Pathetic.
2
When all the democracies in the race retract their bids, and you're left to choose from a dictatorship and a snowless city, perhaps you should rethink your business model...
4
On the one hand, I rather hope that my son does qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. I would like to think that it would be an extraordinary experience for him, his teammates, and us, the families. But the Olympics, which has always been an organisation interested more in money than in integrity. Berlin 1936 anyone? Or the choice of Rome, Tokyo and Munich to white wash the winners of World War II, not to mention staying in Mexico City just after hundreds of students were massacred there? They are totally tone deaf and completely corrupt. Maybe we should just stop watching or, even better, develop an alternative.
3
It is too bad Almaty lost. So much for any authentic Olympics and then most of the alpine events won't really test who is the best because the tracks will be so different from the regular sport. I guess the IOC decided that with global warming better to just go completely artificial. So someone already mentioned, Dubai will probably win the games next. Sad and pathetic commentary on the state of the winter Olympics.
1
China has challenge with authoritarianism, displacing peasants, and so forth, but in any measure of poor governance Kazakhstan is surely worse. It's somewhat disingenuous for this article to completely breeze over such issues (and what they say about the deeper problems with finding Olympic host cities) simply in pursuit of some fluffy white stuff.
1
This article is an idealistic statement about a controversial choice, but it is not grounded in reality. Other cities like Oslo, Stockholm, Krakow all dropped out because they could not stomach the cost of organizing and running the 2022 winter games. Besides the silly artificial snow argument, it says China "have almost no history" in winter sports. Does Kazakhstan have a history or tradition in winter sports?
The article has a feeling of sour grapes, veiled envy at the pull of China and its financial heft. Want the 2022 Winter Olympics in Europe and North America? Just come up with ~10 billion, and the IOC will listen. China is organizing it simply because (almost) no one else can AFFORD to.
I am looking forward to this author writing on why the IOC shouldn't have awarded the 2016 Summer Games to Rio (Brazil) because of chronic water pollution and belated construction of venues. Brazil is hardly a Olympics powerhouse, so why should it organize it?
The article has a feeling of sour grapes, veiled envy at the pull of China and its financial heft. Want the 2022 Winter Olympics in Europe and North America? Just come up with ~10 billion, and the IOC will listen. China is organizing it simply because (almost) no one else can AFFORD to.
I am looking forward to this author writing on why the IOC shouldn't have awarded the 2016 Summer Games to Rio (Brazil) because of chronic water pollution and belated construction of venues. Brazil is hardly a Olympics powerhouse, so why should it organize it?
2
Beijing is silly. It makes as much sense as NYC. Almaty has the setting and genuine winter culture to live up to the original appeal of the winter games.
Lake Placid. Innsbruck. St. Moritz. Lillehammer. ...
As with the World Cup non-sense, I still don't understand why another organization is not formed or migrated to by the athletes. An organization where the athletes themselves have a say in host selection (gasp!).
It would be great to see something like the X-Games decide to go to Almaty and run an event at the same time in 2022. I bet more athletes would opt for Almaty.
The only thing the IOC needs now is a top of the food chain master villain as FIFA have in Blatter. Wait - he'll be looking for a new job soon.
Lake Placid. Innsbruck. St. Moritz. Lillehammer. ...
As with the World Cup non-sense, I still don't understand why another organization is not formed or migrated to by the athletes. An organization where the athletes themselves have a say in host selection (gasp!).
It would be great to see something like the X-Games decide to go to Almaty and run an event at the same time in 2022. I bet more athletes would opt for Almaty.
The only thing the IOC needs now is a top of the food chain master villain as FIFA have in Blatter. Wait - he'll be looking for a new job soon.
1
There were only two countries in contention .Also winter olympics being held in China compared to Kazakistan is far better when you compare the human rights situation .The article was very negative in terms of potrayal of china and the fact there was no real snow .So how do you popularize the Winter Olympics when the countries where there is "real snow" are not willing to bid for the games ??
Also i followed the Beijing Olympics and found it as all othere it was well organized .Give the chinese some credit .This sounded more like an propoganda rant not deserving to be in an reputed paper like New York Times
Also i followed the Beijing Olympics and found it as all othere it was well organized .Give the chinese some credit .This sounded more like an propoganda rant not deserving to be in an reputed paper like New York Times
3
Don't they need pure water to make snow? Where will they find that?
1
While I totally agree that the IOC is absolutely corrupt (as is FIFA) and China has no business receiving yet another opportunity to propagandize to the rest of the world, the artificial snow issue is far from the worst problem, and probably shouldn't have become a main focus of the article. Ski resorts all over the place (including places that get a lot of real snow, like Vermont) use snowmaking to augment the amount of real snow they have; it's just reality. We should be focusing primarily on the fact that China (and other past/future Olympics/World Cup hosts like Qatar and Russia) have atrocious human rights records.
I agree with commenters who say that the summer and winter Olympics should be at set locations; this would enable facilities to actually be used multiple times, and would eliminate the incentive for massive corruption by the IOC and host countries.
I agree with commenters who say that the summer and winter Olympics should be at set locations; this would enable facilities to actually be used multiple times, and would eliminate the incentive for massive corruption by the IOC and host countries.
A winter Olympics in Boston? The biggest hill there is where the Bunker Hill Monument is. And if it does snow, how is anyone going to get to the events with the T shut down and the streets clogged with snow.
The Olympics - both winter and summer versions - have become a farce where Nations and Corporations (little difference between the two) compete for passing glory, name recognition and, most of all, money.
Doesn't anyone remember, it's supposed to be about the athletes?
The Olympics - both winter and summer versions - have become a farce where Nations and Corporations (little difference between the two) compete for passing glory, name recognition and, most of all, money.
Doesn't anyone remember, it's supposed to be about the athletes?
1
Dear Juliet, while your sentiments about "snow" are precious, you failed to note the jaw-dropping irony of the IOC's award of the 2022 snowless Olympics to Red China -- the world's #1 generator of global warming wrought by its snow-melting industrial pollution.
Likewise dear Juliet, while I know it's shocking, you've come of age to be told a bare naked truth: athletes are cattle to the IOC . . . and FIFA, the NFL, NBA, Wimbleton, and the New York Yankees, not to mention all the corporations that peddle branded products and services to the "fans" of sports. The Beijing delegation really are joking about starting a winter sports company -- they'd be eaten alive by Nike.
Likewise dear Juliet, while I know it's shocking, you've come of age to be told a bare naked truth: athletes are cattle to the IOC . . . and FIFA, the NFL, NBA, Wimbleton, and the New York Yankees, not to mention all the corporations that peddle branded products and services to the "fans" of sports. The Beijing delegation really are joking about starting a winter sports company -- they'd be eaten alive by Nike.
Why did you single out the Yankees in your rant? Do the other 29 MLB teams not treat their athletes like cattle? Or is it just that their popularity and payroll makes them an easier target for you?
