Ottawa Sun
Published: Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Can't win for trying

You’ve got to love the Olympics if only for the sheer news value of the Games and how we get a first-hand glimpse into how the rest of the world sees Canada.

But first, let’s recap the opening ceremonies. Artistic? Sure. Innovative? Well, sort of, with the simultaneous projection of whales along the floor and ceiling curtain of BC Place. Spellbinding and capturing the wow factor? Uh, no. We were typically Canadian even in the choice of final guardians of the Olympic flame; we couldn’t just choose one person so we compromised with a committee of four!

As for projecting the stereotypes of Canada — snow, prairies, mountains, trees and Mounties — the opening ceremonies put a big checkmark beside the traditional postcard image that the rest of the world will continue to keep of Canada. So I am resigned to the fact that our beautiful geography will continue to define us first and foremost and relegate our people, history and contributions to the planet in so many fields of human endeavour to footnote status; sigh!

Of course, the eternal two-language debate predictably started to play itself out as soon as last Friday’s ceremonies concluded. Perhaps they should conduct the closing ceremonies with no words whatsoever or give everyone a crash course in Esperanto — the once dreamed of universal and neutral second language — thereby avoiding any controversy.

And after years of pundits bemoaning the fact that we often seemed to settle for mediocrity in past Olympic Games, our federally funded “Own the Podium” effort is now coming under criticism from the pundits for being un-Canadian and contravening the spirit of mere competition in an Olympic Games. Jeesh, we can’t win for trying.

Meanwhile, a columnist at chicagonow.com pointed out that 72% of Olympic events require snow and that Chicago gets more snow in February than Vancouver. Maybe they should have bid for the Winter Games last year, but I digress.

Not to be outdone, the Times of London is sparing no expense with an online story pumping up London’s 2012 summer games at Vancouver’s expense. From weather problems — apparently the organizing committee didn’t have a pre-games run-through with Mother Nature — to technical snafus like lighting the flame, we learn that London has a global reputation that could not stomach any glitches. The inference being that Vancouver is some backwater port (which it isn’t!); apparently there is more competition off the speed-skating oval than on it. But then again we all remember that embarrassing double-decker bus skit at the end of the Beijing games so no more needs to be said in response to the Brits.

Finally, even the most patriotic Canadian scribes can’t avoid the realities of the tragic training accident death on opening day of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, problems with bus schedules and drivers not knowing local routes to and from some venues, power going out to impact food service during Saturday night’s women’s moguls event and delays at the Richmond oval because the ice resurfacing machines went on the fritz.

Let’s hope we keep wining medals and our hockey heroes keep finding the back of the net; we’re going to need a non-stop barrage of home country sporting feats to distract from the daily logistical problems making headlines around the world.