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-   -   2010 Vancouver Olympic & Paralympic Super-Thread (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139350)

Zassk Mar 4, 2010 4:34 PM

City bids farewell to O Zone
Quote:

...
The entertainment venue opened its gates almost three weeks ago. Over the 17 days of the Games and the Olympic torch relay celebration, an estimated 400,000 people visited the site.

The crowds that came out to watch the men’s and women’s gold medal hockey games on the big screen helped lift the final attendance number to one that met the city’s most optimistic of expectations.

The celebrations started off on a rainy weekend, but thousands still descended on the O Zone to watch the opening ceremony live from B.C. Place and a fireworks display. Chinese New Year was the busiest day as fans of Taiwanese pop group F.I.R. came out to watch the band play on the main stage following fireworks and a lions dance.

Several big names in Canadian music performed the following weekend.

“Our Lady Peace hands down was the most popular although the Canadian Tenors were extremely popular as well,” said city spokesman Ted Townsend.

Other major attractions included Holland Heineken House, which drew 120,000 people, the BCLC games dome, which had 50,000 visitors, and the Ice Zone outdoor skating rink which was fully booked for several days.
...
http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/86262167.html

Delirium Mar 4, 2010 4:50 PM

Ok, i've read a lot of crazy shit these past couple weeks but seriously, this takes the cake! :haha:

This guy is an "Emmy-award winning INVESTIGATIVE journalist" for Oprah.com and a bunch of other US networks.

Gold-Medal Vancouver Vacation Tips
By Peter Greenberg
Expert Content | January 19, 2010

Whether you're traveling to Canada for the upcoming 2010 Olympics or going to soak up the post-Games vibe, Vancouver remains one of my favorite cities. It's a vibrant, eclectic community that really does have something for everyone—laid-back fish shacks, high-end sushi, designer fashion, funky thrift shops, a world-class art museum and offbeat downtown galleries. What's particularly attractive is that Vancouver is an incredibly navigable city. It's walkable in its busy downtown area and is well connected by three rapid transit lines both above and underground.

Now, while I'm a fan of Vancouver as a destination, I do have one big warning for anyone traveling to Canada in the next several weeks. Following the attempted bombing of a Northwest flight on Christmas Day, Canadian authorities have enacted a ridiculous and draconian security rule for those flying home from Canada: no carry-on bags allowed. That means no briefcases or backpacks. Just a small laptop bag that can carry just…a laptop. Or a small purse. That's it. *

Not a single security authority has been able to logically explain this new rule to me. But they're out there, earnestly enforcing it. Recently, when I flew home from Vancouver, the security lines meant about a two-hour wait, not counting the additional time it took for folks to start repacking all their stuff into check-in bags at the terminals.

And I was no exception. I was denied boarding (along with hundreds of other passengers) because they said my briefcase was too big. This is the same briefcase that has logged more than 1.5 million air miles carrying my laptop, wallet, airline tickets and notebook. Note to Canada: If you want me to come to the Olympics, please employ common sense and remove the ridiculous one carry-on bag rule.


http://www.oprah.com/world/Vancouver...n-Travel-Guide

As we all know, it's the US Dept. of Homeland security that imposed these ridiculous rules.... Not canada. But wow - what's going on in world of "investigative" journalism?? :haha:

GeeCee Mar 4, 2010 5:02 PM

Actually, that was Transport Canada's doing. Well after all other countries had relaxed that new restriction that came into place at the request of the US, it stayed in Canada for quite some time..

In any case, the no carry on thing is long gone now anyway as of January 19th:

http://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/Page.as...cabine&lang=en

zivan56 Mar 4, 2010 7:15 PM

All of the country houses would have had tons more visitors if they had larger venues and let more people in. I would have gone to tons of them, but waiting in line for 3 hours just for a chance to *maybe* get in is not my idea of fun.
Now that I think of it, I only actually got into Saxony house...the rest of the place I went to were regular bars/pubs because of the ridiculous lineups for Irish/Heineken/German. I stood in line for 30 mins to an hour in each, and the line barely moved.

Yume-sama Mar 4, 2010 7:27 PM

Yeah, I agree. I didn't go to ANY houses. And I don't regret it.

You should see the blisters on my feet just from walking to GM Place and back a couple of times per day!

It's a 40 minute walk, 20 there, 20 back. I felt like I was in Las Vegas :P

GeeCee Mar 4, 2010 7:59 PM

I took this on Feb 27th.. spot the fail!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2800/...3361e35c_b.jpg
My picture on Flickr

cabotp Mar 4, 2010 8:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeeCee (Post 4730229)
I took this on Feb 27th.. spot the fail!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2800/...3361e35c_b.jpg
My picture on Flickr

:haha: Not sure who the Vanco people are

zivan56 Mar 4, 2010 8:40 PM

Last I heard, Vanco Computers went bankrupt way back...

cabotp Mar 4, 2010 8:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zivan56 (Post 4730149)
All of the country houses would have had tons more visitors if they had larger venues and let more people in. I would have gone to tons of them, but waiting in line for 3 hours just for a chance to *maybe* get in is not my idea of fun.
Now that I think of it, I only actually got into Saxony house...the rest of the place I went to were regular bars/pubs because of the ridiculous lineups for Irish/Heineken/German. I stood in line for 30 mins to an hour in each, and the line barely moved.

I actually freaking fluked out at the German house.

On Saturday 20 I headed down the the Heineken House got there around 7:30. But they had closed it off to the public. So I head back downtown to see what the lineup at the German house was like. I get down there and the line up was long. After waiting for about 2 mins found out it would be 2 hours. Thought well it would be just past 10 pm by then so I figured I would wait as I really didn't have anything else to do. Waited another minute or so and these two women came up behind me asked how long I had been waiting and I told them.

