Winter Olympics 2014
Let's forget about all the politics and media bullshit that precedes the Olympic Games, let's ignore (at least temporarily) the threat of a possible terrorist attack ( although its worth quickly mentioning that the suspected ' engineer ' behind the most recent suicide bombings in Russia was killed in a shootout with police just yesterday)and the supposed state of disarray that the Black Sea resort town of Sochi is in ( unfinished hotels, lack of promised services like television and WiFi, wild dogs running the streets and being exterminated by the dozens in a frenzied attempt to wipe them out before the games begin) as we get closer to the opening ceremonies.Let's place our focus where it belongs.
On the athletes.
The Olympics are a time when the whole world takes note, when national pride is on the line, when unity becomes the rule rather than the exception in nations that are often divided according to political, religious and regional issues or allegiances. Its a time when for fourteen days, we watch in earnest as the world's greatest athletes take center stage competing in many sporting events that for the most part, we don't care about except once every four years. Yes, there are the biggies like hockey, figure skating, downhill skiing and curling, but how often do you hear people chatting about speed skating, bobsleigh, snowboarding or skeleton OTHER than during the Winter Olympics ??
Professional sports are great, but no sporting event captures the world's attention and imagination like the Olympic Games do. It is simply an awesome event.
Especially if you are Canadian.
Yes, Canada, the country that set an all-time Olympic record last time around for most medals won in a single (winter) Olympics and kicked ass on the ice, on the mountaintops and amongst the snow-sprinkled pines.
Yeah, baby.
Let the games begin.
Nice to see the IOCC has taken at least one small step towards weeding out the corruption that often plagues the judges' scorecards and referee's whistles.
http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-i...#axzz2sYmm2rQg
Be warned, Canadians everywhere will be watching the reffing in all hockey games, both men's and women's very closely as the games progress.
Lord knows that Russia - host of the games and victims of an utterly humiliating 6-1 defeat at the hands of Canada in men's hockey at the 2010 games - would love to take Gold this time out.
We will be watching !!
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Originally Posted by Feryk
