Closing Ceremony | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Closing Ceremony

figurejennah

On the Ice
Joined
Jun 27, 2009
in the end Sochi was great and spectacular
not even the propaganda and slamming deterred the games

Russia is proud
and people in Russia are crying because they don't want the games to end and are very happy of their athletes performance
but alas everything always comes to an end

Yea, Sochi was SO great and SO SO spectacular!!! It had mistakes from the opening ceremony (Olympic ring failure), numerous injuries due to dangerous conditions (quote, Shaun White says halfpipe 'dangerous, crappy'), and judges being bribed and medias like NYtimes, Washington Post criticizing, etc Yuna's robbed Gold medal!!! I learned a new word "Russiaflation!!" That's like the best Olympic EVER!

Oh, and we all know that Russians are super proud of Putin. :) He's like the most democratic, peaceful and just ruler on earth!!!
 

sky_fly20

Match Penalty
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
Yea, Sochi was SO great and SO SO spectacular!!! It had mistakes from the opening ceremony (Olympic ring failure), numerous injuries due to dangerous conditions (quote, Shaun White says halfpipe 'dangerous, crappy'), and judges being bribed and medias like NYtimes, Washington Post criticizing, etc Yuna's robbed Gold medal!!! I learned a new word "Russiaflation!!" That's like the best Olympic EVER!

Oh, and we all know that Russians are super proud of Putin. :) He's like the most democratic, peaceful and just ruler on earth!!!

a bitter melon pill will go a long way for taking off the jealousy

the best opening and closing in the Winter Olympic, they even poked the Olympic ring not opening failure at the closing ;)
there no deaths that happened in the athletes in Sochi, unlike in the past games like Vancouver
I doubt Pyongchang can match that or the achievements made here
1st place in medal tally, :)

maybe ask Obama about that and the wonders of Afghanistan, Iraq, Kansas and Arizona
 

figurejennah

On the Ice
Joined
Jun 27, 2009
a bitter melon pill will go a long way for taking off the jealousy

the best opening and closing in the Winter Olympic, they even poked the Olympic ring not opening failure at the closing ;)
there no deaths that happened in the athletes in Sochi, unlike in the past games like Vancouver
I doubt Pyongchang can match that or the achievements made here
1st place in medal tally, :)

maybe ask Obama about that and the wonders of Afghanistan, Iraq, Kansas and Arizona

There is no jealousy here. I don't think any country would be jealous of Putin and his ridiculousness. And obviously whether Sochi Olympic's opening and closing ceremonies were best in the Winter Olympics is highly highly questionable, although you are free to express your "own" thoughts. I also don't care about what will happen in Pyongchang. All I care about is what happened in Sochi. It's a shame that Russians don't understand that Olympics is not all about winning medals. Ok, Russia got more medals than the U.S., so does it now make it a better country than the U.S. or anywhere else? ...................? Was it really worth bribing the judges to win that one extra medal away from Yuna Kim and instead taint the country's image? From your statement, I see that you guys think it was worth it. HAH.
I am also 100% sure that majority of the people in the world would rather live in the U.S. under Obama's reign than Putin's.

Putin’s Run for Gold - http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2014/02/sochi-olympics-russia-corruption
At $50 billion and counting, the 2014 Winter Olympics, in Sochi, will be the most expensive Olympic Games ever. Intended to showcase the power of Vladimir Putin’s Russia, they may instead highlight its problems: organized crime, state corruption, and the terrorist threat within its borders


Sochi: Worst Olympics Travel Destination Ever? - http://business.time.com/2014/02/08/sochi-worst-olympics-travel-destination-ever/
It’s a nightmare to get there. Hotels aren’t ready for guests. The visa alone costs over $200 if you want it processed in a reasonable time frame. When you get there, don’t expect to be able to ski. Then there’s the risk of terrorism. No wonder so few foreigners are bothering to go to Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
 

sky_fly20

Match Penalty
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
There is no jealousy here. I don't think any country would be jealous of Putin and his ridiculousness. And obviously whether Sochi Olympic's opening and closing ceremonies were best in the Winter Olympics is highly highly questionable, although you are free to express your "own" thoughts. I also don't care about what will happen in Pyongchang. All I care about is what happened in Sochi. It's a shame that Russians don't understand that Olympics is not all about winning medals. Ok, Russia got more medals than the U.S., so does it now make it a better country than the U.S. or anywhere else? ...................? Was it really worth bribing the judges to win that one extra medal away from Yuna Kim and instead taint the country's image? From your statement, I see that you guys think it was worth it. HAH.
I am also 100% sure that majority of the people in the world would rather live in the U.S. under Obama's reign than Putin's.

