VANOC not tarnished

Media across the world have coined the 2010 Vancouver Olympics as one of the worst Olympics in history. The Times of London went so far as to print a headline that read “The Wreckage of a Tarnished Games.”

As Canadians, we have a right to defend ourselves and, in particular, the fact that our Olympics are extremely successful when you look at them in context of other Games.

It’s true that Vancouver has been experiencing abnormally high temperatures, which the media have blamed on a lack of organization; weather has also been a hindrance to certain outdoor events.

However, given the circumstances, event organizers have done an excellent job dealing with what they have been handed. Officials are ensuring that the athletes compete in the best conditions possible by shipping in truckloads of snow from northern Vancouver or delaying events for a few days.

The media seem to have forgotten previous Olympics that have had much more severe problems than anything seen in Vancouver.

There was the organizational disaster and commercial greed, as well as the pipe bomb which killed two people and injured 111 others during the 1996 Atlanta games, the 1976 games in Montreal that bankrupted the entire city, not to mention the fact that Hitler used the 1936 Olympics as Nazi propaganda.

Furthermore, the 1972 summer Olympics in Munich saw members of the Israeli team captured by terrorists, resulting in Black September where 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were killed.

The media needs to take a step back and look at the bigger picture when reporting on the Vancouver Olympics.

Organizers of the Vancouver games have worked tirelessly to ensure that they run smoothly; when trying to put on an event of this stature, there are always going to be glitches.

The fact remains that overall, the 2010 games have proven to be a success for both the athletes as well as the fans, and the world has not seen a more passionate group of supporters cheering the athletes to victory.