Media Watch -- Sochi Protest Zones; IOC Pressures India

Sochi 2014

Bloomberg’s Jonathan Mahler scrutinizes the IOC’s decision to designate protest zones at the Sochi Olympics: "This is how the IOC plans to deal with a 2014 Winter Games host country that treats gay people like drug dealers."

Mahler adds, "If the concept sounds familiar, that’s because we’ve seen it before – no, not in the Warsaw Ghetto – at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing."

Sochi organizers have released a guide to the 2014 Winter Olympics for smart phones to help visitors "get the most out of their trip" to the Black Sea resort next February. The free app provides users with a guide to all competitions at the Sochi Games, as well as the Olympic torch relay.

Moscow Times reporter Ivan Nechepurenko explores ways in which Sochi is trying to "make English the city’s second language."

Wall Street Journal reporters Matthew Futterman and Stu Woo discuss how "feuds, mismanagement and blown races" could weaken chances for United States speedskating at the Sochi Olympics.

Gulripshi Journal writer Steven Lee Myers explores a region in Georgia that will be close to the Sochi Olympics, but "far from the bounty."

NBC features Sochi hopeful Jessica Schultz, a popular physical therapist in Minnesota who hopes to take the gold in curling at the Winter Olympics.

Sports and entertainment marketing specialist John Ivey says that among a few advertising "truths" is one overarching theme: "The Olympic Games are the most valuable sports content of all."

The New Yorker’s David Remnick, who will have a guest commentator spot on NBC's coverage of the Sochi Games, says there is "there is no controversy" about gay rights in Russia. "In the Kremlin, in the parliament, in the courts, in the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, and on television," Remnick explains, "there reigns a disdainful and intimidating unanimity:

"Homosexuals are a threat to morality, to the family, and to the state."

The Washington Post editorial board says Russian president Vladimir Putin defies the "Olympic spirit" with his "harsh stance on gays."

India’s "Favor" to the Olympics

Writer Kavitha A. Davidson says India did itself, and the Olympics, a favor "when it amended its constitution to comply with IOC ethics guidelines." The country faced potential expulsion from the Sochi Games ahead of its decision to "comply with rules of good governance."

Indraneel Das of The New Indian Express says it is time for the Indian Olympic Association to enforce "real change, not cosmetic."

In Other News

The Asahi Shimbun says the Kanji character "rin" is the most "succinct and fitting" representation for the year 2013. The character depicts "ring or circle" and is derived from "gorin," a Japanese reference to the Olympics.

Montreal resident Mika Laulumaa writes a letter in response to a December 7 article in the Montreal Gazette. In the article, experts claim the 1976 Olympic stadium could be demolished "for much less than $700 million."

Laulumaa says the cost should not matter; the stadium should be demolished.

"Since before the stadium was built, it has represented nothing but stress and corruption," Laulumaa says.

Mike Rice of Wellfleet contributes an opinion piece to the Boston Herald on the city’s potential bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. While it may seem like a "swell idea," Rice says the "hard economic facts are that this would be a money-losing venture" for Boston.

The Yomiuri Shimbun features an "almost perfectly preserved copy" of an extra issued to announce Tokyo had been chosen to host the 1940 Summer Olympics. World War II prevented the event from taking place.

ESPN FC’s Wright Thompson explores how "fury, anarchy and martyrdom" drive the youth of Brazil, and could "consume" the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Compiled byNicole Bennett.

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