Putin’s Run for Gold - http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2014/02/sochi-olympics-russia-corruption
At $50 billion and counting, the 2014 Winter Olympics, in Sochi, will be the most expensive Olympic Games ever. Intended to showcase the power of Vladimir Putin’s Russia, they may instead highlight its problems: organized crime, state corruption, and the terrorist threat within its borders


Sochi: Worst Olympics Travel Destination Ever? - http://business.time.com/2014/02/08/sochi-worst-olympics-travel-destination-ever/
It’s a nightmare to get there. Hotels aren’t ready for guests. The visa alone costs over $200 if you want it processed in a reasonable time frame. When you get there, don’t expect to be able to ski. Then there’s the risk of terrorism. No wonder so few foreigners are bothering to go to Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

lol, then your in the wrong forum :laugh:, bots are not allowed
and dont bother, the Sochi 2014 was marketed and catered towards local russian citizens

boo hoo :cry:
sure ask Afghanistan if they are happy wih Oboama

what happened in Sochi, it finished with a bang, wowed opening and athletes were great and new competitions were held
its done, its finished and wil be remembered forever. next !!!!
 

Angryyew

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 16, 2014
The only complaints about venues I heard, including the half pipe, was related to weather. I'm pretty sure Putin does not control the weather. If 50-60 degree temps is normal in Sochi this time of year (no idea if it is) then it was pretty stupid of Putin & IOC to choose that location, given how many other spots in Russia it could have been held, but I think they did the best they could trying to deal with melted snow and rain.

I can't remember a single opening ceremony that went off without a snafu and both Vancouver (glitch with the weird torch lighting contraption) and London had more disruptive technical flaws than the ring that didn't open, so I dunno why people keep bringing it up.

I don't like Putin. I think there were plenty of reasons not to award Sochi the games, as there have been with many cities who have hosted, but overall, I think they did a very nice job.
 

TontoK

Hot Tonto
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Country
United-States
I know it's the old Soviet anthem set to new words...

But the Russian anthem just sounds so inspiring.

I'm going to google the words...
 

WeakAnkles

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
lol, then your in the wrong forum :laugh:, bots are not allowed
and dont bother, the Sochi 2014 was marketed and catered towards local russian citizens

boo hoo :cry:
sure ask Afghanistan if they are happy wih Oboama

what happened in Sochi, it finished with a bang, wowed opening and athletes were great and new competitions were held
its done, its finished and wil be remembered forever. next !!!!

Except the issue is, the Olympics were never meant to be marketed and catered so heavily towards local citizens only. They are supposed to be a neutral gathering place to celebrate world-wide athletic achievement. When that mission is perverted, THAT is what the games get remembered for.

And I would think twice about mentioning Afghanistan. Russia has its own very sordid history of entanglement there.

New competitions are held every Olympics. Sochi is simply the latest installment of "new events."

Big is not necessarily better. Both Lillehamer and Vancouver were relatively modest Winter Olympics, and both are held in high regard.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
One of my favorite moments was the humorous reference to the fifth Olympic ring and its delayed opening.

I was also stirred by the Tchaikovsky Coronation March used for the entrance of the gold medalists carrying the Olympic flag for the handoff to Korea. No one does triumphal marches like Russian composers, from Glinka on down. And this one has that catchy Polonaise rhythm that always makes my feet tap and my heart beat faster.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dc0l9tkQPU

I was impressed that they showed banned writers like Brodsky.

