Can you believe that we are living in a world in which the Winter Olympics are going on and that isn’t stopping pitchers and catchers from reporting to Spring Training? Spring Training and Winter Olympics going on at the same time? Sounds like some sort of paradox.
It could be easily argued that these Games hardly even look like a winter event with the warm temperatures, rain and general lack of snow on the mountains. It really makes you wonder how much research the IOC put into this event. Would you be completely surprised if the next winter Olympics took place in Egypt at this point? It appears all you have to have are multi-million dollar sites to events (not even properly it seems) and some sort of culture that has maybe been under exposed to the world. I’m sure your children would be happy to learn about the ancient Egyptians during a delay in speed skating because the zamboni wasn’t working.
At least Canada has finally won a gold medal on home soil at these Games after failing two other times. With the amount of events these days, it’s almost harder for a country represented by over 200 athletes to miss out on a gold medal. If you’re decent at something and get a lucky break and the event’s favourite wipes out (Maelle Ricker in snowboard cross) or simply have some judges rule in your favour when you might not have been the best man on the course (Alex Bilodeau in moguls), you could easily walk out onto the top of podium and hear your anthem.
I know that Canada will earn some more medals, especially some golds with more speed skating events on the horizon, but shouldn’t the Canucks Games performance be judged on some other than medal count? How about how well Vancouver actually hosts the Games? With malfunctions, snafus, weather delays, lackadaisical atmosphere at street level (according to reports) and a tragic death, this town has to turn it around.
On the bright side, at least it can’t get worse.