The Turin Winter Olympics kicked off last night without a hitch.
The opening ceremony, held in front of an audience of 30000, lasted 3 hours and involved 2500 competitors from 80 countries.
The ceremony began with Italian gold medalist Yuri Chechi, swinging a hammer onto an anvil which kindled a ball of flame.
Skaters dressed in red with flame-shooting helmets entered the arena; followed by dancing tree-men, cows and snowballs.
The ceremony was a mix of Italian Renaissance and rave dancing. Twenty eight acrobats formed themselves into the shape of a dove.
Then supermodel Carla Bruni, dressed in a sparkling white floor-length gown, carried the Italian flag across the stage.
The Olympic flag was carried in by eight women: 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Muta Maathai of Kenya; Chile's Isabel Allende, two-time winner of the Nobel Prize for literature; Cambodian human rights activist Somaly Mam; Sophia Loren; Susan Sarandon; and three Olympic medalists, Nawal el-Moutawakel of Morocco, Manuela di Centa of Italy and Maria Mutola of Mozambique. Yoko Ono appeared on stage to recite John Lennon's "Imagine."
This is the easy bit, now the organisers must ensure that the games run smoothly without any unpleasant interruptions or scandals.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Friday, February 10, 2006
Security Nightmare
The security issues surrounding the forthcoming Winter Olympics, which open in Turin later today, are proving to be quite a headache for the organisers.
Authorities are spending over $100m on security, with 15,000 police officers being deployed.
There will be a no-fly zone over the city, as 15 heads of state attend today's opening ceremony.
Yesterday the Olympic flame was diverted in Turin, to avoid protests over a planned local high-speed rail link and over spending on the Games.
The Italian government are focusing on two issues; the possibility of a Muslim protest about the Danish cartoons and a very aggressive series of demonstrations from Italian anarchists and subversive groups.
Two Nato surveillance aircraft will enforce the no-fly ban over Turin during the opening ceremony.
The torch relay carrying the Olympic flame around Italy has already been disrupted several times during its two-month trip.
Protesters say that tunnelling for the railway in the Susa valley, where some of the events will be held, will ruin the environment and release asbestos and uranium into the atmosphere.
One protester is quoted by Reuters as saying:
"These are dirty Games because they have spent huge amounts of money and we don't know what use it will be in the future."
The question is, are the Olympics now proving to be just too expensive and too disrupting to be held anymore?
Authorities are spending over $100m on security, with 15,000 police officers being deployed.
There will be a no-fly zone over the city, as 15 heads of state attend today's opening ceremony.
Yesterday the Olympic flame was diverted in Turin, to avoid protests over a planned local high-speed rail link and over spending on the Games.
The Italian government are focusing on two issues; the possibility of a Muslim protest about the Danish cartoons and a very aggressive series of demonstrations from Italian anarchists and subversive groups.
Two Nato surveillance aircraft will enforce the no-fly ban over Turin during the opening ceremony.
The torch relay carrying the Olympic flame around Italy has already been disrupted several times during its two-month trip.
Protesters say that tunnelling for the railway in the Susa valley, where some of the events will be held, will ruin the environment and release asbestos and uranium into the atmosphere.
One protester is quoted by Reuters as saying:
"These are dirty Games because they have spent huge amounts of money and we don't know what use it will be in the future."
The question is, are the Olympics now proving to be just too expensive and too disrupting to be held anymore?
World's Tallest Cauldron
The Turin Winter Olympics has already broken one record, that of having the world's tallest cauldron which will hold the Olympic flame.
The design was conceived by Pininfarina SpA, best known for its Ferrari SpA sports-car designs.
It is 57 metres high, and cost $2.1M.
The flame will be lit at today's opening ceremony, which will be attended by the U.S. First Lady Laura Bush and Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
The opening pageant, whose theme is "Passion, Dynamism and Italianism", will involve 6,100 costumes and more than 100 kilometres of electric cables.
The event will be staged around a traditional Italian piazza.
The opening ceremony is expected to be sold out, and attended by 35,000 people. However, 265,000 tickets still are unsold out of the 1 million available.
The design was conceived by Pininfarina SpA, best known for its Ferrari SpA sports-car designs.
It is 57 metres high, and cost $2.1M.
The flame will be lit at today's opening ceremony, which will be attended by the U.S. First Lady Laura Bush and Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
The opening pageant, whose theme is "Passion, Dynamism and Italianism", will involve 6,100 costumes and more than 100 kilometres of electric cables.
The event will be staged around a traditional Italian piazza.
The opening ceremony is expected to be sold out, and attended by 35,000 people. However, 265,000 tickets still are unsold out of the 1 million available.
Dopes
As the Winter Olympics kicks off in Turin later today, news was released that some athletes have tested positive for doping offences.
So much for the concept of competing for competing's sake!
Giovanni Zotta, the Italian representative on the International Olympic Committee's anti-doping commission, said that preliminary tests had found the banned substance Erythropoietin (EPO) in several athletes.
