Media Watch -- Sochi Security; Construction Delays in Brazil

Countdown to Sochi 2014

Washington Post editorial writer Charles Lane says it should be "game over" for the Sochi Olympics, following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments on the country’s gay propaganda ban.

A New York Times editorial says with less than a month to go before the Sochi Games, it is hard to tell whether Putin wants to "play the role of genial host or homophobic scold."

Northeast Ohio Media Group’s Jeff Darcy says the Russian government’s "homophobic verbal attacks on the gay community have now been surpassed by very real threats of suicide bombing attacks by Chechen terrorists."

CNN and media outlets across the globe covered reports out of Russia concerning three female suicide bombers who could pose a threat to the upcoming Winter Games. The warnings "fueled debate Monday over security in Sochi."

The female suicide bombers in question have been dubbed "Black Widows." The Associated Press says the women are "tied to a decade of terror" in Russia.

Pravda.ru writer Lyuba Lulko asks, "Is there a need for US warships near Sochi?"

USA Today reporter Christine Brennan says the Sochi Games are already "memorable for all the wrong reasons."

CNN reporters Nic Robertson and James Masters say the numbers for the 2014 Winter Olympics "don’t add up."

The Boston Globe’s Yvonne Abraham writes that the closer we get to the Sochi Olympics, "the loopier the idea of Boston hosting the 2024 Olympics seems."

Aljazeera America reporter Alice Speri says Russia is "cracking down" on green activism ahead of the Winter Olympics.

ESPN writer Chris Jones talks to Sochi-bound luger Tucker West, who admits to developing Olympic aspirations as he watched the 2002 Winter Olympics.

2014 FIFA World Cup

CNN covers FIFA’s "threat" to Brazil ahead of this year’s World Cup: "No stadium, no match." FIFA has now declared construction in the city of Curitiba an "emergency situation." The Arena de Baixada venue is said to be 90 percent complete ahead if its new February 18 deadline.

NPR’s Lourdes Garcia-Navarro says preparations for Brazil 2014 are going at "breakneck" speed to host the hundreds of thousands of visitors who will "pour in to watch the extravaganza." However, construction delays lead Garcia-Navarro to ask whether Brazil "will be ready for the games."

Reuters reporter Paulo Prada says daily shootouts are "rattling" two of Rio de Janeiro’s slums, five months before the city welcomes visitors for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

In a special to The Star, writer Declan Hill exposes Brazil’s "high price for a safe World Cup." Hill investigates how an initiative to "pacify" Brazilian slums "tearing the country apart."

In Other News

Olympic.org explores ways in which Salt Lake City is still "basking in 2002 Winter Games legacies."

Terrence burns discusses the "Olympic brand challenge."

Compiled byNicole Bennett.

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