Russian officials still on hot seat over Vancouver performance
Russian president Dmitry Medvedev is still angry over his country's Olympic performance -- the Olympics that concluded nearly a month ago.
At a ceremony looking ahead to the 2014 Games in Sochi, he again blasted his country's Olympic officials -- the ones he hadn't already fired -- for the mere 15 medals that Russia brought home from Vancouver.
"You must work 24 hours a day, not just wear out the seats of your pants and rove abroad," Medvedev told sports federations chiefs in televised remarks at Sochi ... "We must show that we are a capable, hospitable and technologically developed nation," he said. "And the Olympics must also show that we can stand for ourselves and win."
He then threatened their jobs, saying they would be replaced if they didn't shape up.
It's true that Russia's sport systems are in a bad state, but at some point Medvedev may want to look forward to a chance his country has to shine instead of the one occasion in which they fell short.
Vancouver showed off Canada's qualities in a beautiful, compelling way. Sochi can do the same thing for Russia, but all they're showing so far is a Soviet-era, take-no-prisoners mindset.
And shouldn't Medvedev be concerned with bigger things than who won the silver medal in men's figure skating? Say, reducing nuclear arms?
