Concerns and controversies over the 2010 Winter Olympics
Encyclopedia
A number of concerns and controversies over the 2010 Winter Olympics
in Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
, surfaced before and during the Games, and which received media coverage.
of Georgia
was killed during a training run for the luge
after he was thrown from his sled and struck a steel pillar at high speed, near the end of the course. The International Luge Federation called an emergency meeting after the accident, and all other training runs were cancelled for the day.
Vancouver Olympics Organizing Committee
(VANOC) was criticized after members of the media assumed that VANOC was the governing body that conducted a prompt 12-hour investigation into the luger's tragic death, which put the blame on the luger. In fact, it was the International Luge Federation (ILF) which conducted the investigation. The ILF has stated that it will investigate the crash and issue a report around the end of March 2010.
Furthermore, the Whistler Sliding Centre
, which has recorded some of the fastest speeds in luge history, was the site of several non-fatal accidents during training runs leading up to the start of the games. For more than a year prior to the Olympics, luge competitors had complained that the track was too fast and the turns were too dangerous. Athletes had nicknamed turn 13 the "50-50" turn for their chances of getting through it without crashing. Kumaritashvili was killed on turn 16, the last turn of the course.
As a result, the height of the wall Kumaritashvili surmounted was increased, with added wooden panels and padding. Officials also ordered changes to the layout of the final turn of the Whistler luge track, making it slower and safer, and moved the men's and women's luge starts down the track.
Kumaritashvili's teammate, Levan Gureshidze
, did not race. He was on the official start list for the first run but withdrew, telling other racers he could not go on. He instead flew back to Georgia to mourn the loss of his fallen teammate.
After the starting gates were changed, competitors have complained that the junior starting position enters the main track with a turn that is too tight, causing sledders problems at the beginning of their runs. Some have also complained that slowing the course has decreased the challenge and forced them to adjust their strategy.
Eleven months before the death of Kumaritashvili, VANOC
Chief Executive Officer John Furlong started to be concerned that an athlete could get “badly injured or even worse" on the luge track. Josef Fendt, who is the President of the International Luge Federation, stated in a letter to the designer of the luge track that luge track was recording "historic sled speeds" that the speeds were nearly 20 kilometres an hour faster than the track designer had anticipated. John Furlong received a copy of the letter and asked for the situation to be looked at by the "legal guys". Svein Romstad, general secretary of the International Luge Federation, stated that the International Luge Federation "would have sought major changes to the Whistler track if it had known ahead of time that speeds would be so much higher than calculated." A memo dated January 30, 2006 stated that, in March 2005, the International Luge Federation wanted major changes to 6 curves on the luge track including curves 15 and 16, where Kumaritashvili’s problem began. Kumaritashvili's father became angry after reports showed that VANOC
didn't act on their own concerns about the luge track's safety. The family of Kumaritashvili received an insurance payout worth $150,000 from the VANOC
.
VANOC
broke some rules in regards to the luging and bobsleigh tack. International Luge Federation states that "the length for a luge track must not exceed 1,350 metres." G-force
was critical in the accident that killed Kumaritashvili. The rules of the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation
states that a G-force
of 5 is the limit for the track. A G-force of 5.02 is possible for male lugers on the track in Whistler
. The rules of the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation
also states that "to prevent the deterioration of the ice during warm, sunny periods, the finish straight should be shaded or covered." Part of what was to be considered in the shading of the finish straight was the safety of the athlete. The final straight was where the accident took place. Since the investigation and currently, sliders no longer start at the Upper Start area - they start 190 m downhill at the Lower Start - C1.
event where Sweden
's Anja Pärson
was badly bruised following a jump prior to the finish line of the event on 17 February.
In cross-country skiing
, Slovenia
n skier Petra Majdič
was severely injured after a fall during a practice run on the sprint track
. The fall led to Majdič sliding off the course and falling down a rocky slope. Despite having broken ribs and a collapsed lung, Majdič completed the women's sprint event and took the bronze medal. Slovenia filed a protest with the IOC about the safety of the course, but it was dismissed.
played a free concert at LiveCity Yaletown
on Tuesday, February 16. Ten seconds into the band's first song, the crowd of hundreds surged forward, which caused a section of the barricade to collapse, sending dozens to the ground. The band stopped playing immediately, and asked the crowd to step back. While Vancouver Police and on-site medical team controlled the situation, the crowd was informed that the show was cancelled, and they dispersed quickly and co-operatively.
Reports indicate at least 20 people were injured with 10 being taken to hospital. On February 17 the band issued the following statement: "We are sincerely sorry that people were injured. We want to thank the security team, paramedics and police for their quick reaction. We especially want to thank our fans for cooperating and not making a bad situation worse." A representative for LiveCity Vancouver added "When the incident occurred, everyone acted quickly, professionally, and took appropriate action. The security and on-site emergency medical response teams provided immediate assistance and care, the band kept people calm, and the crowd dispersed safely."
. Quebec Premier Jean Charest
said the ceremony failed to respect and reflect the francophone community in Canada. In an interview with CBC
, the Minister of Canadian Heritage
, James Moore
, was "disappointed" by the low representation of French during the ceremony. Canadian Member of Parliament Richard Nadeau
of the Bloc Québécois
sees rather a lack of political will to promote Canadian bilingualism. Among the 25,000 volunteers, only 15% of them speak French. The Commissioner of the Official Languages
, Graham Fraser, was very disappointed by the lack of presence of French. He also said, "I had the impression of watching a show designed and produced in English with a French song. Even lHymne du Nord from the poet François-Xavier Garneau
has been translated into English to be read by the actor Donald Sutherland
"
VANOC, however, defended the case and said that they had made "a very deliberate focus and effort to ensure a strong celebration of Quebec culture and language." They also said that there was a significant amount of French in the opening ceremony. David Atkins
, the artistic director of the opening ceremonies, said that the ceremonies did celebrate francophone Canada.
In February 2011, following the release of VANOC head John Furlong's book on the 2010 Games, La Presse editor André Pratte wrote a scathing opinion piece on the lack of French, noting that "just trying is not good enough." Some examples of the French include the speeches, the Olympic Hymn, and the officials' oath. John Furlong
, VANOC CEO, IOC President
Jacques Rogge
, and Governor General
Michaëlle Jean
all addressed the crowd in English and French. Measha Brueggergosman
performed the English version of the Olympic Hymn, but Dave Pierce
, the music director for the games, had his associate, Donovan Seidle, compose and arrange it to have some of the stanzas performed in French. Michel Verrault
, a speed-skating official, took the officials' oath
in French.
strongly recommended all athletes, spectators and other visitors be vaccinated. Some Olympic Committees required their delegations to be vaccinated against the H1N1 flu
. In light of concerns, local British Columbia health officials vaccinated participants and spectators for free during the duration of the games.
