The Russians for hosting the winter olympics at Sochi -- a semi-tropical seaside resort on the Black Sea, are almost as stupid as the Americans for having the Superbowl in an open stadium in frigid New Jersey. See Google images. Sochi has more palm trees, tropical flora and beaches than the Caribbean. Russia says it will have to haul in and make tons of artificial snow to accommodate the winter sports there. Next time, why not hold the winter olympics in Miami and the summer olympics in Greenland?
If you have been watching any of the skiing or snowboarding events, you realize, perhaps, how uninformed, ignorant, and frankly stupid your observations are regarding the quality of the Sochi area as a venue for the Winter Olympics. The Rosa Khutor ski area in the Caucasus Mountains is 30 miles away from the palm trees, and high above sea level. If you watched the 1988 Winter Olympics at Calgary, you saw that even in Alberta (which should have had the best conditions of all) there was a lack of snow, too much daytime heating, and way too much blowing dust. Oh, and about the Super Bowl... where were the piles of snow, sheets of ice, and blizzards on gale-force winds? Your comments suggest that you live on a different planet....
I'm not much of an Olympics fan but I try to catch the figure skating events. I was completely stunned when the Russian champion fell in the mens event. He was the best men's skater I've seen over the last few years, possibly in history. Amazing, and his choice to retire a tragic end to a top notch career.