Vancouver 2010, the worst games? really?!

There has been a hell of a lot of Canada bashing surrounding the Winter Olympics in Vancouver both down south and abroad- most of it can be said about any past Olympics. Criticism has been aimed at the corporate nature of the games, safety issues and the suspicious way the Harper conservatives have attempted to use the event for political spin-off benefits.

How on Earth can anyone call these Olympics “the worst Olympics ever?” That’s ridiculous. Remember Munich 1972? Eleven Israeli athletes shot to death by terrorists. The Munich Massacre. And to a much lesser degree, don’t forget the great “boycotting” that went on in the 1970s and early 1980s, with politics killing the Olympic spirit. Oh and rampant cheating and doping scandals that have plagued many Olympiads.

The Vancouver Games the worst ever? Not by a long shot. The naysayers who consider a tragic accidental death, malfunctioning cauldron equipment, a broken down Zamboni, and a failure to “Own the Podium” as ruining these Games are out to lunch.

Lets look at each of the cheap shots. In comparison to the Beijing and Atlanta games, the size of the corporate coffers for Vancouver are a pittance compared to the "Communist Hype Machine" and the "Coca-Cola Games". Secondly, David Letterman's rant after the tragic death of Georgian luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili was completely baseless. An accident occurred period, it had nothing to do with "exposed steel girders". Thirdly, regardless of the Olympic mantra, the games will and have been always political, but Harper's sad attempt to save face fails in comparison to the Nazi's at the Berlin games.

There have also been attacks in which criticism is undermined by right wing anti-Canadian attitudes. A good example of this is a rant on the Russian news site Pravda. It contains disparaging references to Canadians as "retentive" and "cowardly". The attack seems motivated in part by Russian athletes who have been embarrassed by the less-than-stellar showing by Russia on the podium.

The article was written by a British tabloid writer and the cheap shots makes it hard to take it seriously as a piece of fluff journalism apart from anything else.

"We all know Canada has problems with the future lines drawn on Arctic maps and we all know Canada lives in the shadow of its larger neighbour to the south. The abject cruelty shown by Canadian soldiers in international conflicts is scantily referred to, as indeed is the utter incapacity of this county to host a major international event, due to its inferiority complex, born of a trauma being the skinny and weakling bro to a beefy United States and a colonial outpost to the United Kingdom, whose Queen smiles happily from Canadian postage stamps.

Maybe it is this which makes the Canadians so…retentive, or cowardly. So it is not exactly a huge surprise to have international skating experts from the four corners of the Earth criticizing the decision to award the men's figure skating Gold medal to the US athlete Evan Lysacekv over the reigning Olympic Champion Evgeny Plushenko, whose superior performance was inexplicably ignored.

Everybody who knows anything about Olympic skating, Winter Olympic sports and international politics will infer from the pitiful and dangerous conditions provided by the Canadian authorities, which already caused one death, that Vancouver is mutton dressed as lamb. Take off the outer veneer and the stench is horrific.

It is a surprise that any Russian athlete would wish to remain in that sort of environment for a second longer."

It's time for Canadian's to start becoming a bunch of flag wavers and tell these clowns to shut up. Canada is on a pace to make Vancouver the home of the biggest gold metal haul in their history. Not to mention the plethora of incredible and sad moments seen at any Olympics.

In less your heart is made of ice, Joannie Rochette's skate on Tuesday, the first since her mother’s sudden death this past weekend, was astonishing to watch. Her composure held until she finished and then her face crumbling, finally. Then bouquet after bouquet being thrown to the ice in her honour. It was poignant. And she came third in contention for a medal. A podium finish tonight is the only ending that this fairytale merits.

K.d. Lang's Performance of "Hallelujah" at Opening Ceremony of Vancouver Olympics. was a close second for tear jerker of the games.

Some of the rest of the memories so far,(all photos courtesy of the photographers and the original sources)

Canada's (L to R) Shelley-Ann Brown, Hellen Upperton, Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse celebrate following Heat 4 of the Women's Bobsleigh at the Whistler Sliding Centre in Whistler, B.C. on Wednesday, February 24, 2010. Canada's Humphries and Moyse took home Gold and Brown and Upperton took home Silver medals.

Canadian women's relay team celebrate after winning the silver medal women's 3000 metre relay short-track speedskating race Wednesday February 24, 2010 at the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

Athlete(s): Clara Hughes. Medal: Bronze. Event: Speed skating, 5000m. Huges adds this bronze to her 3 other winter games medals and 2 summer games medals.

Athlete(s): Kristina Groves.Groves now has four Olympic medals to her credit. Medal: Silver. Event: Long track speed skating, 1500m.

Athlete(s): Ashleigh McIvor. Medal: Gold. Event: Ski cross. Claiming gold in the first women's ski-cross competition in the Olympics.

Athlete(s): Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. Medal: Gold. Event: Ice dancing.

Athlete(s):Jon Montgomery Medal: Gold. Event: Skeleton.

Athlete(s): Marianne St-Gelais. Medal: Silver. Event: Short track speed skating, 500m.

Athlete(s): Christine Nesbitt. Medal: Gold. Event: Long track speed skating, 1000m.

Athlete(s): Maelle Ricker. Medal: Gold. Event: Snowboard cross.

Athlete(s): Mike Robertson. Medal: Silver. Event: Snowboard cross.

Athlete(s): Alexandre Bilodeau. Medal: Gold. Event Freestyle skiing, moguls.

Athlete(s): Kristina Groves. Medal: Bronze. Event. Long track speed skating, 3000m.

Athlete(s): Jennifer Heil. Medal: Silver. Event: Freestyle skiing, moguls.

Can't wait to see how the Russians handle the 2014 games in Sochi (I had to Google it, some resort town near the Georgian border). Especially if the NHL says no to going and their biggest singing export was the one hit wonder duo Tatu.

Later,
Kenaz