Quinn Wilson
In Motion Staff Writer
A Twitter account called @SochiProblems documents the wonders of Sochi, Russia. As Olympians battle it out for the gold, people all around the world stare in wonder at the good, the bad and the downright smelly.
“For those of you asking, when there’s no lobby in your hotel, you go to the owner’s bedroom to check in,” Mark MacKinnon, the Globe’s Senior National Correspondent, tweeted to the masses. Awkward encounters abound, tourists post pictures by the thousands. Live wires in the shower. Light fixtures falling from the ceiling. Toilets with no way to flush—not what most have in mind when traveling across continents to watch the winter Olympics.
But it’s not all bad. Even in squalor and countries away from home, tourists and participants in the Olympics have a lot of good to offer.
Sugar Todd, an American speed skater, didn’t think her parents would make the trek with her to Sochi. After all, traveling is expensive, especially when her parents have been supporting Todd’s dream since she was eight years old. Turning to the internet, Todd started a GoFundMe fundraiser. In less than a day, complete strangers paid for her parent’s airfare, hotel room and visas.
“At that age, I didn’t fully appreciate the sacrifices they were making so their little girl could MAYBE one day go to the Olympics,” Todd wrote on her GoFundMe’s about page.
In the Women’s 500 Meter, Todd placed 29th, but that did not discourage her. On her official Twitter, Todd posted that she loves the Olympics, her sport and that this has been the most fun she has ever had.
During the Men’s Cross-Country Skiing finals, Anton Gafarov crashed and broke one of his skis, no doubt due to the warm weather and slushy snow. Justin Wadsworth, a Canadian coach, proves to the world that kindness can move thousands. He rushed out and replaced Gafarov’s ski, allowing him to finish the race. “It was like watching an animal stuck in a trap. You can’t just sit there and do nothing about it. I wanted him to have dignity as he crossed the finish line,” Wadsworth said.
Even though he was three minutes behind the leaders, the crowd gave Gafarov a standing ovation.