Vancouver?! dont think so .. It was whispered Atlanta GA worst to date 96. pantera.peaches
..................................................................... via tv ^^ ............................................

anyway Canada




Worst Olympics ever? 12 epic Vancouver blunders

- Is Vancouver 2010 setting a new standard for how messed up the Games can get?

Canada may have won its first home gold medal, but its Winter Games are in danger of garnering a far less prestigious distinction: the worst Olympics ever. From the controversial death of an athlete to endless organizational mishaps, the Games of XXI Winter Olympiad has begun to feel like a blooper reel. In the words of Deadspin's Dashiell Bennett: "This Olympics sucks." Here, a look at the dozen biggest mishaps in Vancouver:

The tragic death of an athlete...
The first week of the Games was overshadowed by Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili's death during a training run at the Whistler track.

... is met with a "callous" official response...
Olympic officials treated Kumaritashvili's death "less as a tragedy than as an inconvenience," says Jere Longman in the NY Times. A "callous statement" from the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VOC) blamed the 21-year-old's mistakes and ignored claims the track was dangerous and that there ought to have been a crash wall in the spot where he died.

... from authorities who knew of the danger...
Reportedly, numerous Olympic lugers alerted officials to the fact that the track was dangerous. In fact, there was specific concern for the safety of Kumaritashvili (who expressed trepidation about the track to his father) and few others.

... but were more worried with Canada's medal count.
In a "sinister" attempt to create a hometeam advantage — an initiative called "Own the Podium" — Canadian officials denied foreign competitors rights to practice on the luge course. When he died, Kumaritashvili had taken only a tenth as many trips down the luge track as his Canadian rivals.

NBC plays the "snuff video." And replays it. And replays it.
"America's Olympic Network" soon came under fire for airing the graphic footage of Kumaritashvili's death "three times, twice in slow motion," according to Matthew T. Sussman at Blog Critics. Disturbing? Yes, indeed.

Two billion viewers suffer through a cauldron-lighting fiasco.
The lighting of the Olympic cauldron, traditionally the climatic moment of the opening ceremonies, was delayed by an "awkward 2-minute pause" when one of the four pillars of the structure didn't rise up out of the ground as planned. "Uh-oh, Canada," quips the Detroit Free Press.

An inspiring symbol of humanity — behind an ugly fence.
The organizing committee received a "flood of complaints" about positioning the Olympic cauldron "behind an ugly wire fence," reports AFP. Authorities have since created an "eye-level gap" in the barrier — but observers wonder why even this make-shift solution "took so long."

Vancouver gambles on Cypress Mountain. And loses.
You can't fault the organizing committee for a dry winter. But you can fault them for tempting fate by situating so many events at low-altitude Cypress Mountain, where snow conditions are always much spottier, says Doug Ward at the Vancouver Sun. Mother Nature called the VOC's bluff: A lack of snow at Cypress has delayed events and forced the committee to (after a quick about-face on refund policy) reimburse 28,000 ticket holders.

Wait, the buses are supposed to climb hills?
Transportation is one of the most foreseeable challenges at any Olympics — but Vancouver has still made a hash of it, reports Vicki Hall in the Ottawa Citizen. Buses carrying the Canadian women's moguls team broke down twice, and the VOC was forced to bring in 99 new buses after finding the original vehicles could not climb Cypress Mountain.

"Eco-Zambonis"? A noble, if very bad, idea.
An experiment with "green" ice-smoothing equipment proved disasterous when three of the exhaustless machines conked out in the middle of speed skating competition. "With athletes reaching speeds of 40 mph on the ice, the uneven surface was deemed too dangerous to go forward," says Mother Earth News. The event was delayed, and an old-fashioned eco-unfriendly Zamboni was rushed in from Calgary, 700 miles away.

NBC insists on tape delays — for a North American event.
American viewers are furious at NBC's decision to tape-delay much of the action and thereby spoil the suspense. After NY Times readers begged the newspaper not to post Olympic results in the intervening hours before NBC's broadcast, a sports editor quipped: "We’re not beholden to presenting the news the way NBC does."

