There’s a movement afoot to
convince the International Olympic Committee to move the 2014 Winter Games out
of Russia.
Rightfully so. In the wake
of the passing of that nation’s horrendous “homosexual propaganda” laws — and
assurances from the host nation’s sports minister that the laws will be
enforced on athletes and visitors alike during the games — the Sochi experiment
can rightly be considered an abject failure.
So far, The
New York Times has observed, “those who organize,
broadcast and underwrite the Games have offered little beyond tardy and
lukewarm criticism.”
I wonder how that might
change, though, when the “protests, boycotts, and terrible publicity,” promised by actor, human
rights advocate and social media magnate George Takei, are underway.
“Trust me,” Takei
wrote today, “if you are a corporate brand, you do not want to be
associated with the Sochi Olympics.”
Moscow, of course, has never been one
to acquiesce to social, cultural, political or economic power.
And so, as tens of thousands of
people have already demanded on a Change.org petition, it’s time to move the
games.
To where? The
quick response is Vancouver, which hosted the last Winter Olympics. I’m not
sure how the residents of Terminal City are going to feel about that, though,
given that the last round of the games left their town with a $1
billion hangover.
Those games were also the
unfortunate victim of an unseasonably warm winter, which resulted in
cancelations and delays of several events and none-too-favorable conditions for
many others.
All of which and more is why I say:
Come to Salt Lake City.
Like Vancouver, most of the
facilities and infrastructure that helped make the 2002 games such an
incredible success are still here. Ski ramps? Check. Bobsled course? Check.
Olympic oval? Check. So too are most of the 20-something-thousand volunteers
who made those games a success. We could probably even get former Salt Lake
Organizing Committee president Mitt Romney to come lend a hand — word is that
he’s been looking for something to do lately.
Our highways are better than they
were in 2002. Same thing for our light rail and commuter rail systems. Salt
Lake City’s new public safety building is virtually built to be the epicenter of a massive security
operation. And even in a bad snow year, the eight world-famous ski resorts
within an hour’s drive of downtown Salt Lake City are considerably better off
than many resorts are in a good year.
Greatest Snow on Earth? You’re damn
right.
And, not for nothing, our population
is gayer than ever — so says The Advocate, which last year named Salt Lake “the
gayest city in America” (this year, we dropped to a humble sixth.)
Lastly — but perhaps most
importantly — we could actually pull it off. No doubt in my mind. None
whatsoever. They say that the fact our city is completely surrounded by
mountains makes it hard to see past our own horizons. I’ll accept that. But it
also makes it hard to believe in limits.
If the Games aren’t held in Russia —
and they shouldn’t be — bring them here.
Matthew D. LaPlante is a journalist and assistant professor of
journalism at Utah State University.