According to lobby group Women's Ski Jumping USA, a group composed of "some of the top women ski jumpers", filed a Statement of Claim with the Supreme Court of British Columbia suing the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee for excluding women ski jumpers from the Vancouver games claiming that their rights were violated according to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
. However, on June 10, 2009, the Supreme Court ruled against the group, stating that though the women were being discriminated against, the issue is an International Olympic Committee responsibility, and thus is not governed by the Charter, and finally, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms did not apply to VANOC, with the term, "In other words, VANOC is not under a duty to distribute equally what it has no power to provide."
located at Southeast False Creek was originally planned to be a model sustainable community, with state-of-the-art energy efficiency provisions, and a mix of market and social housing
, at one third market, one third social housing and one third subsidized middle income housing. The city of Vancouver would break even through the sale of market housing. However, a new city council in 2005 dropped the provisions for subsidized middle income housing and then sold the lands to a private developer for C$
193 million. Further controversy erupted when the private developer and its associated investment company backed out of the project, forcing the city of Vancouver to bear the liability, which resulted in the resignation of a city planner in protest and saw the city seek special legislation making changes to its charter to allow it to borrow money to finance completion of the project.
Leading up to the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee
had ordered the removal of a two-story high Australian Boxing Kangaroo
flag which had been draped over a balcony in the athletes' village. The IOC ordered the flag to be taken down because they believed the image to be too commercial as it is a registered trademark (albeit of the Australian Olympic Committee). The order for removal was later withdrawn after IOC president Jacques Rogge
met with AOC president John Coates.
reported that the government
of Prime Minister
Stephen Harper
mandated that the content of the opening ceremonies
reflect its agenda as a condition of its contribution of C$
20 million to fund the event. This was widely criticized as government interference with the arts and exercising ideological control. However, VANOC vice-president of communications Renée Smith-Valade said the government was not bringing politics into the 2010 games and did not have veto power over any part of the Olympic ceremonies.
Joe Biden
, who authorities say the man had an infatuation with. Before he could reach Biden, however, he was stopped by two plainclothes Mounties, who escorted him away. The man will not face charges, but has been committed to a psychiatric facility. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) said it has not implemented any change in security at the Olympics following the breach.
, where an attempt is made to "create a specific, unauthorized commercial association with the 2010 Winter Games". The anthem itself is in the public domain
.
from portraying the Olympics in a work of fiction. The VANOC also sued local businesses for using "olympic" in their names, including already-existent and long-established businesses. The House of Commons
also passed laws granting protection for various terms surrounding the games.
as a venue because of its frequent lack of snow due to El Niño.
The 2009 World Cup parallel giant slalom, also scheduled at Cypress Mountain, had been cancelled due to lack of snow.
Just prior to the start of the Olympics, the mountain did lack enough snow for events but, as covered by contingency plans made earlier, snow was trucked in from Manning Park about 250 kilometres (155.3 mi) to the east of the city, and Olympic events proceeded as planned.
. Mercer was also among the RCMP who pepper-sprayed protests at the 1997 APEC conference at UBC, personally spraying a CBC
cameraman and his camera, and also was part of the "War in the Woods" against tree-sit
protesters in the Elaho Valley
.
In October 2009, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
through the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2009, gave host municipalities (Richmond
, Vancouver
and Whistler
) the power to enter residences and other private property to seize signs that are deemed to be "anti-Olympic", between February 1 and March 31, 2010. Another amendment changed the Vancouver Charter
to allow for fines of up to $10,000 and imprisonment for up to 6 months for sign and bylaw violations.
Privacy rights advocates, including Chantal Bernier, assistant federal privacy commissioner
, are concerned about the implementation of 900 security cameras placed by the RCMP Olympic Integrated Security Unit plus another 100 security cameras placed by the city of Vancouver in the Downtown area.
, attempting to recover debts owed it by major creditors, including Fortress Investments
, the owner of Intrawest and Whistler Blackcomb since 2006. Despite guarantees from VANOC and the Canadian government of $50 million to keep Intrawest afloat during the Games, there were doubts that the Canadian government would be forthcoming. A private source connected to Wesley Edens, owner of Fortress Investments, has said that Edens may exercise his right in that circumstance to prevent the Games from happening at the resort. VANOC sources say this is unlikely to happen since the creditors would have no reason to diminish the value of the resort that would be enhanced by hosting a prestige event, and also because of the short time-frame of the impending Games relative to the length of the legal proceedings of any auction of Fortress' assets. Fortress is also the company which backed out of the original funding arrangements for the Athletes' Village in Vancouver, and the re-financing of that project by emergency legislation and the involvement of Fortress' subsidiary, Millennium.
speed skating event was delayed for over an hour at the Richmond Olympic Oval
when both ice resurfacer
s experienced mechanical failures and a third ice machine was unable to resurface the ice properly. At least one skater withdrew from the race because of the delay and other racers stated that the delay hurt their race times.
Ice resurfacers at the games were supplied by Olympia, an official sponsor of the games. The Olympia Cellet
wi model is the first pollution-free, nickel-cadmium, battery-powered ice resurfacer and was selected as a part of the games "green" efforts. Following the failures, a traditional natural gas powered resurfacer built by Zamboni
was brought in from Calgary
. Organizers stated safety concerns for the decision.
In May 2010, VANOC announced that 200 people had to be reimbursed due to alleged fraudulent ticket purchases by a group of Latvians in the province who used compromised credit card information. The cost to VANOC was estimated at $2 million.
. Competitors Jeremy Teela
and Jean-Philippe Leguellec
were started too early, before racers who were seeded higher than them. Teela stated that the early start threw-off his strategy, contributing to his missing two targets in his first two shooting range stops. Said Teela, "We have a couple more races this week. Hopefully the organizers figure this problem out and they make the races fair."
Starter confusion was also present during the women's pursuit
earlier that day. This time both Liudmila Kalinchik
and Anna Carin Olofsson-Zidek were held back and had to start several seconds too late. U.S. coach Per Nilsson stated that he had never seen an Olympic biathlon as poorly managed as the February 16 women's race.
International Biathlon Union (IBU) officials were directing the starts. The incorrect starts were attributed to a Swiss official at the women's start and a Czech official at the men's start. Norbert Baier, technical delegate for the International Biathlon Union, called it the worst day of his career and took full responsibility, stating that the mistakes were their fault. He also noted that similar incidents have previously occurred on the World Cup circuit in Europe. Notably, at last year's World Championships in Pyeongchang, South Korea, several competitors were sent out the wrong way on the first lap.
in Salt Lake City. Representatives of BC bus drivers and companies criticized Vanoc for using Gameday and its American drivers instead of local operators, claiming that drivers from states such as Texas were not experienced with mountain driving and winter road conditions.