The Olympics might crash the world economy.
As if Vancouver's woes weren't enough, it emerged this moth that Greece's economy was on the verge of imploding, in no small part due to its disastrous overspending on the 2004 games in Athens. Now, many are suggesting that Vancouver could suffer a similar fate.

http://www.theweek.com/article/index/10 ... r_blunders

Yeah, I haven't seen anything on these Olympics but I know a few people who are really into the whole event and they're going apeshit about how amateur this whole thing is, which is kinda funny. These host nations have like 8 years or so to prep for this, and damn they failed hardcore.

no offense phantom, but 'i know a few guys who are totally watching it' isnt exactly a reliable source of information. First of all, this is the biggest thing Vancouver has ever done. For it to have gone as well as it has (and I'm here, theres a lot more triumphs than failures, believe me. Public transit being one of the triumphs, for example) is seriously impressive. Second of all, how many have you have gone on a road trip that went awry, or went on a wild night where bad things happened that weren't supposed to, but you still had a great time? Fuckups and quirks are part of the human experience.

Mechanical failures happen. People sometimes die barreling down an icy mountain at 150 km/h. Protesters will protest. They moved the fence and now it is much better, thank you. You can't predict everything. You can't plan for everything. Today a figure skater lost his chance at gold because his shoelace broke. That's totally his fault right? After all, he had 8 years to plan for that skate, he should have known better. Seriously?

This week I have cheered with people from many other countries. Drank with them and laughed with them. The atmosphere here is so happy and incredible, and anyone experiencing the games here isn't talking about the zambonis breaking down or the torch problems at the opening ceremonies. We're talking about how alive this city is, and how happy we are to be experiencing it. It is one of the most incredible events I have ever witnessed, and that's resounded with everyone I've talked to here in Vancouver. People not only from Canada but from the US and other countries too.

I don't know how small glitches like the ones you described (not to mention blatantly biased and borderline untruthful opinions about how VANOC handled the luge death) could be described as a 'failure'. Nobody sees it that way from where I'm sitting.

Also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_massacre


Gotta say, I think munich was worse.

Well I'm sorry that I disagree, since as I said the winning host city has many, many years to plan, oversee, theorize, script up, landscape, draw out, practice and polish the thing to make it right. You also don't get it that the Olympics aren't supposed to have fuckups, they're supposed to be showcases of world class talent(or world class steroid use, take your pick) and a showcase of the host nations' culture, history, and whatever else comprises the nation.

You forgot to mention the electric ice cleaners that basically have to be thrown away because they suck, while an old school "evil gasoline" zamboni had to be flown in by helicopter 700 miles, delaying runs and also making issues with the ice being used. There was ample time to test all this equipment, to not wait for the events to actually be occurring before they break down and make a laughingstock of things, but obviously that was too much work, Eh?

The whole Cypress mountain thing is a joke too. Obviously no one can predict the weather, but people in the know are saying in the media that it was a huge gamble to put so many events on that mountain due to it being lower altitude and thus much higher possibility of weather making things go south, which obviously it has. To top it all off, they had to replace 99 buses which were to be used to move Olympic teams up the mountain, because well they can't make it up the mountain. No one bothered to check, or take test drives to see how the buses would handle it, they find out when two of team Canada's buses for a woman's event break down mid climb because they can't handle the trek. Oh, also 28,000 ticketholders had to get refunds for events that can't even be held now.

As to how they handled the death: First off, Canada limiting the practice time of non Canadians on the slope didn't help, at all. Canadian news has reported that the guy had 25 practice runs on the slope, while Canadians had roughly 10 times that, upwards of 250 practice runs. The Own the Podium program helped contribute to a sense of uneasiness among competitors during the week, including the guy who ended up actually dying, his last call to his family he said "either I'll win or I'll die". So grats Canada on trying to win more medals by locking out practice for all involved in a risky event in which misgivings by athletes have been reported as circulating during the week.

Secondly, the cold and callous response to his death by the Olympic committee, basically blaming him 100% and absolving the track, the committee and the country of any wrongdoing whatsoever is a crock of shit. Hindsight always being 20/20, but it is the job of the committee and the host nation to provide a safe competing environment for these athletes to showcase their skills. This guy died on a practice run, not even in competition and everyone involved is backpedaling and pointing the finger at him saying oh he sucked, it's his fault. Sorry, own up to your responsibility as a provider and host to have in place a safe environment to compete. The same standards apply in any job setting or anywhere else in the public sector, maximum safety to allow maximum performance, but these guys are trying to shift the responsibility on that away and it's pathetic.

