# A Canadian flames the whole Canadian Olympic Mess! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 14, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922 "2010-02-14T03:35:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/41 "2010-02-14T06:34:12Z")
Let’s not forget that Canada has been chosen as the host nation three times, behind only the U.S. and France. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/42 "2010-02-14T07:02:53Z")
> [@Valteron](#): > > I never sai it was about me. > **YOU** are the one who dragged me into it when you came up with the irrelevant argument “Can you do better?” Following that principle, only persons who could do a better job as President than the incumbent would be allowed to criticise him, I suppose. > > I am just tired of a Canadian teams that usually sucks at the Olympics. Canada simply is a loser country that does not worship success as it should. We should worship success? One of the best things about Canada is the lack of HooRah. Play hard, play fair, do your best, you win or you don’t, don’t whine. Done. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/43 "2010-02-14T07:10:22Z")
Something else to consider, and I’d do the math if I had one less pint under my belt, is that the sports Canada usually does well in/Canadians care about are sports that only have a single medal (hockey, skating, curling I think) as opposed to race events like speed skating that have medals for every distance. If Norway rocks the Biathlon, they get 10 medals. Canadian hockey sweep, 2 medals. Now, as cool a concept as shooting at shit while cross country skiing is, it just hasn’t captured the heart of the nation. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/44 "2010-02-14T07:56:56Z")
So this is what its like when old people rant at passer byes. It’s the ultimate “Get off my lawn!” Except you’re yelling at your own people on your lawn… Classic! Though if Canada wins a Gold, at least you won’t have to worry anymore. I think they should be able to manage at least one gold this year… ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/45 "2010-02-14T08:51:16Z")
> [@Valteron](#): > > We should be harvesting medals for winter sports like an anteater going at an anthill. Don’t care about the rest of your OP, but I did like this image. ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/46 "2010-02-14T10:52:04Z")
My girlfriend is Norwegian, and has told me that the Norwegian media throw tantrums when Norway doesn’t top medal table at the Winter Olympics. The idea seems to be that since they’ve normally win, they should ALWAYS win. Luckily I come from New Zealand. I don’t believe we compete in the Winter Olympics, but if we did, we’d tot out the same line we do for the Summer games: _‘we’ve actually done very well when you look at medals per capita’_ \*‘kids aren’t been taught that defeat is shameful, and tastes like bitter ashes in your mouth. There’s too much emphasis on participation and having fun! WEAKNESS!’ \* Every time. And it gets old - we’re a small nation, and we don’t put the resources that, say, Australia, puts into its sportspeople. The net result is we win six medals, Australia wins sixty and the NZ media has a sulk and drags out one of those lines. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/47 "2010-02-14T11:10:12Z")
Like usual when the poster doesn’t like the fact that their team loses all the time, somebody has to attack them by saying why don’t you win it for them. It’s a very inane response for a post about their team losing at professional sports. Come up with something better like nanner nanner nanner, it’s at least more entertaining. People like their teams to win sometimes, and if they don’t why shouldn’t they say their teams suck? People that say they enter the Olympics just to be in them are deluding themselves. They are trying to win or they wouldn’t be there. They would have been left behind and someone else chosen to compete. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/48 "2010-02-14T12:14:35Z")
Originally I thought this would be about the Canadian Olympic riots. What the hell is that about? ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/49 "2010-02-14T12:40:31Z")
Is that a new event? They probably won’t do very well in that, either. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/50 "2010-02-14T12:43:02Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Is that a new event? They probably won’t do very well in that, either. Probably not. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/51 "2010-02-14T13:43:48Z")
> [@Valteron](#): > > _Nordic_ is often used in modern parlance to mean _northerly_. No, it’s not. > [@](#): > > Is that simple enough for your nit-picking brains to grasp? You can’t even grasp things like just counting the number of medals Canada won in 2006, 2002, 1998… Go back to sleep, Grandpa, we’ll wake you up when it’s time to take your pills. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/52 "2010-02-14T13:51:20Z")
OP, get the snow outta your shorts. ---
