We are down to a few hours until the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games and as I sit back and reminisce, I think of all of Canada's past Olympic successes and failures.
A New York Times article from 9 February 2010 triggered my thoughts. While the author did raise some valid points, I couldn't help but note the not-so subtle cynicism in the words. Yes, the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal may not have been the best thing for the city , considering the debt it was left with and it's scramble to finish venues in time. Calgary '88 was successful, however. Being a Torontonian, I recalled our 2008 Summer Olympics pursuit in the early part of the 00's, it was a disaster. But who says Vancouver won't raise out of the ashes like a phoenix and put on one of the best games in Winter Olympics history?
I put my trust in the "Own the Podium" organization that I saw plastered all over advertisements while I was home during Christmas. It has been coming up with various technological advancements for Team Canada athletes, from their clothing gear to equipment and their venues.
The New York Times pointed out that the $118 million that the organization invested in transforming Team Canada was 'chumchange' compared to the funds allocated to Australian and American teams by their countries. But it's better than no investment at all. One thing that Canadians always complain of is the lack of money put back into our country's sports and our athletes, which often results in poor performance on the international scene. So, with that in mind, I was quite excited to see that much had been invested at all.
'Canadian' and 'modest' should be synonyms, but that does not mean that we should be poked fun at and trampled over. Winning is important to us, we just have learned not to expect it so much and our overall competitiveness at times is rather low. However, the Times went a bit too far. A snippet in the article referred to the country as:
" a vast country that in many ways is run like a small town, with small-town values, and it has a highly developed culture of modesty, if not a collective inferiority complex." As insulting as I find that phrase, I am sure that is how most people view Canada, but I have hope that once the games begin, those preconceived ideas will disappear."
As I count down to the beginnings of these Olympiad Games, I'm left with only one question: Who on earth is going to be our torch bearer? Why is this so top secret?
My best friend and I have some suggestions:
a) the obvious - Wayne Gretzky (it would be no surprise)
b) Jean Chretien (I would hope)
c) Michaelle Jean (highly unlikely)
d) Elvis Stojko (it seemed plausible)
For the link to the article from 9 February, go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/sports/olympics/10podium.html?scp=2&sq=Canada&st=cse
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