Reading all the positive foreign reactions to the Olympics, I can't help imagining how a flunky under Russian President Vladimir Putin would put together a selection of quotes to please the boss — to make the president feel as though he had won all of Russia's world-beating 33 medals, including 13 golds.
The Washington Post, known for its anti-Putin editorial line, published this from the Associated Press: "All-new facilities, unthinkable in the Soviet era of drab shoddiness, showcased how far Russia has come in the two decades since it turned its back on communism."
"His hockey team failed to follow the script. But just about everything else went to plan for a watching Vladimir Putin," reported The Guardian. "By the closing ceremony — which featured ballet from the Bolshoi, music by Rachmaninov and tributes to Tolstoy and Kandinsky plus the usual protocol — the atmosphere was one of pure celebration swathed in the colors of the Russian flag."