Controversies Rocks the Nation: Isn’t the Purpose of the Olympics to Let Athletes Play?

Dana Miller outlines the many controversies that are overshadowing the 2010 Olympics.

The city of Vancouver, BC and the surrounding areas, will be hosting the 21^st Winter Olympic Games, with the opening ceremonies to take place on February 12^th.   Since the announcement in 2006 that Canada is hosting the games, Canadian athletes have been patiently waiting for their turn to shine and make their nation proud.  But, it seems as though anything and everything is out to stop our athletes from their chances at the podium.

The issues range from financial difficulties to gender equality. While some of these issues are now being put to rest, others are still a source of debate, – just a matter of days before the final Olympic Torch is lit.   Last year,  when the city of Vancouver decided to build an Olympic Athletes Village to host residence for the visiting athletes for the duration of the games, the project saw construction setbacks, financial payments going well over and beyond the budget limits, leavings the need to raise taxes in the province of British Columbia.

One of the more recent issues surrounding the Winter Games is the lack of snow on the slopes. These slopes which are to be used for skiing, freestyle and snowboarding events are in dire straits.   Due to the warmer than normal temperatures, what little snowfall there is, is not staying on the ground.  This has officials scrounging around to bring in dozens of truckloads of snow a day and 500kg bales of hay in to build up the slopes for athletic purposes.  Officials are worried that they will not be able to keep enough snow on the ground for the duration of the events.

On top of this, the Olympics are being credited with only being partially green.  While the organizing committees did their best to ensure public transit and environmentally friendly venues were put into place for the games, environmentalists accuse the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee for not having done all that they possible could in that respect.  Others are saying that the Olympic venues have been the result of ecosystem destruction and unnecessary emissions emitted into the atmosphere. Activists are also bringing attention to the proximity of the oil sands, the displacement of the poor and homeless and the security issues which are sure to arise over the course of the events.

But in November, a new series of worries had officials and organizing committees still aflutter with one week left until the opening ceremonies.  With scares of H1N1 virus this past fall and the threat of another outbreak sometime in the next month or so, organizers are encouraging Olympic volunteers and employees to receive the vaccine.  They are also strongly supporting the decision of any competitor to get the vaccine, although it has not been made mandatory for athletes or coaches and training staff.

Decisions were also made to keep the women’s ski jumping events from the schedule.  This has led the Canadian Women’s Ski Jumping team to take matters into their own hands.  Members of the team have approached the BC Court of Appeal, protesting their right to compete.  They are playing the gender equality card, saying it is because they are women, they cannot play.  Other females teams are permitted to compete in the Games, Women’s Ski Jumping in the only event restricted to just men as competitors.    The committees and court appeals state that the sport is not developed enough for consideration in this year’s games.

It seems as though everyone has something to say about national trademarks, even when related to the Olympics.  Even politicians are commenting on the controversy.  One British Columbian Conservative Party Member of Parliament is commenting on the logos of the clothing from the official Canadian supplier, Hudson Bay Company, saying the logos on the clothing resemble strongly of the Conservative Party of Canada logo.  They are in fact similar.    On the note of national commentary, the motto of the games “O Canada” is also being targeted for being contrary to trademark regulations.

Although Canada has had the Winter Olympic Games at home before, the country fought for years to have them here again.   So in the light of the upcoming games, it is surprising that there seems to be so much controversy with hosting the games.  The games last sixteen days, would it be too much to ask that the nation pull together in light of this historic event, and support its athletes in sights of the gold on home turf?  No, of course not.  That would just be too much to ask.  It’s too much to just let the athletes play.

Dana Miller is a volunteer writer with the Baron.