Outside Agitation

Pussy Riot...there's an Olympic topic worthy of  hours of discussion. Seriously, the shoe is now on the other foot for our Russian Olympic friends. They have been pushing hard on their own agenda in our meetings since before the Sochi Games began. Now they want to keep their heads down and stay out of the line of fire.

Outside agitators are what those who disrupt major events have come to be called. The Pussy Riot confrontation was definitely made worse by the Cossacks, a citizens group that has been allowed to help with security in Sochi during the Games. Sort of like the Guardian Angels, several hundred of these volunteers recently arrived to assist police and they followed and then roughed up ousted members of Pussy Riot, allegedly performance artists, when anti-Putin singing and chanting began within sight of Olympic banners (which are hard to avoid anywhere in Sochi and the surrounding area.)

We've spent the last few of our discussions sorting out the good and the bad in this situation along with the attention that the rioting in the Ukraine is bringing to the Games. Our conclusion is that none of this activity is directed at the Olympics and that security and the organizers are being baited into association by proximity.

Sochi to Kiev is about 650 miles. That's a 10 hour drive by car and an hour in a jet airliner. It may sound close to some but the two places are world's apart. The protesters in Kiev are becoming very violent and so is the reaction on the part of authorities. Word today is that some sort of an agreement may be reached. But what does any of  it have to do with the Games? Nothing, really. It's just turmoil in another part of the world that we Americans don't understand very well. But world news here continues to be thin in scope and that's another story.

The Pussy Riot situation is most perplexing. It was a bad public happening from every viewpoint. The performers who were trying to protest in Sochi have been disavowed by the original founders of the dissident punk band publicly and seem to be trying to gain attention for themselves and not for a cause. The Cossasks clearly overstepped their bounds and have been mildly chastised by the police. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) has raised their hands and said NOP (not our problem).

So what is the problem? My committee's summation is that the Olympics have become a global magnet for groups of all sizes, shapes and ideologies to vent their frustrations. And with literally thousands of media in attendance, stories will be told or at least acknowledged. Attempting to keep the focus on the athletic competition is becoming increasingly difficult. The IOC can't control what happens outside the grounds. The local government has a difficult job to mitigate the flare ups. And world just keeps watching.

Outside agitation continues to grow.  We have four days left to finish these Games in peace. Our advice to the Russians is, indeed, to keep their heads down. Focus on the competition and those visiting the event in person. Thus far, those folks are being kept safe. This amazing sports gathering supersedes the problems of the world. Whenever world politics have been injected into the mix, wildfires have occurred. Our Russian hosts are definitely feeling the heat now. All of us involved want to the sun keep shining on the Olympics into next week...but it's a full time job.

More to wrap up later...