Kukla's Korner Hockey
Sochi Facing Problems
by Paul on 06/14/10 at 10:11 AM ET
Comments (4)
from Jeff Lee of the Vancouver Sun,
There are also serious security threats to the Games. In Guatemala, Putin pledged the Sochi Olympics would be “safe, enjoyable and memorable.” But many, even inside government, are no longer sure of that. Sochi is near the predominantly Muslim Russian republics of Chechnya and Dagestan, and rebel groups such as Caucasus Emirate continue to fight to create an Islamic caliphate. Last month Alexander Bortnikov, the chief of Russia’s federal security bureau, said he was aware of credible Islamist terrorist threats to attack the Sochi Games.
To add to the pressure, there are also growing concerns about the environmental impact of the construction, both on Olympic venues and an ambitious combined road/rail connector being built between Adler, a southern suburb of Sochi, and the mountain venues at Krasnaya Polyana.
In January the United Nations Environment Programme noted that Russian promises to strengthen environmental protections, enlarge the nearby Sochi National Park and set up new protected areas for sensitive wetlands were not being carried out.
Filed in: Hockey Related Stories, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: 2014+winter+olympics
Comments
Have the 2014 Olympics in Vancouver again!
Posted by detroitdan1982 from St. John's, NL on 06/14/10 at 01:55 PM ET
Yeah, I gotta say, I know quite a bit can change in a few years, but if I were an NHL player, I wouldn’t be on board with Sochi.
Considering the animosity between the cultures in the region and the Russian government, and considering how badly Russia wants to succeed in the ice hockey portion of the Sochi Olympics… it seems too obvious that this would be a prime terrorist target.
Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 06/14/10 at 02:21 PM ET
Who the f*ck makes these decisions in the IOC?
No. If I were Mike Ilitch, I’d tell my guys, “No, you’re not going.”
Posted by SYF from the Flood on 06/14/10 at 06:19 PM ET
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Most Recent Blog Posts
Paul MacLean wisely suggests that his Senators can learn from Penguins’ ‘clinic’
Penguins Advance To Eastern Conference Finals
Video- Brenden Morrow Goal Tonight - Kicked Or Not?
Avs Need To Find A “Vezina-Worthy Goalie”
Phoenix GM Don Maloney Signs Extension
About Kukla's Korner Hockey
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
Email Paul anytime at pk@kuklaskorner.com
Chechnya and Dagestan are the tips of the “powder keg” iceberg. Sochi’s a few dozen miles from Georgia, South Ossieta, a few hundred miles from Azerbaijan, Armenai, Turkey, and Iran, and there are at least a dozen distinct ethnic groups who don’t like each other very much and/or are warring in the southern Caucasus mountains…The NHL has some very legitimate security concerns regarding the 2014 Olympics, and they should.
Posted by George Malik from South Lyon, MI on 06/14/10 at 10:30 AM ET