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Mike McIntyre is many things.
He is an award-winning journalist who has covered murder trials, manhunts and deadly shootings. He is the author of several books. And in his latest incarnation at the Free Press, he is part of our NHL coverage team.
But Mike has never been an Olympian (if covering the Olympics makes you one). He came close in 2022 — as he was all set for the Winter Games in Beijing — but then COVID protocols changed and we worried that a positive test would leave Mike imprisoned in China for the rest of the pandemic. Mike’s Olympic dreams were shelved.
Four years later, I’m happy to report we’ve initiated the launch sequence that will take Mike to the Milano-Cortina Games.
In a meeting this afternoon with sports editor Grace Anne Paizen, Mike went over possible stories, angles to be pursued and the Manitobans on his coverage radar. In less than two weeks, he’ll be on a plane to Italy that will see him on the ground in time for the opening ceremony and 17 days worth of headlines.
This image provided by the International Olympic Committee shows an artist’s rendering of what the Olympic cauldrons will look like for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy. (The Associated Press)
A lot has happened in the newspaper industry over the course of the four-year Winter Olympic cycle — and not much of it has been good.
There are fewer newspapers, which means fewer reporters. For those papers that still maintain a sports department, pro teams and big international events are increasingly covered from the sofa, watching the action on TV instead of taking to the road to be in the arena.
But that’s not our way at the Free Press. We believe our readers deserve better, deserve more.
Our Olympic tradition involves having a reporter there from the moment the flame arrives at the Olympic cauldron until it is extinguished at the end of the Games.
Is it expensive to have Mike in Italy for nearly three weeks? Yes.
Could our coverage be done on the cheap by simply relying on wire services to deliver stories? Sure.
But at this time in our nation’s history — with all that is going on in the world, when we can all use a dose of Olympic pride — doing it on the cheap is hardly “elbows up” — and it ain’t what you’ve come to expect from the Free Press.
Olympic medalists often thank a long list of people for helping them land on the podium. In the case of Mike McIntyre, the thank-you list for making his Olympic dream come true includes readers like you.
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