Thumbs up and thumbs down for Vancouver Games
The Winter Olympics is over, and having spent the last couple of weeks reporting on the Games, I have seen some things I would give a thumbs-up to, and some I would definitely give the thumbs-down to.
THUMBS UP … for the unseasonal warm weather that allowed Vancouver’s fans to sit outside and drink coffee. Some of the cherry blossom in town has already sprung and it was t-shirts only for a few gloriously warm days in the middle of the Olympics.
THUMBS DOWN … for the impact it had on a couple of the venues – Cypress Mountain especially. It seems, however, as if the competition was eventually even and no athlete has claimed it was unfair.
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THUMBS UP … for Shaun White who did something no-one else can do and reinforced his status as a one-off.
THUMBS DOWN … for the ‘cross’ events where there seems little link between talent and result and the whole event feels like a one-off.
THUMBS UP … for no positive drug tests. I am not one of those who believe no positive returns equals no cheating with performance enhancing drugs, but I am happier that there seems to be less use of them than in previous Winter Games.
THUMBS DOWN … for those who, having jumped on the bandwagon that the Olympics are all about drugs, now seem not to notice the reverse of their logic when it isn’t a story.
THUMBS UP … for Team GB’s Amy Williams - who will be the shining light of British winter sport for many a year to come.
THUMBS DOWN … for Team GB in general. Yes, one gold medal is a step on from Turin, when the team took one silver, but we should not let a sidestep up to the middle of one podium in one sport detract from the miss after miss in several others. The athletes themselves will be disappointed and so should we be.
THUMBS UP … for Sarah Lindsay in taking the end of her career (on a bizarre official decision at the short track skating) with a degree of maturity.
THUMBS DOWN … on the fans who showered the same referee with thousands of death threats when he disqualified a Korean skater, meaning he had to spend the rest of his Olympics accompanied by a security guard.
Thumbs up for Vonn’s achievement but don’t forget Bjoerndalen’s. Photo: Getty
THUMBS UP … for Lindsey Vonn, who converted potential into gold in the downhill.
THUMBS DOWN … for the media that seemingly missed Wang Meng, Ole Einar Bjoerndalen or Andre Lange because they were not such good material for the Swimsuit Edition of Sports Illustrated.
THUMBS UP … for hordes of hard-working, polite and patient volunteers around the Olympic venues.
THUMBS DOWN … for the decision to equip those volunteers with just enough information for that particular job and no more. I’ve lost count of the number of times I have asked one about something and had to be referred to another.
THUMBS UP … for the US network that got the first interview with speed skater Sven Kramer as he stepped off the ice at the Richmond Oval having won a gold medal.
THUMBS DOWN … for then asking him: “Can you tell us who you are and what you have won?” Kramer said “no” and wandered away.
THUMBS UP … for the security assessment that only one in 10 people need to have their bags put through the scanner at every Olympic venue when they go in.
THUMBS DOWN … for the realisation that London won’t take the same view.
THUMBS UP …for a funding strategy that delivers results for home athletes on home soil.
THUMBS DOWN … that the name of it (“Own the Podium“) somehow put a dampener on the best host nation performance at any Winter Games ever.
THUMBS UP … for Vancouver. At times it was saddled with issues beyond its control, but it came through with red and white flags flying.
THUMBS DOWN … we have to wait more than two years for London’s turn.
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