Then this guy comes along and says he has these tickets to get in. I noticed the a "30" on them and figured they are probably $30 or more if he wants to make some money. So I ask him "how much". He said "Just take them" So I take one and the two girls behind me take one.

I jump out of the line and walk up to the front and ask the woman if this ticket gets me in. She immediatly with a german accent asks "Is it yours" "Yes" I say. And then she tagged me and I walked straight in.

Like I said I fluked out.

subdude Mar 4, 2010 8:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by canucks23 (Post 4727680)
Just a side thought now, every time I have spoken to a British tourist in the city, have they always looked down upon me because I was Canadian? Did they always have the mentality that they were better than me? I never would have suspected that until this garbage reporting from the British made it clear to the world what they really thought of Canada. And I'm sorry for the British people who are embarrassed of their press, because they should be.

You should see what British ex-pats say about Canada on their web forums. If you've got a thick skin try reading one sometime, can't remember a specific one as I never went back but google it, if you dare...

jsbertram Mar 4, 2010 9:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delirium (Post 4729920)
Ok, i've read a lot of crazy shit these past couple weeks but seriously, this takes the cake! :haha:

This guy is an "Emmy-award winning INVESTIGATIVE journalist" for Oprah.com and a bunch of other US networks.

Gold-Medal Vancouver Vacation Tips
By Peter Greenberg
Expert Content | January 19, 2010

Whether you're traveling to Canada for the upcoming 2010 Olympics or going to soak up the post-Games vibe, Vancouver remains one of my favorite cities. It's a vibrant, eclectic community that really does have something for everyone—laid-back fish shacks, high-end sushi, designer fashion, funky thrift shops, a world-class art museum and offbeat downtown galleries. What's particularly attractive is that Vancouver is an incredibly navigable city. It's walkable in its busy downtown area and is well connected by three rapid transit lines both above and underground.

Now, while I'm a fan of Vancouver as a destination, I do have one big warning for anyone traveling to Canada in the next several weeks. Following the attempted bombing of a Northwest flight on Christmas Day, Canadian authorities have enacted a ridiculous and draconian security rule for those flying home from Canada: no carry-on bags allowed. That means no briefcases or backpacks. Just a small laptop bag that can carry just…a laptop. Or a small purse. That's it. *

Not a single security authority has been able to logically explain this new rule to me. But they're out there, earnestly enforcing it. Recently, when I flew home from Vancouver, the security lines meant about a two-hour wait, not counting the additional time it took for folks to start repacking all their stuff into check-in bags at the terminals.

And I was no exception. I was denied boarding (along with hundreds of other passengers) because they said my briefcase was too big. This is the same briefcase that has logged more than 1.5 million air miles carrying my laptop, wallet, airline tickets and notebook. Note to Canada: If you want me to come to the Olympics, please employ common sense and remove the ridiculous one carry-on bag rule.


http://www.oprah.com/world/Vancouver...n-Travel-Guide

As we all know, it's the US Dept. of Homeland security that imposed these ridiculous rules.... Not canada. But wow - what's going on in world of "investigative" journalism?? :haha:

This reminds me of a Letter to the Editor from an American visitor who raved about her summer vacation in Canada, but went into Rant Mode when describing driving across the border to get home. Rude guards. Long border lineups. (Rant Rant Rant!) Won't ever visit Canada again because of the ill treatment by the border guards. yada yada yada.

The next day the responses were "she's b*tching about rude AMERICAN border guards, and Long AMERICAN border lineups, and ill treatment by AMERICAN border guards. If she's unable to figure that out on her own, stay home so you don't have to be harassed by your own AMERICAN border guards ever again!"

SpongeG Mar 4, 2010 11:32 PM

she probably realized that and knew they were US guards

I know some Americans who don't want to leave the US for the same reason - getting back into their country is too much for them to deal with and they know they are dealing with US border people etc

they say its easy to leave the country but coming back is a pain

Rusty Gull Mar 5, 2010 8:15 AM

Another day, another British media outlet trashing our Olympics. This time, it's The Economist calling us "jingoistic" and taking some pleasure in the financial plight of the athletes village.

After Canada's Olympics
Golden glow
Sporting success and brash patriotism
Mar 4th 2010 | VANCOUVER | From The Economist print edition
http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15612374

CANADIANS used to think of themselves as being quiet, modest and unassertive. No longer. After their athletes topped the medals table with 14 golds at the winter Olympic games, some 100,000 flag-waving locals took to the streets of Vancouver and the nearby ski resort of Whistler, deliriously singing the national anthem. The crowning triumph had come with victory over the United States in the men’s ice-hockey final. Even though this mood of brash patriotism had been building steadily both before and during the games, it took outsiders and even some Canadians by surprise.

The Vancouver Olympics got off to a dreadful start. Early on the opening day, a Georgian athlete, Nodar Kumaritashvili, was killed during a practice run when his luge flipped over, throwing him into a steel pole and raising questions about the track’s safety. Foreign journalists pounced on a series of glitches. The Olympic torch did not burn properly during the opening ceremony, an ice-making machine broke down as did several buses, and unseasonably mild weather caused events to be postponed. Visitors to Vancouver were frustrated that the outdoor Olympic flame was cordoned off behind a chain-link fence (it was quickly opened up). “The worst games ever,” wrote a columnist in The Guardian, a British newspaper, much to the annoyance of Canadians.

They weren’t. And they got better and better, especially for home fans. At the previous two Olympics held on their soil, Canadians had failed to win a single gold medal. Their success this time stemmed from a programme to finance athletes’ preparation and training, called “Own the Podium” and organised by the Canadian Olympic Committee five years ago. It had a budget of C$117m ($104m), raised from government and business, and it worked—although the Americans finished first in the overall medal count.

