Sports Perspectives

It wasn’t a good start for the Olympic Games in Vancouver. First came the expulsion of 30 athletes for doping, next in line was uncooperative weather, and most tragic of all the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili in a training run accident.

As if all this wasn’t enough, protestors forced a re-rout of the torch’s final relay carried by Wayne Gretzky while a technical glitz in the sparking of the cauldrun marred the flow at the conclusion of the ceremony. Seven years of hard work and preparation erased in one unfortunate moment.

Who said Canada is boring?

Now the games mush move forward. Mr. Kumaritashvili and his country of Georgia will remain in the hearts and minds of everyone involved. The technical malfunctions shouldn’t dictate the tone of the games and the protest by a few hundred people is a small price to pay in a free and democratic society. All these things are in our control when it comes to rationalizing it.

However, the weather is another matter. Hopefully it won’t have too much of a negative impact. That, as we all know, is out of our control.

Nothing in life is guaranteed. We all face challenges and obstacles in our daily lives. How we deal with them goes a long way in determining if we fail or succeed. Canada (and the world) has been confronted with challenges. This is where the human spirit will leave a mark it wishes to imprint on itself.

If my four year old daughter is any indication, it may all turn out fine. While we watched the moving moment of silence for the fallen athlete, she asked what the people were doing. My wife delicately explained to her the situation. She sat quietly and began to play a music box. “I put the music for the person who died,” she said.

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I don’t know. Call me a purist, call me unrealistic but I just can’t get my head around the notion of pro athletes taking part in any way in the Olympics. As much as I love the hockey tournament, I may be in the minority when I write I would love to see amateur hockey players participate once again at the games.

Wayne Gretzky is indeed an iconic sports figure. No doubt about it. But really, is not an amateur athlete at its roots. He’s a professional athlete. I would have preferred to see a former Olympic champion light the final torch.

But hey. Like I said, I’m a traditionalist that way.