I realized the other day that I don't know crap about Sochi.  Why the hell ARE the Olympics being held in Sochi?  For goodness sake, they BOUGHT SNOW.  And shipped it into Sochi.  In RUSSIA.

Thanks to vice.com's nice summary, turns out there are actually some pretty legitimate reasons to host the Olympics in Sochi.

The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.  And it really collapsed.  The economy, people ripped from their homes, the space program, the military... it's the equivalent of the entire United States west of the Rockies being split off into a different country.

The Shirtless Wonder, Vladimir Putin, rose to power with many connections to Sochi, and wanted to hold the Olympics there.  If things go well, it's a political victory for him.  Vice.com writes:

"Imagine if instead of putting up a “Mission Accomplished” banner, George W. Bush proved that the US had won in Iraq by holding the Super Bowl in neighboring Kuwait.

Putin has personally guaranteed the safety of the Olympics because it is very much his pet project, and if the Games are a success, he’ll have validation for his other pet project: returning Russia to autocratic rule under a strong, central figure not entirely unlike the Tsars."

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