Calgary, like most sensible western democracies voted on not having Olympics here. Too expensive and the I.O.C. needs to be taken down a few notches. We in the most cities no longer believe this event brings any propaganda value to the host city at all.
China "won" the Olympics. They are in it for the propaganda value and the propaganda value alone and cost is no object in a communist regime. Doesn't make them evil and doesn't mean they shouldn't stage a games however the parallels to the 1936 Berlin Olympics are there.
My sport is Alpine Skiing and I'm a huge World Cup fan so I know how that works.
Alpine skiers are not poor, poor athlete's who "trained there whole lives" for this one single chance. The World Cup circuit pays well for the top skiers and they are Royalty where ever they go. They win $50,000 for a first place and the best ( top 30 in each discipline) actually get by well, make careers of it and travel the world first class. For the men for instance a win at Kitzbuhel alone can make a career. If there were no such thing as Olympics the ski racing community would still do exactly what they do know and enjoy their careers. The Ski industry also provides many with great careers after racing.
Pretty sure most major winter sports like Luge or Bob Sledding or Figure Skating all work in similar fashion.
To be sure, for the the bottom half of virtually all Olympic sports and for small equatorial belt countries that are terrible at a sport, sending a guy or gal or a team to lose, but "enjoy the scene" can be fun. Eddie the Eagle and the Jamaican Bob Sled team come to mind. But the "amateur athlete" ideal has long since left the barn decades ago. The Olympics are a bloated expensive mess no North American city wants any part of. If we're letting the "Pro's" in why are we still paying for the 60%-70% of actual amatuer athletes from great winter nations like Egypt and Brazil who have zero chance but want the vacation and the participation ribbon???
I'm just saying that the argument of "what about the poor athlete that trained all their lives" for the "one" chance isn't really a fair take on it's own. Hockey players are going to play Hockey and enjoy it and get paid well for. Don't worry about the Alpine racers they'll be fine.
Just my own opinion however I just don't care if they go or not. The Olympic Ideal just doesn't exist to me. It's just another race or game.
Gotta go PVR today's race. Watch the Flames tonight and I won't cry if Conner and Crosby can't get together and make a mockery of some bush league amatuer hockey team from lower slobovia somewhere.
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