As a lover of classical music, I'm biased in favor of the music possibilities this country has to draw from. Norway, Canada, and the U.S. might be able to compete in terms of popular or folk music, but with classical, I think Russia owns the franchise! However, in the absolute sense, I don't think one can make a statement about how this was the greatest closing ceremony ever. The exception to this statement: It's entirely suitable for a Russian to feel that this was the greatest ceremony of all time. Of all moments for national pride, this one is the most understandable.
 

sky_fly20

Match Penalty
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
Except the issue is, the Olympics were never meant to be marketed and catered so heavily towards local citizens only. They are supposed to be a neutral gathering place to celebrate world-wide athletic achievement. When that mission is perverted, THAT is what the games get remembered for.
why not ? if 70-90% of attendees were russians
that means locals supported it, the only thing that matters is russians were happy
again Sochi was marketed for local citizens not foreigners

overall, Sochi was better than Vancouver for sure
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
At Vancouver there was also a cauldron related malfuction and a death at lugo, Sidney had wrong vault height, things might happen in such big event, so I dont think Russia's fifth ring was the only thing ever happened and it was too little comparing to their spectacular ceremony. Also there have been controversies over results, like in gymnastics 2004 all around men, or home advantage controversies like Final rings men.

Well I was in SOchi and I dont agree with the worst destination ever, while it didnt have any rich heritage like Moscow or St Peters, I think this is the reason it was easier to hold Olympics there, not much "distractions" so we had all day to run in the parks, mountains, the sea, great GREAT weather, I didnt feel the security worries, they had you checked in detail when entering the train wchi took you directly yo Oly park, by arrival the immigration procedure was really fast, airport is small and looked clean and new, the city from the airport was too close by the super new trains, that where a dozen an hour and punctual, we transfered from mountain cluster to coastal one daily back and forth, the scenery was amazing, you could see from the beach the coastal venues, the flame and above them the snowy mountains, the Olympic Park was huge and they even had electric cars for people who could not move, volunteers were very helpful and cheerful, the two three arenas I visited were really cool, food outside had all sort of things, fluffy mascots, my top on the list is the palm trees by the beach! Olympic Village was nearby too, behind arenas. I dont know if I would have this fun in a large city like Moscow, too complicated..
I was also volunteer in Greek Olympics and I hold sentimentally high the opening and closing ceremony there where I took part, but I loved Russia's ceremonies,the colors , the music, the floating stuff, the
 
Last edited:

Manitou

Medalist
Joined
Jan 17, 2014
I loved so many things during the beautiful ceremony. First the funny resolution to the ring malfunction. Then the most beautiful rendition of the Russian Anthem by the children choir accompanied by all Russian gold medalists. I loved when Adelina and Elena were going crazy and sang their lungs off! Elena I think is the most beautiful athlete who competed at the Olympics. She is simply striking!
Yulia is such a sweet and shy girl. And Plushenko forgot the lyrics of his own anthem! lol Not to even mention Ahn, who didn't even have a chance to sing the anthem! lol

Another funny moment when Apollo was interviewing Gracie. Hello, shouldn't be the other way around? :) Gracie, shouldn't you at least pay respect to who was interviewing you??? :)
 

figurejennah

On the Ice
Joined
Jun 27, 2009
why not ? if 70-90% of attendees were russians
that means locals supported it, the only thing that matters is russians were happy
again Sochi was marketed for local citizens not foreigners

overall, Sochi was better than Vancouver for sure

Except the issue is, the Olympics were never meant to be marketed and catered so heavily towards local citizens only. They are supposed to be a neutral gathering place to celebrate world-wide athletic achievement. When that mission is perverted, THAT is what the games get remembered for.

And I would think twice about mentioning Afghanistan. Russia has its own very sordid history of entanglement there.

New competitions are held every Olympics. Sochi is simply the latest installment of "new events."

Big is not necessarily better. Both Lillehamer and Vancouver were relatively modest Winter Olympics, and both are held in high regard.

WeakAnkles, I think this argument is going no where with Russians. To your statement, sky_fly20 says "why not" and "the only thing that matters is russians were happy." lol

I had no idea since when Olympics became home-town party thing.

Obama vs. Stalin vs. Putin...

Yup I would choose Obama. I learned a lot about Russians after the Olympics : corruption and injustice are ok there. But then what did we really expect?
 

WeakAnkles

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
At Vancouver there was also a cauldron related malfuction and a death at lugo, Sidney had wrong vault height, things might happen in such big event, so I dont think Russia's fifth ring was the only thing ever happened and it was too little comparing to their spectacular ceremony. Also there have been controversies over results, like in gymnastics 2004 all around men, or home advantage controversies like Final rings men.

