Canadian Olympic thread

[mickeywho?]

Generally I would agree, who cares, they're just enjoying a beer after the game ... then I saw these pictures on CNN and I would have to say, it does look kinda tacky and perhaps they should have thought about it a little more (they're not just hanging around sipping a brewsky).
I'm certainly no prude, but maybe I'm sensitive as a mom. I've been showing my girls all of the women's medal winning performances, celebrations etc. I don't think they'll be checking this out.

http://winterolympics.si.com/2010/02/26/aint-no-party-like-a-gold-medal-party/?xid=cnnbin&hpt=Sbin

Thanks for the link. Until I read it I had no idea that this happened AFTER the members of the public had left the building. Other than the players and officials the only people there were members of the press - they had stayed behind for a press conference.
The team should have been reminded that the drinking age in BC was older than what some were used to in Quebec. A few made an error in judgement - nothing morally wrong - and the press decided to take a few photos.
The other canadian medalist (I think luge or bobsled...?) that was photographed drinking in the STREET - was handed a pitcher of beer as he walked through the crowd and chugged it down. That was laughed about by the press. No one judged him?!

 

[mickeywho?]

http://www.ctvolympics.ca/hockey/news/newsid=52800.html?cid=rsstsn

After reading that article I was looking at some of the comments others posted on there and one person brought up the fact that for many years in other Olympic sports are always dominated by athletes from European countries, so why doesn't Rogge come out and say its' not fair to athletes from Canada or the United States? One event that comes to mind is Ski Jumping.

Absolutely! What we've been seeing at these games are a lot of gracious winners (and gracious nonwinners) - but also ton of sour grapes. There's been so many stories of good sportsmanship that I'd like to just ignore all the ones that are looking for something wrong, someone to blame. Ugh!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Generally I would agree, who cares, they're just enjoying a beer after the game ... then I saw these pictures on CNN and I would have to say, it does look kinda tacky and perhaps they should have thought about it a little more (they're not just hanging around sipping a brewsky).
I'm certainly no prude, but maybe I'm sensitive as a mom. I've been showing my girls all of the women's medal winning performances, celebrations etc. I don't think they'll be checking this out.

http://winterolympics.si.com/2010/02/26/aint-no-party-like-a-gold-medal-party/?xid=cnnbin&hpt=Sbin

I had no idea those pictures were on CNN, so do you think it had something to do with the fact that they beat the Americans and they want Canada to look bad? Also had the Americans won last night and did the exact same thing do you think this would have made their news?

 

[crashbb]

The other canadian medalist (I think luge or bobsled...?) that was photographed drinking in the STREET - was handed a pitcher of beer as he walked through the crowd and chugged it down. That was laughed about by the press. No one judged him?!

Jon Montgomery in the Skeleton. I thought it was great. An on-looker handed him a pitcher of beer and he drank it while he walked. Afterward, he said it was the best beer that he had ever tasted.

 

[maiapapaya]

Thanks for the link. Until I read it I had no idea that this happened AFTER the members of the public had left the building. Other than the players and officials the only people there were members of the press - they had stayed behind for a press conference.
The team should have been reminded that the drinking age in BC was older than what some were used to in Quebec. A few made an error in judgement - nothing morally wrong - and the press decided to take a few photos.
The other canadian medalist (I think luge or bobsled...?) that was photographed drinking in the STREET - was handed a pitcher of beer as he walked through the crowd and chugged it down. That was laughed about by the press. No one judged him?!

I totally agree that there's a double standard - with the media, the IOC, the COC ... though I did find the picture of the girls kneeling on the ice chugging the champagne and laying on the ice with their feet in the air their like they'd had one too many were kinda tacky ... maybe they should have been more aware that the press was still in the building.

Do I think the AP breaking this story had anything to do with Canada and not the US winning? Absolutely. Though I doubt any other team would have felt comfortable doing this if it wasn't their "home ice" (I could not see our team taking their celebration back onto the ice, for example, if they had been playing in the Salt Lake City, or Turin)

 

[mickeywho?]

Jon Montgomery in the Skeleton. I thought it was great. An on-looker handed him a pitcher of beer and he drank it while he walked. Afterward, he said it was the best beer that he had ever tasted.

Absolutely agree! It didn't bother me that he enjoyed that beer - he was celebrating! So were the hockey players - except for the underage drinking - absolutely nothing wrong with what they did. The press just needed a story.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I totally agree that there's a double standard - with the media, the IOC, the COC ... though I did find the picture of the girls kneeling on the ice chugging the champagne and laying on the ice with their feet in the air their like they'd had one too many were kinda tacky ... maybe they should have been more aware that the press was still in the building.

Do I think the AP breaking this story had anything to do with Canada and not the US winning? Absolutely. Though I doubt any other team would have felt comfortable doing this if it wasn't their "home ice" (I could not see our team taking their celebration back onto the ice, for example, if they had been playing in the Salt Lake City, or Turin)

I am not sure how many 18, 19, or 20 year olds on American NHL teams have won the Stanley Cup but if they have and it was won in an American city, you don't think they started drinking Beer and Champagne in the dressing room, where the media is given access to interview them. So if that has happened with players that young they were breaking the law by not drinking until they were 21 and no one ever said anything about that.

