Soviet/ Russian anthem has a funny history. The late poet Mikhalkov composed words to three (yes, 3!) versions of the anthem. The first one was commissioned in 1944 as WWII was winding down and mentioned Stalin as well as Lenin as in:
Through storms the sun of freedom has shined upon us,
And the great Lenin has lighted the way
Stalin has taught us faithfulness to the people,
To labour, and inspired us to great feats!
It was also very much a wartime anthem as in:
We brought our army to the battles.
We shall brave the despicable invaders from the street!
In battles we shall decide the fate of generations,
We shall lead to the glory of the Motherland!
Since de-Stalinization in 1953 to 1977, the anthem actually had no words. Then, in 1977, it was altered by taking Stalin out along with the more belligerent symbolism. For example, the part that used to mention Stalin now became:
Through tempests the sun of freedom shone to us,
And the great Lenin lighted us the way.
He raised peoples to the righteous cause,
Inspired us to labour and to acts of heroism
After the fall of USSR, there was much debate on the new anthem. In the spirit of the 90's, there was a near universal agreement on a completely different tune; Yeltsin' choice fell on the classic Glinka's "Patriotic Song". It was performed without words, and contests were held for appropriate lyrics. And then, of course, Mr. Putin came to power. He resurrected the old warhorse and, bypassing all contests, asked Mikhalkov to bring the anthem into the 21st century. The near-senile poet did so, giving us the memorable words such as (this is that same part that used to mention Stalin in 1944):
From the southern seas to the polar lands
Spread our forests and fields.
You are unique in the world, one of a kind –
Native land protected by God!
Here is another bit of figure skating trivia for you - at their second Olympic medal ceremony, Berezhnaya was singing the new words whereas Sikhuralidze was singing the old
The politically-involved, definitely not, as she is yet another representation of the progress and success of the South.
Sometimes, during sporting events, the arrogance of the younger Koreans comes out (I'm not that old, either, in my twenties, and younger than some of them, but anyway) when they mock or feel hostile towards American athletes (e.g. a skit they once did on the field when they played against the American soccer team during the 2002 World Cup.) It makes me mad. If they knew even a little bit of our history, the least they should afford is some sportsmanship.
