Beyond the bubble 2/25/10

On Feb. 12 at Vancouver’s BC Place, over 2,600 athletes from 82 National Olympic Committees marched into the stadium to open the 21st Winter Olympics Games. To the delight of the 60,000 in attendance, and an estimated 1 billion watching live on television internationally, the ceremonies featured prominent Canadian musicians, dancers and spectacular special effects.

Unfortunately, however, the celebration was marred by the tragic death of 21-year-old Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili. The Georgian perished in an accident following a training run earlier that morning, before the Olympic torch had even been lit.

In a press conference following the accident, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge made the following statement: “Our first thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of the athlete. The whole Olympic family is struck by this tragedy, which clearly casts a shadow over these Games.” The Georgian athletes wore black armbands in memory of their fallen countrymen, and the flags around the Olympic stadium were lowered to half-mast in respect.

The opening ceremony also featured an embarrassing hydraulic malfunction. The fourth massive pole that was supposed to allow the Olympic flame to travel to the main cauldron failed to rise.

International news media have been quick to jump on this story and other glitches during the first few days in Vancouver. Public relations and weather problems have all contributed to supplying journalists with endless material for headlines in the opening week.

One of the most embarrassing situations for organizers to contend with has been the delayed removal of a chain link fence surrounding the outdoor Olympic cauldron. Because of the placement of the fence, spectators were forced to take pictures of themselves in front of the torch with a very un-scenic backdrop.

The Vancouver Organizing Committee has also had difficulty with the ice resurfacing equipment. In an effort to be environmentally friendly, VANOC purchased electric resurfacing machines instead of the standard propane-powered vehicles. These machines have proven to be unpredictable, however, causing delays in the speed skating events and leaving ice uneven.

British journalist Lawrence Donegan may have been the first of the disillusioned reporters, quickly concluding that these Olympics might be “the worst ever.”

Most agree, however, that this is nothing more than hyperbole. Though there have been difficulties, most agree that the organizing committee responded quickly and reasonably to the problems within their control. They have taken down a portion of the chain link fence, while simultaneously building a platform for picture-hungry fans, and have replaced the ice resurfacing machines in a timely fashion.

While this has certainly been a testing opening week for the organizers, the mood seems to be more positive moving into week two. Many of the technical glitches have been resolved and public relations personnel hope that they have dealt with the worst of the criticism. With less than one week before the torch is extinguished, Olympic fans around the world hope that the performance of the athletes will cast the final impression on these games.