Winter Olympics - Sochi

[AZOffaly]

Well I'm just going by twitter photos of hotel rooms etc. I suppose they could be staged or exaggerated, but why bother? Sports journos and athletes normally don't give a shite about that stuff.

[haranguerer]

Ach nah, you're right, I didnt mean they'd go so far as to stage things, but I think theres a definite tendency to concentrate on the negatives, of which there will be some at any Olympics. There was an unbelievable amount of talk about Russias persecution of lgbts etc, compare and contrast to the rather muted coverage of for e.g. Qatars human rights records

[deiseach]

Ach nah, you're right, I didnt mean they'd go so far as to stage things, but I think theres a definite tendency to concentrate on the negatives, of which there will be some at any Olympics. There was an unbelievable amount of talk about Russias persecution of lgbts etc, compare and contrast to the rather muted coverage of for e.g. Qatars human rights records

The Qatar World Cup (if it ever happens) is eight years away. By February 2022 there will be a frenzy in the media about the cost of the World Cup, both in terms of cash and human misery.

[general]

Looking forward to Seeing the Hockey for sure. Was out in Vancouver for 6 months and got to a few Canucks games, great entertainment. If Canada come up against USA expect fireworks, the ladies played a hockey challenge before christmas and beat the sh*#e outa each other for 60 mins

[deiseach]

I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out - Rodney Dangerfield

[haranguerer]

Ach nah, you're right, I didnt mean they'd go so far as to stage things, but I think theres a definite tendency to concentrate on the negatives, of which there will be some at any Olympics. There was an unbelievable amount of talk about Russias persecution of lgbts etc, compare and contrast to the rather muted coverage of for e.g. Qatars human rights records

The Qatar World Cup (if it ever happens) is eight years away. By February 2022 there will be a frenzy in the media about the cost of the World Cup, both in terms of cash and human misery.

Well then, what about the Beijing Olympics? I heard very little about Chinas human rights abuses during that coverage. Wouldnt be because the west is trying to kiss their ar*es as they know thats where the future is.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/10/human-rights-day-unhrc-progress-china-abuse

Meanwhile in russia a girl band are locked up and (rightly so) theres uproar.

With regard to Qatar, You can guarantee that on the morning of that opening ceremony they wont be talking about how the president has given loads of money to his mates to design the venues, that one lad designed a stadium and is desigining the opening ceremony so (wait for this leap....!) apparently designed the stadium purely to suit the opening ceremony he had in mind.... , or giving out that they're the most expensive games by far, and there are roads and railways which 'go nowhere except to the mountains' (as you'd expect given thats where the events are). This was the case for the entire Sochi section of the BBC news this morning.

[deiseach]

You can guarantee that on the morning of the opening ceremony they wont be talking about how the president has given loads of money to his mates to design the venues, that one lad designed a stadium and is desigining the opening ceremony so (wait for this leap....!) apparently designed the stadium purely to suit the opening ceremony he had in mind.... , or giving out that they're the most expensive games by far, and there are roads and railways which 'go nowhere except to the mountains' (as you'd expect given thats where the events are). This was the case for the entire Sochi section of the BBC news this morning.

If you want a glimpse of the narrative that will surround the Qatar World Cup, Google 'qatar world cup stadium'. Warning: NSFW.

[haranguerer]

Sorry Deiseach, you were too quick for me, I edited that post but clearly not in time for your quote

I'll believe the abuse Qatar gets when I see the coverage all over mainstream media during the event.

[deiseach]

I don't know what point you are trying to make here. That the media are collectively out to get Russia but give the likes of China and Qatar a pass? Why would the BBC (for example) feel the need to kiss China's arse?

[AZOffaly]

I think China got a fair bit of negative publicity around the Beijing Olympics build up too. It dies down when the games start, and I expect the negative stuff around Sochi will die down then too. Albeit maybe not the LGBT protesting because they tend to be very determined in fairness to them.

[haranguerer]

Thats my point, it hasnt died down. The things starting today, there were events yesterday, so plenty to report on, but the entire BBC news report this morning focused on cost, corruption, and waste.

Deiseach, if you bothered to read the thread you'd see my point; AZ opened with the opinion that it seemed to be a bit of a cluster f**k there, I made the point that there seemed to be a very negative spin on all the coverage, and that I'd take it with a pinch of salt, given frosty international relations with Russia.

Re China, you tell me, but presumably you have heard of Pussy Riot?

[deiseach]

Thats my point, it hasnt died down. The things starting today, there were events yesterday, so plenty to report on, but the entire BBC news report this morning focused on cost, corruption, and waste.

Deiseach, if you bothered to read the thread you'd see my point; AZ opened with the opinion that it seemed to be a bit of a cluster f**k there, I made the point that there seemed to be a very negative spin on all the coverage, and that I'd take it with a pinch of salt, given frosty international relations with Russia.

Re China, you tell me, but presumably you have heard of Pussy Riot?

I think you are projecting neocon hostility to Russia onto every media organisation. Again, why would the BBC feel the need to reflect 'frosty international relations with Russia'?

[Shamrock Shore]

€50 billion is a horrid lot to spend on something few, if any, are all that interested in.

[haranguerer]

Thats my point, it hasnt died down. The things starting today, there were events yesterday, so plenty to report on, but the entire BBC news report this morning focused on cost, corruption, and waste.

Deiseach, if you bothered to read the thread you'd see my point; AZ opened with the opinion that it seemed to be a bit of a cluster f**k there, I made the point that there seemed to be a very negative spin on all the coverage, and that I'd take it with a pinch of salt, given frosty international relations with Russia.

Re China, you tell me, but presumably you have heard of Pussy Riot?

I think you are projecting neocon hostility to Russia onto every media organisation. Again, why would the BBC feel the need to reflect 'frosty international relations with Russia'?

I'm not projecting anything. I can see the negative coverage with my own eyes, and I can compare and contrast it to much more positive coverage of other games, in places with similar or worse human rights records, and similar or more severe issues in the lead up to the games.

If you dont think that news agencies can have a political bias Deiseach, in particular STATE news agencies, (does that help the penny drop any?) theres not much more to say to you.

[deiseach]

If you dont think that news agencies can have a political bias Deiseach, in particular STATE news agencies, (does that help the penny drop any?) theres not much more to say to you.

If you think the BBC, funded independently of the state and labelled the Bolshevik Broadcasting Corporation by the Tories, is the equivalent of Pravda, then you are correct that there's not much more to say to me.