The 2014 Winter Para-Olympics: Day 8(ish)

The final full day of competition at the Sochi games has seen the men's Giant Slalom skiing, the 4x2.5km Cross-Country Skiing mixed relay, the 4x2.5km Cross-Country Skiing open relay, the finals of the Ice Sledge Hockey and the semi-finals and finals of the Wheelchair Curling. However - let's be honest - it's all been about the gold medal hockey match between Russia and TeamUSA that we were denied at the Olympics due to the American backed coup in Ukraine. Hell even the Curling was really about the hockey.

The day began with Russia facing off against TeamGB in the first semi-final while Canada met China in the other semi-final that was being played at the same time. As Canada are not only the 2010 defending para-Olympic Curling champions but also the 2006 defending para-Olympic champions they should have quite easily dispatched China but the Chinese put up a strong fight in either an effort to win or avoid another match against TeamGB. Eventually though the Canadians triumphed 5-4 and went through to the final.

The Russia V TeamGB game was more interesting though because in the run-up to Thursday's (13/3/14) final day of the preliminary round the US and the UK tried very hard to heap pressure on Russia's traditional ally China through things including - but not limited to - the missing Malaysian airlines flight MH370. Overnight the US and the UK tried playing the same trick again with Rihanna leaving the UK for the US, Chris Brown being arrested and the search for MH370 producing lots of new developments that could be interpreted as coded references to either situation. 

For example the overnight talk about MH370's disappearance being the result of a "deliberate act" was supposed to create speculation that the US had withdrawn Rihanna from Drake's tour as part of a deliberate strategy. The new focus on "the people on board the plane" was a reference to the fact that all the other passengers on board Rihanna's flight from Manchester, to New York City, US were aware that she was on board and immediately started sharing this fact upon landing. As such the US' belief that Rihanna could travel unseen to visit Drake on his tour is so ridiculous the whole thing is nothing more then a suicide mission for all concerned. Apart from being a publicity stunt for British broadcaster Channel 4's (C4) "Live From Space" season of programs the supposed satellite data which puts MH370 on the Turkmenistan/Kazakhstan air corridor is the world laughing down it's sleeves at US President Obama's plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Needless to say Russia went on to absolutely destroy TeamGB 13-4 with TeamGB being forced to concede defeat before the end of the match.

This meant that Russia went onto meet Canada in the gold medal match while TeamGB met China in the bronze medal play-off. Although on paper it seemed like the more interesting match the TeamGB V China match up was merely an accompaniment to the Russia V Canada match that was being played at the same time. If politics had stayed out of it the most likely final of the Olympic men's Ice Hockey would have been Russia V Canada meaning that the para-Olympic Curling final provided a neat metaphor for another fantasy game that never got to happen. In the bronze medal match China basically just toyed with TeamGB going 2-0 up before allowing TeamGB a comeback that was almost as dramatic as their one against TeamUSA on Thursday. Eventually TeamGB won 7-3 securing the bronze medal

However while all this was going on Canada were playing Russia in the same room. Being the better team Canada could have chosen to beat Russia in a straight sporting contest or to let Russia win in an effort to show support for the hosts who have been putting on an amazing games under extremely difficult conditions. Alternatively the Canadians could have let Russia win to indicate that the US and the UK's efforts so far have been nowhere near a match winning standard. After some early flirting Canada decided to just get it over and done with as quickly as possible winning the match 8-3 and their third successive gold medal before the TeamGB V China game had finished.

With TeamGB and Canada both winning their matches this made it appear that the UK Commonwealth of which the UK, Canada and Malaysia are all members had scored a great victory over the Russian and Chinese alliance. However it was at this point that my sarcasm detector exploded because Russia had won the silver medal and last time I checked silver was better then bronze. This complex turn of events obviously heaped the pressure on the Russia V TeamUSA hockey match because, well, which version of the story did they believe? 

To add even more pressure on the hockey final the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) decided to hold an extraordinary session to discuss and eventually a vote on an Australian authored statement condemning Sunday's referendum on Crimean independence from Ukraine at exactly the same time as the hockey final. It almost goes without saying that there is currently a spilt on the UNSC between the USA and UK Commonwealth nations and Russia over the situation in Ukraine. China are of course still a bit of a wildcard. In the end the UNSC rushed to an early vote with 13 members voting in favour of the statement and Russia vetoing. China abstained which reflected the spilt in Chinese/Russian relations that was seen in the Curling.

It was then time for the hockey final which I had dubbed "The Kiev Decider." This was deadly serious reference to the fact that as with the "Bieber Decider" and the "Drake Decider" the loser will have to keep the Kiev government along with it's mountain of debt and political and social problems. As a result the first period saw both TeamUSA and Russia trying their hardest to win but nothing could separate them. 

Mid-way through the second period Russia's Loysov under-hit a pass that was intercepted by TeamUSA's Sweeney who immediately went onto score. Realising what was at stake and that in their first ever para-Olympics they were the weaker side compared to the current para-Olympic champions the Russians immediately appealed this goal for no apparent reason. That appeal was overturned but the referees seemed to get the message and started trying to help Russia equalise. This was all to no avail and the second period ended 1-0 to TeamUSA.

By the start of the third period the referees had decided they were not going to intervene unless they absolutely had to. This led to a particularly brutal - by Olympic standards - 15 minutes in which I'm sure I saw at least one actual punch thrown. Despite this and a last-gasp charge from Russia they couldn't find a way past Cash - TeamUSA's goal tender and it finished 1-0 to TeamUSA. As a result TeamUSA have won their first back-to-back para-Olympic golds and conceded that Russia will now sort out Ukraine without any further interference from the USA.

In the cross-country skiing in which both Russia and Ukraine are dominant honours were shared with Russia taking the 4x2.5km mixed and Ukraine taking the 4x2.5km open. Earlier in the day Canada won bronze in the hockey by beating Norway in a match-up that was never really in doubt. Sadly with all that going on I don't have a clue what happened in the Giant Slalom. I hope they don't hold it against me.

(Originally Posted) 20:25 on 15/3/14 (UK date).