Don’t ever let the facts get in the way of a good story

You have to love the media!

 

The Daily Mail in London has already declared Vancouver’s 2010 Winter Olympics to be the “Glitch Games,” a moniker that has regrettably caught on in some circles. But to put things in perspective, the Daily Mail is the same tabloid that publishes paparazzi pictures of celebrities and princesses (and calls it journalism).

The Guardian (which I try to read on the web regularly because unlike the Daily Mail, the writing is good) has reported that our Games “continue a downhill slide from disaster to calamity.”

And Jim Byers of the Toronto Star said the Games have become an “embarrassment.”

Are these people actually watching the games? What drugs are these guys taking? Who are these people actually talking to? Are the reporters for the Star, Guardian, and the Daily Mail actually here?

Well I’m here, and I guess it proves that great adage: don’t ever let the facts get in the way of a good story. If there’s no “glitch,” there’s no story to write about. I suppose that’s why I dropped out of journalism school and became a lawyer instead. The ethics are far higher in the legal business.

So for those of you reading this from other parts of Canada, and to dispel some of the rumours about the Games, here are some observations and opinions to balance out some of the negative press:

The fourth arm malfunctioned at the cauldron lighting. So the fourth arm didn’t come up in the opening ceremonies as planned. Oh well. I couldn’t tell from the bar at the Cactus Club, and no one I knew at the ceremonies could tell either. Big deal.

The ice cleaning machines didn’t work at the oval. They didn’t use real Zambonis, but another brand of ice surfacer. I guess that’s the best marketing Zamboni could ever hope for. As for the delays at the speed skating events, I spoke to some Dutch fans who were there and waited through the delay. I brought up the “glitch” stories in the English media. “You just watch the goof-ups when the Summer Games come to London,” they said with a laugh (except they didn’t say “goof”). “They’ll win gold.”

Not enough French. I was at the ski jumping prelims in Whistler Feb. 12. There was just as much French spoken as English.

As for the opening ceremonies, that “bewitched canoe and fiddle number” is a re-telling of Honoré Beaugrand’s story of “La Chasse-galerie,” where French-Canadian voyageurs make a pact with the devil. I thought it was a great number, but it had nothing whatsoever to do with B.C. and everything to do with Quebec.

Should I be complaining? Contrary to what you may read, there is French being spoken all over Vancouver at events, and at the evening medal ceremonies, it’s the first language spoken to introduce the athletes.

Oh yeah . . . I heard a marvelous Quebec band called Genticorum at one of the LiveVancouver events. The band played right after Alex Bilodeau won the gold. Everyone loved them.

Not enough minorities were represented at the opening ceremonies. I guess the naysayers missed the hour where the spirit bear came out of the floor and 200 members of our First Nations danced and sang, with Governor General Michaëlle Jean and other dignitaries watching. But if it’s any consolation, there are closing ceremonies too.

The weather. Contrary to popular mythology, there’s tons of snow at Whistler.  But Vancouver is experiencing an El Nià±o, and Cypress Mountain is affected. Many “standing tickets” had to be refunded for the sake of safety. It was frigid here during Vancouver’s winter of 2009 while Europe basked in warm temperatures. Europe’s in a deep-freeze today and I’m in the office today in shorts.  Maybe the naysayers should blame global warming. Or blame Douglas Adams’ Rain God, Rob McKenna. Or blame Poseidon. Or Zeus. Or L. Ron Hubbard. Or Eywa. VANOC can’t control the weather.

Arnold Schwarzenegger ran the torch when a Canadian should have. Stop whining. Schwarzenegger’s picture was in every paper in California running the torch. You don’t think that helps with tourism? Besides, he’ll be back one day.

The waterfront cauldron is hidden behind an ugly fence. I agree that this is a public relations problem. But having seen the rioters break windows, overturn mailboxes and throw paint at the Bay downtown on Feb. 13, does anyone think the more militant anti-Olympians and professional anarchists wouldn’t try to scale the cauldron, throw paint on it, or try to douse the flame? It’s a tough call, but I say “blame the militants.” It’s their fault the cauldron is fenced in. (And yes, I agree that “professional anarchist” is an oxymoron.)

Canadians are taking advantage of the facilities at the expense of other nations. The International Olympic Committee tells all countries how much time they get to train on the facilities. So we followed the rules set by the IOC. So why shouldn’t Canada use every second it has been allotted to try to win? Or do we want to continually be thought of as polite patsies who do what we’re told and always say thank you to bank machines? If we’re now being thought of internationally as a bit “pushier,” more “aggressive,” and “more competitive,” well, it’s about time. But we followed the rules.

So now let’s tell you the good news. It’s magnificent here. Vancouver is more alive than I’ve ever seen it. People are smiling all over town about how fabulous the Olympics are. Vancouver is packed with cultural activities night and day, and for a city that recently had a reputation for “lacking in fun,” it’s a hell of a lot of fun here.

I’ve seen ski jumping. I’ve seen a Canadian win a gold medal. I’ll see Olympic hockey this week. I have no complaints.

Although we had rain for the first few days, as I write this, it’s sunny and glorious and it’s expected to be sunny for the next week at all the venues. There are no transit problems as long as you aren’t driving. People are getting into work or working from home, although the volume of legal work has declined since the Games began.

My only complaint? Notwithstanding the decisions of three different Canadian courts, the women ski jumpers should have had their day in the air.

Vancouver Lawyer Tony Wilson practises franchise and intellectual property law at Boughton Law Corp. and is an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University, who writes for a variety of publications.