 

[maiapapaya]

I am not sure how many 18, 19, or 20 year olds on American NHL teams have won the Stanley Cup but if they have and it was won in an American city, you don't think they started drinking Beer and Champagne in the dressing room, where the media is given access to interview them. So if that has happened with players that young they were breaking the law by not drinking until they were 21 and no one ever said anything about that.

I don't think the 18 year old drinking was that big of a deal personally. Alex Bilodeau's little sister was drinking champagne in the CTV studio right on their live broadcast.

Everyone knows drinking & celebrating goes on all the time in the dressing rooms (even the stoggy old IOC boys acknowledged that). I think the problem some people had with this is the "public display". While Jon Montgomery was drinking while walking down the street he wasn't laying in the street with his feet in the air while drinking that beer, or laying around on the skeleton track chugging champagne. I think that's what the perceived difference is. I've got no problem with the girls celebrating. I don't think anyone would have said much if they came back out on the ice and took pictures and happened to have their celebratory bevvies still in their hands. I think it was the way they did it that caught the press' attention. When the games here have been under so much criticism by the foreign press and the women's hockey has been criticized by the IOC, I just think that they still could have celebrated, but been a bit more discreet.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

If the IOC was smart they should tell Evgeni Plushenko to stop complaining about not winning the Gold and saying how it was not fair, so talk about being a bad losser. Also a few days ago I read online that he is now saying he won a Platinum medal because it's technically a better colour then Gold. So I think what he is doing is a lot worse then the way the Women's Hockey team celebrated winning last night.

 

[maiapapaya]

If the IOC was smart they should tell Evgeni Plushenko to stop complaining about not winning the Gold and saying how it was not fair, so talk about being a bad losser. Also a few days ago I read online that he is now saying he won a Platinum medal because it's technically a better colour then Gold. So I think what he is doing is a lot worse then the way the Women's Hockey team celebrated winning last night.

Plushenko is beyond ridiculous, and I don't just mean his hair!
WRT to the women's hockey, the IOC has decided not to investigate. I'm not sure if they would have really gotten involved if the AP reporter who broke the story hadn't gone to one of the members and pressed for a statement. Seriously, I think the IOC has bigger fish to fry ... like the Russian athletes who tested positive last year for steroids (I think they are cross country skiers). Based on the article I read the Russian sports federation refused to suspend them (they are competing in the games) and said they will "deal with them" after the Olympics (conveniently). Apparently the ISF and IOC have completely turned a blind eye to this. It's crap like this that really tarnishes the reputation of the Olympics.

 

[disneydreamgirl]

So glad that it sounds like they've accepted Hockey Canada's effusive and swift apology so ideally we can return to less scandalous affairs! I'm cheering for the women curlers followed by men's hockey tonight!!!

Not to bring up more controversy, but I hope the men didn't know they were being televised last night when the women were being given their medals - I would have like to have seen them smile or hoot a little. I sure was!

 

[mickeywho?]

Not to bring up more controversy, but I hope the men didn't know they were being televised last night when the women were being given their medals - I would have like to have seen them smile or hoot a little. I sure was!

We noticed that too! I was speaking with a couple other parents at the school drop-off this morning and both of them mentioned it too! Very strange...why look so sour while you watch fellow canadians win? I can't understand it.

 

[maiapapaya]

We noticed that too! I was speaking with a couple other parents at the school drop-off this morning and both of them mentioned it too! Very strange...why look so sour while you watch fellow canadians win? I can't understand it.

I heard about this too. Maybe they were channelling the women's winning mojo?!

 

[crashbb]

GOLD AND BRONZE in short track speed skating!!

 

[joannalh]

Woo hoo!

 

[crashbb]

Just watched an interview with Apolo Ohno, who was disqualified from the 500m race. He said he was only disqualified because it was a Canadian judge/ref on Canadian soil.

Everything that I've read about Apolo is that he regularly skates the line between "fair" and "not fair" in his races.

His disqualification had nothing to do with the Canadian getting the Gold (Apolo crossed the line in second), but would have stopped the Canadian Bronze.

 

[LittleFlounder]

The mens speed skating 500m was CRAZY with that big crash, Apolo Anton Ono being DQ'd and Charles Hamelin gracefully skating backwards over the finish line! .. and 2 medals for Canada!

I can wait to see the results of this men's relay.

 

[crashbb]

GOLD for Canada in the relay. No question about this finish!!

 

[crashbb]

Canada now has the most GOLD medals at the Olympics! And have passed our most ever Gold medals (and that was at LA - which was boycotted).

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Canada beats Slovakia 3-2 and it's off to the Gold medal game this Sunday in a rematch vs the United States.