Olympic Fever

With the rain cutting short my camping adventures, I returned home to watch the Olympic Closing Ceremonies.

Apart from the weird Logan’s Run bit with the glow in the dark floating guys….RENEW RENEW!!!…it was very entertaining…very colourful and again indicative of what we expected from them.

I don’t even want to talk about the London ‘preview’ apart from the fact that it made OUR preview at the last Winter Games look good. Hur hur.

I was glad to see the end as I had watched the beginning and stayed tuned to a bunch of events too.

While we all commented on the tiny Chinese gymnasts and I boggled at BMX’ing being part of the games….the whole thing seemed to be quite flawless.

And that is what got me. It was too perfect. It felt less than human. Robotic.

The corruption bothered our own Gus Greeper more than it did myself this year.

I think I am so ‘done’ with the Olympics now….corruption, in my opinion, is now par for the course.

I was actually surprised to not see MORE obvious signs of judgmental “errors” and so on.

The Olympics that we now watch have NOTHING to do with young athletes trying their best..it has all to do with politics and media and money. It was lost to me the moment they started letting Pro’s into things like Basketball and Hockey, and have us watch Beach Volleyball in their teeny bikini’s.

What is next? Ultimate Frisbee???

And no money for the Canadian athletes…a bitter complaint heard throughout the games.

Canada does not fund their athletes the same way many other countries do.

We do not have as many affordable programs as other countries do.

China starts most of it’s gymnasts at very early ages…they live and breathe their sport. Through government run programs.

We don’t really stand a chance against that. I still think they did a fantastic job….they were a great representation of us….a good example. Even with the hideous outfits.

The Chinese also created a gorgeous venue for the event. I LOVE the stadium and the swimming ‘cube’ is amazing.

But at what cost. We heard about people’s homes being demolished around their ears to make way for the new venues. Migrant workers were kept very busy and then sent home. There was no sign of poverty or homelessness.

Everything was very controlled and orchestrated. Would we expect anything less from such a regime?
No.

Does the Olympics make China look better to western eyes? Not really. Not to the average person or the person who sees past the glitter.

It does however make them look better to businesses and other governments.

The cash was shining brightly in the light of the fireworks.

And in less than 17 months, we have the Winter Olympics right here in Vancouver.

I am sure VANOC was watching the Beijing events very carefully…too carefully in my opinion.

Look at the similarities between the Beijing Mascots and ours??

I am still trying to figure out how cutesy anime characters represent CANADA and BC.

But I guess they can’t please all of us.

I do worry though.

I was dead against us having the Winter Olympics for many many reasons.

I don’t think we can really pull it off.

I look at the venues and the locations and wonder. How will it all look? How will you make Vancouver in February look good? The neighbourhood around BC Place and GM Place isn’t exactly full of Olympic feelings. Dodging cars on the Georgia Viaduct and rubbing shoulders with all the cold glass towers stuffed around there.

It just doesn’t scream community or WORLD CLASS.

Not to me anyway.

We don’t have an attractive city. We have a city in an ATTRACTIVE location.

Friday’s Vancouver Courier is looking at the career of Bing Thom architect extraordinaire and the architecture of Vancouver. I had to laugh.

While we may have the odd building of interest….or community area that stands out….there is no cohesiveness to Vancouver. Design has gone to the highest bidder, the richest developer.

Hence the attention to areas like Yaletown and UBC..while the rest of the city is largely ignored or worse, becomes the focus of ‘densification’ or our annoying Mayors fave…ECO DENSITY.

Our false creek water front is a barren cold zone of glass towers and the odd jogger.

There is no sense that this is a waterfront city. That entire area should be filled with stores, cafes, and coffee shops….our waterfront should be a draw not just to the people willing to pay for their condos in the sky but for all the visitors who bizarrely flock here.

Where is the vibrancy? Where is the life?

Cross the east/west boundary and take a long drive up Kingsway…probably one of the UGLIEST stretches of road in existence.

What does that say about the character of Vancouver?

Or is that part of the things that will be hidden from the media during the Olympics?

Will we put barricades along the roads? Wall of the Downtown East side?

I really think snow conditions and rock falls will be the least of our worries.

The most I pray for (in my atheist ways) us that we will stay away from the cheese for our ceremonies.

That we will focus on the beauty of the COUNTRYSIDE, the perfect skiing that Whistler and Blackcomb has been blessed with…and let nature do the talking.