Sochi Logo

There is so much about the controversies swirling around the Sochi Olympics that I agree with, but I want to spend a little time focusing on some positives.

The logo of the Sochi games is the first logo to be a Web address--it is not only a sign of the times, but some have interpreted it as Russia asserting it is a modern nation on the world stage, technologically savvy and ready to be a world power.  The '4' in 2014 bears a striking resemblance to the the Cyrillic letter for 'ch', which is a nice play on symbols--I have found it more challenging than I would have imagined to travel in countries where Cyrillic is the alphabet of the land.  It seems like it should be manageable--not like Asian languages where I have no place to start.  But so far, I have struggled, so I like the effort to teach a bit of the alphabet in a quiet way. 



Now to the things that I feel need to change.  I am certainly disturbed by the anti-gay rhetoric that swirled around the Games.  The question of safety and security for openly gay athletes in an international event is something that I believe should be mandatory for any country that is applying to host the Olympic Games.  I do not hold the IOC in high esteem, but that is related to graft and politics, not to their adherence to the importance of the safety of athletes.  So hopefully the future sites of Olympic games will include this consideration--after all, the Greeks themselves were active participants in homosexuality, so it is in concert with the history of the Games, not to mention the right thing to do in the modern world.