Belgians' most famous pleasure permitted at the Olympics

The headlines covering the first week of the Olympics in Sochi have been dominated by photos of unfinished hotel rooms, faulty infrastructure, and exploding budgets, but the main issue closer to home has been chocolate. Until this past weekend, the Belgian delegation was prohibited from brining the nation’s most famous product and passion into Russia. However, the ban has been overturned by choco-diplomatic pressure applied by the delegations. Belgian chocolate is now allowed in Russia.

Food bans have been a common occurrence at this year’s Olympic games, with other countries also dealing with the issue of banned products. The Belgians wanted to bring the sweet treats to help ease negotiations during meetings. The Dutch have not been so lucky. Their favourite bitterballs have also been rejected from entering Russia, and, due to stringent restrictions on meat products, aren't going to be permitted anytime soon. But the Dutch are looking at alternatives, such as making the bitterballs from scratch with Russian products.