Free Republic

Former Russian figure skater Irina Rodnina was given the honor of lighting the Olympic flame at Sochi 2014′s Opening Ceremony on Friday, but she has started receiving attention for a racist photograph she tweeted last September.

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Bob Costas and pinkeye in Sochi in communist Russia. What's the surprise? You hear about Bob Costas? Costas woke up... You've heard about these stories in Sochi. I know some people that are over there and the stories are being exaggerated about how bad the hotels and stuff are. Some of it's true, but the real story at Sochi -- and I've gotta be very careful here, folks. The real story at Sochi is going to be the American performance, the ice skating. Some of it's already begun. The Russian figure skaters ran rings around us. Now,...

(Update: Obama Applauds!) This photo came across Twitter today, thanks to Jonah Goldberg. It’s from the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Sochi, Russia. (snip) Rachel Bachman ✔ @Bachscore Follow Russia in the house. #Sochi 1:02 PM - 7 Feb 2014 Update: And more. Look who’s applauding. John Ekdahl @JohnEkdahl Follow 1:28 PM - 7 Feb 2014

Locals who have had a sneak peek at the Sochi Winter Olympics opening ceremony claim there is a separate section to celebrate Russia's industrial revolution during Joseph Stalin's era, which cost millions of lives. Although the exact details of the ceremony have been kept under wraps, some likely features are emerging, and it appears Russia will ape the homage to industrial history which underpinned the opening of London 2012. The opening ceremony is being orchestrated by Russia's high-profile director at the country's Channel One Konstantin Ernst and millions of dollars are being splurged on the event. However, despite the glamour...

President Obama said he “no doubt” wanted to make clear to Russia that the United States doesn’t accept discrimination by sending gay athletes to the Olympics. Obama sent hockey player Caitlin Kaho and figure skater Brian Boitano to represent the U.S. delegation--both are openly gay. “There is no doubt we wanted to make it very clear that we do not abide by discrimination in anything, including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and one of the wonderful things about the Olympics is that you are judged by your merit,” Obama said in an interview with Bob Costas on Thursday....

Link only. Map at link with identifiers outlining the 'business' of the Olympics in Russia.

“We have surveillance video from the hotels that shows people turn on the shower, direct the nozzle at the wall and then leave the room for the whole day,” he said. An aide then pulled a reporter away before Mr. Kozak could be questioned further on surveillance in hotel rooms. “We’re doing a tour of the media center,” the aide said.

Google’s doodle is a celebration of the 2014 Winter Olympics, but as usual, there is a statement behind it. The letters are in the colors of the rainbow, which is used to represent the LGBT community. Russia passed anti-gay propaganda laws late summer 2012 and received international criticism. The law states no one is allowed to hand out gay propaganda to children in Russia. President Vladimir Putin did little to reduce the flames when he said gays are allowed just as long as they leave the children alone

Julian Finney/Getty ImagesConstruction in the Gorky Gorod 540 Hotel in Sochi. Sochi officials say that the city's hotels are 97% complete on the eve of the Olympics.But given the nightmare travel stories rolling in from reporters in Sochi, that 3% difference goes a long, long way.There are reports of rooms without light bulbs or doorknobs. There are stories about unfinished hotels without lobbies or working elevators or running water. There are anecdotes from people who've checked into their rooms, only to find them occupied by stray dogs or construction workers napping in between shifts.The venues and Olympic Village all look...

SOCHI, Russia (AP) -- Olympic fans of the world, where are you? Sochi is (more or less) ready for you to come to its Winter Games. Thousands of athletes, soldiers, journalists and herds of smiley volunteers are in place, eager to help. So far, though, it seems like the only spectators milling about are Russian.

The decedent past of Soviet Russia, it turns out, is not that far behind us. Oh sure, Russians might have Wi-Fi, post-soviet sedans, and Hugo Boss… But it’s not exactly the revolutionized and reformed former communist state we’re supposed to believe. And Sochi, home to this year’s Winter Olympics, is not exactly the Salt Lake City, or the Vancouver, of the Black Sea. As Sochi struggles to make their resort town mildly bearable for visitors, in time for the winter Olympics, the world has been given a glimpse into the lack of progress Mother Russia has made since the fall...

(Via AFP) The National Broadcasting Co., which paid $775 million to cover the Sochi Olympics, insists it won't be used by Russian president Vladimir Putin when the 2014 Winter Games begin February 6. Mark Lazarus, chairman of the NBC Sports Group, said the New York-based broadcasting giant won't shy away from reporting on human rights issues or threats of terror. "We don't know what is going to happen in Sochi. We will cover anything that takes place during the Games," Lazarus told the USA Today newspaper. Putin has championed these Games as a showcase for the modern post-Soviet face of...

The Obama administration offered to work on Sochi Olympics security issues with Russia after a pair of bombings in Volgograd killed at least 31 people. President Vladimir Putin gave instructions to the National Anti-Terrorism Committee “to step up security measures across all of Russia and specifically in Volgograd region,” the Kremlin said Monday. “The president will receive daily reports from the NAC on the measures being taken along with regular situation reports.” Putin had not emerged to make a personal statement on the bombings, which occurred at a train station and on a bus. The train station bomber was reportedly...