Say the word Ukraine to any American, and the first thing that comes to mind is the joke from the Seinfeld episode when Newman was playing Kramer, and you had that angry man on the subway “you think Ukraine is week? Ukraine is not weak! Ukraine is STRONG!”
And it was a really funny bit, but now it’s time for us to be serious. Because what’s going on in the Ukraine is quite serious.
Bob Costas’ essay on Ukraine:
“As these Olympic Games have continued, so too has the escalation of the crisis in Ukraine, the former Soviet Republic whose ruling government is supported by and loyal to Vladimir Putin. Government forces have undertaken an often brutal attempt to suppress the protests, leading to dozens of deaths in recent days even as the Olympics have gone on. There are about 40 Ukrainian athletes in Sochi. This week, the Ukrainian team requested permission from the IOC to compete with black armbands. That request was denied; though the athletes did hold a moment of silence in the Olympic Village.
Then today, the Ukrainian women’s 4×6 kilometer biathlon relay team won the gold medal. An emotional scene unfolded at the finish line, and at the press conference afterwards, Ukrainian athletes asked the audience to observe a moment of silence. The head of the Ukrainian delegation, IOC member and pole vaulting legend Sergei Bubka tearfully said, ‘We won’t celebrate because it’s not time for celebration,’ though Bubka did note that the team had officially made the decision to stay at the Games because ‘We would like to raise the flag and hear the national anthem.’
When that anthem is played at tomorrow’s medal ceremony, it will represent both triumph and tragedy, especially with the specter of Russia and Putin, so much a part of the conflict as the tug-of-war continues among forces that would maintain Russian influence and those who lean towards Europe and the West.
“All this reminds us of a pair of concurrent truths. The Sochi Games have gone much better than many feared and predicted. So far, security has held fast. Venues have been praised. Athletes and spectators have almost unanimously cited the warmth and hospitality of their hosts, all of which is truly wonderful, but should not serve to obscure a larger and more lasting truth. While in many significant ways Russian citizens have better lives than Soviet citizens of a generation ago, theirs is still a government which imprisons dissidents, is hostile to gay rights, sponsors and supports a vicious regime in Syria, and that’s just a partial list. The Sochi Games are Vladimir Putin’s Games from their inception to their conclusion and all points in between. And if they are successful on their own terms, as appears to be the case, then at least in some quarters, it will help to burnish the image of a regime with which much of the world takes significant issue. No amount of Olympic glory can mask those realities any more than a biathlon gold medal – hard-earned and deeply satisfying as it is – can put out the fires in Kiev.”
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An MBA and Fulbright scholar, he’s also a frequent analyst on news talk radio; with regular segments on ESPN,NBC, CBS and Fox. A former NBC Chicago and Washington Times writer, he’s also been featured on the History Channel. President Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)