{"id":12234,"date":"2014-02-22T00:01:53","date_gmt":"2014-02-22T08:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=12234"},"modified":"2014-02-22T00:01:54","modified_gmt":"2014-02-22T08:01:54","slug":"a-true-olympic-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2014\/02\/22\/a-true-olympic-hero\/","title":{"rendered":"A True Olympic Hero"},"content":{"rendered":"

You already know that the Republican Party has established a strong presence in the former Soviet Union through the anti-democratic policies of Vladimir Putin (R-RU), aka GOP Pootie.  Sadly, Putin has a Republican ally in the Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, who is killing hos people to maintain dominance.  Putin supports him.  Consider the years of sacrifice athletes undertake to earn an opportunity to compete at the Olympic Games.  That Bogdana Matsotska has sacrificed that opportunity to stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian protestors makes her a true Olympic Hero.<\/font><\/p>\n

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\"0222BogdanaMatsotska\"Two members of Ukraine\u2019s Olympic team withdrew from the Sochi Games on Thursday in a show of solidarity with protesters who are locked in a violent conflict with their government in the capital city of Kiev.<\/p>\n

Bogdana Matsotska, an Alpine skier, and her father and coach, Oleg Matsotskyy, announced on Matsotskyy\u2019s Facebook page that they would be leaving Sochi before Matsotska had finished competing. Matsotska, 24, will not take part in the women\u2019s slalom, which is scheduled for Friday…<\/p>\n

…In explaining the decision to leave early, Matsotskyy wrote in his Facebook post that \u201cas a protest against lawless actions made towards protesters, the lack of responsibility from the side of the president and his lackey government, we refuse further performance at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games<\/strong>.\u201d It is believed that at least 25 people have died and hundreds more were injured in a confrontation in Kiev this week.<\/p>\n

Along with his message, Matsotskyy posted a picture that appeared to be of him and Matsotska, standing in front of the Olympic rings and holding a Ukrainian flag. He wrote that he and his daughter had come to Sochi hoping that President Viktor F. Yanukovych and his government would negotiate peacefully with the opposition during the Olympics. They added that they believed the violence that erupted against protesters was a \u201cviolation of the old principle of the Games \u2014 the Olympic Truce.\u201d\u2026 [emphasis added<\/em>]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Inserted from <NY Times<\/a>><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s video of Bogdana.<\/font><\/p>\n