Trylon

The fact that the Tokyo games could very well be cancelled before their 2121 start is a true tragedy. For many athletes these games are their one and only Olympic shot. For Japan, which has invested billions in spectacular venues, it’s a tragedy beyond measure. And for the world community, such a cancellation deprives us of the inevitable joy and the stories of magnificent personal achievement true athletes, whether they medal or just give us their best efforts, can provide. Tokyo has gone above and beyond to host these games and should covid put an end to that dream, the only fair, equitable and honorable solution would be to instantly and joyfully offer Tokyo the opportunity to host the 2032 Olympic summer games.

I may not have an opinion that will matter much to far more knowledgable members who post here. What I saw was NBC's US perspective and that has so often disappointed me. I do not believe they cover the games well and, in the past, have needed reminders that other nations actually do send athletes to compete and the games are not all about "medal counts" and personal back stories about US athletes who may or may not deserve some sort of spotlight. Nevertheless, from the many hours I watched, I had the impression that the South Koreans built magnificent venues in a remarkably beautiful area--an area that is truly a home for winter sports because the climate supports such competitions. It was, in many ways, a winter wonder land unlike Sochi, for example, where Alpine events often ran on man-made snow in spring like temperatures. In addition to th beautiful and flawless venues, the games seemed to operate with virtually no significant problems, glitches or scandals. The focus was on competition because there were no silly or foolish distractions. It appeared that South Korea worked over time to make athletes and visitors feel welcome and I heard this from many athletes as they were interviewed. In short, South Korea hosted a damn near flawless Winter games and left a positive legacy. I do hope their beautiful venues will serve as a training center for future Olympians much like the well maintained and actively used facilities at Lake Placid and Salt Lake. I am relocating closer to the Canadian border in Upstate New York and with a bit of good fortune will be able to see televised Olympic coverage provided by CBC as well as NBC in the future. Anything that helps to provide a counter balance to NBC's too often jingoistic coverage will be welcome.

It must be remarkably wonderful to be so correct, so certain your own infallibility. You have an opinion, then just state it without hammering the writer with whom you disagree. Normally, I'd ignore your arrogant comments. No. Just...no.

The Greeks had one home for their Olympic games. One home for the summer and the winter games makes sense. Records would be more relevant, facilities would be state of the art and constantly monitored and improved and during off years, what a spectacular training facility the permanent location could be for all potential athletes. The permanent site could also host other sporting events thus keeping hotels and restaurants busy year round. Initially, there would be squabbling as to which nation might be the permanent host, but maybe it's fairly obvious. Let Greece host the summer games. It is their ancient home. Give the winter games to neutral Switzerland. It may be one of the last regions to fall victim to climate change and its Alpine backdrop and non-threatening world status make it the Olympic ideal.

Blythe Arena at Squaw Valley collapsed under heavy snow in 1982 and the ski jumps fell into disrepair. I find no reference to the cauldron but it appears it is long gone. Very little remains other than a part of a skiing sculpture and a memorial plaque listing medal winners.

The 1980 Lake placid Olympic cauldron is still lighted for the duration of every winter Olympic games since 1980 and is lighted for the annual Empire State Winter Games. It's not much compared to the massive blowtorch we saw at Sochi and which must have been visible from the Moon, but it' s still there and still used.

NBC, for the first time, may have realized that nations other than the US send athletes to the Olympic Winter Games. Too often, NBC's broadcasts and color commentary is jingoistic claptrap. For example, the endless telling of the story of Lindsay Vonn dedicating her final performances to her deceased grandfather who had fought in the Korean War. While it may have been touching the first time, hearing it over and over including as she was marching into the close ceremonies was way over the top. NBC spent so much air time fawning over Vonn's every move it became borderline stalking. And NBC's obsession with the daily medal count suggests the network hasn't got a clue that nobody actually "wins" the Olympic games. So, maybe with the retirement of Bob Costas whose presentations were slicker than those of a used car salesman, the network found some humanity with Mike Tirico. Nevertheless, the network still needs to find figure skating commentators who will actually shut up for a few moments and whose objective is not to steal the spotlight from the athletes with their over-the-top personality quirks and endless blather. I'm old enough to remember the good old days of Jim McKay and ABC Sports coverage dating back to Innsbrck and Tokyo. I've often wished ABC would win the chance to cover the games again, but that's never going happen.

