Experts on 2014 Sochi

The following experts are available for media coverage on the upcoming XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi:

Adam Molnar (Doctoral Candidate, Political Science) can comment on political protest and riot policing, civilian-military partnerships, the private security industry, and the surveillance and privacy implications of security and policing measures and urban surveillance. He can also speak to the legacies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and what might be expected after Sochi 2014: “The Sochi 2014 Olympics are characteristic of the massive security and policing build-up seen at other major sporting events today, but even with these unprecedented security measures in place, a significant concern will remain in Russia. Long after the Olympic spotlight has moved on, Russia’s citizens will be dealing with this extreme security apparatus for many years, and possibly decades, to come.” (Phone: 604-657-4568 or apm@uvic.ca)

Christine O’Bonsawin (History) is a historian and the director of UVic’s Indigenous Studies Minor Program. She is an expert in Canadian sport history with a primary focus on the roles and representations of Indigenous peoples in Canadian-hosted Olympic Games, and the politics of such inclusion. She is also available to respond on historical perspectives related to Sochi 2014, as well as Olympic principles and governing laws (notably, the Olympic Charter) that, she explains, are “diametrically opposed to the discriminatory practices of the anti-gay laws in Russia.” (Office: 250-853-3807 or cobonsaw@uvic.ca)

Colin Bennett (Political Science) is an expert in security and surveillance and, for more than 20 years, has focused his research on the politics of privacy. His book Security Games: Surveillance and Control at Mega-Events, co-edited with Kevin Haggerty, presents one of the first comprehensive assessments of the major security and surveillance implications of large sporting events. He is available to comment on such legacies of the Vancouver Olympics, as well as probable measures already underway including monitoring of internet traffic for the Sochi Olympics. (Office: 250-721-7495 or cjb@uvic.ca)

Tom Hawthorn is a guest lecturer (2014 Harvey Stevenson Southam Lecturer in Journalism and Nonfiction, with UVic’s Department of Writing) and veteran journalist who has spent years working the sports beat for leading newspapers and specializing in sports writing and the Olympics movement. His lectures at UVic will explore the history of the Olympics movement and Olympics protests including the African boycott of the Montreal Olympics and the contemporary protests over Russia's anti-gay laws. (Cell: 250-857-5029 or  tomhawthorn@gmail.com)

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