Final answer:
Criticism of the International Olympic Committee's response during the Sochi 2014 Olympics centered around their perceived failure to adequately address human rights concerns and the politicization of the event.
Step-by-step explanation:
Critics were dissatisfied with the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s response during the Sochi 2014 Olympics primarily because they perceived the IOC to lack a firm stance on Russia's actions and controversies associated with the host nation. These included allegations of a repressive regime, crackdown on freedom of speech, and human rights violations. This criticism is rooted in a historical context where the Olympics have oftentimes been entangled with politics and international relations issues, such as the Boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games and the 2008 Beijing Games where humanitarian concerns were raised about Tibet. The controversy around the Sochi 2014 games not only involved these political issues but also extended to concerns of environmental and social impacts, calling into question the Olympics as a platform for global unity and highlighting the complexities of hosting such international events amidst geopolitical tensions.