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Eye on Olys

By: Eye on OLYS

10/02/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 1

NUMBERS GAME

 

231,000, 34,000, 12,500, 6,800

 

In order, the number of extra passengers, sponsors, media and athletes and officials expected to arrive through Vancouver International Airport in the next few days prior to the Opening ceremonies.

 

DID SOMEBODY CALL THE TERMINATOR?

 

Apparently, they did.

The Vancouver Olympics organizing committee invited California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve as a torch bearer on Friday in the run-up ot the 2010 Games opening ceremony -- which is drawing some flak.

After all, before Arnie became a gun-toting, robotic superhero in the movies, he admitted to using steroids during his previous life as a seven-time Mr. Olympia bodybuilder. You know, before he entered politics.

Not exactly the best role model for Olympic athletes, but there's no doubt Schwarzenegger will be an A-list celebrity during his trip up from California.

But John Furlong, the chief executive of Olympics organizing committee VANOC, said that the former Hollywood star will play a crucial role on Friday.

So not only will the Terminator be coming to Vancouver, sources say there's a good chance he'll be back.

Just be careful. He's been known to torch the place.

 

OY, OY, OY

Funny things can happen when you let a few thousand foreign journalists loose in an Olympic environment.

Every little controversy can become a firestorm.

Take, for example, the Australian national team's lark of hanging a giant flag of a boxing kangaroo in the athlete's village.

"Australia's 'Boxing Kangaroo' fights on," trumpeted World News Australia when word emerged that the IOC was backing down on its attempts to have Aussie athletes remove their boxing kangaroo banner from the athletes' village.

"I'm not sure there was ever really an issue," said IOC spokesman Mark Adams. "It was 'the battle that was never there.' "

Meanwhile, in Britain, Vancouver is solidifying its image as host of the most controversial Games on record. With predictions the Games will end up mired in debt still getting wide circulation there, the BBC's Adrian Warner weighed in with his view of the city and its Olympics in a blog post headlined: "Not everyone loves the games."

"I have come to Vancouver to report on my sixth Winter Olympics and I think it is going to be the most controversial I've ever covered," wrote Warner.

Let's hope.

 

OLY FYI

Want the inside story on the life-and-times of the athlete's village? The Vancouver Province is busy putting together a list of Olympic Tweeters. Said the Province: "We can tell you this: (American short-track speedskater Apolo Ohno has busy thumbs!" Just visit the Province's Podium blog at theprovince.com/podium and the athlete's tweets will appear in the top right corner of the screen... American skiing sensation Lindsey Vonn was splashed across the pages of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue Tuesday. Prompting Canadian skier Emily Brydon to claim to Canwest News Service she was a cover girl, too. "The Fernie Fix," Brydon said of her hometown magazine feature. "Circulation 1,000. And online!"... Wayne Gretzky had his turn to steer Canada. Only makes sense that his old winger Jari Kurri would get a shot with his home country, too. And the fact that the Finns haven't won gold in hockey yet didn't deter Kurri in the least. "There's pressure with the job but you don't worry about that," the old Oiler told the Vancouver Province. "Everyone here has pressure, but does that mean you don't want to come? It's all part of it."

 

--Randy Turner

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 10, 2010 C4

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1 Commentscomment icon

Honestly, it's so typical for an American to grand stand on a Canadian Act...whether it be in the Battlefield or with our Olympic Torch Run...
Arnold has enough Republican issues facing him in California, far from Vancouver Canada...I am disappointed that he was chosen to carry a flame that is for Our Olympics! You will never see a Canadian welcomed to do the same in America. This is Wrong! But, there are enough people that usually don't give a rats ass about Canadian History and how American's always stick their noses where they don't belong and re-write history on a daily basis to suit themselves and too, boost their All America Ego's.

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