This hard-nosed approach irritated some foreign athletes, who had less chance to practise at the facilities than did their Canadian rivals. The jingoistic mood may have added to the pressure on Canadian athletes, but Canadian success created an infectious public enthusiasm for the games on the streets of Vancouver, which impressed visiting officials from the 2012 London Olympics.

Canadian success also inspired an outpouring of national pride that is unusual in a fissiparous country often seemingly racked by self-doubt. Whether the games have succeeded in rebranding Canada as a modern, youthful sporting power, as some of the organisers apparently hoped, remains to be seen.

Now the bills will fall due. Last year Vancouver city council bailed out the developers building the Olympic village, because the softening of the property market made it hard to sell flats there. The Canadian Olympic Committee faces a $22m shortfall for “Own the Podium”, and the federal government has declined to stump up more. Two decades ago 50% of Canadian adults took part in sport of some kind. Now the figure is only 30%, and obesity rates are rising. Perhaps Canada was just renting the podium.

Yume-sama Mar 5, 2010 8:19 AM

From an empire who saw its best days some 400 years ago, it must suck to see an offspring actually good at something.

Did we get our love for losers from the British? It's now wrong to win and celebrate? Would they have liked a participation trophy for 2010?

By the way, 33% of Brits are overweight or obese, and the number is steadily rising. And their point is?

The UK can't even afford the rent on the podium. I hope they finish outside of the top 5 in 2012 :P

Oh, and, their own government through UK Sport is spending 261 million pounds ($400 million CAD) to try to "own the podium" in 2012.
http://www.uksport.gov.uk/pages/summ...-_london_2012/

mr.x Mar 5, 2010 9:01 AM

^ 25-million pounds for swimming and athletics...each.

*gasp*

cabotp Mar 5, 2010 9:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty Gull (Post 4731269)
Another day, another British media outlet trashing our Olympics. This time, it's The Economist calling us "jingoistic" and taking some pleasure in the financial plight of the athletes village.

After Canada's Olympics
Golden glow
Sporting success and brash patriotism
Mar 4th 2010 | VANCOUVER | From The Economist print edition
http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15612374

CANADIANS used to think of themselves as being quiet, modest and unassertive. No longer. After their athletes topped the medals table with 14 golds at the winter Olympic games, some 100,000 flag-waving locals took to the streets of Vancouver and the nearby ski resort of Whistler, deliriously singing the national anthem. The crowning triumph had come with victory over the United States in the men’s ice-hockey final. Even though this mood of brash patriotism had been building steadily both before and during the games, it took outsiders and even some Canadians by surprise.

The Vancouver Olympics got off to a dreadful start. Early on the opening day, a Georgian athlete, Nodar Kumaritashvili, was killed during a practice run when his luge flipped over, throwing him into a steel pole and raising questions about the track’s safety. Foreign journalists pounced on a series of glitches. The Olympic torch did not burn properly during the opening ceremony, an ice-making machine broke down as did several buses, and unseasonably mild weather caused events to be postponed. Visitors to Vancouver were frustrated that the outdoor Olympic flame was cordoned off behind a chain-link fence (it was quickly opened up). “The worst games ever,” wrote a columnist in The Guardian, a British newspaper, much to the annoyance of Canadians.

They weren’t. And they got better and better, especially for home fans. At the previous two Olympics held on their soil, Canadians had failed to win a single gold medal. Their success this time stemmed from a programme to finance athletes’ preparation and training, called “Own the Podium” and organised by the Canadian Olympic Committee five years ago. It had a budget of C$117m ($104m), raised from government and business, and it worked—although the Americans finished first in the overall medal count.

This hard-nosed approach irritated some foreign athletes, who had less chance to practise at the facilities than did their Canadian rivals. The jingoistic mood may have added to the pressure on Canadian athletes, but Canadian success created an infectious public enthusiasm for the games on the streets of Vancouver, which impressed visiting officials from the 2012 London Olympics.

Canadian success also inspired an outpouring of national pride that is unusual in a fissiparous country often seemingly racked by self-doubt. Whether the games have succeeded in rebranding Canada as a modern, youthful sporting power, as some of the organisers apparently hoped, remains to be seen.

Now the bills will fall due. Last year Vancouver city council bailed out the developers building the Olympic village, because the softening of the property market made it hard to sell flats there. The Canadian Olympic Committee faces a $22m shortfall for “Own the Podium”, and the federal government has declined to stump up more. Two decades ago 50% of Canadian adults took part in sport of some kind. Now the figure is only 30%, and obesity rates are rising. Perhaps Canada was just renting the podium.

I didn't find it to be trashing us that much. Pretty much everything was on the ball. It started out bad and the people more or less took over and had a great time. Therefore boosting the mood.

We are not the first country to pay and help our athletes to train. Nor will we be the last.

cabotp Mar 5, 2010 9:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.x (Post 4731293)
^ 25-million pounds for swimming and athletics...each.

*gasp*

They're trying to own the podium. We can't let this happen. It is not fair. Justice must be served :rolleyes:

Locked In Mar 5, 2010 3:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cabotp (Post 4731306)
I didn't find it to be trashing us that much. Pretty much everything was on the ball. It started out bad and the people more or less took over and had a great time. Therefore boosting the mood.

We are not the first country to pay and help our athletes to train. Nor will we be the last.

I tend to agree. As usual, I think the Economist's analysis is pretty much on the mark.

twoNeurons Mar 5, 2010 4:03 PM

Mayor is no fan of Olympic politics
 
Quote:

Mayor is no fan of Olympic politics
But he did attend four hockey games and a speedskating event


Alfie Lau, Burnaby Now
Published: Wednesday, March 03, 2010

As an interested spectator at several Olympic events, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan loves the purity of amateur sports competition, but he abhors the politics behind the international Olympic movement.