So sorry, these aren't biased accusations, especially since you can find them printed in Canadian media:

http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/luge/story/2 ... times.html

I'm sure the spectators are loving it, who wouldn't? Tons of things to do, people to see, etc. The competitors aren't, that's for sure. They're making token gestures of support and awe at the spectacle, then bitching to their home media about their concerns and issues. But from what I hear the Olympic Village is nice, at least they got something right.

i don't agree with the olympics.


Buuuuuuuuuut...
i must applaud the spirit of Canadians in this city right now.
granted, IOC is a bullshit organization...them & Vanoc are responsible for ALL the mishaps so far. but based on the parties in the street, the free concerts & the welcoming spirit of Vancouverites everywhere, i have to say that i'm kind of pleased with what i've seen. i mean, all corporate bullshit, wastes of money, unneccesarily large security forces aside....the vibe on the streets is amazing. Locals & visitors are having great times entertaining eachother & partying into the wee hours of the night...weather or not they agree with the "Corporate Games".

i'm still pissed the olympics are happening...but i'm very pleased that most Vancouverites are having such a great time welcoming the world. it's just a shame that more ppl don't realize that the olympic games are just a money-hording circus meant to make fat cats fatter & provide us with the illusion of a peaceful, unified, friendly world... i'm glad some of us can still think freely.

phantom, Soo much to argue with you. Let's start with the easy stuff:

Olympia "zamboni" machines: Please find me an article that states that the machines have to be thrown away, because all articles I have found have stated that the electrical issues experienced were a maintenance issue and are completely fixable, and to that extent are fixed and being used, but the backup zamboni is to prevent any further delays should it happen again. Was it preventable? Probably if the maintenance crew understood the machines better. Should whoever is in charge of maintenance be scolded? Probably, I'll give you that.

Cypress Mountain. Yes, it's at low altitude. It's also the warmest winter on record for the past 114 years. The refunds were for people standing in general admission, for safety concerns. Guaranteed if something were to happen to one of those 28,000 people because they were there when it was unsafe to be there, people like you would be criticizing VANOC for that decision too. So it's a bit of a lose-lose situation. That said, events are still being held at Cypress with a lot of spectators. One could argue those events should have been held at Whistler, but obviously you've never been on the newly renovated Sea-to-Sky highway, one of the most precarious and dangerous highways in Canada. Increasing traffic doubly on that highway is a stupid idea, and thats why there are olympic events going on at Cypress.

Can't argue with the fact that 'own the podium' is a stupid and pretty unsafe idea. That said, I hadn't heard of it until the death, and no one opposed it enough to change it in the 8 years leading up to now, so yes, I think hindsight is 20/20 on that one. I think it's misguided to assume that its the direct cause of the death of an athlete, but of course critics will come to that conclusion because it helps their argument. I don't think that the death was handled callously. The whistler luge track is one of the most dangerous in the world. It's not an easy run. That said, huge metal girders with no padding coming out of a curve is ridiculous, and stupid. But it isn't like that was his first run down the track. And it isn't like he chose the safest olympic event to compete in. Is it his fault? That's a tricky question. Many people, infact, EVERYONE who went down the luge track on their 25 practice runs or 250 practice runs are still alive except that athlete. If you lose your balance going 150km/h through a 270 degree turn, you're probably going to be seriously hurt or perhaps die. That's common sense. He had no assurance of safety. He obviously knew the risks as evidenced by the phone call to his family you mentioned. If he had more practice runs, would he be alive, or would he have died sooner?

"The same standards apply in any job setting or anywhere else in the public sector, maximum safety to allow maximum performance, but these guys are trying to shift the responsibility on that away and it's pathetic."

I agree that maximum safety is important. That said, hitting steel beams seems very unsafe. But if we look at the physics of it, he was going 90 miles an hour. No matter how padded the beams were, had he hit a wall of pillows, a beam of steel, or a block of ice, he's going to be seriously hurt or killed. How would YOU have set up the luge track to ensure that if one were to fall off their sled going 90 miles an hour, that athlete would be unhurt?

Do you think Canadian media, or any media is unbiased? By the way, I searched for articles quoting athletes from other countries voicing their concerns about the olympics and I couldn't find any except Australian Dale Begg-Smith, whose butthurt because he got silver instead of gold.

I've noticed that you put the word "basically" right before you incorrectly paraphrase. Stop that.

