Opinion Olympic protest

The Sochi Games is turning out to be the stage for spectacular agitation.

February 8, 2014 12:07 AM IST First published on: Feb 8, 2014 at 12:07 AM IST

The Sochi Games is turning out to be the stage for spectacular agitation

Russians were understandably proud at the opening of the biggest and costliest Winter Olympics ever. In the coming days, however, another far-from-flattering first threatens to dent the legacy of the Sochi Games. Global outrage over Russia’s anti-gay and blasphemy law could make this the “most protested” Games ever. Google has already given its search page a multi-coloured make-over, coming out in support of the LGBT community. This could just be the start. A “rainbow flag” sighting from the Sochi arena might get mentioned in the same breath as the famously controversial “Black salute” by a couple of US sprinters at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach has even marked out a “protest area” for aggrieved athletes. Olympians have been allowed to make political statements only at press conferences. But the athletes are walking dangerously close to the line. Russia’s Alexey Sobolev has turned up at the Games with a snowboard that has a knife-carrying woman in a ski mask, who bears more than a passing resemblance to a member of the anti-establishment Russian pop group Pussy Riot.

Many influential voices are using the Sochi Games to highlight all that they think is wrong with Putin’s Russia. Günter Grass and Salman Rushdie are among 200 writers who, through an open letter in the media, have joined the protests. Over the years, the Olympic stage has become more visible, and a statement made from there resonates longer. The six colours of the Olympic rings once represented the colours of all nations. At Sochi, they want the rings to stand for the diversity of gender and sexual orientation.