"I believe in the core values of young athletes competing at the highest levels. I really enjoyed seeing the hockey games I went to, and I was even invited by the City of Richmond to see a speedskating event at their oval," said Corrigan Monday night. "What I don't agree with is the exorbitant costs."

Corrigan pointed out that while one region, downtown Vancouver, was a very big winner, other municipalities, and even other regions of Vancouver, actually saw a decrease in business.

"In the short term, I didn't see Burnaby businesses getting the financial benefit that was promised," he said. "And you can even go to Commercial Drive and see there wasn't a boom. Only downtown got the direct financial benefit of the Olympics."

Corrigan said the four men's hockey games he was invited to were the Norway-Canada opener, Finland-Germany preliminary, Canada-U.S. round robin and the Canada-Russia quarterfinal.

When Corrigan wasn't at Olympic events, he tried to stay close to home. On Sunday, he watched the Canada-U.S. gold medal hockey game at the Firefighters Club at Metrotown.

And after the wild celebrations following Canada's win, Corrigan watched the closing ceremonies, which he would have been a part of if SFU had kept the speedskating oval.

Corrigan said he felt no envy seeing Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie sitting in the VIP area for the closing ceremonies on Sunday night.

"Good for him," said Corrigan. "I don't feel any regrets at all because it took $110 million of his city's assets to build a speedskating oval."

Corrigan said he would have preferred that the long-track facility would have stayed at SFU - the original location as per VANOC's 2003 bid - but that's all water under the bridge for him.

"Richmond made a significant investment that SFU couldn't match," said Corrigan. "Let's be clear. This was a project at SFU. ... There was no battle between Burnaby and Richmond. We never bid at all for the speedskating oval."

What Corrigan would have liked to see, in the aftermath of Richmond getting the oval, was the spreading out of other venues so that more communities would benefit.

He said the curling venue by Queen Elizabeth Park and the hockey rink at UBC could have gone elsewhere to make the Olympics a more inclusive event for the entire region.

"Taking Burnaby out of the mix, don't you think Surrey could have used the infrastructure build-up? Why not look to Surrey and have a venue there?"

As for the long-term benefits of the Olympics, Corrigan is also skeptical.

"Do the Olympics give Vancouver more prestige? Well, Vancouver's already been voted one of the best places to live in the world, and Whistler is known as one of the best ski resorts in the world, so how much more do you need to build up your city?

"I'd say look at what we did with the World Police and Fire Games last year. We had four times more competitors, and we really celebrated amateur sport. That cost $10 million, and that certainly built up our reputation."

Corrigan doesn't see it as hypocritical that he can be a vocal critic of the business behind the Olympics, yet he can still enjoy events live and on television.

"I'm extremely proud of our Olympic athletes," he said. "To get 14 gold medals and see the change in Canadian attitude where we said 'Let's win and be at the top of the podium,' ... Canadians have every right to be proud of our athletes."

As for his favourite memories, two stand out.

"Seeing Canada win the Olympic men's gold in hockey, you couldn't ask for a more dramatic end," he said. "Add in the whole Canadian experience, people coming together to cheer for Canada, that's what made that win so special.

"The other moment that stands out for me is Joannie (Rochette) winning bronze. For her to compete after her mother's death, that was a tremendous story. She really did something special, and that's a great story that we will all
source

delboy Mar 5, 2010 4:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty Gull (Post 4731269)
Another day, another British media outlet trashing our Olympics. This time, it's The Economist calling us "jingoistic" and taking some pleasure in the financial plight of the athletes village.

After Canada's Olympics
Golden glow
Sporting success and brash patriotism
Mar 4th 2010 | VANCOUVER | From The Economist print edition
http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15612374

CANADIANS used to think of themselves as being quiet, modest and unassertive. No longer. After their athletes topped the medals table with 14 golds at the winter Olympic games, some 100,000 flag-waving locals took to the streets of Vancouver and the nearby ski resort of Whistler, deliriously singing the national anthem. The crowning triumph had come with victory over the United States in the men’s ice-hockey final. Even though this mood of brash patriotism had been building steadily both before and during the games, it took outsiders and even some Canadians by surprise.

The Vancouver Olympics got off to a dreadful start. Early on the opening day, a Georgian athlete, Nodar Kumaritashvili, was killed during a practice run when his luge flipped over, throwing him into a steel pole and raising questions about the track’s safety. Foreign journalists pounced on a series of glitches. The Olympic torch did not burn properly during the opening ceremony, an ice-making machine broke down as did several buses, and unseasonably mild weather caused events to be postponed. Visitors to Vancouver were frustrated that the outdoor Olympic flame was cordoned off behind a chain-link fence (it was quickly opened up). “The worst games ever,” wrote a columnist in The Guardian, a British newspaper, much to the annoyance of Canadians.

They weren’t. And they got better and better, especially for home fans. At the previous two Olympics held on their soil, Canadians had failed to win a single gold medal. Their success this time stemmed from a programme to finance athletes’ preparation and training, called “Own the Podium” and organised by the Canadian Olympic Committee five years ago. It had a budget of C$117m ($104m), raised from government and business, and it worked—although the Americans finished first in the overall medal count.

This hard-nosed approach irritated some foreign athletes, who had less chance to practise at the facilities than did their Canadian rivals. The jingoistic mood may have added to the pressure on Canadian athletes, but Canadian success created an infectious public enthusiasm for the games on the streets of Vancouver, which impressed visiting officials from the 2012 London Olympics.

Canadian success also inspired an outpouring of national pride that is unusual in a fissiparous country often seemingly racked by self-doubt. Whether the games have succeeded in rebranding Canada as a modern, youthful sporting power, as some of the organisers apparently hoped, remains to be seen.

