Sochi 2014: Pissing Off Journalists, And Killing All The Dogs
These Winter Olympics just keep getting better and better, huh?
After attracting censure, protests and boycotts over their anti-gay laws, and amid terrorist threats, a blown-out budget and widespread doubt that Russia is at all ready to host the Winter Olympics (which start on Friday AEST), come a few bits of news that make everything worse.
The first comes from The Independent, who reported yesterday that the City of Sochi had “quietly hired a private company” to exterminate all of the stray dogs, lest they prove an unsightly nuisance and embarrass tourists with rabies. Alexei Sorokin, the boss of Basya Services, told the paper his company was commissioned to “catch and kill” the dogs, which he refers to as “biological trash”.
The policy is a turn-around from 2013, when activists successfully stopped Sochi city hall from culling more than 2000 cats and dogs. Sorokin won’t confirm the number of dogs that will be killed, or whether they will be shot or poisoned; apparently it is “a commercial secret”.
Sorokin emphasised that the action is necessary to safeguard the sportsmen and women taking part in the games, after he attended a rehearsal of the Olympic opening ceremony last week and saw a stray dog walking in on the performers.
“A dog ran into the Fisht Stadium, we took it away,” he said. “God forbid something like this happens at the actual opening ceremony. This will be a disgrace for the whole country.”
You’re right, Russia. A homeless dog gleefully gate-crashing the opening ceremony is absolutely the national disgrace you should be focusing on right now.
Journalists, meanwhile, aren’t having much fun either. With the Olympics kicking off this week, reporters are starting to arrive at their hotels. And, as noted by The Washington Post, their hotels do not seem to be ready.
This is the one hotel room @Sochi2014 have given us so far. Shambles. #cnnsochi pic.twitter.com/RTjEkmyan3
— Harry Reekie (@HarryCNN) February 4, 2014
Made new pal from La Presse as we struggled to find hotel. When we got to our (temporary) rooms his doorknob came off in hand #roadtosochi — katiebakes (@katiebakes) February 4, 2014
Got back to hotel. Lift broken after half day in use. Trekked up stairs. Door to my floor (that’d be the fire door) locked. Utter farce. — Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) February 4, 2014
The reception of our hotel in #Sochi has no floor. But it does have this welcoming picture. pic.twitter.com/8isdoBuytl
— Kevin Bishop (@bishopk) February 4, 2014
Ok, so my hotel doesn’t have a lobby yet.
— Mark MacKinnon (@markmackinnon) February 4, 2014
And here’s my personal favourite:
My hotel has no water. If restored, the front desk says, “do not use on your face because it contains something very dangerous.” #Sochi2014
— Stacy St. Clair (@StacyStClair) February 4, 2014
“Something very dangerous” is just a wonderful thing to have in your water.