Crisis perception rarely becomes reality at Olympic Games
There’s an Olympics on the horizon and so, naturally, disaster looms. With every recent Summer and Winter Games there has been dire warnings of something going terribly wrong, anything from lung-damaging smog to bomb-toting terrorists.
For the 2016 Rio Games, it’s all about the water — it’s awful.
So awful, in fact, some experts have claimed that athletes who ingest as little as three teaspoons of water have a 99 per cent chance of being infected by viruses.
Yet Canadian rowers, paddlers, swimmers and sailors have been there for test events and didn’t get sick, so it’s difficult to ascertain just how bad things really are. But here’s what we do know — something usually does go wrong at the Olympics. But rarely is it the issue people were most concerned about preceding the Games.
Here’s a look at the last 15 years of Winter and Summer Games.
SOCHI 2014
The fear: Jihadist groups linked to the insurgency in the North Caucasus had security forces on alert for “black widow” suicide bombers. Also, anti-gay laws raised concerns about what LGBT athletes would face. The reality: Terrorism fears subsided and attention turned to stray dogs, mushy snow and the state of hotel rooms. Russian President Vladimir Putin waited, barely, for the Olympic crowd to leave the Moscow airport before invading Ukraine.
LONDON 2012
The fear: Britain was so concerned about the possibility of a terrorist attack its security plan included fighter jets, frogmen and surface-toair missiles mounted on apartment buildings. The reality: G4S, the company hired to handle security, bungled the job and an additional 1,200 military personnel were deployed on the eve of the Games. London businesses were promised economic gold from the Games but got quiet streets, empty shops and idling cabs as locals and potential tourists alike stayed away.
VANCOUVER 2010
The fear: No snow. Organizers were scrambling to make and keep snow, particularly at the Cypress Mountain freestyle venue. The reality: Just before the opening ceremony, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed during a training run, instantly changing the focus from concerns about snow to safety in the fastest of the sliding sports.
BEIJING 2008
The fear: Air pollution. The fears were so great that Haile Gebrselassie, the Ethiopian world record holder of the day, opted not to run the Olympic marathon for fear of permanently damaging his lungs. The reality: Vehicles were restricted and factories shut down, resulting in air quality deemed safe for athletes. There’s nothing like a state-run country using the Olympics as a coming out party to get people and industry to do what they’re told. Of course, that also meant human rights protesters were restricted to zones far from the Games, if they could even get the required government permission to protest.
TURIN 2006
The fear: A little bit of everything. There was a last-minute budget shortfall, protests, transportation woes and concerns about ticket sales for the Winter Games. The reality: Nothing really went wrong, nor did it go right. Turin was generally considered to be an underwhelming Games. Canadians were shocked by the quick quarterfinal exit of the men’s hockey team.
ATHENS 2004
The fear: That nothing would be finished on time. The test events went poorly, thanks to everything from gale force winds swamping boats to food poisoning of athletes. Construction delays were so severe officials questioned whether the Games’ birthplace could pull it off. The reality: The paint was still wet and they were taking plastic wrap off the seats as spectators were filing in, but the Games, as they do, went on. But the money spent on the Olympics is routinely blamed for helping to kick-start the economic downfall, which the nation is still reeling from.
SALT LAKE CITY 2002
The fear: Scandal and terrorism. Ahead of the Games, Salt Lake City bid officials were discovered to have handed out cash, vacations, college scholarships, medical treatment — pretty much everything but the kitchen sink — to IOC members to secure the Games. These were the first Games held in the heightened security environment that came after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington. The reality: Scandal. Figure skating exploded in controversy during the pairs competition, when Canadians Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, who skated a flawless final program, scored lower than the Russians, who had obvious mistakes. Later, the Canadians were awarded a second gold.
SYDNEY 2000
The fear: Sharks. Earlier in the year, warmer weather had reportedly attracted them to the harbour where triathlon swimmers would be racing, in far greater numbers than usual. There was also concern about the beach volleyball venue damaging popular Bondi Beach. The reality: They are remembered by all who covered them as the perfect Olympic Games.