A lot has been made about the frighteningly homophobic atmosphere in Russia during the run-up to the Winter Olympics. But Sochi may have more fundamental problems than just homophobia. Reports are being circulated in various outlets that conditions at the hotels and other facilities are inadequate, and in some cases dangerous.
Let's get two of the most disgusting anecdotes out of the way. Stacy St. Clair of the Chicago Tribune thought she would have a chance to wash up when she arrived at her hotel. But alas, she was told it was, um, a bit too risky to do so.
She found out why not long after the water was restored.
When Yahoo Sports hockey blogger Greg Wyshynski wanted to use the bathroom soon after arriving, he was greeted with this:
But at least they were able to get into their rooms. CNN Sports producer Harry Reekie reveals that his team got a rather unpleasant surprise when they arrived in Sochi.
And how'd that one room look?
Bruce Arthur of Canada's National Post wrote that as late as Sunday, things that should have been finished months or years in advance were still being built.
In Beijing, every detail was nailed down. They violated all kinds of human rights to do it, of course, but it was an expression of China’s ruthless efficiency. It showed what the country can do, when it wants to.
Sochi? Well, three of the nine mountain hotels have not been completed, and the IOC estimate that 97 per cent of the rooms are ready appears to ignore the little things.
Almost every room is missing something: lightbulbs, TVs, lamps, chairs, curtains, wifi, heat, hot water. Shower curtains are a valuable piece of the future black market here. (One American photographer was simply told, “You will not get a shower curtain.”)
Arthur talked to one German photographer who turned down his original room because the appliances didn't work and the water looked a lot like what St. Clair found. So they offered him another room--only to discover that construction workers were still sleeping in it.
The facilities for the athletes aren't much better. Canadian Press NHL reporter Stephen Wynno paid a visit to one of the rooms for Canada's men's hockey team--and found this:
Pavel Lysenkov, the NHL writer for Sovietsky Sport, took this video of another athletes' dorm. The conditions there are, to put it mildly, bare-bones.
Frightening, to say the least. For more, check out WaPo and Bleacher Report.