After saying my piece up to this point, i have to say that it's very clear to me why we disagree in the first place. I see the Olympics in a completely different light than you do. The idea of the Olympics needing to be perfect is so far beyond my comprehension. This isn't fairyland. Shit happens. "Shit's not supposed to happen." WTF is that? How long have you been on this planet? I bet you want your women flawless too and you travel the shortest line between two points instead of taking the scenic route. Part of why I LOVE being Canadian is because we tend to embrace life and its issues, while still realizing that it's a short couple of years we get to experience it, and nitpicking and focusing on the negative just wastes precious time. I guess that's why they call us hippies. If you want things to be perfect, you're setting yourself up for a world of disappointment.

We have showcased our culture, history and everything that makes up for it. And part of that is making do with what we have, picking ourselves up after we fall, and creating an event that the people involved won't forget. I completely disagree with your view on how life should work but I won't change it. As Voltaire or arguably someone else said, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

As for what Downer said, I don't really want to get into it, although I will admit that I own being weak and not standing up for what I ultimately believe, which is that corporations are basically evil. I'm kind of in a phase now where I'm making lemons out of lemonade. It sucks to know that I'm somewhat supporting big corporations by celebrating the event, but if their sponsorship brought us together as a culture, I can't really fault them for that either. I think of myself as weak in this regard, but still above people who whine and moan without any intention of trying to make a change for it. I'm not referring to you in particular downer, but a lot of people I've encountered over time.

Word.

well said, Blueberry.
i'm pretty torn on the olympics so far.
i HATE the corporate part of it. but at the same time, they need billion dollar sponsors.
i like how the games bring ppl together but don't like how it's ultimately a facade that does this.
i dunno...there's pros & cons to everything.

i guess my biggest problem with it is like usual, ppl don't care about the reasons behind things...they just see bright lights and a dazzling show & can't help but buy in to the bullshit.

them Americans are doing damn good in the medal count.
i knew they'd win for overall medals. congrats to you guys.
American athletes get a ridiculous amount of funding compared our poor Canadians though.
no excuse, just sayin.


i won't go into the opening ceremonies....or the lipsyncing...or the fact that KD lang sang some Halleluja song..
and wow, do i ever feel embarassed for the natives.

it wasn't always like that

Ya sure about that DAC?

My statement on the electronic ice machines wasn't an actual fact, just asserting that after years and years of prep, they might as well go on the trash heap because there's no way in hell any self respecting planning committee lets this shit go live and active without testing everything. You're showcasing the entire country, showing off what you're about and you know what we've seen so far? We've seen zambonis break down, we've seen a guy die, we've seen the Olympic Torch get botched, we've seen events cancelled, all due to poor planning and execution. Why was it that Canada was awarded these Olympics again? Why were they the best choice out of the field at the time? I sure as hell don't get it.

This isn't an issue of scolding, or preventable mechanical failures. Those are the results of what the host committee did and didn't do. The Olympics are a world stage for athletes and cultures, an economic investment and attraction. People spend alot of money to travel to and witness the events and partake of the culture, and the impetus is on the host nation to provide the utmost for that. I bash on China alot because of the communist government but at least they got their Olympics right, they put on a spectacle for the ages, and the issues that existed didn't involve the showcase or the events, it was the surrounding areas that were too congested and it was the two-facedness of the normal Chinese culture that the government had to suppress while the world was visiting so it could put on their spectacle, yet the two-facedness still came out at points and created minor issues with attendees and athletes. Same thing with Lillehammer, Norway in the 90s, they executed amazingly and really put on a show, made sure their shit was ready to go from the start.

It doesn't matter that it's the warmest winter in 114 years, they took a risk with a mountain that they've said they knew was risky from the get go. I guarantee you that if they took the safe bet, which is pretty much what a host nation is obligated to do in order to guarantee that the events actually happen, then those 28,000 people who dropped major cash to attend and had their hearts set on witnessing something incredible would have been satisfied and singing the praises that would legitimately be deserved.

And no, on a normal slope any kind of accident would have been unfortunate, provided that it was indeed a true accident and not due to neglect, but when they take a gamble on a low altitude, explicitly stated risk with low reward mountain and it blows up in their face, and in the face of everyone who attended, then they deserve to be called on it. Whitewashing it and saying oh well it's ok isn't cool, because it's not. I wonder what the countries who lost out to Canada in the bidding are saying to themselves now, because I guarantee that they'd have the opinion that they could do at least as good if not better in showcase and execution.