, or À nous le podium en 2010! in French, is a Canadian sport technical program launched in January 2005 to prepare Canada to become the top winter sporting nation in the world by the 2010 Winter Olympics. The main aspect of the scheme which has caused controversy is the priority of Canadian competitors in conducting practice runs of events, particularly at the Whistler Slide Centre, over competitors from other countries. A newspaper in the United Kingdom blamed the program for the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili
, a luge athlete from Georgia who died on the opening day of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Several of the country's former Olympians have criticized the program as unsportsmanlike, while others note that program organizers seem oblivious to principles of good sportsmanship enshrined by the founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin
. It has been typical in past Olympics for the host nation to allow foreign athletes to train on the courses for a certain amount of time (e.g. the USA allowed Canadian athletes to train in Salt Lake in 2002). The amount of time provided to foreign athletes for training in fact met if not exceeded the requirements of each sporting federation. An International Luge Federation official stated that more pre-Games training time had been secured than at any previous Olympic Games Canadian officials also pointed out instances at the 2002
and 2006
Olympic Games where the host Organizing Committee restricted access to its own venues; in particular among these, luge athlete Jeff Christie
stated that foreign athletes were given less training time than required at the 2006 Turin Olympics.
on February 25, 2010, several members of the Canadian women's hockey team celebrated on the stadium ice while drinking beer and champagne, and smoking cigars. Unbeknownst to the players they were photographed and their celebration was criticized in the media, the reason being that smoking and drinking in public was unbecoming of Olympic athletes, especially while in uniform and in their playing venue. Hockey Canada
issued an apology, although other members of the Olympic community dismissed concerns over the event. The IOC considered looking into the incident. Canadian hockey captain Hayley Wickenheiser
said a double standard
was being applied, and that a male athlete would not have been judged so harshly, as was the case with skeleton
gold medalist Jon Montgomery
and his post race beer consumption.
Opposition to the 2010 Olympic Games was expressed by various activists and politicians, including Lower Mainland
mayor
s Derek Corrigan
and Richard Walton
.
Several public Olympic events held in Vancouver were also attended by protest
ers.
band known as the St’at’imc of Sutikalh, who have also opposed the Cayoosh Ski Resort, fear the Olympics are bringing unwanted tourism and real estate sales to their territory. On another front, local aboriginal people as well as Canadian Inuit
expressed concern over the choice of an inukshuk
as the symbol of the Games, with some Inuit leaders such as former Nunavut
Commissioner Peter Irniq
stating that the inukshuk is a culturally important symbol to them. He said that the "Inuit never build inuksuit with head, legs and arms. I have seen inuksuit build [sic] more recently, 100 years maybe by non-Inuit in Nunavut, with head, legs and arms. These are not called inuksuit. These are called inunguat, imitation of man." Local aboriginal groups also expressed annoyance that the design did not reflect the Coast Salish
and Interior Salish
native culture from the region the Games are being held in, but rather that of the Inuit, who are indigenous to the Arctic far from Vancouver. One chief, Stewart Phillip
, President of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
, also said that the design lacked dignity, comparing it to Pac-Man
. Edward John
, Grand Chief of the First Nations Summit
, said some native leaders were so upset about the issue they were prepared to walk out of the unveiling ceremony. The aboriginal governments of the Squamish, Musqueam
, Lil'wat
and Tsleil-Waututh
(the "Four Host First Nations"), on whose traditional territory the games are being held, signed a protocol in 2004 in support of the games.
and Harriet Nahanee
.
According to critics, despite claims of the "greenest Olympics" ever, and statements about "sustainability", the 2010 Olympics would leave behind environmental damage.
On Saturday February 13, the first day of the actual Olympic sporting events, windows of The Hudson's Bay Company (The Bay), an Olympic sponsor, were smashed in downtown Vancouver by protestors.
Protesters had also vandalized branches of the Royal Bank of Canada
, an Olympic sponsor, in Ottawa, Vancouver and Victoria.
The documentary film Five Ring Circus outlined reasons behind the protests. and in Helen Jefferson Lenskyj's books Olympic Industry Resistance (2007) and Inside the Olympic Industry (2000). Including concerns about the expense to taxpayers, estimated in 2007 to be CAN$580 million. After the stock market crash of 2008, there have been increasing concerns that Games-related projects would not meet their economic targets. The Olympic Village development, for example, was originally intended to make a profit, but at least one critic estimates it will be millions in debt. Olympic organizers have not commented on this estimate. Also protested was the displacement of low-income residents and criminalization of the poor and homeless through policies designed to make the city appear cleaner.
Critics also anticipated an increase in human trafficking
for the purpose of forced prostitution.
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, surfaced before and during the Games, and which received media coverage.
Death of Georgian athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili
Hours before the opening ceremony, Nodar KumaritashviliNodar Kumaritashvili
Nodar David Kumaritashvili was a Georgian luger, who suffered a fatal crash during a training run for the 2010 Winter Olympics competition in Vancouver, Canada, on the day of the opening ceremony...
of Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
was killed during a training run for the luge
Luge
A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
after he was thrown from his sled and struck a steel pillar at high speed, near the end of the course. The International Luge Federation called an emergency meeting after the accident, and all other training runs were cancelled for the day.
Vancouver Olympics Organizing Committee
Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games was the non-profit organization responsible for planning, organizing, financing and staging the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics...
(VANOC) was criticized after members of the media assumed that VANOC was the governing body that conducted a prompt 12-hour investigation into the luger's tragic death, which put the blame on the luger. In fact, it was the International Luge Federation (ILF) which conducted the investigation. The ILF has stated that it will investigate the crash and issue a report around the end of March 2010.
Furthermore, the Whistler Sliding Centre
Whistler Sliding Centre
The Whistler Sliding Centre is a Canadian bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in Whistler, British Columbia, that is north of Vancouver. The centre is part of the Whistler Blackcomb resort, which comprises two ski mountains separated by Fitzsimmons Creek...
, which has recorded some of the fastest speeds in luge history, was the site of several non-fatal accidents during training runs leading up to the start of the games. For more than a year prior to the Olympics, luge competitors had complained that the track was too fast and the turns were too dangerous. Athletes had nicknamed turn 13 the "50-50" turn for their chances of getting through it without crashing. Kumaritashvili was killed on turn 16, the last turn of the course.
As a result, the height of the wall Kumaritashvili surmounted was increased, with added wooden panels and padding. Officials also ordered changes to the layout of the final turn of the Whistler luge track, making it slower and safer, and moved the men's and women's luge starts down the track.
Kumaritashvili's teammate, Levan Gureshidze
Levan Gureshidze
Levan Gureshidze is a Georgian luger who has competed since 2008. He finished 55th in the 2008-09 Luge World Cup.Gureshidze qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics but withdrew from the competition after teammate Nodar Kumaritashvili died during a training run accident at the Olympics...
, did not race. He was on the official start list for the first run but withdrew, telling other racers he could not go on. He instead flew back to Georgia to mourn the loss of his fallen teammate.
After the starting gates were changed, competitors have complained that the junior starting position enters the main track with a turn that is too tight, causing sledders problems at the beginning of their runs. Some have also complained that slowing the course has decreased the challenge and forced them to adjust their strategy.
Eleven months before the death of Kumaritashvili, VANOC
Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games was the non-profit organization responsible for planning, organizing, financing and staging the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics...
Chief Executive Officer John Furlong started to be concerned that an athlete could get “badly injured or even worse" on the luge track. Josef Fendt, who is the President of the International Luge Federation, stated in a letter to the designer of the luge track that luge track was recording "historic sled speeds" that the speeds were nearly 20 kilometres an hour faster than the track designer had anticipated. John Furlong received a copy of the letter and asked for the situation to be looked at by the "legal guys". Svein Romstad, general secretary of the International Luge Federation, stated that the International Luge Federation "would have sought major changes to the Whistler track if it had known ahead of time that speeds would be so much higher than calculated." A memo dated January 30, 2006 stated that, in March 2005, the International Luge Federation wanted major changes to 6 curves on the luge track including curves 15 and 16, where Kumaritashvili’s problem began. Kumaritashvili's father became angry after reports showed that VANOC
Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games was the non-profit organization responsible for planning, organizing, financing and staging the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics...
didn't act on their own concerns about the luge track's safety. The family of Kumaritashvili received an insurance payout worth $150,000 from the VANOC
Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games was the non-profit organization responsible for planning, organizing, financing and staging the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics...