Now the bills will fall due. Last year Vancouver city council bailed out the developers building the Olympic village, because the softening of the property market made it hard to sell flats there. The Canadian Olympic Committee faces a $22m shortfall for “Own the Podium”, and the federal government has declined to stump up more. Two decades ago 50% of Canadian adults took part in sport of some kind. Now the figure is only 30%, and obesity rates are rising. Perhaps Canada was just renting the podium.

It's okay, the bill in for the 2012 games will be astronomical and obesity rates in the UK are nearing that of the US, way worse than here.

It has been very amusing to read these articles trying and put a negative spin on people having a good time and being patriotic. We really can't win. These are all opinion pieces designed to provoke reactions and are starting to smack of jealously, they wanted the games to fail, they didn't..

Sticks and stones and all that....

delboy Mar 5, 2010 4:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subdude (Post 4730309)
You should see what British ex-pats say about Canada on their web forums. If you've got a thick skin try reading one sometime, can't remember a specific one as I never went back but google it, if you dare...

I know what you mean - i actually got into endless arguments with some of the knobs on there who focus on silly things like lack of history or expensive cheese.

Don't take it to heart. Vancouver is a beautiful part of the world and i feel very fortunate to have been allowed to live here. Sure, there are some things that need addressing, but there appears to be real desire to improve and grow here. It's very exciting to be in such a youthful place that is still finding its way.

A failing of Brits is their constant ability to find fault, moan and poke fun. It makes them overlook the UK's problems, which are many.

I'll gladly put up with the expensive cheese!

http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=56

RobH Mar 5, 2010 5:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yume-sama (Post 4731270)
From an empire who saw its best days some 400 years ago, it must suck to see an offspring actually good at something.

Did we get our love for losers from the British? It's now wrong to win and celebrate? Would they have liked a participation trophy for 2010?

By the way, 33% of Brits are overweight or obese, and the number is steadily rising. And their point is?

The UK can't even afford the rent on the podium. I hope they finish outside of the top 5 in 2012 :P

Oh, and, their own government through UK Sport is spending 261 million pounds ($400 million CAD) to try to "own the podium" in 2012.
http://www.uksport.gov.uk/pages/summ...-_london_2012/

You really aren't very clever are you? Don't you see that posts like this make you as bad as the journalists you're, rightly, getting annoyed about? Is that really lost on you?

FOR THE THIRD TIME, the British Press aren't the British people. Their opinions aren't the opinions of the majority here, and shouldn't be taken as such. How many times do I have to say this, or do you take as much pleasure as some of our journalists in gross and sorry generalisations? It certainly seems that way reading some of the posts in this thread. A handful of British journalists writing some bad articles seems to some to be a great excuse to slag off a whole nation, making your opinion as worthy and helpful as the journalists in question. Well done.

Furthermore, there have been many positive articles in our press about Vancouver; I think I saw two or three yesterday, but none of them are in this thread weirdly. Either people like Rusty Gull have, coincidentally, only come across the bad ones, or they're searching for British articles on the Olympics until they find a negative one to post. A shit-stirrer in other words.

Maybe I should take Chris Shaw's opinion as indicative of every Canadadians'.

delboy Mar 5, 2010 6:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobH (Post 4731734)
You really aren't very clever are you? Don't you see that posts like this make you as bad as the journalists you're, rightly, getting annoyed about? Is that really lost on you?

FOR THE THIRD TIME, the British Press aren't the British people. Their opinions aren't the opinions of the majority here, and shouldn't be taken as such. How many times do I have to say this, or do you take as much pleasure as some of our journalists in gross and sorry generalisations? It certainly seems that way reading some of the posts in this thread. A handful of British journalists writing some bad articles seems to some to be a great excuse to slag off a whole nation, making your opinion as worthy and helpful as the journalists in question. Well done.

Furthermore, there have been many positive articles in our press about Vancouver; I think I saw two or three yesterday, but none of them are in this thread weirdly. Either people like Rusty Gull have, coincidentally, only come across the bad ones, or they're searching for British articles on the Olympics until they find a negative one to post. A shit-stirrer in other words.

Maybe I should take Chris Shaw's opinion as indicative of every Canadadians'.

you are of course right, but it's hard not to come to the defense of your home when it's put down like this. Brits are just as quick to jump to the defense of such criticism and as a Brit I've not been offended and don't see why you should be (assuming you are a Brit that is).

Perhaps you should post the good ones for us to offer a balanced view.

Yume-sama Mar 5, 2010 7:03 PM

I don't actually think anything I said was a generalization :P I actually looked up statistics and provided reference.

A generalization would be assuming your dental care is non-existent, and you all can't cook.

But I understand what you are saying, and I heard you the first two times. I have even made the same point in other threads.

I know how trashy your media is :(

squeezied Mar 5, 2010 7:17 PM

Quote:

"Good for him," said Corrigan. "I don't feel any regrets at all because it took $110 million of his city's assets to build a speedskating oval."
I thought Richmond didn't have to pay a penny for it.

Anyway Corrigan is such a big whiner. blah blah spreading venues out to other communities. he's so full of crap.

mr.x Mar 5, 2010 7:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squeezied (Post 4731900)
I thought Richmond didn't have to pay a penny for it.

Anyway Corrigan is such a big whiner. blah blah spreading venues out to other communities. he's so full of crap.

loll...spreading venues out to other communities, yea that'll work fine when it comes to logistical planning. :rolleyes:

He's definitely still bitter...he put on a huge scene when VANOC officially announced it would be moved in Richmond.

As well, building a venue at UBC plus replacing an aging community centre at Queen Elizabeth Park...I really don't know how you can complain about that.

