Controversy Plaguing 2010 Winter Olympic Games
Vancouver/Whistler Winter Olympics plagued by controversy.
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The Vancouver/Whistler 2010 Winter Olympic Games are becoming bogged down in controversy…
Everything from how the city of Vancouver was treating the many homeless people on its streets leading up to the games to the tragic death of a Georgian luger during a pre-games practice run to a lack of security for international dignitaries during the opening ceremonies to lack of public access to the Olympic cauldron to ticket sales and cancellations are various event venues to exhorbatant costs for technology to predict the weather to the weather and now language.
Yes, in Canada where the French were defeated by the English during the historical Battle on the Plains of Abhraham a couple of hundred years ago…the defeated have become victors where they have greater language powers than the English and have even been recognized as a special nation within Canada.
In bilingual Canada there is growing discontent among French-speaking citizens that their mother tongue is not receiving fair play at the Olympics being staged in English-speaking Vancouver/Whistler…yet the results of every heat in every event at every venue is being announced in French, while the majority of spectators (English speaking) wait with baited breath for the information to be given for the rest of the world to hear.
In light of the language controversy, comes confirmation that Quebec City will be making a bid to play host to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Knowing the arrogance of a great majority of French-speaking people in Quebec the English speaking world may have to wait a long time to hear the results of competitions such Quebec City win the bid.
There is simply no satisfying these people in Quebec who refuse to learn or use English and demand that English speaking customers ask for services in French…people have been refused services such a re-fueling of their vehicles in Quebec because they didn’t ask for gas in French.
What in the hell is this world coming to when a minority overrules the majority in a nation? And should Quebec City win the 2022 bids you can rest assured that English-speaking Canada will have to sacrifice to the hilt to bail out the French-speaking host committee just like it did during Expo 67 in Montreal and the 1976 Montreal Olympics…it is a case of take, take take with those people. Hopefully the International Olympic Committee in its wisdom will spare the majority of Canadians the anguish and grieve and deny the Quebec bid.
But language controversy is only the tip of the iceberg about the problem-plagued games…
Environment Canada has spent 14 million dollars on the latest in weather forecasting technology so that meteorologists can feed games organizers weather up-dates every 15 minutes to enable event officials to make last minute changes or alterations at venues pending the weather up-dates.
No one can control the weather, but weather has become a major factor in these games with events being postponed, practice runs being cancelled, delayed or severely curtailed. Spectator tickets being cancelled due to unsafe conditions in viewing areas…there seems to be no end to the growing list of problems in the staging of the games currently underway.
A lack of security during the opening ceremonies has just been confirmed when a British Columbia man, allegedly known to have suffered from mental disorders gained access to international dignitaries during the opening ceremonies getting within a few feet of United States Vice-President Joe Biden. The vice-president was never in danger but the gaffe exposed a lack in security messages inspite of thousands of security personnel incuding private security companies, the large presence of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in addition to their internationally famous RCMP Musical Ride contingency, plus an estimated 4,500 Canadian military personnel. The federal minister in charge of security measures in Canada, Stockwell Day, announced earlier today that security officials were on top of everything and that the hordes of security officers were doing a great job to ensure the safety and security of everyone at the games…Hello…
But inspite of the problems and controversies bound to be associated with an undertaking of this size, the games go on with activities at numerous venues taking place amid trying conditions.
The goal to go higher and faster leaves one wondering if these are Olympic Games or are the games becoming an extension of extreme sports where caution and common sense is thrown to the wind under the intense pressure for athletes to win coveted gold at almost any cost.
In the medal derby, the United States and Germany continue their see-saw battle for ownership of the podium with the US back in the lead in the medal stands after Day 6. The Star Spangled Banner has been raised and sung five times marking gold medal wins added to three silver and six bronze for a leading total of 14 medals. Germany sits second with three gold, four silver and three bronze for 10, France has two gold, one silver and four bronze for seven while the Canadian medal haul sits at six with two gold, three silver and a bronze rounding out the top four in the medal standings.
Hopefully controversies can be set aside and athletes and spectators can accomplish what they have set out to do…participate and watch as the games near the end of Week One.
great share
I think it is a shame that there has to be so much controversy over these games. It is taking away from all the hard work which has been put into making the games spectacular. An interesting read.
Christine
I think it is a shame that there has to be so much controversy over these games. It is taking away from all the hard work which has been put into making the games spectacular. An interesting read.
Christine
I think it is a shame that there has to be so much controversy over these games. It is taking away from all the hard work which has been put into making the games spectacular. An interesting read.
Christine
nice share
This is an excellent and well-written article jimbob. I am also very opinionated regarding the language controversy in this world. In the United States, most people from their countries refuse to learn the English language and when you talk to them in English they either give you a strange look or just go huh speak to me in Spanish. Even though I do speak Spanish, I tell them I am sorry but I don’t understand what you are saying. This is America. Now back to the Olympic games. I am assuming that after the death of Luger, they are taking extra safety pre-cautions such as cancelling and postponing the games. Imagine if anyone else slips or falls and they get their ass sued. so yes, safety and security is a big issue. Luger’s tragic and sudden death in my opinion had a lot to do with a lack of security. I don’t agree with the olympic games in French and us having to wait eons to hear it in English. English is a universal language.
Great share
I hope that this language controvery would not spark any unfavorable incident. For me it’s always best to learn a new language because it destroys barriers and broadens your horizons.
Great write Jimbob! you are really shaking your stuff now!
There is simply no satisfying these people in Quebec who refuse to learn or use English and demand that English speaking customers ask for services in French.
That’s a nice bit of fiction. The reality is the complete opposite. Québec is, by far, the province with the highest percentage of bilingual people (almost half the population). In the rest of Canada, it’s around 10-15%. Do you speak French? I bet you aren’t fluent.
By the way, the reason why event results are read first in French is because French is the first language of the IOC. It has nothing to do with Canada. Announcements were read first in French in Beijing, too, and they will be in London as well.