.
VANOC
Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games was the non-profit organization responsible for planning, organizing, financing and staging the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics...
broke some rules in regards to the luging and bobsleigh tack. International Luge Federation states that "the length for a luge track must not exceed 1,350 metres." G-force
G-force
The g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
was critical in the accident that killed Kumaritashvili. The rules of the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation
Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing
The Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing or International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation is the main international federation for all bobsleigh and skeleton sports...
states that a G-force
G-force
The g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
of 5 is the limit for the track. A G-force of 5.02 is possible for male lugers on the track in Whistler
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
. The rules of the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation
Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing
The Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing or International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation is the main international federation for all bobsleigh and skeleton sports...
also states that "to prevent the deterioration of the ice during warm, sunny periods, the finish straight should be shaded or covered." Part of what was to be considered in the shading of the finish straight was the safety of the athlete. The final straight was where the accident took place. Since the investigation and currently, sliders no longer start at the Upper Start area - they start 190 m downhill at the Lower Start - C1.
Other safety concerns
Given Kumaritshvili's death on the 12th, other safety issues on speed for other events were raised at these games, most notably at the Sliding Centre. Another noted injury took place in the women's downhillAlpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Women's downhill
The women's downhill competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Whistler Creekside in Whistler, British Columbia on February 17, 2010....
event where Sweden
Sweden at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Sweden participated at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 106 competitors competed in nine of the fifteen disciplines.-Medalists:The following Swedish athletes won medals at the games:- Alpine skiing:Men...
's Anja Pärson
Anja Pärson
Anja Sofia Tess Pärson is a Swedish-Sámi alpine skier, the winner of seven World Championships gold medals and two Overall Alpine Skiing World Cup titles. She has won a total of 42 World cup races.-Biography:...
was badly bruised following a jump prior to the finish line of the event on 17 February.
In cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics
The cross-country skiing competition of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver were held at Whistler Olympic Park. The events were held between 15 and 28 February 2010.- Medal table :- Men's events :- Women's events :- Competition schedule :...
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n skier Petra Majdič
Petra Majdic
Petra Majdič is a Slovenian former cross-country skier. Her best results came in classic style races. She won twenty-four World Cup races, twenty in sprint races, but she also won a marathon in Trondheim in 2009...
was severely injured after a fall during a practice run on the sprint track
Cross-country skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Women's sprint
The Women's sprint cross-country skiing competition in the classical technique at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada was held on 17 February at Whistler Olympic Park in Whistler, British Columbia....
. The fall led to Majdič sliding off the course and falling down a rocky slope. Despite having broken ribs and a collapsed lung, Majdič completed the women's sprint event and took the bronze medal. Slovenia filed a protest with the IOC about the safety of the course, but it was dismissed.
Safety at LiveCity Vancouver
Dozens were injured and sent to hospital when a barricade erected at LiveCity Yaletown collapsed. Canadian rock band AlexisonfireAlexisonfire
Alexisonfire was a five-piece, Juno-nominated post-hardcore band that formed in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in 2001. The band consisted of George Pettit , Dallas Green , Wade MacNeil , Chris Steele , and Jordan Hastings .They describe their music as "the sound of two Catholic high-school girls...
played a free concert at LiveCity Yaletown
Yaletown
Yaletown is an area of Downtown Vancouver approximately bordered by False Creek, Robson, and Homer Streets. Formerly a heavy industrial area dominated by warehouses and rail yards, since the Expo 86, it has been transformed into one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in the city...
on Tuesday, February 16. Ten seconds into the band's first song, the crowd of hundreds surged forward, which caused a section of the barricade to collapse, sending dozens to the ground. The band stopped playing immediately, and asked the crowd to step back. While Vancouver Police and on-site medical team controlled the situation, the crowd was informed that the show was cancelled, and they dispersed quickly and co-operatively.
Reports indicate at least 20 people were injured with 10 being taken to hospital. On February 17 the band issued the following statement: "We are sincerely sorry that people were injured. We want to thank the security team, paramedics and police for their quick reaction. We especially want to thank our fans for cooperating and not making a bad situation worse." A representative for LiveCity Vancouver added "When the incident occurred, everyone acted quickly, professionally, and took appropriate action. The security and on-site emergency medical response teams provided immediate assistance and care, the band kept people calm, and the crowd dispersed safely."
Bilingualism
The opening ceremony was criticized for a perceived lack of appropriate representation of French-speaking Canadians, in spite of Canada's status as a bilingual country. One who raised objections was the Secretary General of La Francophonie, Abdou DioufAbdou Diouf
Abdou Diouf was the second President of Senegal, serving from 1981 to 2000. Diouf is notable both for coming to power by peaceful succession, and leaving willingly after losing the 2000 presidential election to Abdoulaye Wade...
. Quebec Premier Jean Charest
Jean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest, PC, MNA is a Canadian politician who has been the 29th Premier of Quebec since 2003. He was leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998 and has been leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1998....
said the ceremony failed to respect and reflect the francophone community in Canada. In an interview with CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, the Minister of Canadian Heritage
Minister of Canadian Heritage
The Minister of Canadian Heritage is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who heads the Department of Canadian Heritage, the federal government department responsible for Canada's Arts, Culture, Media, Communications network, and Sport....
, James Moore
James Moore (Canadian politician)
James Moore, PC, MP is the Canadian Member of Parliament for Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam. He is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada...
, was "disappointed" by the low representation of French during the ceremony. Canadian Member of Parliament Richard Nadeau
Richard Nadeau
Richard Nadeau is a teacher and Bloc Québécois politician in Quebec, Canada.He is the Member of Parliament for the riding of Gatineau. Nadeau attended the University of Ottawa where he received degrees in history, political science and education...
of the Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
sees rather a lack of political will to promote Canadian bilingualism. Among the 25,000 volunteers, only 15% of them speak French. The Commissioner of the Official Languages
Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, an office of the Canadian government, is responsible for achieving the objectives of, and promoting, Canada's Official Languages Act....
, Graham Fraser, was very disappointed by the lack of presence of French. He also said, "I had the impression of watching a show designed and produced in English with a French song. Even lHymne du Nord from the poet François-Xavier Garneau
François-Xavier Garneau
François-Xavier Garneau was a nineteenth century French Canadian notary, poet, civil servant and liberal who wrote a three-volume history of the French Canadian nation entitled Histoire du Canada between 1845 and 1848.Born in Quebec City, Garneau argued that Conquest was a tragedy, the consequence...
has been translated into English to be read by the actor Donald Sutherland
Donald Sutherland
Donald McNichol Sutherland, OC is a Canadian actor with a film career spanning nearly 50 years. Some of Sutherland's more notable movie roles included offbeat warriors in such war movies as The Dirty Dozen, , MASH , and Kelly's Heroes , as well as in such popular films as Klute, Invasion of the...
