In the buildup to what are being described as the most corrupt Olympics in history, a broad spectrum of activists has raised issues with Sochi 2014. The list of concerns includes environmental degradation, rampant corruption, labor abuses, indigenous rights and animal mistreatment. Only two days before the opening ceremony, Nation contributor Samantha Retrosi and sports editor Dave Zirin appeared on Democracy Now! to discuss these pressing issues. Echoing sentiments shared in her recent article for The Nation, Retrosi commented on the “cruelty and exploitation” embedded within the Olympics, while Zirin claimed that “what’s happening in Russia is particularly bad, even by Olympic standards.” —Dustin Christensen