Salt Lake City Winter Olympics organizers gave us Bon Jovi, KISS and Gloria Estefan for the closing ceremonies Sunday, but they missed a chance to close the 2002 Games with someone better suited for a symbolic performance.

	Sting helped get the Games started in the Opening Ceremonies.

Following the Russians' threats to pull their athletes out of the Olympics as a protest over calls and judgments in pairs figure skating, men's ice hockey and cross-country skiing, it was a perfect opportunity for Sting to update an old hit. If Sting, who performed at the opening ceremonies two weeks ago, had been invited back, we could have been treated to this new version of "Russians" from "Dream of the Blue Turtles":

Russians (2002 Remix)
In Salt Lake City, America,
The Winter Games have witnessed some hysteria;
Russian athletes and officials have one request:
"Will you damn judges stop ripping off us ex-Soviets?"
Mr. Tyagachev says, "Slutskaya was better than Hughes;
No way four gold medals are better than two."
Even Gretz and the South Koreans were complaining, too.
What in the world have these Winter Games come to?

Men's hockey failed to bring home gold joy;
It's the refs' fault, not Slava's boys.
Judges out to get us since the Games commenced,
We'll boycott Athens. Enough of this nonsense;
Hemoglobin? Simple biology;
It's just that time of the month, you see.
Now we're screwed in cross-country skiing, too.
What in the world have these Winter Games come to?

Five golds, six silvers? What a descent.
To point the blame elsewhere, we're hellbent.
Some might say our sportsmanship is getting pretty poor.
We're not used to losing, and we're really damn sore.
Mr. Fetisov says, "No Miracle on Ice, part deux,
Even though we sucked in periods 1 and 2."
Still say that French judge had the right point of view;
What in the world have these Winter Games come to?

Russians (Original 1985 version)
Released as a single, the track reached No. 12 in the UK and No. 17 in the U.S.

In Europe and America there's a growing feeling of hysteria

	Russian heads were spinning when figure skater Irina Slutskaya failed to win gold.

Conditioned to respond to all the threats
In the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets
Mister Krushchev said, 'We will bury you'
I don't subscribe to this point of view
It'd be such an ignorant thing to do
If the Russians love their children too

How can I save my little boy
From Oppenheimer's deadly toy?
There is no monopoly on common sense
On either side of the political fence
We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too

There is no historical precedent to put
Words in the mouth of the president
There's no such thing as a winnable war
It's a lie we don't believe anymore
Mister Reagan says 'We will protect you'
I don't subscribe to this point of view
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too
We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
What might save us, me and you
Is if the Russians love their children too

Melanie Jackson, a lifelong Sting fan, is the women's college basketball editor at ESPN.com.