"
VANOC, however, defended the case and said that they had made "a very deliberate focus and effort to ensure a strong celebration of Quebec culture and language." They also said that there was a significant amount of French in the opening ceremony. David Atkins
David Atkins
David Atkins, OAM was recognised in the 2003 Queen’s Birthday Honours with a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to the entertainment industry and is Australia’s most awarded producer, choreographer and director, and CEO of David Atkins Enterprises, a major-events production...
, the artistic director of the opening ceremonies, said that the ceremonies did celebrate francophone Canada.
In February 2011, following the release of VANOC head John Furlong's book on the 2010 Games, La Presse editor André Pratte wrote a scathing opinion piece on the lack of French, noting that "just trying is not good enough." Some examples of the French include the speeches, the Olympic Hymn, and the officials' oath. John Furlong
John Furlong (Canadian)
John Furlong, O.C, O.B.C was the President and Chief Executive Officer of VANOC which oversaw the preparation and execution of the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics Games...
, VANOC CEO, IOC President
Presidents of the International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is a corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on 23 June 1894. Its membership consists of the 205 National Olympic Committees...
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
, and Governor General
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
Michaëlle Jean
Michaëlle Jean
Michaëlle Jean is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 27th since Canadian Confederation, from 2005 to 2010....
all addressed the crowd in English and French. Measha Brueggergosman
Measha Brueggergosman
Measha Brueggergosman is a Canadian soprano who performs both as an opera singer and concert artist. She has performed internationally and won numerous awards...
performed the English version of the Olympic Hymn, but Dave Pierce
Dave Pierce
Dave Pierce is a Canadian Emmy-winning songwriter, composer, producer, arranger, orchestrator...
, the music director for the games, had his associate, Donovan Seidle, compose and arrange it to have some of the stanzas performed in French. Michel Verrault
Michel Verrault
Michel Verrault is a Canadian short-track speed skating referee from Lac Beauport, Quebec. He recited the Judges Oath at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, alongside Hayley Wickenheiser for the Athletes' Oath....
, a speed-skating official, took the officials' oath
Olympic Oath
The Olympic Oath is a solemn promise made by one athlete -- as a representative of each of the participating Olympic competitors; and by one judge -- as a representative of each officiating Olympic referee or other official, at the opening ceremonies of each Olympic Games...
in French.
H1N1 pandemic
There have been concerns that the H1N1 virus could spread among spectators, staff and athletes during the games. Organizers were stockpiling vaccine and placed a high priority on vaccinating all volunteers. While each country was responsible for the vaccination of its own athletic delegation, Vancouver health officials and the International Olympic CommitteeInternational Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
strongly recommended all athletes, spectators and other visitors be vaccinated. Some Olympic Committees required their delegations to be vaccinated against the H1N1 flu
2009 flu pandemic
The 2009 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the second of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus , albeit in a new version...
. In light of concerns, local British Columbia health officials vaccinated participants and spectators for free during the duration of the games.
Women's ski jumping
The IOC voted in 2006 not to include women's ski jumping in the 2010 Games on the grounds that the sport was not yet developed enough and did not meet basic criteria for inclusion. The members of the Canadian Women Ski Jumping Team filed a grievance with the Canadian Human Rights Board citing gender discrimination.According to lobby group Women's Ski Jumping USA, a group composed of "some of the top women ski jumpers", filed a Statement of Claim with the Supreme Court of British Columbia suing the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee for excluding women ski jumpers from the Vancouver games claiming that their rights were violated according to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada. It forms the first part of the Constitution Act, 1982...
. However, on June 10, 2009, the Supreme Court ruled against the group, stating that though the women were being discriminated against, the issue is an International Olympic Committee responsibility, and thus is not governed by the Charter, and finally, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms did not apply to VANOC, with the term, "In other words, VANOC is not under a duty to distribute equally what it has no power to provide."
Athletes' Village
The athletes' village2010 Olympic Village
For the location of the Olympic Village in Singapore, see Nanyang Technological University or 2010 Summer Youth Olympics#Youth Olympic Village...
located at Southeast False Creek was originally planned to be a model sustainable community, with state-of-the-art energy efficiency provisions, and a mix of market and social housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
, at one third market, one third social housing and one third subsidized middle income housing. The city of Vancouver would break even through the sale of market housing. However, a new city council in 2005 dropped the provisions for subsidized middle income housing and then sold the lands to a private developer for C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
193 million. Further controversy erupted when the private developer and its associated investment company backed out of the project, forcing the city of Vancouver to bear the liability, which resulted in the resignation of a city planner in protest and saw the city seek special legislation making changes to its charter to allow it to borrow money to finance completion of the project.
Leading up to the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
had ordered the removal of a two-story high Australian Boxing Kangaroo
Boxing Kangaroo
The boxing kangaroo is a national symbol of Australia, frequently seen in popular culture. The symbol is often displayed prominently by Australian spectators at sporting events, such as at cricket, tennis and football matches, and at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games. The flag is also highly...
flag which had been draped over a balcony in the athletes' village. The IOC ordered the flag to be taken down because they believed the image to be too commercial as it is a registered trademark (albeit of the Australian Olympic Committee). The order for removal was later withdrawn after IOC president Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
met with AOC president John Coates.
Opening ceremonies content
On August 22, 2008, The Globe and MailThe Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
reported that the government
Premiership of Stephen Harper
The premiership of Stephen Harper began on 6 February 2006 when Stephen Harper and his first cabinet were sworn in by Governor General Michaelle Jean...
of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
mandated that the content of the opening ceremonies
2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony
The Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics was held on February 12, 2010 beginning at 6:00 pm PST at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This was the first Olympic opening ceremony to be held indoors...
reflect its agenda as a condition of its contribution of C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
20 million to fund the event. This was widely criticized as government interference with the arts and exercising ideological control. However, VANOC vice-president of communications Renée Smith-Valade said the government was not bringing politics into the 2010 games and did not have veto power over any part of the Olympic ceremonies.
Security violation
A mentally ill man from British Columbia was able to use a homemade all-access pass at the opening ceremonies to clear several layers of security at BC Place Stadium and get close to U.S. Vice PresidentVice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
, who authorities say the man had an infatuation with. Before he could reach Biden, however, he was stopped by two plainclothes Mounties, who escorted him away. The man will not face charges, but has been committed to a psychiatric facility. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) said it has not implemented any change in security at the Olympics following the breach.
Cooptation of lines from national anthem
VANOC used lines from the Canadian national anthem to serve as the official slogans for the games ("with glowing hearts" in English and "des plus brilliants exploits" in French) and trademarked their use. However, VANOC stated it would only challenge usage of the lines in the case of ambush marketingAmbush marketing
Ambush marketing can be defined as a marketing strategy wherein the advertisers associate themselves with, and therefore capitalize on, a particular event without paying any sponsorship fee. The Macmillan English Dictionary defines ambush marketing as a marketing strategy in which a competing...
, where an attempt is made to "create a specific, unauthorized commercial association with the 2010 Winter Games". The anthem itself is in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
.
