When the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi officially wrap up Sunday, Bogdana Matsotska isn’t expected at the closing ceremonies. The Ukrainian skier pulled out of the competition this week to protest the violence in her nation’s capital of Kiev.
Her sacrifice is meant as a political statement aimed at Ukraine’s regime under President Viktor Yanukovych. Wouldn’t it be nice to see a similar message delivered to the man whose mischief helped trigger that violence — i.e., Vladimir Putin?
Never mind the final medal count; the Games’ biggest winner might well be the Russian president. As head of the host country, Putin has enjoyed the spotlight for two weeks; athletes and news crews  have converged on the Russian city and have been providing footage for the whole world. The spectacle may have helped cover Putin’s seedy role in events not just in Kiev, but in places like Syria and Iran, as well.
Matsotska said the International Olympic Committee would not let the Ukrainians wear black armbands during the events to mourn the lives lost in Kiev because it bans political protests; the IOC denies that. But it’s hard to see Putin’s prancing about during the Games as anything but political.
In any event, it would be interesting to see the reaction should athletes show up at Sunday’s ceremonies sporting black armbands.
Whatever the IOC did in response, a protest attempt would remind folks that horrors in places like Kiev and Syria don’t go unnoticed. Perhaps it might also be seen as a black mark not so much on the events, but on their host.