The winter Olympics haven't required snow now for two and arguably three cycles. Van couver was an unfortunate climate quirk that it was exceptionally mild and the snow melted. But Sochi? I mean that city is sub tropical! At least the Chinese have the money to pull off a missive feat of geo-engineering that the Russians failed at.
2
I think many Chinese are angry about the news that OIC choose China to held the 2022 Olympic Game. In some poor area of China, a large amount of children can't go to school because their family can't support them. There, lots of patient can't get good medical treatment. But their goverment are now wasting their tax payer's money doing such kind of unmeanningful thing rather than solving urgent social problem.
I just love that the entire news, no matter the source, is a bunch of bitter people spewing opinions. Ok, so they don't have snow you can depend on. But did they fail on the summer olympics? I think not. We all know that the I.O.C. is a bunch of greedy, selfish pigs trying to cash in on what they can break off of someone else, so the Chinese make sense, they have the manpower, the money and resources to make it happen, so well that the I.O.C. can make ridiculous profits. business is business. Why is it news that this organization has continued to be itself, and why does the news have to have to include the writers slanted opinion about the facts ?
2
The Sport Writer for this article seemed to have conveniently forgotten to mention that Sochi, Torino, and Whistler did not have much natural snow, neither did Lake Placid, as pointed by Mark Traub and Margaret Dad. The article also failed to remind the readers that 2008 Beijing Olympics was ranked by most athletes and news media as one of the best if not the best ever. A discussion on the well-recognized human right issues in Kazakhstan was also conspicuously omitted. Let’s have some real adult discussions on the causes and solutions for IOC corruption and declining Olympic movement. Blind China-bashing and sinophobia based on biased or false information don’t help.
2
I travel to China on business somewhat regularly. The last time I was in Beijing was Chinese New Year in Feb 2014.
It snowed (for the first time that season) about an inch. The Chinese get very excited about the snow because it "scrubs the air" as they would say. For a few hours you can breathe.
The combination of horrific air quality and no snow should make for a great olympics.
It snowed (for the first time that season) about an inch. The Chinese get very excited about the snow because it "scrubs the air" as they would say. For a few hours you can breathe.
The combination of horrific air quality and no snow should make for a great olympics.
The IOC did not have too many options. The choice was between two countries, China and Kazakhstan. Whichever one the IOC chose, they would have been criticized.
What do the Chinese and the IOC have in common? Both understand the power of bribery.
The Olympics have long since given up being about sports. Rather, it is a corporation that uses athletes for its own monetary, power, and ego purposes.
4
The world is finally realizing that competing to build multi-billion dollar disposable villages is a stupid idea. IOC needs a new model.
2
Can't they just ski on the smog?
2
This is the best, most straight-forward, honest and somewhat humorous (not the subject and facts but the writing style) column I've seen in a major paper. Bravo NY Times and brava to the journalist.
2
Since real snow isn't a requirement, how about having a dedicated venue for both Olympics. Take it back to Athens.
2
Maybe the winter athletes will decide there's no point in competing in snow sports if there's no snow.
The Olympics are completely corrupt.
5
Like World's Fairs, the Olympics are becoming less of a major event and more of a headache. Costs, corruption and, eventually, lack of interest.
4
This deal doesn't pass the smell test to me. With what I have learned about Chinese modern history and culture I suspect that the SLOC people involved in the pre-2002 bribery scandals were rank amateurs in comparison to the current IOC and Beijing officials.
At least they can do skating and curling.
The sad thing is that the IOC encourages to the worst government behavior by pandering to governments that will do anything, including destroy the lives of their citizens, to pull this off. Then again, who would be surprised? My view is that the IOC is monumentally corrupt. They like to talk about the "Olympic family" which is not the athletes, though they want you to believe that it is. The real IOC is just those few who run the organization. The only real purpose of the IOC, in my view, is to enrich itself at any cost, and what a great deal. They get cities and countries all over the world to spend destructive amounts of money to build facilities (think Montreal and Greece) and train athletes while the IOC is handed a spectacular payday. How stupid are we?
4
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Boston recently said no to an event that by design puts cities in great debt with little upside to it's residents.
Fortunately for IOC, Beijing doesn't care even if they are environmentally unsuited for it. What matters to the IOC is the gravy train keeps on going.
It makes you wonder if Damascus were the only city willing to host the Olympics, civil war or not, the IOC would give it to them.
Fortunately for IOC, Beijing doesn't care even if they are environmentally unsuited for it. What matters to the IOC is the gravy train keeps on going.
It makes you wonder if Damascus were the only city willing to host the Olympics, civil war or not, the IOC would give it to them.
1
Boston said no to a summer Olympics.
Lack of snow at the venue is a small matter compared to the Brazil Games, where water events will be held in raw sewage and the athletes are 100% certain to be sickened from it. These Games have been taken over by a corrupt clique that doesn't even try to cover its tracks. We need an alternate Olympics dedicated to sport held in Greece every four years. Winter Games probably in Switzerland. Bypass the crooks.
Summer Olympics can be held anywhere on the planet (except the North and South Poles). But the Winter Olympics - it requires that it be held in snow country. I am no expert but skiing on the artificial snow at drought-stricken California resorts made the experience feel artificial in itself. This is just pandering to the Chinese by the moribund IOC. How embarrassing! I wonder how the skiers on the national ski teams feel about this deep in their hearts but cannot object lest they jeopardize their promotional opportunities.
9
A little too much sinophobia for my taste.
The Olympics, for better or worse (and probably worse) are more commerce than pure sport. Beijing makes perfect sense in that context, and I'm sure they will do fine coming up with the requisite snow, nature made or not.
The Olympics, for better or worse (and probably worse) are more commerce than pure sport. Beijing makes perfect sense in that context, and I'm sure they will do fine coming up with the requisite snow, nature made or not.
4
Have we already forgotten that it was 60 degrees every day in Sochi, that Vancouver never saw snow at seal level (and 50's most days) and it didn't snow in Torino until the middle of the second week? I have been to all the Olympics since 2000, and I had a lovely view of those mountains in Beijing from my hotel window, on the day it was clear enough to see them. This argument is not new, but the Winter Olympics are just too expensively unappetizing to draw in the right mix of city and winter park.
4
I don't understand why the media keeps playing up this distance theme when reporting on the Skiing. Some of the most popular ski resorts in Colorado are a similar distance from Denver.
4
I loathe the Olympics and what it's become as much as anybody, but I'm not sure what the issue is with natural snow. Artificial snow was used in Lake Placid in 1980 due to a freak lack of natural snow, with no ill effects.
It is becoming clear, though, that the mega-Olympics as we've known it for the past 30 years or so is on its way out, a victim of its own bloat, corruption, and expense. And a lot of us are happy to see it.