Trademark enforcement
VANOC also began protecting its brand as contractually obligated by the International Olympic Committee and its marketing partners, filing lawsuits against residents attempting to register domain names related to the games, and preventing Vancouver author Kari-Lynn WintersKari-Lynn Winters
Kari Winters, née Moore is a Canadian children's author and literacy researcher. She taught children's literature and drama at the University of British Columbia from 2004-2009. In January 2010 Winters assumed the post of Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Brock University .-...
from portraying the Olympics in a work of fiction. The VANOC also sued local businesses for using "olympic" in their names, including already-existent and long-established businesses. The House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
also passed laws granting protection for various terms surrounding the games.
Lack of snow at Cypress Mountain
Both critics and freestyle skiers have questioned the choice of Cypress MountainCypress Mountain
- External links :* *...
as a venue because of its frequent lack of snow due to El Niño.
The 2009 World Cup parallel giant slalom, also scheduled at Cypress Mountain, had been cancelled due to lack of snow.
Just prior to the start of the Olympics, the mountain did lack enough snow for events but, as covered by contingency plans made earlier, snow was trucked in from Manning Park about 250 kilometres (155.3 mi) to the east of the city, and Olympic events proceeded as planned.
Civil rights and Integrated Security Unit
In June 2009, the Olympics Resistance Network accused the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit's (VISU) Joint Intelligence Group of "abusive and unlawful conduct" after allegedly harassing VANOC opposition activists. Concerns over policing methods have also been raised because of the head of Olympic security, RCMP Asst. Commissioner Gary Russell "Bud" Mercer, was part of the RCMP forces that blew up a truck in course of the Gustafsen Lake StandoffGustafsen Lake Standoff
The Gustafsen Lake Standoff was an indigenous land dispute involving members of the Secwepemc nation and members of other indigenous groups in British Columbia, Canada which began on June 15, 1995, and lasted until September 17, 1995.-The Standoff begins:...
. Mercer was also among the RCMP who pepper-sprayed protests at the 1997 APEC conference at UBC, personally spraying a CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
cameraman and his camera, and also was part of the "War in the Woods" against tree-sit
Tree sitting
Tree sitting is a form of environmentalist civil disobedience in which a protester sits in a tree, usually on a small platform built for the purpose, to protect it from being cut down...
protesters in the Elaho Valley
Elaho River
The Elaho River is a c.70 km long river beginning in the Coast Mountains northwest of the towns of Whistler and Pemberton, British Columbia. It is a tributary of the Squamish River and is known for its whitewater rafting and kayaking as well as for the intense alpine scenery lining its...
.
In October 2009, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
through the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2009, gave host municipalities (Richmond
Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...
, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
and Whistler
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
) the power to enter residences and other private property to seize signs that are deemed to be "anti-Olympic", between February 1 and March 31, 2010. Another amendment changed the Vancouver Charter
Vancouver Charter
The Vancouver Charter is a unique provincial statute that serves to incorporate the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The legislation, passed in 1953, superseded the Vancouver Incorporation Act and granted the city more and different powers than other communities possess under British...
to allow for fines of up to $10,000 and imprisonment for up to 6 months for sign and bylaw violations.
Privacy rights advocates, including Chantal Bernier, assistant federal privacy commissioner
Privacy Commissioner of Canada
The Privacy Commissioner of Canada is a special ombudsman and an officer of parliament who reports directly to the House of Commons and the Senate....
, are concerned about the implementation of 900 security cameras placed by the RCMP Olympic Integrated Security Unit plus another 100 security cameras placed by the city of Vancouver in the Downtown area.
Foreclosure of Whistler resort owner Intrawest
Creditors holding $1.4 billion in debt on Intrawest, the owners of the Whistler Blackcomb Resort, were reported on January 20, 2010, as being ready to foreclose on the resort as part of the creditor, investment bank Lehman BrothersLehman Brothers
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. was a global financial services firm. Before declaring bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth largest investment bank in the USA , doing business in investment banking, equity and fixed-income sales and trading Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (former NYSE ticker...
, attempting to recover debts owed it by major creditors, including Fortress Investments
Fortress Investment Group
Fortress Investment Group LLC is an investment management firm based in New York, New York. The company went public on February 9, 2007.-History:...
, the owner of Intrawest and Whistler Blackcomb since 2006. Despite guarantees from VANOC and the Canadian government of $50 million to keep Intrawest afloat during the Games, there were doubts that the Canadian government would be forthcoming. A private source connected to Wesley Edens, owner of Fortress Investments, has said that Edens may exercise his right in that circumstance to prevent the Games from happening at the resort. VANOC sources say this is unlikely to happen since the creditors would have no reason to diminish the value of the resort that would be enhanced by hosting a prestige event, and also because of the short time-frame of the impending Games relative to the length of the legal proceedings of any auction of Fortress' assets. Fortress is also the company which backed out of the original funding arrangements for the Athletes' Village in Vancouver, and the re-financing of that project by emergency legislation and the involvement of Fortress' subsidiary, Millennium.
Failure of ice resurfacers
The men's 500 metresSpeed skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Men's 500 metres
The men's 500 metres speed skating competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Richmond Olympic Oval on 15th February 2010.-Track maintenance issues:...
speed skating event was delayed for over an hour at the Richmond Olympic Oval
Richmond Olympic Oval
The Richmond Olympic Oval , or the Richmond Oval is a facility in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It was the venue of the speed skating events and the official Olympic anti-doping lab of the 2010 Winter Olympics...
when both ice resurfacer
Ice resurfacer
An ice resurfacer is a truck-like vehicle or smaller device used to clean and smooth the surface of an ice rink. The first ice resurfacer was developed by Frank J. Zamboni in 1949 in the city of Paramount, California...
s experienced mechanical failures and a third ice machine was unable to resurface the ice properly. At least one skater withdrew from the race because of the delay and other racers stated that the delay hurt their race times.
Ice resurfacers at the games were supplied by Olympia, an official sponsor of the games. The Olympia Cellet
Resurfice Corporation
Resurfice Corporation is a manufacturer of ice resurfacing equipment based in Elmira, Ontario, Canada. Their product line includes push models through full size models built on a Chevy Powertrain...
wi model is the first pollution-free, nickel-cadmium, battery-powered ice resurfacer and was selected as a part of the games "green" efforts. Following the failures, a traditional natural gas powered resurfacer built by Zamboni
Ice resurfacer
An ice resurfacer is a truck-like vehicle or smaller device used to clean and smooth the surface of an ice rink. The first ice resurfacer was developed by Frank J. Zamboni in 1949 in the city of Paramount, California...
was brought in from Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
. Organizers stated safety concerns for the decision.
Ticketing
About 28,000 tickets for spectator places along the slopes of a number of outside events were recalled for safety reasons; ticket holders were reimbursed but had difficulty or were not able to gain access to tickets at comparable prices to these events. Visitors were also upset by a twenty dollar charge to attend ceremonies to honor medal-winning athletes. Traditionally, these ceremonies had been free of charge. Organizers also expressed concern about blocks of VIP tickets going unused leaving conspicuous empty seats at events.In May 2010, VANOC announced that 200 people had to be reimbursed due to alleged fraudulent ticket purchases by a group of Latvians in the province who used compromised credit card information. The cost to VANOC was estimated at $2 million.
