First they decided to move the winter event to the midterm year, which IMO dilutes both seasons of the Games. It seemed right to me to have a four year long, Olympics-free period, followed by the huge dog and pony show that can only be achieved by holding both the Winter and Summer games in the same year. Now they seem to have forgotten how important it is to choose a reliably cold place for “winter”.
Thus we now have the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Well, some of the indoor events, that is, because it hardly ever snows in a town that’s more like a somewhat cooler and much wetter version of San Francisco, than it is like a Winter Wonderland. The outdoor events are going to be at Whistler, two hours outside the “host” city–where today they’ve had to truck in artificial snow because they haven’t been getting any through the usual channels. Despite the lack of snow, it would have made more sense if they called it the Winter Olympics in Whistler, BC.
What ever happened to the old days when they held the Winter Olympics in a truly cold city that actually does reliably get snow? Like Lake Placid, Grenoble, Innsbruck, or Sapporo?
I’m pretty sure that having some Olympic events outside the host city is nothing new. For example, during the 2008 Summer Games, the equestrian events were held in Hong Kong. The 1984 Summer Games had events throughout Southern California. (Besides, how many host cities have the appropriate geography for all the events?)
I wondered about that when I heard Vancouver won the Olympics, I though it didn’t snow, or at least not much there. The thing I like about the Winter Olympics is they give smaller cities a chance at hosting an international event.
I’m sure the Canadians will do a good job though. To kind of hijack the thread what is the security like in Vancouver? Have they stepped it up through the city or do they plan to?
Well, since the whole mess has been deeply in debt since it started and since the city/province/Feds are on the hook for a lot of the costs, I’d say it was never on the rails in the first place. I don’t know if this is really common knowledge but the owners of the Whistler resort are in massive debt and have no intention of paying it meaning the resort is going to be auctioned off… during the Olympics!
I’ve also heard rumors that the City of Vancouver is using the extra security measures to justify a vigorous crackdown on the homeless, mentally ill, etc. There is absolutely no way the Olympic Village on False Creek is going to be low income housing after it’s all said and done. It will end up being another set of million-dollar condos just like all the rest of them in the same area.
Float plane passengers are getting screened, which means an hour in line for a twenty minute flight. God forbid someone hijack a float plane… they might knock down a tree!
I’ve also seen a CBC article about the command center over there. It’s straight out of 24. It’s the Canadian version of CTU. Filled with gigantic plasma screens so the security forces can watch in hi-def as drunken revelers piss on monuments. Should be lots of fun!
Even so, it appears that the definitive events (e.g. snowboarding and Alpine skiing) will be at Whistler. Certainly in L.A. they did have to go down to Long Beach (IIRC) for some of the water based events, but the main draws were at the Coliseum and Pauley Pavilion, both in the city.
I used to think Montreal holding the sailing events in Kingston - 3 hours away - was impressive. This tops that.
Actually, the last Winter Games Canada held, in Calgary, was much the same. Calgary is known for being, well, flat. The Rockies are a decent drive away.
There’s almost always some distance between the host city and the alpine events. (And snowboarding’s a DEFINING event? More than hockey, figure skating, speed skating?)
I agree with the thought that the Olympics were more interesting to me when both summer and winter games occurred the same year, every four years.
As for the Vancouver games, I’m mildly amused by the lack of snow and the hoopla–until I remember that my tax dollars are funding it. Then I’m disgruntled.
It didn’t stop me from watching the torch run, though. (I happened to be in the right place at the right time to see it if I stayed 15 minutes where I was. So I did.)
The equestrian events had to be held in Stockholm (or at least, not in Australia) because Australian quarantine laws were too strict to allow foreign horses into the country. They held the equestrian events in June, and the rest of the Olympics in November-December. From here.
Lest we forget, the last Games held in Lake Placid were regarded as an unmitigated disaster by practically EVERYONE who was there (everybody excpet the US men’s hockey team)
There is a Vancouver in Washington. Its closest mountain got blown up, though, so it took a hit in its ability to host Winter Games.
I disagree with the notion that alternating Winter and Summer Olympics was a bad idea. I love it. The Winter Olympics were always being overshadowed by the Summer.
Back in 1982, I spent the xmas holidays with some relative in Vancouver. I grew up in the Northeast, Vermont and update NY. We went to Whistler, I have never seen as much snow as saw at that ski resort.
IIRC, they had snow machines working OT for the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.
How many large cities have ski resorts within their city-limits? I imagine most of the ski/snowboarding events are always outside the host city.
Of course they could just move the whole thing to Whistler and call it the Whistler games, but I seriously doubt a ski-town has the resources or desire to host an Olympics.