It is becoming clear, though, that the mega-Olympics as we've known it for the past 30 years or so is on its way out, a victim of its own bloat, corruption, and expense. And a lot of us are happy to see it.
5
I think its sad that the Winter Olympics have become such a greed driven industry. Smallish alpine communities such as Lake Placid will never host another game. The soul of the games have been sold to the highest bidder.
5
Not to worry, China. Boston's got your back and will eagerly sell you their excess 2022 snow. As a gesture of goodwill, NYC and Chicago might even be willing to donate their snow to you as well but you will have to provide your own transportation. along with several thousand snow shovelers to retrieve it.
6
C'mon guys. Lay off China. They NEED these games to boost their ego. While they have become a giant economic and political force, they still have a bit of an inferiority complex internationally, and feel that they need to prove to the world just how wonderful and progressive they are.
3
I believe the decision is absolutely NOT a rational one but instead a more politically and "financially" driven one, which is not surprising for a committee that has displayed a track record poor judgments over and over again.
5
I guess no one really wants the Olympics anymore. It's a headache of unbelievable proportions, and a headache to watch. Frankly, it has become so overblown, they should dish it. It has lost its meaning to everyone except the advertisers. The world championships are just as good, if not better.
9
As I will no longer be doing even the minimum that one can do, which is watching events like the Olympics or the World Cup without otherwise participating, I just don't care.
When the only two candidates to host the Winter Olympics are snow-less China and Putin's ally Kazakhstan, and
when Tokyo wins the Summer Olympics because Madrid is bankrupt and because the ruling party in Japan has an absolute majority and can, therefore, spend as much on cost overruns as they want, and
when Russia can start a war in neighboring Ukraine, but still host the Winter Olympics and the World Cup,
it is time to end the Olympic movement.
When the only two candidates to host the Winter Olympics are snow-less China and Putin's ally Kazakhstan, and
when Tokyo wins the Summer Olympics because Madrid is bankrupt and because the ruling party in Japan has an absolute majority and can, therefore, spend as much on cost overruns as they want, and
when Russia can start a war in neighboring Ukraine, but still host the Winter Olympics and the World Cup,
it is time to end the Olympic movement.
3
It may be slightly warmer, in Beijing, by 2022.
2
2022 stands to be a hot year. Winter Olympics in Beijing and the World Cup in Qatar. Both will be hard to watch, at best.
1
I'm enjoying the IOC and FIFA not even attempting to be stealthy in their corruption. This is end stage capitalism at its best.
6
It's not capitalism, it's called corruption. And it's a feature of many socialist nations as well. But NY Times posters are well known for biting the hand that feeds them.
In 2010 Vancouver had to truck in snow from remote mountians to the venues near city . This is the city surrounded by tons of snow mountains and guess what.... there was no snow in that Olympic year!
So, snow or no snow, how do you know?
So, snow or no snow, how do you know?
1
The IOC ought to sponsor a comedy Olympics where it would win Gold, Silver and Bronze for its unwavering commitment to silliness and growing irrelevance.
2
Just end the practice of dishing out the game locations.
Permanently hold the summer games in Greece - that would be good for them, it would make sense historically, and the same infrastructure can be reused.
Permanently hold the winter games in some Scandinavian city (Lillehammer was mentioned below). End of story.
Unfortunately, that solution doesn't work for soccer, which is played everywhere and by everyone - but there at least have some minimum requirements about active soccer players or the like, and min/max temperatures.
Permanently hold the summer games in Greece - that would be good for them, it would make sense historically, and the same infrastructure can be reused.
Permanently hold the winter games in some Scandinavian city (Lillehammer was mentioned below). End of story.
Unfortunately, that solution doesn't work for soccer, which is played everywhere and by everyone - but there at least have some minimum requirements about active soccer players or the like, and min/max temperatures.
3
Well, FIFA and IOC have awarded games lately to picture perfect poster countries for good governance and democracy; Qatar, Russia and China, and in the last case Kazakhstan was the only other bidder.
It seems to me, that these games have lost their original purpose long time ago and are now just propaganda tools for the hosts and money making opportunities for FIFA and IOC: bloated and glitzy spectacles only.
Too bad, because sport is fun to watch.
Oh, and the first - and probably last - European Games were held in Azerbaijan.
It seems to me, that these games have lost their original purpose long time ago and are now just propaganda tools for the hosts and money making opportunities for FIFA and IOC: bloated and glitzy spectacles only.
Too bad, because sport is fun to watch.
Oh, and the first - and probably last - European Games were held in Azerbaijan.
2
Mitt Romney's time under the microscope gave us a bit of insight into how money-driven and corrupt the Olympics can be. The IOC is playing with fire: the world has a lot of ways to entertain itself; if they cheapen the Olympics too much they'll find themselves without an audience and without anything to sell.
5
Reading some of the comments here, I got the impression that a lot of americans do not really know what is happening in China today. Probably those people have never been in China and have never talked to ordinary Chinese to learn how their life have changed over the past 30 years. I originally came from China and I’m now living in California. I go back to China once every 2 or three years. Each time I was there I saw mostly positive changes in my hometown. I’m not saying that China is perfect and in fact it has a lot of problems. But the distorted perception of China by a lot of americans is just amazing. This is probably caused by mostly biased articles that appear on the mainstream media like this one.
For example, the article said that about 1500 people will lose their homes. But the article didn’t bother to mention that the government will build those people new homes to live in nearby (and usually better than the old ones). Also, no mention is made about how artificial snow was used in the last two winter Olympic games. In fact, at 2010 Vancouver game, Canada’s mild climate forced the organizers to airlift snow by helicopter at 5-minute intervals, haul snow by lorryload from 3 hours away in addition to shooting snow out of snow cannon. Please read:
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/feb/10/vancouver-lacks-snow
So, no snow probably is indeed no problem.
For example, the article said that about 1500 people will lose their homes. But the article didn’t bother to mention that the government will build those people new homes to live in nearby (and usually better than the old ones). Also, no mention is made about how artificial snow was used in the last two winter Olympic games. In fact, at 2010 Vancouver game, Canada’s mild climate forced the organizers to airlift snow by helicopter at 5-minute intervals, haul snow by lorryload from 3 hours away in addition to shooting snow out of snow cannon. Please read:
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/feb/10/vancouver-lacks-snow
So, no snow probably is indeed no problem.
3
Right on one thing, China has a lot more problems than lack of snow. But I guess you need to get past the Great Firewall to know that.
An absolute travesty. Its now official that the IOC, like FIFA, cares nothing about the roots of sports, nor human rights, nor how obvious their corruption is. They now award solely on a cash basis, and damn any relevance to the sport. There was a time in Winter Sports when the venues were the centers of their sport - Innsbruck, Chamonix, St. Mor, Squaw, Lake Placid.... and now Beiijing? This is as bad as Sochii, even worse as China's human rights records is worse than Russia's, and the pollution problem in Beiijing will just make it obvious to the rest of the world that these Olympics are an aberration, something that never should have happened. Think about the dead and detained Uighurs and Tibetans while you celebrate sportsmanship, and the elite who are making millions while hundreds of millions live from paycheck to paycheck.