GeeCee Mar 5, 2010 7:32 PM

I can't imagine why the City of Burnaby didn't see any financial benefits from the Olympics. I mean, Live City Burnaby was such a success, right?

Oh right, Corrigan totally refused to participate!

whatnext Mar 5, 2010 7:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yume-sama (Post 4731270)
....The UK can't even afford the rent on the podium. I hope they finish outside of the top 5 in 2012 :P

Oh, and, their own government through UK Sport is spending 261 million pounds ($400 million CAD) to try to "own the podium" in 2012.
http://www.uksport.gov.uk/pages/summ...-_london_2012/

How on earth will they afford it? The UK is as bad a shape as Greece:

...“If you really want a fiscal problem, look at the U.K.,” said Mark Schofield, a fixed-income strategist at Citigroup. “In Europe, the average deficit is about 6 per cent of GDP and in the U.K. it's 12 per cent. It is only just beginning.”

Since the Labour government's intense fiscal intervention in 2008 and 2009, yields on British government debt have soared to among the highest in Europe. And on a broader scale, which includes the borrowing of households and companies, the overall level of debt in Britain is the second-largest in the world, after Japan's, at 380 per cent of the country's gross domestic product, according to a recent report by the consulting company McKinsey...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repor...rticle1488285/

Rusty Gull Mar 5, 2010 8:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobH (Post 4731734)

Either people like Rusty Gull have, coincidentally, only come across the bad ones, or they're searching for British articles on the Olympics until they find a negative one to post. A shit-stirrer in other words.

Au contraire, the Economist article found me -- I'm a subscriber! But given that the Economist has lost all credibility over these Games, as well as their championing of invading Iraq because of WMD, I am through with this supposedly high-minded publication.

I also used to have a lot of respect for the Guardian, but their coverage of these Games was beyond irresponsible. I mean, having Lawrence Donegan, a golf correspondent as their chief Olympics writer, was a brutal judgement call. Is is still the "Worst Games Ever", Lawrence? And then they hire a bunch of dim-witted, left-wing, anti-Games activist freelancers from Vancouver to write the other articles.

At least the Times redeemed itself with some proper journalism at the conclusion of the Games...(and I apologize if this article has already been posted)

London can learn much from wonderful Winter Olympics in Vancouver


Matthew Pinsent, Commentary

Vancouver has not been hard to judge for me. It has been wonderful, and while that judgment is not without reservation, I feel that it is accurate.

Let’s start at the beginning and the general sorrow that descended on the Games after the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili in the bobsleighing. The media inferno that consumed the first day and a half after the tragedy had to be seen to be believed: the press were remorseless in their hunt for someone to blame and some reports incorrectly pointed to Own The Podium, Canada’s sports-funding programme.

But Own The Podium had nothing to do with the rules that allow a host nation to limit ice time for foreign competitors, rules that previous hosts used to their advantage and surely must be changed now. It had nothing to do with designing a track that was purposely difficult and it certainly had nothing to do with the standards that Kumaritashvili had to clear to represent his country. The organisers shoulder some of the blame for the Georgian’s death, but to apportion all of it to them is just wrong.

However, Own The Podium can be blamed for an unrealistic heightening of the home expectation of athlete performance. The irony is that as the Games draw to a close, Canada have a chance of getting to the top in gold medal terms. They still have four great chances in the men’s and women’s ice hockey and curling.

But the North Americans count all medals equally, so Canada need to find a near-impossible dozen more to get close to their own target, with fewer than 20 events to be decided.

The challenge of hosting and winning lots of medals is something to which we have to pay close attention, with London next to light the Olympic flame. Most of the Canadians have performed to or above expectation, but some of the most high-profile and hyped athletes have slipped back. Our own gold medal-winner, Amy Williams, triumphed in the skeleton at the expense of Mellisa Hollingsworth, of Canada. The latter had every right to be considered a contender, but in the end she was a weeping wreck, apologising to viewers on television.

Some Chinese athletes had a similar experience in Beijing and learnt that the expectations of the host nation can be overwhelming. We need to start planning carefully how we deal with athletes and external expectations in the weeks and months leading up to 2012.

As ever, the reporting of the Games has been sharp and occasionally biting. The world’s press have descended on West Hastings Street, where Vancouver’s drug issues are arguably at their worst. It is testament to the hosts’ openness that they simply chose not to hide the issue. We have to expect the same rigorous investigation before the Olympics in London.

What sets Vancouver apart for me is how carefully they examine criticism. I was very politely refused an interview by Donald Sutherland, the actor, with the advice to “please tell the Guardian newspaper that this is not the worst Games ever”. (Rusty's note: Donald, you rock!)

Newspapers here have a daily game of “quote what the rest of the world is saying”. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to explain the difference between BBC Sport and the British papers. Canadians have touchingly thin skins — or perhaps we have evolved into rhinos when it comes to press coverage.

Our own British sporting performance has been fine, no more. Williams’s deserved triumph has been offset by genuine disappointment elsewhere. The curling, bobsleighing and speed-skating teams will all have difficult meetings in the weeks to come. But what can we expect on the back of 2 per cent of the funding that our 2012 team is given? By that measure, the investment here looks good value. Team GB would have to win 50 medals in 2012 to provide the same return per pound spent.

The sadness is that many of the winter sports are, in terms of development, a decade or more behind the most successful sports in our country. While there have been steps taken to close the gap, the sports in which we excel can still teach other disciplines how to win.

The sporting seal for Canada has still to be decided — the men’s ice hockey final takes place a few hours before the closing ceremony. We are constantly reminded that “hockey is Canada’s game” and that the men’s players have had, more than all other home athletes, to perform under fan and media pressure.

