Johnnie Balfour, the former Olympic boardercross course builder who kicked down one of the few honest overviews of the situation in Sochi last week, pulled all his original posts down and has apparently decided to leave Russia on his “own accord,” according to new post titled Squashing Some Rumors. Here’s a slice of it:
EVERYTHING I WRITE IS MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, IT DOES NOT REFLECT OPINIONS OF THE PEOPLE I HAVE WORKED WITH IN THE PAST, PRESENT OR THE FUTURE. THIS IS JUST ME, THAT’S ALL, NOBODY ELSE. . . 1. I am safe and fine. Yes, I am heading home, no, I was not forced to leave. I left by my own accord. . . 2. Me leaving Sochi will have zero effect on the Olympic Games. I am simply just one of a group of guys who do what I do. The head builder is still there as well as the other shapers. There is plenty of snow on the mountain and the course will be ready and will be amazing. There is a group of very talented people working there and it will be fine. . . 3. I removed the post myself.
Balfour says he was “completely overwhelmed by the response” his post got. Having worked with the IOC in the past we were not surprised to see this coming, but we’re happy Balfour made it out and that “there is plenty of snow on the mountain and the course. . . will be amazing.”
Balfour is promising more on his trip to Sochi in the near future, so we’ll keep you posted. We do think the photo (above right) that he recently posted to his blog says much more about the trip than words will ever say!
[Link: Johnnie Balfour]
