walei
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Posts posted by walei
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Watched the OC again over the weekend. I loved the use of music and the props, they were magnificently Russian. One thing I didn't like though was how empty the stage looked in-between... I think it's the way the spectators were seated, the stage floor looked like a huge empty street waiting for the marching parade to come through.
The cauldron lighting sucked though... huge disappointment after the best ever from London.
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Well, they're trying to build a good foundation of an argument to bid for the Olympics, but apparently there were some cracks in that foundation.
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I'm ethnically Chinese but was born in Taiwan so I consider my original nationality Taiwanese or Republic of China, and my family immigrated to Toronto when I was 9.
I think Toronto really need to think of a way to play up the multiculturalism and tie it into why this is important to the IOC.
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Compact, Compact, Compact! Or in French: Compact, Compact, Compact!
Is a compact game a top priority? Rio won 2016 despite being the least compact bid. That's not to say Toronto shouldn't focus on a compact bid, they absolutely should but this alone won't be THE attraction imho.
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In Beijing 2008 the voice of the girl who sang the Chinese anthem was fake. The BOCOG was heavily criticized for such reveal. And also the fireworks coming from The Forbidden City to the Olympic Stadium wasn't live.
Of course, the above written just happened during the Opening Ceremony.
Well they were planned that way so I wouldn't call it glitches.
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The waterfront concept is great but I don't think it's THE trump card Toronto needs to have in its hands also. Is a scenic waterfront concept more compelling or close to compelling as what other cities can come up with? I really don't know.
I feel Toronto needs something along the line of what olympicsfan97 said ON TOP of the technically excellent compact waterfront plan and the legacy of cleaning up the Portlands. The diversity of Toronto, a metropolis where every nationality can be found (I think I read that somewhere), home game for every nation, the living success story of the Olympic ideal that different ethnicity and race come together and building a peaceful community. Make the IOC think coming to Toronto is the same thing as padding themselves on the back... we all know how the IOC likes to do that LOL.
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So, if Toronto 2024 bid is a reality what do you think Toronto should do to improve its narrative besides an excellent technical bid to make it compelling?
In 2008 it was pretty much a game by athletes for the athletes and it obvious wasn't enough to match the Juggernaut that was Beijing and China. If Toronto go ahead with 2024 our possible opponents will be Durban/South Africa, the last frontier for the IOC; Paris and their Centennial, and USA the biggest market for the IOC.
What narrative direction should Toronto go for?
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I'm talking about the stadium announcers. They miss the cue after the first runner and the names they called out didn't match whoever was actually holding the torch during the lap run, and finished way behind. World feed commentator was indeed horrible but that's independent from the OC.
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I loved London's cauldron lighting segment but the two announcers totally screwed up their cue when announcing the young athletes.
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Me too! Tired of looking at that maxipad...hope it contains strong Asian flavours.
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Hi Gucci, can you please clear your inbox
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I am back from the Closing Ceremony. I was sitting behind the flame. The most spectacular element for me from the singing part was the Spice Girls with the taxis.
The arrival of the athletes took longer than expected. They had to play recorded music towards the end.
The musical part was a bit long, especially for my guests.
I was surprised to see a lot of athletes leaving the central stage from 10:30/11:00 pm. I don't know, maybe they got bored, were too far from the stage or had other commitments. At the end of the Ceremony the Union Jack quadrants on my side of the stadium were quite empty.
For the spectators the display pixel blocks at each seat made the arena extremely spectacular. It was my fourth closing ceremony, the most memorable for me remains Albertville 92, because the spectators were allowed to go down in the arena and rub shoulders with the athletes and performers at the end of the Ceremony. I remember doing the conga dance with Chinese female athletes on the central stage. These were more innocent times.
Instead of letting athletes roam around the stadium they were compartmentalized for too long. There isn't much they could do so maybe some of them got bored or just left to join other compartments. Still disappointed not seeing a impromptu conga line
Spice Girls were amazing, they were also the highlight for me!
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Ohhh I am really interested to seeing the presentation of the Olympic rings. Athens and Beijing did a terrific job! SLC and Torino were pretty spectacular too. Sadly, Vancouver's sucked.
As for the theme of the OC, who said if the OC MUST contain anything historical? I remember there were discussions prior to Vancouver's OC that they hope it's not all Natives this and Natives that but also include the European colonial impacts on Canada. Well guess what, Vancouver's OC completely did away with any historical and instead focused on celebrating Canada's great natural resources spectacularly. Now I'm not familiar with UK's geography so I can't comment on how that can be used, but is there anything London's OC can use besides history (or geography)?
