Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” and large Olympic mascots that are sure to haunt me in my dreams for years to come. There was also the Olympic ring fail when one of Ernt’s five LED snowflakes failed to transform. Russian state television decided to air an edited version of the Opening Ceremonies where the ring did open during a rehearsal, while NBC opted to air the live footage. Ernst took advantage of the opening ceremony mishap during the Closing Ceremony and left viewers with a good laugh. Well played.
Puppy love. There was a good chance if you were residing in Sochi during the Winter Olympics that you’d find a dog walking aside you during your commute or even see a canine spectating at an Olympic event. Social media and news stories put Russia under scrutiny after reportedly sending out officials to round up masses of stray dogs and euthanize the animals. Olympic organizers had been reported saying that only diseased dogs had been put down while the healthier ones have been “relocated.” Sochi visitors and Olympic athletes alike took to caring and adopting strays.
American freeskier silver medalist Gus Kensworthy was one of the first to publicize the issue. He delayed his flight home to the United States to fill out paperwork to transport a mother dog and her four puppies. American hockey player David Backes and his wife Kelly created an organization called Athletes for Animals while in Sochi to help rescue the dogs and transport them from Russia.
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