5
It is time to have one fixed permanent venue for the summer and winter Olympics...they are too expensive which is why questionable awards are being made, based on money than any other logic. Also places the focus back on the games and less on the host country...which is what it should be.
4
Congrats to the PRC for winning an uncontested contest; just like the elections in the PRC.
News flash: nobody else wanted to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
News flash: nobody else wanted to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
3
With world climate pretty screwed up -- no matter what the cause -- it may well snow like crazy in Beijing in 2022. And if adding more CO2 to the atmosphere will help the cause, China is doing a bang-up job of that.
1
IOC is beginning to smell like FIFA. We had fake turf for the Women's World Cup. Now it's fake snow for ski events. What happened to challenging natural sites for the featured outdoor events? No more heroic downhill runs like Franz Klammer and Bode Miller's. Some water skier from South Beach will probably win the skiing events in Beijing.
1
Figure skating and ice hockey were held outdoors on natural ice until technology made it cheap enough to move those events indoors on artificial ice. Just do a Google image search for 1924 Chamonix winter olympics ice hockey. Maybe by 2124, cheap construction technology will allow all the Winter Games to be held indoors on artificial ice/snow so no events will ever be postponed due to bad weather. :-)
1
It's about time we ended the farce of the Olympics. Every two years we are treated to reports of cheating and scandal which is evidently not confined to the athletes. There is a lot of back room wheeling and dealing which gives the Olympics to totally unsuitable places. What made it so interesting to the voting members to give Beijing the prize? Not only does Beijing have no snow, it has a huge pollution problem. The next summer games water sports will be held in sewage water. Again, not a problem for the IOC.
There is a lot of nationalist huffing and puffing about which country has the most medals. This too is a farce. The athletes from most countries do not represent their government, they are privately funded. Even nationality has been thrown to the wind. Athletes compete for countries where their parents were born even if they have never lived there. This is often the case when they can't make it onto their own nation's team.
The whole thing has become a scandal ridden farce where winning is everything even if you have to cheat to get your medal or to get your city an Olympics. It is time to end the Olympics for a long long time. It has ended before because of cheating and scandal. Now would be a good time to take another very long break.
There is a lot of nationalist huffing and puffing about which country has the most medals. This too is a farce. The athletes from most countries do not represent their government, they are privately funded. Even nationality has been thrown to the wind. Athletes compete for countries where their parents were born even if they have never lived there. This is often the case when they can't make it onto their own nation's team.
The whole thing has become a scandal ridden farce where winning is everything even if you have to cheat to get your medal or to get your city an Olympics. It is time to end the Olympics for a long long time. It has ended before because of cheating and scandal. Now would be a good time to take another very long break.
1
I find laughable the entire quasi-religious treatment of the Olympics every time the big networks and the mega-sponsors remind us of the spirit of brotherhood in sports, etc., etc. The Olympics has always been run by cynical, soul-less and corrupt men for personal gain, with no regard for advancing the human rights of the denizens of the host countries or anywhere else (Munich 1936 long-preceded Moscow or Beijing). I love sports, but if viewers allow themselves to be manipulated by the Olympic movement and its financial hangers-on, then it is just another sign of the failing of our civilization.
2
I think you mean "Berlin 1936"; the Munich games were in 1972.
I am against artificial plastic and in favor of real snow Good Luck with your choice of winter olympics O.I.C.
Given the influx of Chinese carrying suitcases full of money to purchase properties and businesses, holding the winter Olympics in Boston would have been an interesting choice.
Money talks and common sense goes by the wayside. Based on the financial losses most cities see when hosting the Olympics, I am surprised any area makes a bid. In the spirit of recycling, I think host cities should have the option to get the same event twice within 20 yrs to make the extravagant expense worthwhile.
With technical advances in C.G.I. snow and mountains can be added in front of green screens and manipulated to create an apparent reality. Oh, that's Chinese politics. Who cares anymore. Bread and Circus. The IOC and these host countries make the Mob look legitimate. Hush funds down the shlush!
2
The IOC is becoming a parody of itself. They remove sports like softball which is played by millions (and where winners are determined by direct competition) but keep and even expand totally subjective displays like synchronized swimming or rhythmic gymnastics. The best thing we can about the Olympics is totally ignore them (and their sponsors).
3
Olympic Committee/FIFA...money and politics...sports as an aside.
3
This kind of stupidity by the IOC is why I stopped watching the Olympics completely.
1
Is snow a sine qua non for the Winter Olympics? Beggars comprehension that Beijing was chosen -by the IOC, headquartered in Qatar, not a place known for its snow or winter sports- for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Perhaps Willard Mitt Romney, who saved the IOC bacon in the 2002 American Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, could be brought in as an uber-consultant to China for their Olympics. Of course Almaty, Kazakhstan didn't have a ghost of a chance to win the 2022 Olympics. And fortunately the only other city in serious contention, Boston, backed out of the scrum and let this fantastic money-spending opportunity slip away from the US.
Boston doesn't want the stupid Winter or Summer Olympics! We are too smaht for this huge waste of money and resources. Silly us, we'd rather fix our crumbling infrastructure and public transportation systems, then spending billions to throw a two week party.
6
Scarcely New Discoveries of 2915:
Pluto is cold, and the Olympics are an international scandal, complete with huge businesses manipulating selection, monstrous cost overruns taxpayers get to subsidize ( Utah, Utah, Utah) , political pressure shurting reporters and indigenous peoples (Russia, China, Brazil)), dangerous or just silly venues (Brazil's earth, air, and water), human rights violations with armies fighting arresting hundreds before the games (Sochi, China), judging scandals millions observe (Korean boxing, anyone?), venues sitting idle afterward on land people were kicked off, or sold for great losses (Montreal, Vancouver, China, again) and the occasionally a participant dying while diving or sledding. I can't believe the pattern: Berlin, Munich, Atlanta, Sochi, Brazil. We need a new motto: Farther, lower, and dumber than ever. A new name "The FIFA Game". Or "The Romney Ploy". Oops, I forgot what we don't need: millionaire basketballers, subsidized "amateur" athletes, government plots, doping scandals, and tickets only the top 1% can afford. Not to mention nearly nude (women only) beach volleyball. Much farther, lower, and dumber. What would Plato think? Or Pluto? It's gone to the dog(s).