Officiating errors
Observers and participants reported that several starter errors occurred during the February 16 men's biathlon pursuitBiathlon at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Men's pursuit
The men's pursuit competition in biathlon at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Whistler Olympic Park in Whistler, British Columbia on February 16, 2010...
. Competitors Jeremy Teela
Jeremy Teela
Jeremy Teela is an American biathlete and a sergeant in the United States Army. Teela is a three time Olympian, having competed in the 2002, 2006, and 2010 Winter Olympics.-Olympics:...
and Jean-Philippe Leguellec
Jean-Philippe Leguellec
Jean-Philippe Le Guellec is a Canadian biathlete.Le Guellec began competing in the biathlon in 1999, and joined the national team in 2003...
were started too early, before racers who were seeded higher than them. Teela stated that the early start threw-off his strategy, contributing to his missing two targets in his first two shooting range stops. Said Teela, "We have a couple more races this week. Hopefully the organizers figure this problem out and they make the races fair."
Starter confusion was also present during the women's pursuit
Biathlon at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Women's pursuit
The women's pursuit competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Whistler Olympic Park in Whistler, British Columbia on February 16, 2010.Observers and participants reported that the race start was confused and disorganized. U.S...
earlier that day. This time both Liudmila Kalinchik
Liudmila Kalinchik
Liudmila Kalinchik is a Belarusian biathlete. She represents Belarus at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.-References:...
and Anna Carin Olofsson-Zidek were held back and had to start several seconds too late. U.S. coach Per Nilsson stated that he had never seen an Olympic biathlon as poorly managed as the February 16 women's race.
International Biathlon Union (IBU) officials were directing the starts. The incorrect starts were attributed to a Swiss official at the women's start and a Czech official at the men's start. Norbert Baier, technical delegate for the International Biathlon Union, called it the worst day of his career and took full responsibility, stating that the mistakes were their fault. He also noted that similar incidents have previously occurred on the World Cup circuit in Europe. Notably, at last year's World Championships in Pyeongchang, South Korea, several competitors were sent out the wrong way on the first lap.
Olympic flame
The opening ceremony was stalled while organizers recovered from mechanical problems which prevented the pillars forming the cauldron for the torch lighting from completely rising out of the stadium floor as planned. However this was soon fixed as seen in the Closing Ceremony, where they made a joke out of it. An Engineer Mime climbed out of the stage as if he had just fixed it and he pretended to pull it up. Speed skater Catriona Le May Doan, who was supposed to have lit the 4th pillar, came out from the floor to finally get the chance to light it.Transportation
After problems with malfunctioning buses and lost drivers delayed spectators trying to go to or return from Olympic venues, the games organizers called in an additional 100 buses and drivers. The problematic buses and drivers were contracted from Gameday Management, an American company which had also serviced the 2002 Winter Olympics2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
in Salt Lake City. Representatives of BC bus drivers and companies criticized Vanoc for using Gameday and its American drivers instead of local operators, claiming that drivers from states such as Texas were not experienced with mountain driving and winter road conditions.
Own The Podium - 2010
Own the Podium - 2010Own the Podium
Podium Canada, or more commonly Own the Podium, is a Canadian umbrella sport technical program launched in January 2005 Originally created as Own the Podium - 2010 to prepare Canadian athletes to reach medal finishes at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the program has since expanded to include a...
, or À nous le podium en 2010! in French, is a Canadian sport technical program launched in January 2005 to prepare Canada to become the top winter sporting nation in the world by the 2010 Winter Olympics. The main aspect of the scheme which has caused controversy is the priority of Canadian competitors in conducting practice runs of events, particularly at the Whistler Slide Centre, over competitors from other countries. A newspaper in the United Kingdom blamed the program for the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili
Nodar Kumaritashvili
Nodar David Kumaritashvili was a Georgian luger, who suffered a fatal crash during a training run for the 2010 Winter Olympics competition in Vancouver, Canada, on the day of the opening ceremony...
, a luge athlete from Georgia who died on the opening day of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Several of the country's former Olympians have criticized the program as unsportsmanlike, while others note that program organizers seem oblivious to principles of good sportsmanship enshrined by the founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin was a French educationalist and historian, founder of the International Olympic Committee, and is considered the father of the modern Olympic Games...
. It has been typical in past Olympics for the host nation to allow foreign athletes to train on the courses for a certain amount of time (e.g. the USA allowed Canadian athletes to train in Salt Lake in 2002). The amount of time provided to foreign athletes for training in fact met if not exceeded the requirements of each sporting federation. An International Luge Federation official stated that more pre-Games training time had been secured than at any previous Olympic Games Canadian officials also pointed out instances at the 2002
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
and 2006
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
Olympic Games where the host Organizing Committee restricted access to its own venues; in particular among these, luge athlete Jeff Christie
Jeff Christie
Jeff Christie is a Canadian luger who has slid since 1995 and competed internationally since 2000. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he earned his best finish at 14th place in the men's singles event twice at the 2006 Winter Olympics and the 2010 Winter Olympics.Christie's best finish at the FIL...
stated that foreign athletes were given less training time than required at the 2006 Turin Olympics.
Canadian women hockey players seen drinking and smoking
Some time after winning their gold medal in the finals of the women's hockey tournament, a 2-0 victory over the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on February 25, 2010, several members of the Canadian women's hockey team celebrated on the stadium ice while drinking beer and champagne, and smoking cigars. Unbeknownst to the players they were photographed and their celebration was criticized in the media, the reason being that smoking and drinking in public was unbecoming of Olympic athletes, especially while in uniform and in their playing venue. Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada, formally known as the Canadian Hockey Association, is the national governing body of ice hockey in Canada and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Hockey Canada controls a vast majority of ice hockey in Canada, with a few exceptions...
issued an apology, although other members of the Olympic community dismissed concerns over the event. The IOC considered looking into the incident. Canadian hockey captain Hayley Wickenheiser
Hayley Wickenheiser
Hayley Wickenheiser is a women's ice hockey player from Canada. She was the first woman to play full time professional hockey in a position other than goalie. Wickenheiser is a member of the Canada women's national ice hockey team...
said a double standard
Double standard
A double standard is the unjust application of different sets of principles for similar situations. The concept implies that a single set of principles encompassing all situations is the desirable ideal. The term has been used in print since at least 1895...
was being applied, and that a male athlete would not have been judged so harshly, as was the case with skeleton
Skeleton (sport)
Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
gold medalist Jon Montgomery
Jon Montgomery
Jonathan Riley "Jon" Montgomery is a Canadian skeleton racer who has competed since 2006. He won the Gold Medal in the men's skeleton event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.-Career:...
and his post race beer consumption.
