3) Genocide

The Games are being held on the 150th anniversary of a genocide in Sochi. Nice timing. Muslim Circassians (or Adyghe people) from the Black Sea region were effectively wiped out a century and a half ago. They estimate that 1.5 million of them were slaughtered in cold blood. Circassians in the US, Turkey (pictured above) and further afield have already been up in arms about the disrespectful timing of the event.

It’s not just the timing that’s got their goats either, many of the new buildings are springing up on top of Circassian mass graves.

Iyad Youghar, who leads the International Circassian Council said this: “We want the athletes to know that if they compete here they will be skiing on the bones of our relatives”.

☛ Read Next: The Rape Of Nanking: An Asian Atrocity