**Author:** ![Valteron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f17d59/32.png) [@Valteron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valteron)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/53 "2010-02-14T14:02:50Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > I’m sorry, my numbers are completely off. I read my table wrong. > > Canada won a total of 379 medals altogether. In the combined Summer games, they’ve won 58 Gold medals, 94 Silver medals and 108 Bronze medals. In the combined Winter games, they’ve won 38 Gold, 38 Silver, and 43 Bronze. > > Canada is tied for 9th in terms of gold medals won during the winter games. The top 10 Gold medal winning nations in the winter games are: > > Norway-98 > Soviet Union-78 > US-78 > Unified Germany (Germany pre 1948-After 1988) -60 > Austria-51 > Sweden-43 > Finland-41 > East Germany-39 > Canada-38 > Switzerland-38 > > In the 2006 Winter Games, Canada won 7 Gold medals, (putting it in 5th place), and 24 total medals (putting it in 3rd place) Let’s look at those winter Olympics totals another way, Captain Amazing. Norway, Austria, Sweden and Finland are all much smaller countries than Canada, and are all countries with something that can pass for winter. Most of these population estimates are for 2010, BTW. Norway - 4.8 million Austria - 8.3 million Sweden - 9.3 million Finland - 5.3 million Total population: 27.7 million **Total Winter Gold Medals: 233** Total Population of Canada, 2010: 34 million. **Total Winter Gold Medals: 38** **So in other words, five northern countries whose combined populations equal 80% of Canada’s won 613% more gold medals than we did.** ---
**Author:** ![Valteron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f17d59/32.png) [@Valteron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valteron)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/54 "2010-02-14T14:23:00Z")
Look, I was typing fast and I should have written “northern” instead. I looked it up in the dictionary this morning. You’re right, RickJay. Get over it, loser, or do you want a gold medal for being right? > [@RickJay](#): > > You can’t even grasp things like just counting the number of medals Canada won in 2006, 2002, 1998… Let’s look at the big picture, shall we? If you will look at my other post, you will notice that four _ **NORTHERN** _ nations (favour your triumph, loser, I admitted I was wrong above), Norway, Austria, Sweden and Finland, have a combined total population of of 27.7 million. They have won a combined 233 Gold Medals in Winter Olympics. Canada has an estimated 34 million people (2010), and won 38 medals. So 27 million people won 613% more Winter Gold Medals than our 34 million people. Pretty sad. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/55 "2010-02-14T14:26:37Z")
> [@Valteron](#): > > Look, I was typing fast and I should have written “northern” instead. I looked it up in the dictionary this morning. You’re right, RickJay. Get over it, loser, or do you want a gold medal for being right?. If he’s from the U.S. he’ll be getting gold before you do.. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/56 "2010-02-14T14:27:18Z")
It’s clearly your loser attitude, dude. Chillax would ya? Could it be because Canada isn’t as hero worshipping in regards to sport? Athletic prowess isn’t enough here, you have to have good character as well. Could it be we don’t value sport above say education? Hmmm, if we pour all our money into sport we might get a gold medal, but some kids won’t be able to go to the uni. Could it be that the people of this country don’t really see it as life changingly important that we win a gold medal? It’s just sports people! And, unless you’re pouring dollars and time into promoting sports for youth in your community how about you shut the hell up? You didn’t like the ceremony? Here’s a big bite of reality for you, no one could be arsed what you think. Most people seem to have enjoyed it. Are you advocating that they should piss off and we should worry more about pleasing little old loser you? ---
**Author:** ![fubbleskag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fubbleskag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fubbleskag)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/57 "2010-02-14T14:27:41Z")
cool story, bro. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/58 "2010-02-14T14:35:50Z")
I used to think Canada was all right, then the OP brought their shameful underproduction of medals in obscure winter sports to my attention. I was going to recommend annexation by the USA, except who would want such a bunch of losers anyway? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/59 "2010-02-14T14:38:26Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Are you advocating that they should piss off and we should worry more about pleasing little old loser you? I take it you haven’t met **Valteron** before. ---
**Author:** ![Valteron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f17d59/32.png) [@Valteron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valteron)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/60 "2010-02-14T14:39:34Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > It’s clearly your loser attitude, dude. Chillax would ya? > > Could it be because Canada isn’t as hero worshipping in regards to sport? Athletic prowess isn’t enough here, you have to have good character as well. > > Could it be we don’t value sport above say education? Hmmm, if we pour all our money into sport we might get a gold medal, but some kids won’t be able to go to the uni. > > Could it be that the people of this country don’t really see it as life changingly important that we win a gold medal? It’s just sports people! > > And, unless you’re pouring dollars and time into promoting sports for youth in your community how about you shut the hell up? > > You didn’t like the ceremony? Here’s a big bite of reality for you, no one could be arsed what you think. Most people seem to have enjoyed it. Are you advocating that they should piss off and we should worry more about pleasing little old loser you? Olympics are important enough for Canada to host them three times (one very few countries to do so) but winning Gold is not important? Norway’s 4.8 million people have won 98 Winter Gold Medals. Canada’s 34 million people have won 38. So who cares about gold medals? Those grapes were probably much too sour anyhow, said the fox. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922.md?page=4)