Quote:
"So far there have been cases of EPO haematocrit in several athletes but it must be confirmed."
The International Ski Federation (FIS) had banned eight Nordic skiers for five days, after tests showed they had an abnormally high red blood cell count (a possible indication of EPO use).
Zotta added:
"This morning we will be checking (the cases). Shortly we will be having a meeting on the results."
This incident is particularly galling for the IOC, as it had only recently convinced/strongarmed the Italian government to relax its strict anti drugs laws. Under the normal laws, applied to non Olympiads, people found to have been taking drugs (even sports enhancing drugs) are liable to a prison sentence.
Needless to say, the IOC couldn't face the loss of sponsorship revenues that prison sentences on its athletes would have brought, so it dragooned the Italian government into relaxing the law for Olympic athletes.
Dick Pound, the head of the World Anti-doping Agency, said:
"The (Torino) Games are not an Italian event. They are an international one. But I think it will work out."
In other words, Olympic athletes are above the law!
This two faced approach to drugs sends out the wrong message; Kate Moss was vilified recently for alleged cocaine use, yet the IOC seem to be saying that drugs (if used to win a competition) are OK.
That is wrong!
So much for the concept of competing for competing's sake!
Giovanni Zotta, the Italian representative on the International Olympic Committee's anti-doping commission, said that preliminary tests had found the banned substance Erythropoietin (EPO) in several athletes.
Quote:
"So far there have been cases of EPO haematocrit in several athletes but it must be confirmed."
The International Ski Federation (FIS) had banned eight Nordic skiers for five days, after tests showed they had an abnormally high red blood cell count (a possible indication of EPO use).
Zotta added:
"This morning we will be checking (the cases). Shortly we will be having a meeting on the results."
This incident is particularly galling for the IOC, as it had only recently convinced/strongarmed the Italian government to relax its strict anti drugs laws. Under the normal laws, applied to non Olympiads, people found to have been taking drugs (even sports enhancing drugs) are liable to a prison sentence.
Needless to say, the IOC couldn't face the loss of sponsorship revenues that prison sentences on its athletes would have brought, so it dragooned the Italian government into relaxing the law for Olympic athletes.
Dick Pound, the head of the World Anti-doping Agency, said:
"The (Torino) Games are not an Italian event. They are an international one. But I think it will work out."
In other words, Olympic athletes are above the law!
This two faced approach to drugs sends out the wrong message; Kate Moss was vilified recently for alleged cocaine use, yet the IOC seem to be saying that drugs (if used to win a competition) are OK.
That is wrong!
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Turin's Security Concerns
As with any large scale international event, it is an unfortunate fact of life that security threats and how to deal with them take priority.
The Turin Winter Olympics, which start tomorrow, are no exception to that rule. As ever, various protest groups are seeking to maximise their exposure to the world's media by staging annoying and dangerous demonstrations during the Games.
The anti-globalisation demonstrators kicked off on Sunday, by disrupting the Olympic flame enroute to the start of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Anarchists have threatened to hold street protests in Turin to coincide with the visit of Laura Bush, who is scheduled to arrive Friday under tight security.
Now, the Games are under threat from the ongoing wave of protest over the newspaper cartoons that were first published in Denmark in September 2005.
Mario Pescante, Italy's ranking IOC member, said that the government has added two countries' delegations for special protection as a reaction to the escalating controversy over the cartoons.
It is assumed that he was referring to Denmark and Norway.
Jim Scherr, chief of the U.S. Olympic Committee, said:
"I don't think there will be disruption of the Games because of this, but you never know, so it is something we monitor very carefully."
Turin has a large Muslim population in Turin, and security officials convened in Rome this week to plan what to do in the event of protests.
Local Muslim leaders have asked their members not to disrupt the Games, or target the Danish.
To ensure safety, the Italian government has ordered a no-fly zone over Turin for Friday night's opening ceremony. Flights also will be prohibited from departing or arriving at Turin's airport throughout the ceremony.
Pescante said that security forces are prepared for the Olympics:
"In Italy we had 3 million visitors and over 100 heads of state (funeral of John Paul II). We are trained."
The Turin Winter Olympics, which start tomorrow, are no exception to that rule. As ever, various protest groups are seeking to maximise their exposure to the world's media by staging annoying and dangerous demonstrations during the Games.
The anti-globalisation demonstrators kicked off on Sunday, by disrupting the Olympic flame enroute to the start of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Anarchists have threatened to hold street protests in Turin to coincide with the visit of Laura Bush, who is scheduled to arrive Friday under tight security.
Now, the Games are under threat from the ongoing wave of protest over the newspaper cartoons that were first published in Denmark in September 2005.
Mario Pescante, Italy's ranking IOC member, said that the government has added two countries' delegations for special protection as a reaction to the escalating controversy over the cartoons.
It is assumed that he was referring to Denmark and Norway.