Pluto is cold, and the Olympics are an international scandal, complete with huge businesses manipulating selection, monstrous cost overruns taxpayers get to subsidize ( Utah, Utah, Utah) , political pressure shurting reporters and indigenous peoples (Russia, China, Brazil)), dangerous or just silly venues (Brazil's earth, air, and water), human rights violations with armies fighting arresting hundreds before the games (Sochi, China), judging scandals millions observe (Korean boxing, anyone?), venues sitting idle afterward on land people were kicked off, or sold for great losses (Montreal, Vancouver, China, again) and the occasionally a participant dying while diving or sledding. I can't believe the pattern: Berlin, Munich, Atlanta, Sochi, Brazil. We need a new motto: Farther, lower, and dumber than ever. A new name "The FIFA Game". Or "The Romney Ploy". Oops, I forgot what we don't need: millionaire basketballers, subsidized "amateur" athletes, government plots, doping scandals, and tickets only the top 1% can afford. Not to mention nearly nude (women only) beach volleyball. Much farther, lower, and dumber. What would Plato think? Or Pluto? It's gone to the dog(s).
3
Oh librals of course Chinese government holds this event is to call you folks to watch, and will be very sad if you done watch, not for stimulating economy or something. I'm just amused.
Its amused to see how an upset way liberals saw this event . To be practical, if Chinese government wants snow , they can make snows far more than enough. In china the high speed rail is so fast that from Peking to Shanghai it took two hours . They might not need to do it but they can easily build an express way from Peking to northeast cities where there is ambient snow.
And human rights, yes, what I saw is train trails, electricity and internet were build in an rural place where productivity were used to be based on farm slaves a hundred year ago.
Librals at home they cannot stop Donald trump internationally they cannot boycott China .it's just amusing.
And human rights, yes, what I saw is train trails, electricity and internet were build in an rural place where productivity were used to be based on farm slaves a hundred year ago.
Librals at home they cannot stop Donald trump internationally they cannot boycott China .it's just amusing.
First of all. Let us not try to link every sport venue to politics or human rights. The author might have a few point if she has not done so in the second part of her article.
Second, let me say that Beijing is not an ideal place to host Winter Olympics. The ski resort that will host the venue has annual snowfall of a couple inches. I know it because some of my friends actually ski there. The mountain is reasonably good but that part of China simply do not have enough snow.
Third, I wonder why Oslo didn't enter the bid although it was heavily courted by IOC. I was actually hoping that NY sumbit a bid, don't we have all the facilities in lake placid and it hosted two Olympics already. By the way I never skied whiteface because of its infamous ice sheet.
Second, let me say that Beijing is not an ideal place to host Winter Olympics. The ski resort that will host the venue has annual snowfall of a couple inches. I know it because some of my friends actually ski there. The mountain is reasonably good but that part of China simply do not have enough snow.
Third, I wonder why Oslo didn't enter the bid although it was heavily courted by IOC. I was actually hoping that NY sumbit a bid, don't we have all the facilities in lake placid and it hosted two Olympics already. By the way I never skied whiteface because of its infamous ice sheet.
1
Have you been to Lake Placid? That was fine when the Winter Olympics had roughly 1,000 participating athletes and ten major events. There is no way a village of that size could support the bloat of the current Olympic Games, and nowhere in the beautiful, unspoiled Adirondack Park to build the state-of-the-art facilities for the most minor sports (short-track speed skating???) that the IOC demands. Nor is there the money for it, nor, thank God, the will. Remember Eric Heiden's speed skating feats in 1980--which were held on the flooded outdoor track in front of the village high school? Yeah, I don't think those kinds of facilities are going to cut it with the current IOC.
Norway did not want what the winter Olympics brings today - opportunities for corruption, cheating/doping by athletes who are pushing the limits of what can be done without doping, consumption and waste (constructing buildings not useful for the local population after the 'Game') on a huge scale, and quite significantly, degradation of environment, all for a 2-week spectacle that benefits the few and already-wealthy - that is why Oslo didn't submit a bid.
I love the Olympics, especially the Winter Olympics, but I think we can now declare the Olympic movement dead. If not in reality, at least in spirit. This announcement rankles in the same way as FIFA's announcement of Qatar as host of the 2022 Football World Cup. It just defies any logic. The only defence the IOC has, I guess, is that they were left with a choice between 2 poor options. The bigger question is why only 2? The Olympics have become so bloated, so soulless, and so corporatised that hosting the event has become a punishment not a prize. The time is right for for a rival movement to come to the fore, a la Ted Turner in the 80's, and let's get back to celebrating athletics not marketing.
The IOC is a bloated corpse. Let's bury it...
The IOC is a bloated corpse. Let's bury it...
6
This is nuts. The Winter Olympics should be held in the mountains, where there is snow.
Is the IOC out of its tree or what?
Please note, this is no reflection on the obvious ability of China to host an Olympics. But, the Winter Olympics are dependent, by definition, on ice, snow and cold weather.
Is the IOC out of its tree or what?
Please note, this is no reflection on the obvious ability of China to host an Olympics. But, the Winter Olympics are dependent, by definition, on ice, snow and cold weather.
1
By IOC logic and corruption, Dubai would seem inevitable for a future winter Olympics.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/01/sports/olympics/at-the-2022-winter-oly...®ion=c-column-middle-span-region&WT.nav=c-column-middle-span-region
Having the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing will be very amazing. Especially considering the fact that Beijing has a very low annual snowfall. It seems though that it wont be a problem because they can always use artificial snow. But enough of the really cool facts about the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. I want to know why an estimated of 1,500 people will lose there homes to the ski jump and the Olympic Village and be considered collateral damage. Also there was talk of a high-speed railway that would cut the travel time between the two sites of the ski areas to just under an hour. I mean yeah it would be helpful, but what happens when the Games are over? The rail-way will still be there doing nothing, so I personally think it will be a terrible idea mainly for the fact that it will be a waste of money in the long run. Topic is what interested me the most in the times this week because I love the Winter Olympic Games.
Having the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing will be very amazing. Especially considering the fact that Beijing has a very low annual snowfall. It seems though that it wont be a problem because they can always use artificial snow. But enough of the really cool facts about the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. I want to know why an estimated of 1,500 people will lose there homes to the ski jump and the Olympic Village and be considered collateral damage. Also there was talk of a high-speed railway that would cut the travel time between the two sites of the ski areas to just under an hour. I mean yeah it would be helpful, but what happens when the Games are over? The rail-way will still be there doing nothing, so I personally think it will be a terrible idea mainly for the fact that it will be a waste of money in the long run. Topic is what interested me the most in the times this week because I love the Winter Olympic Games.
Yes, let's put mega-events in their least suitable locations-World Cup: Qatar and the Winter Olympics into the city with the least amount of snow: Beijing. In Qatar it is too hot to play soccer during the day. Workmen are melting in the heat as they build the stadia for the matches. In Beijing the air is so dirty you can't see the high rises. Oh, no problem. They'll have the air quality improved by the time the games take place. Who needs real snow? We'll make snow or have the events 200 miles outside of the host city where conditions are slightly more suitable. FIFA just had a big bribery scandal yet refuses to move the WC from Qatar. And the IOC which isn't that clean itself awards the Winter games to Beijing. I love both these events but I really do wonder about having them at such unsuitable locations.
