Wednesday, August 15, 2012
The Flame Is Gone
They have
extinguished the Olympic Flame in London ,
England
As is always the
case, the Brits will have to wait for a year or two to tabulate the financial
successes and losses from the event. Certainly, from a showcase point of view,
the Games were most successful. For two weeks viewers from around the world
were shown the sights of London
Financially, it has
always been difficult to assess all of the factors related to the Games. It was
recently brought to light that the security cost alone for the Winter Games
held in Vancouver London Munich
I am certain that
every Canadian athlete who participated in the Games put forth his or her best
effort. There were plenty of coaches and other officials on hand keeping a
close eye on the participants. Fortunately, none of the Canadian competitors
was sent home because of a failed drug test. There were a few other athletes in
that situation. An American cyclist who won the gold medal eight years ago was stripped
of his title for doping, just prior to the deadline that exists for the Games.
There is ample reason
for excitement in Jamaica
The Canadian Women’s
soccer team became the darlings of the media at the Games. They lost to the
Americans in a terrific semi-final, marred by accusations of cheating and
questionable officiating. The head honchos in the soccer world need to realize
that the game has progressed to the point that it is ridiculous to expect one
official to be able to rule the soccer pitch. There should be at least two
referees on the field, maybe even three, to regulate the game properly.
There was a lot of
criticism of the behaviour of the Canadian players after the game, and rightly
so. They did not exactly display the highest of Olympic ideals, whining and
belly-aching about the loss. They did get to play the French for the bronze
medal, and won the game. They scored a goal in the extra time, on their very
first shot on goal in the entire game!
Our men’s rowing
team, the one with eight giants and Brian Price in the boat, came home with
silver medals. They have been consistently in the hunt for many years, and were
nudged from the top place on the podium by the giants from Germany
Brian Price
Only one Canadian
returned home with a gold medal, a young lady from the Toronto
I will apologize for
the following, in the event that I raise a few eyebrows with a final comment or
two about the current state of affairs in the modern Olympic world.
First of all, there
are far too many sports represented at the Games. All events that are judged
should be eliminated form the Games: gymnastics, wresting, combat sports, the
lists goes on and on. The Games should be a competition between athletes. No
more horses, or bicycles, or boats, or guns. Get rid of the big team events.
They have their own World Cups: basketball, (another American “Dream Team”),
soccer, volleyball.
We had just relaxed
from the finals at Wimbledon and discovered
they were playing tennis again at the same venue as an Olympic event. Same
players, roughly the same results.
As the Olympic Csar,
I will pare down the costs of the Games, make them more athletic, and remove
the politics. Fat chance! Alas, I am a small voice in the wilderness. I have
been ignored. Golf is on the agenda for the next Summer Games in Rio !
That isn’t cricket
now, is it?
James Hurst
August 14, 2012
Sportslices.blogspot.com
# posted by James Hurst @ 2:52 AM 
