Winter Olympics News

You would think environmentalists would be thrilled that the government of British Columbia has announced a plan to save the spotted owl. You would be mistaken. Environmental groups think that the plan, which ends shortly after the 2010 Winter Olympics, is simply for the benefit of the international community as the Olympic spotlight is focused on Vancouver.

I didn’t realize that joining the National Guard was so popular among Olympic athletes, but apparently it is. Courtney Zablocki just joined, after finishing fourth in Turin. Joining the Guard allows her to receive a stipend while continuing to train. Zablocki hopes to to compete in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Canada is preparing to utilize NATO or Norad (backed up by the U.S. Airforce) for patrolling the skies during the Olympics. I hope this means that they plan to pay for the service. While I have no problem helping our neighbors to the north, I do think that the security needed to host a modern Olympics is something that ought to be taken into consideration when a location bids to host the Olympics.

The short answer is— yes. But if the question is “will Apolo Ohno be competing at the Vancouver Games”, then the answer would be “maybe”. In a recent interview, Apolo Ohno said he’s been too busy to think about whether he wants to commit the next 3 1/2 years to training to compete in Vancouver in 2010.

If things continue along the current path, Vancouver will be the site of the very first women’s ski jumping Olympic medal. Currently, there are no Olympic events for women in the area of ski jumping, but this could all change soon. The International Ski Federation voted Friday to include an individual women’s event in the 2009 World Championships. This is the first step towards allowing the women to compete in the Olympics.