If they can display their best form in the final, then perhaps Canadians will at last believe that their Winter Olympics are what I’ve felt they have been all along — wonderful.

cabotp Mar 5, 2010 8:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delboy (Post 4731584)
It's okay, the bill in for the 2012 games will be astronomical and obesity rates in the UK are nearing that of the US, way worse than here.

It has been very amusing to read these articles trying and put a negative spin on people having a good time and being patriotic. We really can't win. These are all opinion pieces designed to provoke reactions and are starting to smack of jealously, they wanted the games to fail, they didn't..

Sticks and stones and all that....

I wonder if the British press not the British people. Dwelled on the negative. So that in 2012 when there is some form of a screw up. They can always go back and say look Vancouver screwed up.

NetMapel Mar 5, 2010 9:15 PM

Maybe Richmond should help start a sports university attached to the Oval. That will give the Oval plenty of use to train our future athletes :)

mr.x Mar 5, 2010 9:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NetMapel (Post 4732134)
Maybe Richmond should help start a sports university attached to the Oval. That will give the Oval plenty of use to train our future athletes :)

That is being planned for Burnaby Lake. It's called the MSCE or Multi-Sport Centre of Excellence, being built at a cost of $50-million funded by both feds and the province.

http://www.multisportcentreofexcelle...acilities.html


I would love to see Burnaby Lake properly dredged so that we can use it for rowing, kayaking, canoeing, etc....

NetMapel Mar 5, 2010 9:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.x (Post 4732150)
That is being planned for Burnaby Lake. It's called the MSCE or Multi-Sport Centre of Excellence, being built at a cost of $50-million funded by both feds and the province.

http://www.multisportcentreofexcelle...acilities.html


I would love to see Burnaby Lake properly dredged so that we can use it for rowing, kayaking, canoeing, etc....

Looking good there :)

Perhaps the Oval can be used for other kind of training though, such as track and field, badminton, or whatever other sports that is suitable for the Oval.

Yume-sama Mar 5, 2010 9:38 PM

Well, the Olympic critics were right. The games have devastated our economy and set human rights back a century.

Politicians to bask in Games' $400m profit, equality boost
http://www.theprovince.com/sports/20...347/story.html

Errrm. Nevermind.

And yes, you two, I'm aware the numbers are preliminary, and probably just a Gordon Campbell / Stephen Harper conspiracy, and the NDP would have made it a $1 billion profit. :tup:

Prometheus Mar 5, 2010 9:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.x (Post 4732150)

I would love to see Burnaby Lake properly dredged so that we can use it for rowing, kayaking, canoeing, etc....

That is right. There is almost no unobstructed surface water left in Burnaby Lake. It is now ninety percent marsh. It was not always like that.

NetMapel Mar 5, 2010 10:15 PM

British Olympic team gives Vancouver charity all their equipment

Quote:

VANCOUVER - A Vancouver group that organizes sports programs for disadvantaged inner-city children has been given all of the equipment the British Olympic team bought and used during the Vancouver Winter Games.

Everything from flat-screen televisions to bar fridges to irons and chairs have been donated to Moresports, a not-for-profit group that puts on after-school sports and games.

Dick Woldring, the group's coordinator, said the British team didn't need any of the material after the Games and wanted to give it to a charity that works with inner-city youth.


"It happened basically within 24 hours," he said. "They looked at our program and decided it fit with their Olympic ideals and the next thing we know we're being given all this stuff."

"As an organization responsible for the development of the Olympic Movement, it is particularly rewarding to be able to support a project such as MoreSports, which aims to spread the Olympic spirit through sport, developing mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play,"Andy Hunt, Britain's Chef de Mission and chief executive of the British Olympic Association said in a statement. "It's great to give something back to the people of Vancouver after staging such a superb Games."

On Sunday the British team hosted about 20 children enrolled in Moresports programs at a party where they were able to meet Amy Williams, Britain's gold medallist in skeleton.

The donation of about 500 items includes everything the team's 52 athletes and coaching staff needed at their Vancouver and Whistler villages. There are 28 three-week-old flat-screen TVs, 25 bar fridges, 42 irons, chairs, office furniture, printers, scanners, and other items.

The gift is worth upwards of $40,000, which Woldring will go part of the ways towards replacing a $60,000 cut the group suffered last year when the province deeply slashed gaming grants to community sports organizations.

Some of the donated material will be kept but most will be auctioned off, Woldring said. "We need balls and shirts and lots of equipment," he said.


Moresports has been around since 1999, providing football, basketball, floor hockey and badminton programs to children in the city's poorest communities. It operates on a $360,000 cash budget but receives about double that in donated services and facilities.
British team showing British press how to stay classy :D

Yume-sama Mar 5, 2010 10:19 PM

Nice!

jsbertram Mar 5, 2010 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prometheus (Post 4732206)
That is right. There is almost no unobstructed surface water left in Burnaby Lake. It is now ninety percent marsh. It was not always like that.

I thought I read an article that City of Burnaby was going to clean up Burnaby Lake last year, and had everything ready to go until they discovered a turtle (or something) that was missed in the environmental assessment. By the time the report was updated to get that creature's habitat protected, they missed their window of opportunity to do the work. They are now re-applying for all the necessary permits & reports to do the work this year.

Prometheus Mar 5, 2010 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsbertram (Post 4732315)
I thought I read an article that City of Burnaby was going to clean up Burnaby Lake last year, and had everything ready to go until they discovered a turtle (or something) that was missed in the environmental assessment. By the time the report was updated to get that creature's habitat protected, they missed their window of opportunity to do the work. They are now re-applying for all the necessary permits & reports to do the work this year.

Oh, Lord.

Yume-sama Mar 5, 2010 10:52 PM

Slowly becoming California :P

Which would be super if they weren't passed bankruptcy.

NetMapel Mar 5, 2010 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yume-sama (Post 4732343)
Slowly becoming California :P

Which would be super if they weren't passed bankruptcy.

