Google Autocomplete Explains the Winter Olympics

What's This?

Russian president Vladimir Putin takes the ice at Sochi's Olympic hockey facility on Jan. 4.

Image: Alexei Nikolsky, Presidential Press Service/Associated Press

By Sam Laird2014-01-29 18:48:59 -0500

The Summer Olympics have a pretty straightforward lineup. Run as fast as you can, jump as far or high as you can, swim better than anyone else — it's all relatable, at least on a conceptual level, to even the laziest couch potato.

But the Winter Olympics present a whole different animal, introducing all sorts of gadgets, equipment and esoteric rules. So, to get you prepped for Sochi, we've employed Google Autocomplete, the brutally honest talisman of the Internet's brain, to help make sense of the Games.

Read on to get up to speed.

The Context

The 2014 Winter Olympics take place in Sochi, Russia, and are viewed by most as a huge moment for President Vladimir Putin on the world stage. So what do Google searchers think about the setting and biggest player of this year's Games?

Russia

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When it comes to 2014's host country, confusion reigns. Europe or Asia? The country is actually bi-continental, but you definitely wouldn't call it gay (for a variety of reasons). Homosexuality is actually quite the no-no in Russia.

Here, meanwhile, are Autocomplete's most popular questions about the host country:

RussiaQ2

Vladimir Putin

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Putin is either "a badass" or "evil," but you can't have it both ways, Internet. And whether or not you think he's "the man," he's definitely the Man if you live in Russia.

Sochi

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