If you have not tuned in to the Olympics, then shame on you. One thing people have talked about over the past few weeks is whether or not Sochi was the proper place to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Upon their arrival, journalists from all over the world took to social media to bash Sochi. Hotels were not prepared in time, water was contaminated and some Olympic Village buildings were not completed. Sochi was not off to a good start, even before the games began.
Everyone was excited to see what was in store for the opening ceremonies. Things went well until the unveiling of the Olympic rings. Five snowflakes were supposed to expand into the five rings. After expanding, we were left with four rings and a snowflake as the fifth. It was a disappointing malfunction that led to many hilarious #SochiProblems tweets.
Another argument people have had concerning the location is the weather. Sochi, a resort town, has had temperatures as high as 61 degrees since the beginning of the games. Not exactly ideal for the winter Olympics.
The outdoor event that has seen the most issues thus far, in my opinion, is men’s halfpipe. Now, I may not be an expert, but I do know participants need smooth conditions in order to gain speed for bigger jumps.
This might just be me, but I am pretty sure the main reason Shaun White struggled in the finals was due to the conditions of the actual pipe. If you were watching, you probably heard the commentators talking about how the midsection of the pipe was slushy. This caused riders to lose speed when heading back up the pipe for jumps.
White had a clean qualifying run, but during his two final runs he lost speed while trying to throw bigger tricks. In my opinion, if the pipe would have been in a cooler city, the conditions might have given White a medal.
Next time, let’s shoot for locations that can adequately provide completed housing, clean water and proper weather conditions for the winter games.
Also, I find it ironic that the slogan for the Sochi Olympic games is “Hot.Cool.Yours.” Well you are right, Sochi. It is definitely hot.