Are you implying that BC is slowly becoming California ???

Yume-sama Mar 5, 2010 11:05 PM

With our turtle protectionism! Not that I'm anti-turtle. I quite like their teenage mutant variety.

nova9 Mar 5, 2010 11:55 PM

C'mon guys. You deplore the state of the natural environment of burnaby lake and state you'd like it cleaned but somehow you will dismiss the natural habitat of a turtle who lives in the lake and wanting to protect it as loopy.

What gives? :)

Zassk Mar 6, 2010 12:27 AM

Is Burnaby Lake natural or artificial?

SpongeG Mar 6, 2010 2:28 AM

the royal canadian mint is moving to the Library

jlousa Mar 6, 2010 5:36 AM

I hope you mean the pavillion, because the libraries photocopiers aren't currency quality.:tup:

Locked In Mar 6, 2010 7:59 AM

Quote:

Vancouver 2010
How the Downtown Eastside became an Olympics non-story

Was it because the province's sudden frenzy of efforts in the previous two years actually deflected criticism? Or something else?
http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.c...518583gm-a.jpg


Frances Bula

Vancouver, BC — Special to The Globe and Mail Published on Friday, Mar. 05, 2010 12:00AM EST Last updated on Friday, Mar. 05, 2010 11:57AM EST


The dire predictions abounded for years before the Olympics that Vancouver's two ugly secrets - the Downtown Eastside and homelessness - would be exposed by 10,000 international reporters who wouldn't be able to resist the story about a beautiful city's underbelly.

But those predictions never came true. A few of the larger outlets - the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times, for example - did the obligatory scene-setter stories on those issues before the Games began last month. But they didn't reveal anything particularly new or startling. And they didn't ignite any kind of media firestorm that came even close to the later coverage of, say, Cauldrongate - the furor over the chain-link fence in front of the Olympic flame.

And any interest in general stories about human suffering seemed to evaporate in the face of individual tragedies during the Games, starting with the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili on opening day.

"I was surprised at how focused the media was on just the Olympic events," said David Eby, the one-time housing advocate who fought for years to force the provincial government to meet its bid-book commitment of preserving and creating low-cost housing. "I thought they would be all over the city looking for stories. It certainly wasn't the onslaught of journalists walking up Hastings Street that we imagined."

City councillor Ellen Woodsworth was also taken aback by the lack of interest. "I was surprised at how little attention was paid."

They, along with others, are trying to figure out why. Was it because the province's sudden frenzy of efforts in the previous two years actually deflected criticism? Or something else?

Housing Minister Rich Coleman thinks it was because the province could show it had a plan. "I did talk to a lot of international media," said the minister, citing between 15 and 30 interviews on the topic. "I'll be honest with you. I challenged them on what was happening in their own jurisdictions. 'What are you doing about mental health and addictions? What are you doing about housing,' I said."

He believes the fact that the province could prove it was doing something affected the coverage.

"If we hadn't had a very strategic housing plan, it might have been more critical. What happened instead was they came looking for a story that wasn't there."

http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.c...518601gm-b.jpg
Protesters lie near tents on a downtown eastside street during a demonstration against the local housing policy, after the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics came to a close February 28, 2010. Olympic critics say the Games have increased homelessness by fuelling gentrification in the Downtown Eastside, leaving the poor with few options in a city that already has some of Canada's least-affordable housing.

Mr. Eby agreed that the province's actions of the past two years, which included buying two dozen residential hotels in the Downtown Eastside, starting six social-housing projects, and paying for several additional winter shelters, did help.

"The fact that the provincial government actually had something to talk about, it probably did alleviate the most dramatic criticism."

But both he and Ms. Woodsworth think there were other factors as well. Downtown Eastside advocates were so focused on marshalling opposition to the province's Assistance to Shelter Act, which gives police the power to take people on the street to shelters, or publicizing threats of mass evictions that they didn't have energy left for much else.

Now they and others are wondering whether the lack of attention will send a message to the province that its past efforts to tackle homelessness were successful or that it doesn't have to bother trying any more. Mr. Coleman laughs when he hears that. "The housing strategy hasn't changed."

But that doesn't reassure Ms. Woodsworth. "I keep reminding people, 'The shelters are closing April 30. Wake up.' "

Source: Globe and Mail

red-paladin Mar 6, 2010 8:59 AM

I think it's more that all the protests and protesters we saw weren't even DTES people. It wasn't poor people protesting, it was local agitator white trash and people from across the continent that travel from place to place hoping to get in fights and break windows. As soon as the media saw that 99% of Vancouver's people were celebrating the games and the protests were not even authentic, it became a non-story.

Canadian Mind Mar 6, 2010 9:40 AM

Yea, the story really was the 100 000 - 150 000 people that constantly had downtown Vancouver alive.

I was in NYC for the 2008-2009 new years. and honestly, if given a choice between what I experienced in person there in Times Square, and what I saw in everyone else's pictures of Van, I woulda stayed in NYC for the sake of breathing room.

And after the hockey game, I highly doubt it was just 150 000 people on the streets in downtown. Looks far to crouded on far to many thoroughfares for it to be just that amount.

Yume-sama Mar 6, 2010 6:07 PM

Journalists from wherever were able to see that Vancouver already does MORE than pretty much anywhere they could possibly be from.

Thus, our governments "brutality" was a non-story to them. Despite the horror stories, there is certainly more government involvement than most places.

Plus, the 100 or so protesters kind of just made a fool of themselves, in their bid to get headlines by pretending they actually care about the people in the DTES.

The WHOLE Olympics were very quiet, protest-wise, and the media finally gave them the fringe treatment they deserve. 100 or so people vs. millions... hmm...


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