Russia's Sochi Olympics awakens Circassian anger

On the surface,the Russian resort town of Sochiprovides anideal setting for the world to convene for the 2014 Olympics.

Itssubtropical coastline on the Black Sea offers beautiful palm-lined seashores for the tourists February temperatures should be in the 10 C range while the nearbysnow-covered mountains presentan ideal staging ground foroutdoor wintersports.

"But historically and politically, it's a loaded area," warns John Colarusso, a professorof humanities at McMaster Universityand a freqent writer on the language and culture of the Caucasus, the mountainous region between the Black and Caspian seas.

Indeed, as Russian authorities scramble to prepare Sochi for the Winter Games in 18 months time, a little-known indigenous group from the region is raising its voice in protest.

It turns out that the year 2014 is not just of Olympian importance. It is also a symbolic lightning rod for the Circassian diaspora.

The yearmarks the 150th anniversary of the mostly Muslim Circassiansdefeat and expulsion by the Russian empire from their homelandthe Sochi area and the diaspora is intent on having its message heard.

"We don't want the Sochi Olympics to happen on our ancestors graves," argues Zack Barsik, a Circassian-American member of the Circassian Cultural Institute. "It's an injustice."

TheNew Jersey-basedinstitute is spearheading a No Sochi 2014 campaign calling for a boycott of the Sochi Games.Circassians began protesting as soon as Putin presented the Sochi bid in 2007.

"Russians have handed the Circassians a silver tray upon which to air their grievances to the world," said Colarusso, a linguist who studies the North Caucusus and also served as backchannel adviser on the area for the U.S. during the Clinton administration.

"It's a genuine blunder on the part of Putin, Im afraid. Hes otherwise fairly astute as rulers go."

Countering security fears

Securing the Olympicshas beena point of pride for Russia as it tries to revitalize its image on the world stage and Putin, an avid sportsman and judo enthusiast, has taken personal interest in ensuringthe event'ssuccess.

Since the Black Sea resort in southwestern Russiawas selected as a venue,international attention has primarily focused on security concerns and fears of a terrorist attack due to Sochi's proximity totheunstable North Caucasus, including the restive Russian dependency of Chechnya, which is only about 600 kilometres away.

Russia has tried to counter those concerns. In May, authorities said they foiled a plot by Islamist rebels to attack Sochi, then confidently declaredthat the anti-terrorist committee had dealta "notable blow to the terrorist underground, leaving it with no intention to disrupt the Olympic games."

But is that the end of the problem?

"This is a big matter of prestige for Russia, so obviously they're going to do whatever they can to make sure it goes off relatively smoothly," said Eugene Chausovsky, director of analysis for Europe and the former Soviet Union for global intelligence company Stratfor.

But as Valery Dzutsev, a former Caucasus-area journalist, notes, "these Olympics present a one-time opportunity for insurgents to basically remind the world oftheir existence."

It is alsoan opportunity of a lifetime for the scattered Circassian diaspora.

Diaspora rallies around cause

"It's become a big rallying issue for young Circassians and it's become an emblem for the awakening of the Circassian nationhood," said Oliver Bullough, journalist and author of Let Our FameBe Great, a book about the Russian conquest of the Caucasus.

An estimated 90 per cent of the Circassian population, ranging from five to eight million worldwide, live outside Russia, most of them from families that were driven out at the point of a gun over a hundred years ago.

Most reside in Turkey, but smaller populations are strewn across many countries, including the U.S., Syria, Jordan and Canada.

Georgia, whose relations with Russia are tense,has officiallycalled the killings in 1864a"genocide." It is the first state to use the politically charged term,but the Circassian Cultural Institute hopes to persuade other countries to follow suit.

"For the Sochi Olympics, the whole world is invited,"said the Circassian Cultural Institute's Barsik. "Circassianscitizens of Sochi, the capital of Circassiaare not allowed to return."

The city is now a popular tourist town, home to 400,000 Russians. Ahead of the Olympics, it hasbecome what Dmitry Chernyshenko, a Sochi native and president of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, has described as the "world's biggest construction site," with 55,000 workers toiling 24 hours a day to complete the athletic facilities and infrastructure.

Eleven athletic facilities are being built in two separate clusters: one on the coast and the other nestled about 50 kilometresawayin the mountains.About 28,000 hotel rooms are under construction to house the 75,000 expected visitorsandthe city's1950s infrastructure is being updated.

The Olympics will yet againalter the face of Sochi.

'It's about legacy'

As Chernyshenko described it in an interview with Sports Illustrated, he sees the popular tourist destination as "a blank canvas to paint what you really dream about." He dismissed concerns aboutaltering the character of the community, stating "it's not about character. It's about legacy."

Meanwhile, experts say Russia has refused to acknowledge Sochi's other legacy.

"When it comes to the crunch, Russia reacts like the old Russia," says McMaster's Colarusso, who points to the Russian authoritiesrecentresponse to thePussy Riot's punk protest.

"Ive held up our handling of the Olympics in Vancouver as a beautiful example of how to accommodate indigenous sensibilities and culture."

But instead of acknowledging its history, Colarusso fears Russia'ssuppression of its past in this case could lead radical elements within the Circassiansto takeextreme positions.

The Circassian Cultural Institute's Barsik says the No Sochi 2014 groupdoes not plan toresort to violence. They do, however, fear the minority of Circassians still living within Russiamight be targeted in retaliation for protests outside the country.

Not all Circassians agree with calls to boycott the Sochi Games. But author Bullough says even they are "quite grateful for the campaign" because "itmeans that people are looking for the story and what it's all about.

And he notes, "If everything goes to plan and there isn't anything unforeseen, I think it will be the most gorgeous place for them to have the Olympics."