General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsOne thing I thought was hilarious about the opening parade of athletes
how many of the athletes representing small nations and nations that aren't known for winter sports, aren't really from the nations they're representing. there were more than a few of them- like gary and angelica di silvestra of staten island.
When Dominica, a tiny Caribbean nation, makes its Winter Olympic debut on Friday, the cross-country skier carrying its flag at the opening ceremony will be a wealthy former investment fund manager from Staten Island who never tried cross-country skiing until after his 30th birthday.
Now, after an intricate chain of events and a great deal of paperwork and world travel, Gary di Silvestri is a first-time Olympian at 47.
<snip>
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/07/sports/olympics/caribbean-newcomers-dip-their-toes-in-sochis-snow.html?_r=0
Imagine that, you can buy your way into the Olympics.
2naSalit
(86,841 posts)Should we even continue the farce? Should anyone?
It's all just a ruse for the 1%ers to siphon more money from the working classes of their nations. There needs to be some other thing real athletes can do with their time and effort.
OmahaBlueDog
(10,000 posts)First and foremost, I'd like to see it go back to being an amateur athletic event. I don't want to go back to the days of stripping Jim Thorpe of his track medals because he took a few bucks for playing baseball, but I also don't think that making summer olympic basketball a battle of the NBA American all-stars vs. the NBA Croatian all-stars is what we want either.
Let's do this. Pick 3-4 winter sites and 3-4 summer sites around the world, and just keep recycling those sites rather than build a new Olympic Village and stadium every four years.The nations of the world can kick in funding to maintain the sites based on GDP.
2naSalit
(86,841 posts)but I doubt the uber-wealthy would go for it.
jsr
(7,712 posts)Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)2naSalit
(86,841 posts)Lifelong Protester
(8,421 posts)shirtless, up to the torchbearers, and light the Olympic flame himself. I was disappointed when this didn't happen .
I usually cheer for the small normally 'non-Olympic material' countries that send one or two folks, although I know most of them are wealthy transplants (not born in the USA but born in the country they are representing and usually raised or schooled here). But I was stopped mid-cheer when I found out the guys representing Domenica were not from there, but granted citizenship based on charitable (tossing a lot of money) at the country they were representing. And usually in some sport you have to have $$$ to compete in.
Now I don't know, maybe this guy from Staten Island is a great philanthropist, well-loved in Domenica. But I would be surprised...
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)not the real version, the Young Frankenstein version.
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)You can't just pay and go.
You now have to meet some damned tough standards in order to get there.
I heard an NPR story about one of those guys and he actually had taken 18 months out of his life in order to train in order to get into one of the qualifying rounds. If he couldn't hack the qualifier, no amount of money would have purchased his way in.
But yeah, you have to have some serious cash to suspend your career for 18 months to just full time train so there is that.
dickthegrouch
(3,184 posts)from San Jose, CA playing for four different nations in the Olympics.
7 were invited:
USA: Joe Pavelski
CANADA: Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, Dan Boyle, Marc-Edouard Vlasic
FINLAND: Antti Niemi
CZECH REPUBLIC: Marty Havlat
And one Sharks coach is managing one of the Ice rinks in Sochi.
http://www.mercurynews.com/sharks/ci_24217450/san-jose-sharks-preview-seven-sharks-headed-olympics
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_25029880/sharks-employee-steve-maroni-is-heading-his-4th