(note I am not saying I'm against using history, I actually want to see it as UK was once the most power Empire on the planet and it could be spectacular if done right.)
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Fair enough. Just thought it would be polite to ask.
This was a piece from Toronto Star that I've read not too long ago.
Another Toronto Olympic bid (this time 2024); maybe third time is the charm?
I try to stick to travel on my travel blog (what a concept). But sometimes I can't help delving into other topics for a bit, especially when it's something as global and political and fascinating as the Olympics.
I headed up the Star's coverage of Toronto's 1996 bid against Atlanta, et al..., and also our coverage of the 2008 bid against Beijing. Both, as I recall, were losing efforts on Toronto's part. I also covered Vancouver's bid Toronto1996for the 2010 Winter Games, which had a happier ending.
It is, therefore, with great interest that I see yet another bid in the making. Bob Richardson, the chief operating officer for the 2008 Toronto bid and an unabashed Olympic junkie, is talking up a bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
He'll have to get the okay from Mayor Rob Ford, and probably from the province and also from the feds. First up would be the city, without which nothing happens.
Mayor Ford's team turned away Richardson's effort to drum up support for a 2020 bid, saying the city's financial situation didn't allow for such things. It's a fair point, but in August Councillor Doug Ford - the mayor's brother and sometimes political spokesman - said he'd be open to a bid at a future date.
There was talk of a Quebec City bid for the 2022 Winter Games, which would've put Toronto on ice. But Quebec's mayor ruled out a bid a couple months ago, clearing the decks for a Canadian entry for 2024, at least in theory.
There's still a huge need for better amateur sporting facilities in Canada, especially of the summer variety and most notably in our most populous province. The Pan Am Games would help, but the Olympics are a star of a much greater intensity and would, if handled properly from a financial standpoint, bring in that much more.
I don't know if the security costs are worth it these days, but if you don't mind a billion dollars or two in federal/provincial/local money for fences and x-ray machines and police overtime it could work.
The issue becomes, of course, whether 2024 is winnable. Toronto 1996 bid leader Paul Henderson was right when he said Athens wasn't guaranteed the 1996 Games, notwithstanding it was the 100th anniversary of the birth of the modern Olympics, held in Athens in 1896. He was right, but it was Atlanta that elbowed its way into the winners circle for the 1996 Games.
The Toronto folks knew they were up against it for 2008, when they took on the behemoth Beijing bid.IMG_1332 They shot themselves in the foot with Mayor Mel Lastman's talk about cannibals in Africa, but they were never going to win the 2008 Games unless China did something really stupid on the international front. They didn't, and they ran a very good Games, albeit one lacking in soul (see photo of the famous Birds Nest stadium in Beijing).
So now we come to 2011. The last Olympics in North America were the largely forgettable 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. The last Summer Games - and the IOC tends to think of their two babies as separate entities - on our continent were the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Here's how the Games have gone since Atlanta: Nagano, Sydney, Salt Lake, Athens, Turin, Beijing. Vancouver. Next: London, Sochi (Russia), Rio de Janeiro and Pyeongchang, South Korea (the 2018 Winter Olympics).
Those bidding for the 2020 Summer Games? Doha (Qatar), Rome, Madrid, Istanbul, Tokyo and Baku, Azerbaijan. The short list comes out next May and the vote will be in 2013.
None of those cities are in North America, of course. But there’s talk of Denver or Reno-Lake Tahoe for 2022, as well as Munich and Norway (a sentimental favourite given the now-legendary status of the Lillehammer Winter Olympics).
The IOC and the United States Olympic Committee still aren’t on the best of terms given disputes over television money and other issues, but there’s at least a possibility of a North American winner. That might scupper a Toronto bid, but, given the vagaries and outright unpredictability at times of the International Olympic Committee, it might not.
Either way, 2024 appears at this early stage to be a lot more winnable than the 2008 effort.
Is it worth doing? I don’t quite know yet. Is it worth watching? Absolutely.
Some valid arguments but the last Olympic Games in NA is 2002 SLC? Journalism fail especially from a Canadian press.
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Is this the massively abridged version of the ceremonies?
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What IS that thingy?
Snow? Foam? Is the organizing committee expecting mass smog during the Pan Am?
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A lot of people here regret that BC Place wasn't refurnished before the games but IMHO, the new look is fug...
I prefer the old marshmallow look myself. None of those spires sticking out like porcupines... are they permanent or just for construction purposes?
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The IOC brasses certainly thought Vancouver 2010 was right there at the top from their comments in Vancouver's final report presentation in Durban.
