All was missing was Texas Gov. Rick Perry saying: “Oops..” A Russian official, angry because of many reports indicating the Sochi hotel where Olympic-goers stay is beyond just plain lousy — it’s reportedly gross — decided to hammer home his contention that the press is exaggerating it and even sabotaging the hotel. So he said they have surveillance video showing people turning on the shows.
Dmitry Kozak, the deputy prime minister responsible for the Olympic preparations, seemed to reflect the view held among many Russian officials that some Western visitors are deliberately trying to sabotage Sochi’s big debut out of bias against Russia. “We have surveillance video from the hotels that shows people turn on the shower, direct the nozzle at the wall and then leave the room for the whole day,” he said. An aide then pulled a reporter away before Mr. Kozak could be questioned further on surveillance in hotel rooms. “We’re doing a tour of the media center,” the aide said.
And then it was onto damage control.
A spokesman for Mr. Kozak later on Thursday said there is absolutely no surveillance in hotel rooms or bathrooms occupied by guests. He said there was surveillance on premises during construction and cleaning of Sochi’s venues and hotels and that is likely what Mr. Kozak was referencing. A senior official at a company that built a number of the hotels also said there is no such surveillance in rooms occupied by guests.
You wonder after this whether Mr. Kozak will be reassigned to serve as Deputy Prime Minister in Charge of Snowstorms in Siberia.
Press reports about hotel conditions have been brutal and hilarious with pictures of gross looking water. Tweets have been even more withering. Look at this article.
And here are some of the ones showing up as you read this post:
this is my room at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sochi. Unacceptable! #Olympics2014 pic.twitter.com/hjMxzmL6lL
— lawblob (@lawblob) February 6, 2014
Sochi hotel to reporter: Don't let "very dangerous" water touch your face http://t.co/Xszdzsk5PV
— HuffPost Green (@HuffPostGreen) February 6, 2014
Stay at a Sochi hotel they said, it'll be fun they said… http://t.co/pKkMbciyw9 via @HPCaTravel pic.twitter.com/BCKKMhkgXX
— HuffPost Canada (@HuffPostCanada) February 6, 2014
Can the hotel horror stories be true? Oh yes. Who’s been sleeping in my bed? Sochi Horror Show pic.twitter.com/j3O8y55Fhw
— Kevin Eason (@easonF1) February 6, 2014
In my Sochi hotel. You're welcome to pop by and sit forlornly in my Chairs of Desolation. pic.twitter.com/msoqXAIcj4
— cathalkelly (@cathalkelly) February 5, 2014
Just arrived at Sochi, I could have sworn my hotel room looked different online pic.twitter.com/vVhqtzensS #SochiProblems #fb
— Charles Ellis (@charles_r_ellis) February 5, 2014
Sochi Olympics Off to Rough Start and They Haven't Even Begun http://t.co/Tgs07Zt3m3 via @mashable’s @samcmlaird pic.twitter.com/EsldtAWq2C
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) February 5, 2014
The reception of our hotel in #Sochi has no floor. But it does have this welcoming picture. pic.twitter.com/8isdoBuytl
— Kevin Bishop (@bishopk) February 4, 2014
Sochi hotel not quite finished, & has no record of my reservation. I'll go to the bar while they try to sort it. Oh. pic.twitter.com/HQjAm4UMHY
— Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) February 4, 2014
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.