Are the Olympics a waste of time and money?

[Lil_T]

I'm not saying there should only be 3 people competing.  Did you see the 04 Olympics?  All this hype about how great our athletes are and in 2004 we came home with 12 medals total. 

2004 Olympic Standings http://olympic-museum.de/m-stand/mirror2004.htm

2006 Olympic Standings http://www.infoplease.com/spot/winter-olympics-2006standings.html  at least we do well in winter.

2008 Olympic Standings http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/GL/95A/GL0000000.shtml

Anyway, it's a moot point really, you obviously are a big supporter of our Olympic athletes, and I don't really care that much.  We could probably go back and forth on this all day.

 

[Harley Sailor]

You are still talking about the top three as if that is all that matters.  Not that you are any different from a lot of people.  The links you posted are great if you only care about medals.  Should being able to compete on a world level count for something?  Do you always have to be the best at what you do?  Do you stop competing because you know there are people better then you in the competition?  I for one would be happy to be in the top ten in the world at something and get the chance to prove it.

 

[Lil_T]

Perhaps it's the perfectionist in me then.  What I'm saying is -we CAN do better- so why don't we?  Sure competing on a world level is great, as is being in the top ten in the world.  But what ever happened to winning? I'm sure all of those athletes dream of being on that podium and it's a big disappointment when they're not.  I know everyone can't be first.  It's a cold hard reality.  Do I always have to be the best at what I do?  Well I sure as heck try... and a lot of times I succeed.  The times I don't I look at what happened, what I could have done differently and go from there.  Do I stop because there are people better than me in the competition?  No of course not.  That defeats the point of competition altogether. 

As far as me talking about the top three like that's all that matters... well, when was the last time anyone mentioned the name of the Canadian who came in fifth, seventh, whatever.  They represent Canada on the world stage.  Out of 930 medals in 2004, we won 12.  What does that say about Canada?

Should they get more funding?  Maybe.  But it's not for me to say - as I'm not the one in charge of funding them.  And quite honestly it's not on my priority list.

 

[wannabe SF member]

I do care about the standings of our Athletes. Not simply because of national pride but because there is a point to the Olympics in terms ou our international rep.                Do you think that the government pours money into training just so athletes can realize their dreams? It's because they represent our country. They are in some way accountable to us for the fact that taxpayer money went into their training.

Just an opinion.

 

[Lil_T]

I do care about the standings of our Athletes. Not simply because of national pride but because there is a point to the Olympics in terms ou our international rep.                 Do you think that the government pours money into training just so athletes can realize their dreams? It's because they represent our country. They are in some way accountable to us for the fact that taxpayer money went into their training.

Just an opinion.

Thank you.  That's basically what I was getting at.  You said it a lot better.

 

[CorporalMajor]

I never cared for the event itself or any form of competition in sports - NHL, NBA, et al. It means nothing to me. I generally don't find it entertaining to watch either. Insead I prefer to actually play sports, and focus on my own athleticism. I don't care about some guy on TV, good for him though.

I do however like how it pours money and people into the country, or at least I hope it will. I also think it's a good thing, that people identify with sports, and that others feel appreciation and pride in their athletes. So no, it is not a waste of time and money.

 

[AmmoTech90]

Personally I feel the Olympics is superfluous.  At one point I supported it, but once professionals were allowed to participate it became simply another sort of "championship" they could win to make more money.

There is already a World Championship for pretty much every sport out there, what role does the Olympics play?  It is not something a gifted amateur can strive for in most cases, although I an sure there are some obscure sports that use the Olympics as a defacto championship, but not many.

Get professionals out of it, only allow those who have never accepted money for sport to participate, and I may be interested.

 

[The Bread Guy]

I an sure there are some obscure sports that use the Olympics as a defacto championship, but not many.

Long live the obscure grossly misunderstood sports of the Olympics, like this, this and this!

Seriously, since I'm not a sports fan of any kind, and I respect the effort the individuals and teams put in representing their countries, I could live without the Olympics.

As for the poll, maybe it would tell us more if we didn't have two of the same choice - or is this "guided choice" Old Medic alluded to? 

 

[Harley Sailor]

Get professionals out of it, only allow those who have never accepted money for sport to participate, and I may be interested.

Now there's a thought "only allow those who have never accepted money for sport to participate."  That would get rid of most of them, as most of the top players take "training money."  Then there is all the TV money "I run fast and you can to if you own these running shoes."

Are the Olympics not about the best in the world?  Well the best are being paid.

 

[AmmoTech90]

Are the Olympics not about the best in the world?  Well the best are being paid.

Funny that, I would have thought the World Championships that most sports have represent the best in the world.  Those happen more often than every four years so they actually would give a more accurate indication of who is the best.
For a large part of its history the Olympics were based around amateur competition.  It was normal for atheletes to be stripped of medals or barred from competing if it was discovered that they had taken money.
I hesitate to reference Wiki, but here is a NZ history page http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/amateur-ideals-and-olympic-realities
It would appear that sometime after 1972 the word amateur disapeared from the Olympic charter.  I remember being taught in school that the Olympics were there to showcase a countries normal citizens who have managed to excel in a sport while also leading a normal life.  Now that would be more interesting to me.

 

[old medic]

Olympic security cost hits $900m
Megan O'Toole, National Post, with files From Canwest News Service
Published: Friday, February 20, 2009

The tab for security at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver has been pegged at $900-million, more than five times higher than initially anticipated.

But the official cost, announced yesterday afternoon by federal and provincial governments, still falls short of later estimates that had ballooned to upwards of $1-billion.

Under two new agreements between Ottawa and Victoria, the province of British Columbia will contribute a total of $252.5-million for its portion of the security budget, with the federal government picking up the remainder of the tab.

That includes an increase of $165-million in new money from the province, which initially estimated its contribution at $87.5-million.

In doing so, the province insisted the federal government take over all risks and planning for security.

The B. C. government also agreed to put its increased share into joint federal-provincial major infrastructure costs of the next three years.

B. C. Finance Minister Colin Hansen said he proposed the new cost-sharing agreement because the old one, written several years ago, was confusing. "The old agreement invited 'co-management' of the security budget and it was not going to get us anywhere very fast," he said.

Mr. Hansen, who originally pegged security costs at $175-million, later sent a revised security budget to Ottawa that included a proposal outlining what he believed the province should pay.

While the province awaited the federal government's official response, experts and officials suggested the total cost of security could escalate to beyond $1-billion.

Late last year, Canada's intelligence service warned of an espionage threat to the 2010 Winter Games, saying foreign spies may try to steal security plans for the Olympics.