Russian Olympic officials should resign - Medvedev

[pampango]

Source: BBC

President Dmitry Medvedev has called on Russian Olympic officials to resign, following the nation's worst ever performance in the winter games.

Those in charge of preparing Russian athletes for the Vancouver games "should take the brave decision and submit their resignations," he said. "If they cannot do it, we will help them," Mr Medvedev added.

Russia - traditionally a winter sports powerhouse - ended 11th in the medals table, with just three golds. Russia has experienced a steady decline in its Olympic performances since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

He urged a change to the system of preparing Russian athletes, ahead of the next Winter Olympics, in the southern Russian city of Sochi.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8543560.stm

[heli]

1. And polonium-210 for them if they don't

"If they cannot do it, we will help them," Mr Medvedev added.

[roguevalley]

12. give them a platinum medal and retire them. wait, that's already been

done ...

[DCKit]

2. What a moran. n/t

[WriteDown]

3. Wow, a not-so-veiled threat. GEEZ. nt

[maxsolomon]

4. he's got a point

they really didn't do very well - the USSR had a much larger talent pool to draw on, and Russia has lost Belarus, Ukraine, Khazakstan, Estonia, Latvia - all of whom sent competitors. the state needs to put more $ into developing talent. i wonder where the kleptocratic Russian government could get the money?

but with the new facilities they're building in Sochi they will have chances to let their athletes prep on the slopes, courses, and tracks. and as Canada did, they can stop anyone else from practicing there, too.

by the way, Sochi looks like a pit. soviet-era resort (started by Stalin! what a pedigree!) with 1 road up to an underdeveloped ski resort. good pick, super-honest, uncorruptable IOC members!

[Prometheus Bound]

6. "...as Canada did, they can stop anyone else from practicing there, too."

Except that Canada didn't. The Russians will have to follow IOC rules, as Canada did.

[MattSh]

15. Uh, try again...

Sochi has been around way before Stalin. And speaking of pits. I've seen worse pits in the states.....

Sochi photos on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/34117054@N00/pool/

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sochi/pool/

[WriteDown]

5. Here's an idea. Why doesn't Putin compete himself in EVERY event?

The guy can stop tigers single handedly and rides horseback without his shirt constantly. Surely, he will take the gold in every event.

On edit: And Medvedev can be his trainer.

[Psephos]

10. Veering into kinky there... ;) n/t

[WriteDown]

11. Hopefully, it won't be a trend. Haha. nt

[Romulox]

7. OLYMPIC SIZED hockey rinks in Sochi, please! nt

[SnakeEyes]

8. The AP version says

that sports minister Vitaly Mutko said doping bans had deprived Russia of several leading medal contenders. Meaning they were cheating.. big surprise there from Russia.. and were complaining that being caught cheating kept them from winning.

[bdamomma]

9. I bet they are going to recruit hard for the 2014 Sochi Olympics

looks like the Chinese and the Koreans are taking center stage. In Ladies Figure skating we have lost our lead in for the podium in 42 years.

[JI7]

13. go back to what they did in the Soviet Days

[applegrove]

14. Twenty years after the end of communism (and the taking of kids

from their families when any sign of greatness was showed and moving them to some facility where they could become great athletes or great musicians or great dancers) the Russian don't do so well at the olympics. Think of all the kids that had good childhoods.