Sochi's next year's games are an event that has sent the Russians aflutter with pride and a few grumblings. It is Russia's moment to shine, as Putin sees it, with billion dollar investments set up for the games. This will be their shining moment, to wipe out the darkness of the 1980 Olympic Moscow games, and promises to bring the spotlight to Russia much in the same way the Beijing Olympics did for China.
But will it?
Dark clouds are gathering on the Sochi games. Fundamentalist separationists from Chechens to other Muslim minorities from neighboring Dagestan province, are vowing to stop and destroy the Sochi games by any means possible.
The threat is not vacuous: it has the full force and faith of Chechen leader Doku Umarov and the rebels he has led now for a number of years.
What the leader claims is that the games themselves are disrespectful of the Muslim traditions of Chechen ancestors, due to its location. In his very words, the games must be stopped to "do everything possible to disrupt these demonic dances on the bones of our ancestors."
The Chechen leader, flanked by this lieutenants has already released a video detailing his promise and plans.
Umarov is no novice to terrorism. He is believed to be responsible for the bloody Domodedovo bombing that killed 36 people in 2011.
Sochi, however, is geographically in a 'tender' zone, a zone that is very close to the rebel strongholds and the province of Chechnya.
Russian authorities have already issued statements to reassure tourists and Olympians, that they guarantee there is no danger in attending the games.
After spending 50$ billion dollars, the most ever spent on Olympic games, and amidst rumors of money graft and corruption, Putin is in no mood to let the rebels ruin his moment of glory. But whether or not he will be able to foil their strategy remains to be seen.
Source : NBC 7.3.13
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