The Sochi Olympics, From Putin and the Plutocrats to Pussy Riot

By Amy Goodman, Truthdig

06 February 14

he Sochi Olympic Games are rightly highlighting the constellation of abuses that have become standard in Russia under Vladimir Putin. Most notably is intense, often violent homophobia, tacitly endorsed by the government with the recent passage of the law against "gay propaganda." While Sochi shines a light on Russian human-rights violations, it affords an opportunity to expose the rampant corruption and abuse that accompanies the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

I first personally experienced the corrupting influence of the Olympics when attempting a routine entry into Canada, to give a talk at the Vancouver Public Library in November 2009. Two colleagues and I were ordered out of our car by the Canadian border guards. I was interrogated at length, as other guards busily rifled our car. They wanted to know the topics of my talk. I told them I would talk about the importance of an independent media, about the Obama administration's war in Afghanistan, its efforts to derail to the U.N. climate negotiations and more.

"Are you planning on speaking about the upcoming Winter Games in Vancouver?" The thought hadn't entered my mind, at least until the interrogation. My detention became a national story across Canada. In order to host the Olympics, cities have to buckle under the IOC's strict rules, and governments have to provide enormous public subsidies, primarily for sports stadiums and other construction projects that are paid for but often unwanted by the local citizens. To force this boondoggle on the public, the IOC and host governments crack down on dissent.

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