Yeah there are problems here and there. However I think only the fanatics like us would find them detracting enough from the good things brought by VANOC. For instance the cauldron mishap. To the general public (from my experiences chatting with people), it was unfortunate but quickly forgettable. Only a minority of people (like us who spent posts after posts speculating to the last details on everything Olympics) thought it was so 'embarrassing' that the world would see Canada as a laughing stock. It was not.
I even loved the ceremonies, thought it was so appropriate and VANOC did it on their own terms. Compare to Beijing's grandeur yeah it may seem underwhelming but again a lot of people loved the Human-ness from the OC compare to Beijing's robotic execution.
Vancouver is the new Golden Standard for Olympic Winter Games. IOC's words.
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And WHY couldn't Sweden do that?? Only icehockey would be more emotionally than the other European cities... Technially?? What do you think Sweden is?? A poor country??
Where have I ever said Sweden is a poor country???? Where have I ever said Sweden CAN'T put up a good bid? Again stupid b*tch putting words in my mouth.
Sweden can put up whatever grade level bid they want, just as long as they are better than the rest of Europe. And we all know from Tulsa/Nature how sexy and public fervor-filled other Euro cities can be
Now I hope Munich/France/Sweden will bid for 2022 so we can sit back and watch Nature/Tulsa/Pillan gnaw each others heads off LOL
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Wow went on a five days vacation and this thread explodes
No, we Canadians are not oppose of a Sweden Games like Pillan would like to believe. It's just that speaking for myself, I do not think Sweden "deserves" a game over any other regions. Not one city does! If Sweden put up an excellent bid for 2022 then yeah of course they should win. The problem will be if Sweden CAN put up a bid that will be technically AND emotionally charged up the IOC over other very strong Euro cities.
And for the record Pillian, I never said Canada deserves another OWG soon, just as I never said the Games should be awarded based on medal rankings as you accused me of. Stop putting words in other people's mouth.
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LOL Pillan CHILL. Where did I ever say # of medals are a criteria for winning the hosting rights?
That's right I didn't. Learn to read.
YOU are the one that said why should North America host 8 years apart and Europeans can't when there are "Stronger nations" without ever hosting once.
Allow me to say, LOL...just LOOOOOOOL.
Spin it whatever way you want and things may change in Sochi. However as of Vancouver 2010, Canada won the most Gold and USA won the most medals over all. Europeans aren't "stronger" than North Americans. Why don't you just lie to yourself and say China isn't a Summer Sport power too because ZOMG they don't win ANY medals until the 80's!!!!!!
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Lol, USA hosted WOG in 2002 and Canada in 2010. Do you really IOC look that much on Sochi as Europe when there are European countries as Sweden who NEVER has hosted a WOG. If we should look at geography then USA should fail beg time not, Munich and Europe. I mean NA hosted it by 8 years apart, but you say Europe can't do that. Especially when stronger winter nations still haven't hosed it??? Loooooo, just lol!
Not that I think Munich 2022 won't have a chance (I think they will be the favorites really...), but Canada won the most gold medals ever in Vancouver, and USA won the most overall medals ever. As the record shown from Vancouver 2010, OWG powerhouses are the two in North America.
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I agree that it's senseless to define where Sochi lies. It's not like the IOC would dig THAT deeply into geography.
As for Quebec, if they do have the goods to host, I'd like to see Quebec to host a OWG after Toronto's summer one. I didn't exist when Montreal hosted in 76, and I think a OWG in Quebec will give the French Canadians a 'voice' and showcase their cultural identity to the World and the rest of Canada. Even though I was raised in Toronto, I always thought the Francophone are as important to Canada's roots and identity as the Anglophone or the Natives. Something a good number of Canadians don't always appreciate IMHO...
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/\/\ It's all very stupid. It looks like they just need something to fill their time more than actually doing anything on the ground. It makes them look like a bunch of indecisive baboons.
It seems that way, but something good may come out of this. If a sport HAVE to be ejected every Olympiad it may keep the federations on their toes especially those with a history of corruption or unfair judging like Taekwondo.
Sochi 2014 Opening Ceremony
in Sochi 2014 Ceremonies Discussions
Posted
Maybe it's just me but I never got the same feeling from London/Vancouver/Beijing/Torino/Athens/SLC/all other ceremonies
I think it's because the two sides are empty and not surrounded by people, and the stage is a bland open area with no shapes or curves. The movement of the show is mainly moving pieces from right to left so I guess the camera work couldn't do much also for the in-between segments.