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!
Friday, 10 February 2006
Thursday, 9 February 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, 8 February 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, 7 February 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, 6 February 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.
Friday, 3 February 2006
Olympic Phone Tapping Revealed
It seems that the 2004 Olympic Games, which were held in Athens, were not as harmonious as the organisers would have you believe.
It has been revealed that persons unknown were tapping the phone lines of the Greek Prime Minister, and others, during the course of the games and beyond.
The mobile phones of Greek prime minister, Costas Caramanlis, and other top government and security officials were tapped by unknown individuals during the Athens 2004 Olympics and for nearly a year after.
Government spokesman, Theodoros Roussopoulos, said:
"The people [under surveillance] included the prime minister himself and other members of the government."
In fact around 100 people were tapped, including the ministers of foreign affairs, defence, public order and justice. Most of Greece's top military and police officers were also targeted, as were foreign ministry officials, a US embassy number and the prime minister's wife, Natasha.
Mr Roussopoulos, backed by public order minister Giorgos Voulgarakis and justice minister Anastassis Papaligouras, claimed that it had not been possible to identify who was behind the surveillance.
Quote:
"It was an unknown individual, or individuals, who used high technology."
However, rather intriguingly, the phone tappers used interceptors traced to the vicinity of the US embassy.
Greece was watched by western anti-terrorist experts, as it prepared to host the Olympics. Washington had been vocal in its demands for Athens to tighten security ahead of the Olympic games.
It has been revealed that persons unknown were tapping the phone lines of the Greek Prime Minister, and others, during the course of the games and beyond.
The mobile phones of Greek prime minister, Costas Caramanlis, and other top government and security officials were tapped by unknown individuals during the Athens 2004 Olympics and for nearly a year after.
Government spokesman, Theodoros Roussopoulos, said:
"The people [under surveillance] included the prime minister himself and other members of the government."
In fact around 100 people were tapped, including the ministers of foreign affairs, defence, public order and justice. Most of Greece's top military and police officers were also targeted, as were foreign ministry officials, a US embassy number and the prime minister's wife, Natasha.
Mr Roussopoulos, backed by public order minister Giorgos Voulgarakis and justice minister Anastassis Papaligouras, claimed that it had not been possible to identify who was behind the surveillance.
Quote:
"It was an unknown individual, or individuals, who used high technology."
However, rather intriguingly, the phone tappers used interceptors traced to the vicinity of the US embassy.
Greece was watched by western anti-terrorist experts, as it prepared to host the Olympics. Washington had been vocal in its demands for Athens to tighten security ahead of the Olympic games.
Wednesday, 1 February 2006
The Giant Olympic Sponge
Much like a giant sponge, the London Olympics 2012 is expected to drain worthwhile projects and charities of much needed funding; as companies tip all their resources into the Olympic bucket.
Charities and sports and cultural events throughout Britain, are prepared to lose out as the cash call by London's Olympics committee for £750M drains them of their normal sources of income.
The question is whether the vast sums of money that companies spend on Olympic advertising, which ends up financing the IOC, is really earning them any additional revenue.
Charities and sports and cultural events throughout Britain, are prepared to lose out as the cash call by London's Olympics committee for £750M drains them of their normal sources of income.
The question is whether the vast sums of money that companies spend on Olympic advertising, which ends up financing the IOC, is really earning them any additional revenue.
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