In 1980, during the Olympics, which took place in Moscow, the governments of 65 countries, most of them European, refused to take part in the summer games. Then this boycott was due to the fact that the Soviet Union, shortly before the Olympic Games, brought its troops into Afghanistan. Later in 1984, the USSR announced a retaliatory boycott of the Olympics held in the United States. And after almost 34 years, the United States is again going to ignore the Olympic Games, but this time not in the Land of the Soviets, but in Russia.
First possible reason
Researchers cite several reasons for this international misunderstanding. One of them is the American fugitive Edward Snowden. In the summer of 2013, the disgraced CIA agent asked the Russian government for political asylum and soon received it. The US authorities almost immediately began to express their disapproval to Moscow, however, they did not achieve anything. Snowden remained in the capital as a full citizen of the Russian Federation, and some representatives of the American Congress began to urge their government to boycott the Olympic Games in Sochi.
Second possible reason
The second reason, which is much more significant, in the opinion of the international community, is Russia's participation in the 2008 Georgian-Abkhaz conflict on the side of Abkhazia. At the same time, America sponsored the Georgian side, and after the Georgian campaign failed miserably and the US actually lost its money, the American brothers harbored a grudge against Russia. Some congressmen, including Senator Lindsay Graham, have spoken about a boycott of the Sochi Winter Olympics in recent months and have already begun to communicate their sentiments to incumbent President Barack Obama. Many see this behavior of the West not as a reason, but as an excuse for boycotting the Winter Games, which could significantly undermine the economy of the host country. However, these statements sound more serious every day, and who knows, maybe in February 2014 Sochi will really be left without American athletes. The United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, France, Holland and other EU countries may join the American-Georgian boycott.
Third possible reason
The third reason for the boycott of the 2014 Olympics is homosexuals, or rather, the attempts of America and NATO countries to impose their opinions on any issue of domestic policy on each country. The prohibitions of gay parades, propaganda of homosexuality and similar acts of infringement of the rights of sexual minorities on the territory of the Russian Federation caused a wave of indignation throughout the European community. After all, Russia and a number of other states with similar views on the gay problem look like black sheep against the background of European countries in which same-sex marriages are allowed, adoption of children by same-sex couples is encouraged, etc. Many countries have not yet decided why they will boycott the Sochi Olympics, some consider it their duty to stand up for the rights of Russian gays, others are sure that Russia had no right to interfere in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict and alienate part of Georgian territory.
Fourth possible reason
The fourth possible reason is the scandal surrounding the adopted Russian children by American families, abuse by adoptive parents and the RF ban on American adoption. This is the law of "Dima Yakovlev", it was named after a child who died as a result of the negligence and cruelty of his adoptive father. All of this individually, and possibly in the aggregate, may give Washington a reason to boycott the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.
