In society

In eleven years, we will find out. Or in five?

February 24, 2014 Anton Oresh

Well, now you can summarize the complete result of the Olympics. More precisely, there will be two results. Because games are an event both sports and socio-political. We will have a special conversation about sports, and we will begin with public, since in our country the public and political all the time crawled forward athletic, and, for example, the theme of the spent billions and billions of stolen worried about caring citizens not through the screen of the Kiselevsky TV, no less than dozens of Olympic medals.

However, the sports result was important in the political sense. I already wrote that these billions for the layman are not tangible. Because they were not taken directly from his pocket. But if there were no victories in Sochi, the questions, for sure, would even have arisen for those who did not read Navalny's calculations and report Nemtsov. And the sports failure could hit Putin more than rallies and marches. Because it would mean the collapse of the main PR project. What are we really proud of? Even in space we do not win - unlike the Soviet Union. So medals were very needed. And there were more medals than anyone could assume at all.

And the Olympics itself went smoothly in almost everything. Except for everyone memorable pre -trial and first competitive days, when everyone only did what they laughed at photographs with phantasmagoric construction incident. However, I wrote about this a week ago, summing up the intermediate result. And now it remains only to briefly repeat that the high -quality construction of hotels was simply not a priority. Everyone was thrown into sports facilities. And the IOC recently admitted that the problem arose because they, too, did not particularly follow the hotels. But they thought that this thing is granted, and, measuring us on their own, believed that high -quality housing for guests was an axiom. And it turned out to be the theorem. Actually, for this reason, we ourselves are resting abroad. Our tourist service has always functioned on the principle of "and so will do."

But when the poor fellow of the visitors resettled in some more adapted places, there were no more reasons for discontent more. I wrote about this this week, and in the second week of games nothing has changed here. From the point of view of the organization, the games turned out to be more than successful. The idea with a compact arrangement of objects, with the chic Olympic villages (no one will accurately arrange such luxury athletes) turned out to be really successful. And even the subtropical climate showed more advantages than minuses. The program was almost not injured, but foreigners did not expect unexpected Russian exotic in the form of palm trees and green grass in February. The tone of foreign publications became even friendly at the end, and they recalled about Mr. Putin less and less.

And in this, by the way, there is also some unexpected result. After all, Sochi propaganda was bilateral. Not as usual - only for internal use, but also for the external too. It was in Sochi that it was very important to impress the rest of the world. It seemed to be impressed, but it seems that foreigners did not take this to the merits of Putin Putin. Well, yes, Russian well done, they did everything well, efficiently - congratulate them. And that's it.

However, such an amazing reaction is rather to us. Because whatever happens with us, everything is closed to the leader and the great state. And in normal countries they somehow do not think about it. The Olympiad in Vancouver was also successful, but did not write in this regard that the success of games is the personal merit of the Prime Minister and the Canadian state. And in London the government was not praised and did not say that "Britain rises from the knees."

And what about the domestic market for propaganda? I will tell you honestly: I did not look all sorts of current shows. And he did not observe the reaction of the deputies. They say that with Paphos there was a “light” bust. But for some reason I am sure that most of those who watched the games were monitored first of all after the competition, and not the fact that the heroes of the Duma and glossy covers are in numerous programs. Because at this Olympics we had too many champions. Which, with their magnificent performances and their very often dramatic life stories, became genuine heroes. When you see a person who has achieved real success, achieved in the fight against the best athletes from around the world, it is very difficult to delay their eyes on those who only talk about greatness and gives it out for achievements do not understand what.

That's why I love sports. He is clear. The score is on the scoreboard, the time is on a second -ender, the distance is at a distance. It is for this reason that such an explosion explosion was caused by the story with Plushenko. Those who are constantly monitoring sports and Plushenko are constantly monitored. But for the rest, this became a revelation. Well, this is the charm that sport allows you to incredibly convex and really “universally” show a person. And his advantages and his weaknesses. You can be an outstanding athlete and small personality. But in sports, this petty is much more difficult to hide than in other areas - including political.

But if you return to the Olympics as an element of propaganda, then, of course, she went to the authorities in a plus. As a way to increase social optimism. Russia wins! Russia is ahead of everyone! Moreover, according to objective indicators. Of course, this pleases the big bosses. But the authorities need to remember that this injection is short -term. Like the two -week holiday itself. After a day, people will return to ordinary life and current problems. And they will see that the problems have not gone anywhere. What problems have become, perhaps even more. And then this lump will only grow. Because, whatever one may say, the money on the games was spent not frail. But there are actually no economic reserves in the country.

But the thing is that the same Putin, apparently, incorrectly evaluates the “Olympic effect”. He considers him more important and longer. And now, without slowing down the pace, we move on to the next point of the program. Where is Sochi! In 2018, Russia holds the World Cup! And these are 11 cities. And in each you will have to conduct a construction site. Before the championship is four years old, and in many places the horse did not lie. The starting situation is much more alarming than in Sochi. This means that you will have to work in an emergency mode. This means that the scale of possible theft and simply thoughtless expenditure of funds will be higher. And the quality of work is below. And if in a single Sochi on a compact spot managed to arrange something fun and sincere, then in four years to do the same in the 11 largest cities of the country will be an order of magnitude more difficult.

And the World Cup is not the only major sporting event, the right to hold Russia received. Universiads (summer and winter), world athletics, swimming and hockey championships, Formula 1, as well as competitions in the most diverse sports with a smaller meaning. Now they also want to nominate Peter to summer games either 2024, or 2028. All this is a guaranteed long -term storm of funds leaving the treasury. At the events - I emphasize once again - with a short -term populist effect ...

Games in Sochi were the XXII winter. And in 1980, the XXII year old was held in Moscow. That Olympics was also well organized, remembered by the hospitality of the hosts, cleanliness in the city and an unexpectedly wide grocery assortment. And then we also achieved sports success, even in the absence of many foreign competitors. But it is no secret that it was the huge expenses for that Olympiad, coupled with the war in Afghanistan and the arms race, the Soviet Union finally finished. War now, pah-pah, no. But the costs of all sports projects will replace losses from the war with more than. And we are already leading the arms race.

The USSR, after a “magnificent sports festival” lived only 11 years. And the communist regime began to fall apart and completely after only 5 years. I will not be very surprised if a year after the World Cup in our country begins to change something irrevocably. Although I hope that after 11 years we will not celebrate the collapse of Russia, but this time the final collapse of the Soviet system. Then, maybe, the Olympics in Sochi will also recall a kind word.

In the photo: closing ceremony of the XXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi

Photo: Tatyana Zenkovich / EPA / ITAR-TASS