On top of environmental degradation, suspect infrastructure and anti-homosexual legislation, we can add a new entry to the list of concerns about how ready Sochi is to host the Winter Olympics, which begin Feb. 7: Toilets.
It's not that there aren't enough toilets. It's not that Sochi doesn't have indoor plumbing. No, the apparent problem is that fans visiting Sochi for the Games may have to get a little too up close and personal with one another while handling their "business."
See also: Norway's Wild Curling Uniforms Would Make Willy Wonka Blush
At least that's the indication from a photo posted to Twitter by Moscow-based BBC News correspondent Steve Rosenberg on Tuesday. According to Rosenberg, the photo shows a men's room inside one Olympic venue in Sochi:
Seeing double in the Gentlemen's Loo at the Olympic Biathlon Centre #Sochi pic.twitter.com/a1HoilU9zn
— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) January 20, 2014
Rosenberg's photo caused quite a stir online, drawing mockery and incredulousness, and was featured on multiple websites and blogs. The Washington Post even reports of "Russians gleefully retweeting the photo as a sign of corruption, shoddy construction or just what they couldn't imagine."
The photo drew plenty of doubters, as well. So Rosenberg tweeted it a second time just to dispel any Photoshop-happy conspiracy theories:
Just to make clear, this is not photoshopped. You can see my reflection in the flusher. #Sochi #Olympic loo pic.twitter.com/LONZhbt6pZ
— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) January 21, 2014
We hope this restroom is just an anomaly, though, and folks who need to pop a squat in Sochi will be able to do so in fine conditions.
Meanwhile, as always, it's important to remember that things could be worse. For proof, look no further than this photo of a restroom in Kazan, Russia, which Rosenberg shared from a sports competition in the city last year:
Kazan University on the eve of the Summer Universiade 2013. Image: BBC cameraman Max Lomakin pic.twitter.com/s9PDECpSrN
— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) January 21, 2014
This runaway vehicle wreaked minor on-field havoc following a high school football championship in Texas last December. But a heroic bystander hopped aboard and put on the brakes.
No casualties occurred, and the clip immediately became Internet legend.
Watch out for the ricochet, goalie! This kid gets it in the right in the chops.
What happens when you put an inflatable dinosaur on rollerblades and ask it to skate down a flight of stairs? Amazingness, that's what.
In sports, to "flop" is to exaggerate the force of contact in hopes of drawing a favorable call from officials. But you've got to time it much, much better than this guy does.
Apparently, if you hug a member of the opposite team after scoring a goal in hockey, you will get punched in the face.
This kid is just in the wrong place at the wrong time...to the benefit of the rest of us.
College football mascots are supposed to represent their schools in a fun, positive light — which doesn't typically include picking fights. Here, the University of Oregon's duck slams the University of Houston's cougar.
Bonus points for the sick elbow drop, though.
Not saying we could successfully lift 432 pounds above our heads, but dang, that looks painful.
German weightlifter Matthias Steiner dropped this massive barbell on his neck during the London Olympics this summer, but escaped serious injury.
Sometimes, when you fail, you actually win.
Why jump over hurdles when you could just RUN STRAIGHT THROUGH THEM?
File under: Never, Ever Gets Old.
After what could best be described as an "optimistic" shot attempt in a game last season, NBA center JaVale McGee showed some nice hustle getting back on defense. Only problem? His team still had the ball.
But that wasn't McGee's only legendary moment. Here, he shows why it's not a good idea to try dunking from the free throw line mid-game.
For some reason, London's Olympic promotions this summer involved hanging Mayor Boris Johnson on a zipline while waving a pair of tiny flags.
Then he got stuck halfway through and it was pretty much the best, funniest, awkwardest thing that could have happened.
Major Leaguer Kendry Morales broke his lower left leg while celebrating a game-winning grand slam in 2010. This edited video provides the before, during and after rundown.
See? White guys can jump? It's just the landing that's the hard part.
The announcer here sums it up perfectly. She calls this attempt from the 1992 Olympics "an absolute failed dive."
What begins as an innocent enough piggyback ride atop a fuzzy mascot turns into a pretty epic collision — and YouTube gold.
Dude! If you're gonna pump up the crowd like that, you can't just faceplant into the sand.
When you think about it, is there any better way to celebrate a touchdown than by pegging an unsuspecting spectator in the face? Bonus points for originality, at least.
You'd think a professional golfer could put the ball in the hole with less than 16 strokes. Kevin Na — and the rest of the world — found out otherwise on this par-four hole at the 2011 Valero Texas Open.
Well, that's one way of doing it...right?
Tie game, clock winding down — it's always better to get one last attempt up than just let the game go into overtime. A full court desperation heave with a 11 seconds to go is never the way to do it, however.
This classic gaffe by the University of Connecticut's Roscoe Smith came during a matchup of top teams in 2011.
Its veracity may be suspect, but this 2008 YouTube classic has more than 12.7 million views, despite a mind-numbing soundtrack.
The summer of 2011 was a tough time for NBA star LeBron James. It was full of lingering ill-will for his decision to the leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and snarky schadenfreude over his initial failure to win a championship with the Miami Heat.
So it makes perfect sense that he'd let off some steam by viciously dunking on a tiny kid at summer camp, right? That's what happens at the 0:43 mark of this video.
We're not quite sure why this mascot thought standing on top of a basketball rim was a good idea.
অনলাইনে ছড়িয়ে ছিটিয়ে থাকা কথা গুলোকেই সহজে জানবার সুবিধার জন্য একত্রিত করে আমাদের কথা । এখানে সংগৃহিত কথা গুলোর সত্ব (copyright) সম্পূর্ণভাবে সোর্স সাইটের লেখকের এবং আমাদের কথাতে প্রতিটা কথাতেই সোর্স সাইটের রেফারেন্স লিংক উধৃত আছে ।