Sir, – Martyn Turner provided the perfect image for the Sochi Games (Opinion, January 29th). The Olympics are meant to represent such values as respect, fair play and friendship. Vladimir Putin, however, has demonstrated his contempt for such values. He is moving Russia towards becoming an authoritarian society again. The 1932 Games did not change the Nazi regime. The 1980 Games did not change the Soviet Union. The 2008 Games did not change the dictatorship that controls China. The Sochi Games will not deter Putin from his attacks on democracy and justice within Russia.
The Olympic Games, and all other major international sports and cultural events, should only be held in nations that are democracies. To do otherwise is to mock and undermine the essential moral values associated with such events. – Yours, etc,
DAN DONOVAN,
Shandon Street,
Dungarvan, Co Waterford.