22
Since you've compared this to the World Cup in Qatar, they do not even have a soccer team!
1
After FIFA, is the IOC next?
Clearly, money was involved and it went into private pockets.
Loretta Lynch, are you reading this?
Clearly, money was involved and it went into private pockets.
Loretta Lynch, are you reading this?
i remember,fair enough that was some years back, the first winter olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. there was also no snow.so what we did, we got literally thousands of young soldiers with wicker baskets on their backs, carrying snow from the higher up areas down to the event places. no snow guns at that time, and of course no roads for huge trucks or front loaders to get the snow. it was a huge success. and no one complained. even in the Alps it does happe n there is not enough snow at the right time in the right place. so what, Innsbruck got the olympics a second time....
7
In 2022 there be almost no transfer of actual snow. It will all be artificial.
nearly 60% of snow in the Alps ( at the ski resorts that is. i am an Austrian,I know.) is artificially these days. either to start the winter season earlier or to prolong it. or just because there is just not enough snow. i never heard anyone complaining about it. so why so much fuss for the olympics?
I'm sure members of the IOC received some big bribes for selecting Beijing. Business as usual.
42
Predictable reaction from the NYT reporter. Russia and China are not politically correct to win bids to host world athletic events such as the olympic games or the world cup.
Luckily Almaty in Kazakhstan was the only competing city with Beijing, The NYT piece would be even stronger if an American city were involved in the bid. In this case, the JD would be called to investigate corruption at the IOC.
Luckily Almaty in Kazakhstan was the only competing city with Beijing, The NYT piece would be even stronger if an American city were involved in the bid. In this case, the JD would be called to investigate corruption at the IOC.
6
Contrary to what you may believe, the general consensus in the US is that hosting an Olympics is a massive money loser. Sure, the regional leaders may think it a good idea, but at the national level no one cares. These events just don't carry the same national propaganda weight as they do in countries like China or Brazil.
When an American city loses a bid for the Olympics, the majority of people breath a sigh of relief.
When an American city loses a bid for the Olympics, the majority of people breath a sigh of relief.
Boston dodged a bullet here. Let China add tens of billions in debt for a vanity project run by one of the world's most corrupt organizations. May the US never host another Olympics again until the IOC is reformed.
70
What's more, I can hardly see the direct relation between human rights and winter sports. Author sure has made a few more good points.After graduating from Duke University, I now work as a journalism fixer in China. From my perspective, if you are reluctant to be fair and balanced in writing an news article, at least you should spend a bit time on getting the basic facts right rather than using the faked information to support your point. Or it would be very misleading to readers who are not so familiar to the events you covered. By the way, Beijing do snows in winner, Google it.
12
First, "Sports of the Times" pieces are not news articles, they are opinion pieces in the sports section, so Ms. Macur can write whatever she pleases. Second, while winter sports and human rights have no relationship, the Olympic Games and human rights are deeply intertwined, or should be.
No matter, any pretense the Olympics once had to upholding its original charge has become no more than a fig leaf for the current purpose: to make millions for oligarchs already awash in it, and to boost nationalism around the world; as if we need more of that commodity. I say this as an American who holds at least as much contempt for the US Olympic Committee as for Thomas Bach and his cronies.
No matter, any pretense the Olympics once had to upholding its original charge has become no more than a fig leaf for the current purpose: to make millions for oligarchs already awash in it, and to boost nationalism around the world; as if we need more of that commodity. I say this as an American who holds at least as much contempt for the US Olympic Committee as for Thomas Bach and his cronies.
I'm almost scared to ask but what exactly is a "journalism fixer" in China? If "fixing" means making an article "fair and balanced" -- from the Chinese government's viewpoint -- I really think the west needs to re-evaluate trade practices until human rights issues, including and especially the right to a free press, improve.
The relationship between the Olympics and human rights is due to the fact that the Olympic Games, in addition to being a sporting event for 'non-professional athletes' is used as a political and propaganda tool for the host country. The issue here, similar to the summer Olympics held in Berlin in 1936, is that the host country does not seem to adhere to the political values of some of the readers and the writer of the article.
1
I have to say this passage is entirely based on unfounded materials.First, the major point is Beijing is a no-snow city which will rely on the artificial snow to host the winter Olympic. The fact that author made a very shallow logical connection between winter sports and snow is quite absurd that Beijing will host most indoor competition like figure skating and short-track speed skating. The co-hosting city Zhangjiakou, with an average 5-months annual snow-storing period and highest standard international snow quality, will be responsible for hosting most outdoor games. Did the author mention any of these facts apart from emphasizing the point that Beijing has no snow? And if the author did just a bit extra work, she would know the international level winter sports rely almost entirely on artificial snow rather than natural snow due to the special and strict standard that international matches requires. Second, the author suggested that Beijing faked the figure that tickets were all sold out while the population of Beijing is just 17 million. Logical flaws is way manifest here, according to my experience, I'm from south China and almost half of my friends and family went to Beijing that summer and they told me it was so hard to get a ticket with tourists from the country and the world flocking to Beijjng.Posts these few days in Chinese social media showed people's eagerness to go to Beijing for 2022 winter sports that are relatively new and fresh to Chinese people.
24
Qin
I am sure it will be a "success" regardless of how much of a failure it is.
I am sure it will be a "success" regardless of how much of a failure it is.
i remember it was so difficult to get a ticket in beijing 2008. those gangs asked me about 150 usd for a ping pong game ticket. it was just qualification game. maybe the 'cheer squad' took all the tickets as the reporter said.
I've given up on the Olympics meaning anything. This, and previous ones, is ridiculous. It's all corrupt and who cares anymore. That's not even a question but a statement.
38
How plastic and artificial and unreal can our lives get. i smell baksheesh in this choice. How can one not?
8
IOC. For whom the bell tolls.
3
there's a WINTER olympics?!???!?
4
What is the surprise? The IOC is for sale to the highest bidder and has been for some time. The people in Boston showed a lot of common sense.
40
With a 150 mile thresh-hold distance for Olympic events, Boston could most certainly host a winter Olympics. We've got hills in the Berkshires, Blue Hill in Milton, and New Hampshire, after all, is a suburb of Boston, isn't it?
2
As a Boston resident delighted by our snub to IOC, it's clearer than every the motivation of that organization.
35
Predictably disappointing.
4
There's always Houston. We not only have no snow we don't even have hills.
46
Disappointed you didn't apply. We in Minneapolis thought the no hills thing was a killer too, turns out it was the real snow thing that would've set us out.
With all respect due athletes, most of whom already know this, the Olympics have become meaningless--at least besides the merchandising and media hype.
So let's recommend the committee and China go all out: how about some dramtatic alpine scenery CGI, and Hollywood-scripted event results. That might ensure ratings and sales.
