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Olympic Torch Relay

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GDLLover

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Jul 2, 2007
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The relay, in my mind has become joke as it really doesn't symbolize much. The flame lit in Greece is contained in a lantern seldom seen in public and the fire sticks you see basically stays lit for 10 minutes before it runs out of gas. It is being carried all over the country just o say it was there. It was even detoured a couple of days so it could be paraded in the House of Commons on Friday(?), a day earlier, so the MPs can go home for their 2 month holiday, and don't let me go there, and then back on the road east then back to Ottawa. It's nuts.

I do like some aspects of the torch relay but Canadian organizers have lost it. Nothing will take away from Mohammed Ali's part in the relay or the archer lighting the torch from how far away. Those were amazing moment, but it out of hand this time.
 
It's a big deal. So big that even the Mohawks and the Quebecer's forget that they hate Canada for a while.

Just go and see for yourself.
 
Blue5658 said:
It's a big deal. So big that even the Mohawks and the Quebecer's forget that they hate Canada for a while.

Just go and see for yourself.
Click to expand...

What make you think that? I'll bet you they weren't standing on the same side of the street cheering the parade.
 
That's exactly what they were doing. They even had to negotiate a truce with the RCMP to allow the Torch to go through the Kahnawake Reserve so that the Mohawk "Police" did the escort. They native kids loved it.

In Quebec, there were massive traffic jams in Montreal and Quebec city. Montreal is a past Olympic city, and Quebec is an aspirational one. Plus so many great "Canadian" Olympic athletes come from Quebec: speed skating, diving, skiing.

The Torch is a mini-Olympic experience that comes to your main street. Even the Olympic protesters are now avoiding it because they realize their protests hurts the runners who may be former Olympic athletes or some person who earned a spot because of a significant community contribution.:)
 
The only thing that really matters with these Olympics is "can Canada finally win a gold medal on home soil?"
 
A retail bonanza we call it the OLYMPICS



Professionals competing is a sham

Any athlete that takes money is a professional and should be banned
 
papasmerf said:
A retail bonanza we call it the OLYMPICS



Professionals competing is a sham

Any athlete that takes money is a professional and should be banned
Click to expand...

That is one opinion, but looking at it from the other side. For example, the Russians all pay their amateur athletes but their not considered professionals because of the communist fundamentals of supporting the athletes.

Bottom line is, amateur/professional (as we call it) are the same. Our best should be able to compete with the worlds best.
 
GDLLover said:
That is one opinion, but looking at it from the other side. For example, the Russians all pay their amateur athletes but their not considered professionals because of the communist fundamentals of supporting the athletes.

Bottom line is, amateur/professional (as we call it) are the same. Our best should be able to compete with the worlds best.
Click to expand...


Professionals should be banned from the Olympics, period.

No matter the country they are from
 
GDLLover said:
Agreed, but because their not known as professional in communist countries, they compete against our true amateurs. This isn't fair the way its setup. No wonder Canada is at the bottom of the gold medal list.
Click to expand...

And the reverse is also true

I am sick and tired of professional hockey players, skaters, basketball players and athletes in every sport violating the spirit of the Olympics.

If you want to compete at an Olympian you need to be an AMATEUR and that means no professional contracts. I would extend that to professionals who have not had a contract or endorsement for the past 120 months.
 
I think the point that GDLLover is making is that in the old Communist regime you usually were a full member of the military staff which served as a cover for being a full time athlete. Nothing amateur about this other than you were paid by your government's military. How do you police this type of "amateur"?

You can't so the Olympic powers finally gave up and said the Olympics represent the best of the field regardless of how they got there.

Personally I don't think this undermines the overall spirit because most of Olympic sports are so obscure outside of the Games, that the overall sacrifice the athlete is making just to get there is huge. When they hang up their tacks, most of these athletes have never had a professional salary or even barely enough money to live on.

So they go into sport coaching, maybe real estate...the lucky ones get a broadcast career. We all know Michael Phelps but there are hundreds who toil away every day trying to make the podium because no one else is getting rich in swimming (as an example).
 
Blue5658 you did say exactly what was on my mind.

As an example of this, in China they take the children from their home to designate them into the gov't athletic program. All expenses are covered, but they also give up their childhood because training is their entire life.

How can any of our athletes compete with this?
 
69Shooter said:
Yes, I think to many Canadians it does. Given that Canada is the only country to ever host the Olympics and not win a gold medal (they've done it twice)!
Click to expand...

Gee I almost forgot about that fact since the last time it was mentioned in this thread. Until recently, Canada has tried to do it on the cheap, compete against the country who go all out to win recognition worldwide.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Oz as a way to do it. They seem to have found the happy medium with training, expenditures, and getting results in sports not thought to be Aussie strengths. If we tried to approach that model, you would see good results
 
Did I hear correct ?
Leafs GM Brian Burke is going to carry the torch ?
 
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