Jim Scherr, chief of the U.S. Olympic Committee, said:
"I don't think there will be disruption of the Games because of this, but you never know, so it is something we monitor very carefully."
Turin has a large Muslim population in Turin, and security officials convened in Rome this week to plan what to do in the event of protests.
Local Muslim leaders have asked their members not to disrupt the Games, or target the Danish.
To ensure safety, the Italian government has ordered a no-fly zone over Turin for Friday night's opening ceremony. Flights also will be prohibited from departing or arriving at Turin's airport throughout the ceremony.
Pescante said that security forces are prepared for the Olympics:
"In Italy we had 3 million visitors and over 100 heads of state (funeral of John Paul II). We are trained."
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Winter Blues
There seem to be a number of glitches in the preparations for the forthcoming Winter Olympics, which start in Turin this Friday.
Transport seems to be an issue, last week two British Olympic staff were stuck in traffic for five hours between Turin and the mountain venue of Sestriere because of heavy snowfall and an accident on the road.
Organising committee chief, Cesare Vaciago, has indeed admitted that the biggest problem involves transportation.
Ensuring that Italian drivers respect the lanes reserved for Olympic vehicles and making sure bus drivers know their way around, will be a major headache.
Over 2,000 bus drivers have been drafted in from all around Italy, and many are not familiar with the local roads.
It also seems that there are issues with regard to the number of spectators, specifically there are not enough; 700,000 tickets, 85% of the available volume, have been sold. Therefore organisers have arranged to bus in coach loads of Italian schoolchildren, to boost crowds during the Games.
The Olympic torch relay has also encountered problems, it has been subject to various protests along the route.
On Sunday, it had to be diverted in a northern valley to avoid demonstrations opposed to a high-speed rail link.
Given the recent outbreak of flag burning, and threats to Europeans, by Muslim fanatics security is also an issue.
Special security measures, including the deployment of 15,000 police and military personnel, are in place to protect the Games as a whole. A meeting of law enforcement agencies was convened on Monday to discuss security concerns.
Transport seems to be an issue, last week two British Olympic staff were stuck in traffic for five hours between Turin and the mountain venue of Sestriere because of heavy snowfall and an accident on the road.
Organising committee chief, Cesare Vaciago, has indeed admitted that the biggest problem involves transportation.
Ensuring that Italian drivers respect the lanes reserved for Olympic vehicles and making sure bus drivers know their way around, will be a major headache.
Over 2,000 bus drivers have been drafted in from all around Italy, and many are not familiar with the local roads.
It also seems that there are issues with regard to the number of spectators, specifically there are not enough; 700,000 tickets, 85% of the available volume, have been sold. Therefore organisers have arranged to bus in coach loads of Italian schoolchildren, to boost crowds during the Games.
The Olympic torch relay has also encountered problems, it has been subject to various protests along the route.
On Sunday, it had to be diverted in a northern valley to avoid demonstrations opposed to a high-speed rail link.
Given the recent outbreak of flag burning, and threats to Europeans, by Muslim fanatics security is also an issue.
Special security measures, including the deployment of 15,000 police and military personnel, are in place to protect the Games as a whole. A meeting of law enforcement agencies was convened on Monday to discuss security concerns.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Olympic Truce?
Jan Eliasson, the president of the UN General Assembly has asked that all countries attempt to live by the ancient Greek tradition of a two-week period of peace during the forthcoming Winter Olympics, which begin in Turin this Friday.
Eliasson issued a statement calling for "measures to ensure a peaceful global environment for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games."
In January the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, urged all warring factions to lay down their arms during the Games, saying that the Olympics offer a long enough period "for the protagonists and people who are destroying their own countries and killing each other to pause for a moment, look around them and see what damage they are doing."
Given the current situation in the Middle East, I don't see much hope of that.
Eliasson issued a statement calling for "measures to ensure a peaceful global environment for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games."
In January the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, urged all warring factions to lay down their arms during the Games, saying that the Olympics offer a long enough period "for the protagonists and people who are destroying their own countries and killing each other to pause for a moment, look around them and see what damage they are doing."
Given the current situation in the Middle East, I don't see much hope of that.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Fiat's Sponsorship deal
Fiat SpA is hoping that its massive $48M sponsorship deal for the forthcoming Winter Olympics in Turin will give its lackluster image a boost.
Fiat is one of the main national sponsors at the Games, along with Telecom Italia. There are also "Worldwide Partners" including; Visa International, Coca Cola and McDonald, sponsoring an entire Olympic cycle of one Summer and one Winter Games.
Fiat's Olympic sponsorship consists largely of supplying cars (approximately 3,000)to the Olympic athletes, journalists and reporters.
Fiat is one of the main national sponsors at the Games, along with Telecom Italia. There are also "Worldwide Partners" including; Visa International, Coca Cola and McDonald, sponsoring an entire Olympic cycle of one Summer and one Winter Games.
Fiat's Olympic sponsorship consists largely of supplying cars (approximately 3,000)to the Olympic athletes, journalists and reporters.
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