And what a juxtaposition between Beijing and Vancouver in their stances on public protest. Beijing: Grannies got thrown in jail for protesting about having to be evicted from their homes in order to make room for Olympic venues. Vancouver: Hundreds of protestors on the streets within a stone-throw to BC place - protesting.. no no.. raising awareness for everything from poverty to the environment to oh I don't know - that the IOC is the devil - all issues are fair game really. I chuckled when one of the reporter asked a protester "What's up with all the balaclavas around your necks?" and she replied, "In case the police releases tear gas, we can quickly soak these and put it around our face to protect our eyes." How very clever and practical!
It also sickened me when I saw the news coverage of the 21 Georgian luger, who died from his injuries upon his crash during a training run. What a tragedy? Apparently many sliders have known for the past couple of years that this is one of the fastest and most dangerous tracks that they've built. A number of athletes have lost control of their sleds at certain corners during practice runs. Why weren't there any safety provisions built - couldn't there have been heavy netting and padding around the pillars to minimize the impact of an athlete's body colliding into them. Of course all sports... heck, life in general is full of risks and danger, but this "accident" just seemed so senseless :(
I don't know, perhaps, it's not my place to comment. Perhaps, the luge is a sport like bull riding, and its inherent danger is a part of the thrill that is fully embraced by its participants.
In light of the tragedy, the Games are going full steam ahead, and uniting people everywhere for different reasons, some for sports, others for national pride, and others yet, social agendas. With so many ideologies and social-cultural-economic systems that polarizes and divides us, this rare occasion of global camaraderie is certainly a cause for celebration.
Go Team Canada!
2 comments:
I definitely feel a level of shame as a Canadian. It seems that the Georgian's death could've easily been prevented. But somewhere along the way, national pride caused safety to take a back seat.
On a note about your first bit, my favorite quote so far:
On NBC, announcer Bob Costas crafted an observation that many outsiders have made this week about previously mild-mannered Canada's plans to 'own the podium' at these Winter Games: "Some say (the Canadian initiative of Own the Podium and winning the overall medal count) represents a shift in Canadian attitude, to be so openly assertive and ambitious. Canadians as a group are among the most friendliest and most welcoming people on the earth. But I don't see anything incompatible with saying hello, welcome, we're very friendly, we're glad that you're here, we want you to enjoy yourselves and now we would also like to kick your butt"
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