Of course no one opposed the Own the Podium program, it was designed to give Canadian athletes the competitive edge. And how can it not contribute to the death, the guy only got to run the course 25 times, compared to 200+ for the average Canadian competitor. More practice equals more comfort and understanding of the track, more ability to control and adapt to it. The statement of the IOC which is supported by VANOC is callous, it attributes ZERO fault to the track, ZERO fault to the host committee and places the sole burden of blame on the dead athlete. Are you fucking kidding me? That's absurd. In the article I posted it was mentioned that all week there were concerns about the track, people were worried and expressing concerns about it and yet nothing was done, and as for what could be done? Simple, what they did after the guy slammed into the pole, which was to raise the fucking walls, why the hell did it take a guy dying to get them to do that? No, it's not an easy run, but it's simple fucking fact that athletes are not supposed to die while in competition, especially in the insane and totally preventable manner in which he did. Maybe VANOC should have spent less money on the rooming for these athletes and actually made their competition courses safe. Your "If he had more practice runs, would he be alive, or would he have died sooner?" line is fucking disgraceful, btw. If IOC and VANOC had done their jobs and made sure that shit was safe from the get go this guy would no doubt still be alive.

So to sum up, you've got a Canadian favoring practice program locking out the other competitors on an admittedly ultra dangerous track, you've got a super low wall on a dangerous turn that runs right next to steel beams.



Gee, you think? How many bowls of Wheaties did it take you to come up with that stroke of genius?



He wouldn't have hit the beams at all if they'd raised the walls like they did AFTER HE DIED.



33 years this June. And sorry, but the things that have happened at these Olympics are either embarassing, disgraceful, or both. It shows a totally amateurish approach to planning and execution, an ability to visualize and anticipate problems and inspect and safecheck their efforts. These failures on the part of VANOC aren't the type of shit that you just shrug off and say oh well that's not a big deal, whatever. When you guys can't even get the fucking opening ceremony right, an iconic presentation that stands as a rallying point and a symbol of the entire Games themselves, something is dreadfully wrong. This isn't a high school tournament, this is a worldwide collection of world class athletes competing for national and world prestige, and this is the best Canada can give the world?



You couldn't be more wrong about that, however I have different expectations of my own personal things and of world events that are supposed to be a symbol of competition and excellence.



You don't get it do you. A host city doesn't have the option of doing things their own way. A host city becomes a part of world history, contributes to the ethic and story of athletic competition and the celebration of its excellence. Vancouver hires the local Amateur Hour to plan out and implement their Olympics. And as for the life you're embracing with this, it's shoddy, amateurish, and totally a slap in the face of the Olympics and its rich history. Hope you guys are happy with that.



I want the Olympics to be the Olympics, not a colossal fucking joke.

well you got what you wanted then...cuz the olympics are and always have been a colossal fucking joke.

I'm not the VANOC and I'm not the IOC. I don't know what else to say to you. You've taken this very personally and I haven't. "Yeah, I haven't seen anything on these Olympics " was the first thing you said in this thread and now you're an expert. There are things I've seen that you haven't that make the Olympics in my mind a success. And most of the things I've seen are selfish, because I see that the city I love has changed for the better. That doesn't provide a value for you so you don't care about that. We obviously measure success differently. I see a lot of venom towards Canada in your comments, so I can assume that a few of your points are biased against Canada, perhaps subconsciously. I apologize if something I said previously hurt your feelings or something. It wasn't my intention but I admit I don't always scrutinize every sentence I write for things that might rile you up. It's clear some of the things you replied were purposely aggressive towards me, though.

I am confused as to how passionate you suddenly are about the Olympics when you aren't even watching them. I don't think there was any reason to be mean to me for expressing my side of things. I'm not an idiot, and I'm as cynical as you are about a lot of things. I tried to see common ground with you and you come back with anger and condescend me. That's not the way to have an intelligent debate, and how to make your points heard.

If you don't like them or agree with how Canada has represented the Olympics don't watch. It's as simple as that.

Very true. Let's not forget the summer Olympics too when Ben Johnston has his medal stripped away because he used Winstrol-V yet 80% of the American team tested positive and no one said boo.