In only 500 days an American team will compete in its first Olympics on Russian soil, and the 2014 host city organizers, headed by Dmitry Chernyshenko (right), celebrated the start of its Olympics countdown with 500-meter relay races, roller hockey, some summer bobsledding -- on longboards -- and finally, by revealing the new official slogan for the Games: “Zharkiye. Zimniye. Tvoyi.”
Or – roughly translated – “Hot. Cool. Yours.”
“Hot” refers to the passion for the Games, the venues, and the excitement over Russia hosting its first winter Olympics and its first of any kind since the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow. The host country is obviously famous for its snowy winters (see: “Rocky IV”) and its success at cold weather sports, so we assume everyone is pretty excited.
“Cool” is obviously for the cold, wintery part of the Games. Per the official Olympic Charter, all Winter Games events must take place on either ice or snow, which is why we can’t just shift and indoor sport like table tennis to winter to even out the number of events, unless of course we want to put it on ice. Also, we should absolutely do that.
“Yours” is idea that these Games will be all-inclusive, for the countries, athletes, and fans alike. The Americans famously boycotted the 1980 Moscow Games as way of undermining their Cold War counterparts, with the Soviets returning the favor four years later before Los Angeles. Now that the two countries are friendly, it should be a great Olympics for both teams.