So let's recommend the committee and China go all out: how about some dramtatic alpine scenery CGI, and Hollywood-scripted event results. That might ensure ratings and sales.
9
for sure, The uber master ZHANG Yimou will again get the contract for the opening ceremony.
Actually you are showing no respect for the athletes...unless you are a former Olympian yourself, you don't have that right. They still train hard to get there and despite all of the marketing around the games, the competitions are still real.
Snow matters rather little. Who gets paid? All of these 'international' sports organizations are completely corrupt. So why send a team? Worse than a joke.
15
I wonder if the broadcast will be able to compete with the Atacama swim meet
7
.....or the Florida Everglades World Cup Soccer event that same week!
6
The IOC's nod to Beijing, which has conceded up front that it will lack natural snow, has made a mockery of of the Winter Olympics.
58
There're only two cities bidding to host the game. Four cities from the west withdrew owing to financial or political problems. Truth is winter sports is mostly popular with countries in the north because of requirement for the venues. This in a way decides winter olympics to happen on a much smaller scale in comparison with the summer olympics. How to expand winter sports' popularity beyond geography? How to make sure that hosting the winter olympics is actually profitable for the host country instead of just being a huge waste of money? If such sustainability could be achieved, then the situation where there were only two bidding countries would never happen in the first place.
1
IOC = FIFA in another language.
31
There were only two bidders. Is Beijing better than Almaty or not? The author is answering other questions which is irrelevant to the decision. If she is not xenophobic, I do not know the meaning of the word.
3
There....is....no....snow. Xenophobic? How about "rational"?
15
Supporters of China always answer terrible human rights abuses with charges of racism.
1
Aren't you the least bit curious why there were only two bidders to host the winter games?
1
Wouldn't you think the olympic athletes would be given a say in this decision? Oh, I forgot. Those decisions are made by those who never competed and are guaranteed billions of dollars in television and advertising revenue. If only sanity could prevail and the Olympics would be held at a singular site, one for winter and one for summer. Too simple a solution.
11
Any Olympic athlete that can come up with the scratch to buy a vote can certainly have their say!
Big shock. What many people do not realize is that FIFA and IOC are both members of the same Swiss-based organized crime and money laundering ring. There are good reasons why the IOC and almost all of the other Olympic sports federations are HQd in Switzerland (FIS, IAAF, FEI, FINA, FIFA, UCI, etc) along with the official timing & results provider (Swiss Timing). The reasons are (a) easy to launder money through Swiss banks (b) lax to non-existent bribery & Federal corruption laws (c) weak extradition agreements and poor international cooperation by Swiss law enforcement.
Why do you think internationally-wanted criminals like Marc Rich and Roman Polanski flee to Switzerland to lay low? It's a sunny place for shady people.
Why do you think internationally-wanted criminals like Marc Rich and Roman Polanski flee to Switzerland to lay low? It's a sunny place for shady people.
54
Alpine skiing World Cup events are more often than not run on artificial snow, for reasons not always related to a lack of the natural thing. That said, at the Beijing Alpine venues the ONLY snow will be that created artificially which will not do much for the atmosphere. We are now truly in the age of the Truman Show Olympics. That the IOC was left with a choice between two locations, neither of which has much appeal, speaks loudly about the current perception of the event by potential host cities. The IOC, and the Olympic movement, have a big problem. Are they listening? More importantly, are they prepared to make the changes necessary to restore interest in the event? Or are they just interested in producing a TV show?
17
well no real "snow sport" nations put out a bid... what do you expect the IOC to do when all the cities are in austerity mode... it has to go somewhere or their very existence is threatened... Kazakhstan is not exactly the human rights capital of the world neither...
3
Who needs snow?
They can all sky on hundred-dollar bills, papering the ground, which the IOC has to burn!
What a sickening, overblown spectacle "sports" has turned into!
They can all sky on hundred-dollar bills, papering the ground, which the IOC has to burn!
What a sickening, overblown spectacle "sports" has turned into!
11
Did you know Vancouver also get very little snow? The outdoor events weren't held in Vancouver but in a place hundreds of kilometers to the north called Whistler?
And you said Boston has snow, that's laughable. Does Boston have mountains? Did you expect athletes to sky of snow covered office buildings? LOL
And you said Boston has snow, that's laughable. Does Boston have mountains? Did you expect athletes to sky of snow covered office buildings? LOL
4
and you think FIFA is corrupt? In the near future the only countries that can afford to host an Olympics will be dictatorships who answer to no one. I was listening to a report yesterday about the pollution in the water at Rio and how it is unsafe to be in. Nice job!
9
Snow? Who needs real snow during the Winter Olympics?
4
Olympic games are losing the appeal. IOC is tainted
with corruption. There was scandal with the award
of winter games to Salt Lake city. Mitt Romney had
to fix the mess. FIFA awarded the world cup to
Qatar to b played in 120F degree heat. Now Beijing
with no snow and hardly any popularity of winter
sports among Chinese is another boondoggle.
Unless these bodies are cleaned up international
sports will lose appeal. As it is doping scandals
have cast a shadow over the games and now the
corruption or at least hint of it.
with corruption. There was scandal with the award
of winter games to Salt Lake city. Mitt Romney had
to fix the mess. FIFA awarded the world cup to
Qatar to b played in 120F degree heat. Now Beijing
with no snow and hardly any popularity of winter
sports among Chinese is another boondoggle.
Unless these bodies are cleaned up international
sports will lose appeal. As it is doping scandals
have cast a shadow over the games and now the
corruption or at least hint of it.
9
Winter sports is getting popular is China. Just google it to see how many snow resorts have been built in recent years.
Mitt Romney positively didn't "fix" anything. He was able to talk the Federal Government into handing him so much money, he even had some left over. Look it up. Those Olympic Games were the most expensive games ever until recent times. Please stop drinking the cool aid of fabricated political story lines.
My home town of Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics in 2010. Many of the events were held at Whistler, which is easily an hour's drive from downtown Vancouver, although it does have real snow that lasts the entire year (the glaciers help).
On the other hand, the snowboarding and cross-country events were held in Cypress Bowl, a low altitude area that we used to shun as kids because the snow was too wet to be worth skiing on. A lot of the snow seen on TV was only real in the sense that it had been trucked in from other locations.
It was a fun Olympics to watch, though, as I expect the games in Beijing will also be. Very few events are "natural" any longer, as anyone who participates in winter sports has known for quite some time.
On the other hand, the snowboarding and cross-country events were held in Cypress Bowl, a low altitude area that we used to shun as kids because the snow was too wet to be worth skiing on. A lot of the snow seen on TV was only real in the sense that it had been trucked in from other locations.
It was a fun Olympics to watch, though, as I expect the games in Beijing will also be. Very few events are "natural" any longer, as anyone who participates in winter sports has known for quite some time.
3
"It [Boston] shot down a chance to host the Summer Games this week, but it does have at least one advantage over Beijing: It snows there in winter."