Well I was in SOchi and I dont agree with the worst destination ever, while it didnt have any rich heritage like Moscow or St Peters, I think this is the reason it was easier to hold Olympics there, not much "distractions" so we had all day to run in the parks, mountains, the sea, great GREAT weather, I didnt feel the security worries, they had you checked in detail when entering the train wchi took you directly yo Oly park, by arrival the immigration procedure was really fast, airport is small and looked clean and new, the city from the airport was too close by the super new trains, that where a dozen an hour and punctual, we transfered from mountain cluster to coastal one daily back and forth, the scenery was amazing, you could see from the beach the coastal venues, the flame and above them the snowy mountains, the Olympic Park was huge and they even had electric cars for people who could not move, volunteers were very helpful and cheerful, the two three arenas I visited were really cool, food outside had all sort of things, fluffy mascots, my top on the list is the palm trees by the beach! Olympic Village was nearby too, behind arenas. I dont know if I would have this fun in a large city like Moscow, too complicated..
I was also volunteer in Greek Olympics and I hold sentimentally high the opening and closing ceremony there where I took part, but I loved Russia's ceremonies,the colors , the music, the floating stuff, the

I thought it was rather clever of them to play on the ring malfunction during the closing ceremony. That turns a mishap into a memory, which is always a nifty trick.

Figurejennah, no the argument is not. But then that's rather on par with the attitudes of the Sochi audiences, at least as seen on the live feeds and tv. It's an attitude I find perplexing and disheartening. The Olympic Games are not supposed to be the property of a single nation. The Atlanta Games were a mess, but at least I didn't get the feeling they were held simply to glorify Uncle Sam, know what I mean?
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Seniorita, I'm so glad both for your sake and for ours (because you're such a generous reporter) that you got to be at Sochi! I'm especially happy to hear how nicely everything turned out. It must be such a gorgeous place, with those huge mountains as a backdrop. I hope you'll tell us more about your time there.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
I thought it was rather clever of them to play on the ring malfunction during the closing ceremony. That turns a mishap into a memory, which is always a nifty trick.

?

:laugh: Mr. Ski always says, if you can't fix it, feature it.
 

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
In general I fell in love with local volunteers who did extra effort since their english was not the best but they were trying to solve any problems we had, like on the first day when we arrived from airport to coastal just to watch the TEAM FS, after like 48 hours on airports and figured out how huge the Oly park was that we needed like 40 mins to Iceberg by walking, they saw our desperate face and they offered to throw us with the small car although it was for elder or people with children etc, and did us a sightseeing tour of the park in between! :)
 

Alba

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 26, 2014
I must say I didn't like very much the opening ceremony. Not been biased here but the opening ceremony (winter olympics) that I loved most was Torino 2006. On the other hand the closing ceremony just blow me away. Beautiful, just marvellous, and I confess I cried too. :eek::
The best closing ceremony I can remember.
 

anyanka

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 8, 2011
Well I was in SOchi and I dont agree with the worst destination ever, while it didnt have any rich heritage like Moscow or St Peters, I think this is the reason it was easier to hold Olympics there, not much "distractions" so we had all day to run in the parks, mountains, the sea, great GREAT weather, I didnt feel the security worries, they had you checked in detail when entering the train wchi took you directly yo Oly park, by arrival the immigration procedure was really fast, airport is small and looked clean and new, the city from the airport was too close by the super new trains, that where a dozen an hour and punctual, we transfered from mountain cluster to coastal one daily back and forth, the scenery was amazing, you could see from the beach the coastal venues, the flame and above them the snowy mountains, the Olympic Park was huge and they even had electric cars for people who could not move, volunteers were very helpful and cheerful, the two three arenas I visited were really cool, food outside had all sort of things, fluffy mascots, my top on the list is the palm trees by the beach! Olympic Village was nearby too, behind arenas. I dont know if I would have this fun in a large city like Moscow, too complicated..
I was also volunteer in Greek Olympics and I hold sentimentally high the opening and closing ceremony there where I took part, but I loved Russia's ceremonies,the colors , the music, the floating stuff, the

Lucky you to have done so much at the Olympics! I knew a few people who were also there and was envious whenever I saw the pictures go up on social media.

Question: one thing I wondered is, was there plenty to do if you didn't get to the events? Event tickets were expensive, so if you didn't get to be at a different event every day, did you take walk around the town and do sightseeing tours? I'm curious now about the area and what it had to offer. And of course not everyone got to a lot of events there I'm certain, but I'd love to know what else there was to do around there. (Having never been to Russia myself, of course.)
 
Top