Opposition
Lower Mainland
The Lower Mainland is a name commonly applied to the region surrounding and including Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. As of 2007, 2,524,113 people live in the region; sixteen of the province's thirty most populous municipalities are located there.While the term Lower Mainland has been...
mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
s Derek Corrigan
Derek Corrigan
Derek Richard Corrigan is the current mayor of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.Corrigan is a graduate of Vancouver's Sir Charles Tupper Secondary School and has lived in Burnaby since 1977, the same year he obtained a law degree from the University of British Columbia. Prior to law school he...
and Richard Walton
North Vancouver, British Columbia (district municipality)
The District of North Vancouver is a district municipality in British Columbia and is part of the GVRD. It surrounds the City of North Vancouver on three sides.-Geography:The District of North Vancouver is separated from Vancouver by Burrard Inlet...
.
Several public Olympic events held in Vancouver were also attended by protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
ers.
Indigenous people
There is opposition to the Olympics amongst some indigenous people and their supporters. Although the Lil'wat branch of the St'at'imc Nation is a co-host of the games, a splinter group from the SetonSeton Lake First Nation
The Seton Lake First Nation, aka the Seton Lake Indian Band, is a First Nations government located in the Central Interior-Fraser Canyon region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is a member of the Lillooet Tribal Council, which is the largest grouping of band governments of the...
band known as the St’at’imc of Sutikalh, who have also opposed the Cayoosh Ski Resort, fear the Olympics are bringing unwanted tourism and real estate sales to their territory. On another front, local aboriginal people as well as Canadian Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
expressed concern over the choice of an inukshuk
Inukshuk
An inuksuk is a stone landmark or cairn built by humans, used by the Inuit, Inupiat, Kalaallit, Yupik, and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America. These structures are found from Alaska to Greenland...
as the symbol of the Games, with some Inuit leaders such as former Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
Commissioner Peter Irniq
Peter Irniq
Peter Taqtu Irniq is an Inuk politician in Canada, who served as the second Commissioner of Nunavut from April 2000 to April 2005.-Biography:...
stating that the inukshuk is a culturally important symbol to them. He said that the "Inuit never build inuksuit with head, legs and arms. I have seen inuksuit build [sic] more recently, 100 years maybe by non-Inuit in Nunavut, with head, legs and arms. These are not called inuksuit. These are called inunguat, imitation of man." Local aboriginal groups also expressed annoyance that the design did not reflect the Coast Salish
Coast Salish
Coast Salish languages are a subgroup of the Salishan language family. These languages are spoken by First Nations or Native American peoples inhabiting the territory that is now the southwest coast of British Columbia around the Strait of Georgia and Washington state around Puget Sound...
and Interior Salish
Interior Salish
The Interior Salish languages are one of the two main subgroups of the Salishan language family, the other being Coast Salish. It can be further subdivided into Northern and Southern Interior Salish...
native culture from the region the Games are being held in, but rather that of the Inuit, who are indigenous to the Arctic far from Vancouver. One chief, Stewart Phillip
Stewart Phillip
Stewart Phillip is an Okanagan Aboriginal leader who has served as President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. Being a chief of the Penticton in British Columbia, he has advocated for Aboriginal rights for the First Nations in that province and particularly in the Okanagan region.In 2002, Phillip...
, President of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs is a First Nations political organization founded in 1969 in response to Jean Chrétien's White Paper proposal to assimilate Status Indians and disband the Department of Indian Affairs....
, also said that the design lacked dignity, comparing it to Pac-Man
Pac-Man
is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
. Edward John
Edward John
Edward John is a prominent First Nations political leader in Canada. The son of Louis and Amelia John, he was born on July 8, 1949 in the Carrier village of Tache, along the north shore of Stuart Lake, about 60 km from Fort St. James, British Columbia. He holds the name 'Ukailch'oh in the Lusilyoo...
, Grand Chief of the First Nations Summit
First Nations Summit
The First Nations Summit is a First Nations political organization in British Columbia founded in 1992 after the formation of the British Columbia Treaty Commission and the British Columbia Treaty Process. It represents the interests of First Nation band governments involved in the treaty process...
, said some native leaders were so upset about the issue they were prepared to walk out of the unveiling ceremony. The aboriginal governments of the Squamish, Musqueam
Musqueam Indian Band
The Musqueam Indian Band is a First Nations government in the Canadian province of British Columbia, and is the only Indian band whose reserve community lies within the boundaries of the City of Vancouver....
, Lil'wat
Lil'wat First Nation
The Lil'wat First Nation, aka the Lil'wat Nation or the Mount Currie Indian Band, is a First Nations government located in the southern Coast Mountains region of the Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia...
and Tsleil-Waututh
Tsleil-Waututh First Nation
The Tsleil-Waututh First Nation, also known as the Burrard Indian Band or Burrard Band, is a First Nations government in the Canadian Province of British Columbia...
(the "Four Host First Nations"), on whose traditional territory the games are being held, signed a protocol in 2004 in support of the games.
Protests
In 2006, environmental protests at Eagleridge Bluffs in West Vancouver over the building of a new highway resulted in the arrest of over 20 people, and jail time for two local women, Betty KrawczykBetty Krawczyk
Betty Shiver Krawczyk is a Louisiana-born, British Columbia, Canada based environmental activist, author and former political candidate....
and Harriet Nahanee
Harriet Nahanee
Harriet Nahanee also known as Tseybayotl was an Indigenous rights activist, residential school alumnus, and environmental activist. She was born in British Columbia, Canada. She comes from the Pacheedaht who are part of the Nuu-chah-nulth, Indigenous peoples from the Vancouver Island...
.
According to critics, despite claims of the "greenest Olympics" ever, and statements about "sustainability", the 2010 Olympics would leave behind environmental damage.
On Saturday February 13, the first day of the actual Olympic sporting events, windows of The Hudson's Bay Company (The Bay), an Olympic sponsor, were smashed in downtown Vancouver by protestors.
Protesters had also vandalized branches of the Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada
The Royal Bank of Canada or RBC Financial Group is the largest financial institution in Canada, as measured by deposits, revenues, and market capitalization. The bank serves seventeen million clients and has 80,100 employees worldwide. The company corporate headquarters are located in Toronto,...
, an Olympic sponsor, in Ottawa, Vancouver and Victoria.
The documentary film Five Ring Circus outlined reasons behind the protests. and in Helen Jefferson Lenskyj's books Olympic Industry Resistance (2007) and Inside the Olympic Industry (2000). Including concerns about the expense to taxpayers, estimated in 2007 to be CAN$580 million. After the stock market crash of 2008, there have been increasing concerns that Games-related projects would not meet their economic targets. The Olympic Village development, for example, was originally intended to make a profit, but at least one critic estimates it will be millions in debt. Olympic organizers have not commented on this estimate. Also protested was the displacement of low-income residents and criminalization of the poor and homeless through policies designed to make the city appear cleaner.
Critics also anticipated an increase in human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
for the purpose of forced prostitution.
See also
- 2010 Canada anti-prorogation protests2010 Canada anti-prorogation protestsOn 23 January 2010 there were numerous protests opposing the prorogation of the 40th Canadian Parliament. The prorogation had occurred a month earlier on 30 December 2009 on the constitutional advice of Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper and was officially carried out by Governor General...
– protests against government holiday through the Olympics - Concerns and controversies over the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Concerns and controversies over the 2010 Commonwealth GamesConcerns and controversies over the 2010 Commonwealth GamesA number of concerns and controversies surfaced before the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, which received widespread media coverage both in India and internationally....