It's funny to say or to imply that Beijing doesn't snow. I visited Beijing frequently in the past and had first-hand experience with the snow, wind, and coldness there.
Here is a quote from the Internet, for reference: "Winters in Beijing are quite harsh, with a good deal of snow and temperatures which often don't exceed freezing." Source: http://www.worldweatheronline.com/Beijing-weather-averages/Beijing/CN.aspx
To be fair, Beijing doesn't snow as much as Boston (Beijing's climate is generally dry), but it does snow. BTW, Boston would be a wonderful host for Winter Olympics, for sure.
It's funny to say or to imply that Beijing doesn't snow. I visited Beijing frequently in the past and had first-hand experience with the snow, wind, and coldness there.
Here is a quote from the Internet, for reference: "Winters in Beijing are quite harsh, with a good deal of snow and temperatures which often don't exceed freezing." Source: http://www.worldweatheronline.com/Beijing-weather-averages/Beijing/CN.aspx
To be fair, Beijing doesn't snow as much as Boston (Beijing's climate is generally dry), but it does snow. BTW, Boston would be a wonderful host for Winter Olympics, for sure.
This is no longer an athletic event. It is a media event to push products.
And we donkey-nod while countries with a dubious civil rights record smile and write the checks.
How low can we go?
And we donkey-nod while countries with a dubious civil rights record smile and write the checks.
How low can we go?
8
Once the Beijing Olympics are over, the left-over artificial snow can be sold at Walmart as "made in America". IOC equals FIFA?
5
I've seen enough of this insanity since 1994 to realize that the practical solution is to award Lilllehammer, Norway the permanent location for all future Winter Olympics. 100,000 people at the cross-country ski events. Snow, snow everywhere. And no future dueling between mega-stagers like Russia (Sochi), China (Beijing), and USA (Lake Placid).
30
Finding a permanent site for the winter games seems much preferable to finding a new sucker to host these extravaganzas every four years.
Or let Lillehammer and somewhere in the Alps trade it back and forth. That would be fine, too.
We can now label even snow with (made in China)
70
Gotta grease the right palms Almaty!
In the end, money shouts. And China had a lot more of it. And bigger market, it was already decided before voting began.
I don't watch the Olympics anymore anyway. Do many people still do?
In the end, money shouts. And China had a lot more of it. And bigger market, it was already decided before voting began.
I don't watch the Olympics anymore anyway. Do many people still do?
16
I haven't since the 1976 Winter Olympics.
The Olympics have become a pathetic model of corrupt and bloated bureaucracy that is no longer even particularly entertaining (television time delays when everyone knows the results, fabricated “human interest” stories, absurd events like rhythmic anything …). Beijing may even top Sochi in terms of graft, mismanagement, political cronyism, and lack of snow. When the very smart citizens of Boston reject the idea of ruining their city on behalf of a few developers, media moguls, and political hacks, and only Beijing and Almaty even bother submitting bids for the Winter Olympics it should be clear that people are no longer enthralled with this overpriced and overhyped “spectacle.” Either find a single permanent location or suspend the games for lack of interest.
89
"Either find a single permanent location or suspend the games for lack of interest."
My thoughts as well. Instead of the Sochi spectacle of extravagance and the Sarajevo tragedy of rotting, abandoned facilities, why not the British Open golf model of a rota of established sites that have successfully hosted past games. One in North America, one in Europe, one in Asia (most likely Japan), with different denominated host-country coalitions (e.g., US/Canada, France/Austria, and so forth).
Stop building over-the-top facilities in new places and use the venues that already exist. Dramatically downsize the commercial hype and exploitation. Try to return the games to a simpler model of pure athletic competition with a minimum of nationalism and hyperbole. House the athletes in one compound sorted into mixed groups to minimize the tribalistic tendencies of national teams and foster new friendships across borders. Require that US television provide coverage more typical of that in other countries, with emphasis on extended coverage of actual competition (not just the winners and the Americans) and much less of the human-interest filler. The technology is there for multiple cable channels dedicated to, say ski events on one channel and skating events on another. What we get now is an unfulfilling sampler chosen by American TV directors, who are hardly known for excellent taste.
Go back to the Squaw Valley model. Simplicity. Camaraderie. Sportsmanship.
My thoughts as well. Instead of the Sochi spectacle of extravagance and the Sarajevo tragedy of rotting, abandoned facilities, why not the British Open golf model of a rota of established sites that have successfully hosted past games. One in North America, one in Europe, one in Asia (most likely Japan), with different denominated host-country coalitions (e.g., US/Canada, France/Austria, and so forth).
Stop building over-the-top facilities in new places and use the venues that already exist. Dramatically downsize the commercial hype and exploitation. Try to return the games to a simpler model of pure athletic competition with a minimum of nationalism and hyperbole. House the athletes in one compound sorted into mixed groups to minimize the tribalistic tendencies of national teams and foster new friendships across borders. Require that US television provide coverage more typical of that in other countries, with emphasis on extended coverage of actual competition (not just the winners and the Americans) and much less of the human-interest filler. The technology is there for multiple cable channels dedicated to, say ski events on one channel and skating events on another. What we get now is an unfulfilling sampler chosen by American TV directors, who are hardly known for excellent taste.
Go back to the Squaw Valley model. Simplicity. Camaraderie. Sportsmanship.
1
IOC is allegedly as corrupt as FIFA is allegedly corrupt. This all comes as no shock.
26
I won't even watch this on TV! What's the point of seeing something that isn't even occurring on the natural surface. If people tune out from TV the revenue for the games will dry up - this seems like a completely short term decision where a certain number of folks are going to make money regardless of the long term outcome. Shameful.
31
Almost all ski resorts make snow, and certainly everywhere that has ever hosted an Olympic or World Cup alpine event does so. The real issue is that I seriously doubt this tiny ski resort outside of Beijing has terrain worthy of a real Olympic downhill.
1
G
There is no lack of elevation near Beijing. Many of those who visited Great Wall or saw it on TV would've known it. I am sure that Chinese government will pour in billions of dollars to expand the ski resort at least 5 times of its current size. But I don't understand why Chinese government chose Beijing to host the game instead of a city in its northeastern region.
There is no lack of elevation near Beijing. Many of those who visited Great Wall or saw it on TV would've known it. I am sure that Chinese government will pour in billions of dollars to expand the ski resort at least 5 times of its current size. But I don't understand why Chinese government chose Beijing to host the game instead of a city in its northeastern region.
1
The IOC wins the Sepp Blatter award. Corporate sponsors are licking their chops for one more crack at China
55
Moving on from FIFA, is the Attorney General watching?
20
Oh for Alpine settings and fresh clear air
High mountain winds and cold crisp days
And snow that's really there. How absolutely absurd!!!
High mountain winds and cold crisp days
And snow that's really there. How absolutely absurd!!!
28