I only know what I saw on television but it certainly appeared to me that South Korean organizers managed to bid a spectacularly impressive winter sports complex that shod serve them well for the rest of this century. The entire games seemed to be blessed by true winter weather and even deep blue skies making it all seems idyllic. But it was the beautiful venues, the remarkable infrastructure, the art sculptures--all of it-- that made the games seem to be meticulously planned and a joy to attend.

While that chart suggests Lake Placid might still be reliably cold enough to support ice and snow in 2050, it appears that this current winter (2018) may boast the warmest February on record with four days in New York's North Country where the thermometer neared 70 degrees F. In fact, the last two days of the month are expected to be over sixty degrees as far north as Saranac Lake which is just few miles west of Lake Placid. The change is happening. It's here. These warm temps have another problem. If there is precipitation, it comes as rain and that wreaks havoc on a state with the most ski resorts in the nation. Some of those ski mountains have had to try additional attractions just to remain viable because the ski season is not reliable. Some have built camping lodges and restaurants apart from the skiing. Several have built indoor water parks with another preparing to open in the Catskills. Many have summer outdoor water slides. Virtually all make their own snow which is extremely costly. Lake Placid, while it has maintained and upgraded its Olympic venues, is simply too small to host a modern Olympic Winter Games. I's smack in the middle of a "forever wild" state park so there is little room for expansion. It will continue to hose championships in bobsleigh, luge or skeleton, ski jumping, hockey and figure skating. It hosts Alpine events and is bidding for several large youth sporting events and annually hosts over a thousand athletes for the Empire State Games. But if LP had to make snow in 1980, the first Olympic host that needed to do so, it's only going to get worse--and warmer-- in the Adirondacks.

From what I can see on television coverage, these games have magnificent facilities. I hope they receive very active post games use and that PyeongChang becomes a lasting winter sport training facility.

The grande finale with so many of the skaters on the ice on the final Saturday was wonderful. If there is a moment of true Olympic spirit, this is it.

What a great year for the sport of curling. It's a curious event but I agree with the poster who calls it riveting. The skill required for success is most admirable. I've enjoyed watching every minute of this event.

There is a remarkable degree of insanity in the all of sliding events, but the excitement, daring and ability of the bobsleigh teams, and the fact that the sport is as old as the modern winter games makes the bobsleigh the most wonderful event in the entire games.

From all that I see via television coverage, PeyongChang has does a masterful job in presenting this Olympic Winter games, The venues are impressive and even spectacular. There appear to be no significant problems with any venue and it appears these are truly winter games in a winter climate with fresh snow almost daily and cold, crisp days with brilliantly blue skies. Its a far cry from Sochi where air temps sometimes reached summertime highs during several days and Alpine events were held on melting snow. The spectacular PeyongChang scenery, the thoughtful amenities provided at each venue to make events more "user friendly" for the participants, the outstanding maintenance at each venue--it all adds up to a remarkably professional and positive Olympic experience. Just watching young attendants clearing the ice of flowers and other gifts tossed to the skaters, or holding gates and doors for athletes as they arrive or depart a venue, or sweeping the shooting mats on the biathlon course--the list goes on. South Korea evidently has considered every aspect of of successful Olympic experience. It appears that in a crazy world PeyongChang has masterfully create a truly joyful Olympic experience free from scandal, major glitches or significant mistakes. I hope those remarkable facilities continue to host world competitions for decades to come and continue to bring prosperity to that region. South Korea has done an outstanding job. And the 2018 winter sports facilities give rise to the argument that the games deserve a permanent home with the very best of facilities. PeyngChang fits the bill. Those venues deserved to see another winter games in the near future.

Detroit once had real hope of hosting an Olympic summer games but that was fifty or more years ago. It has fallen on harder times than any other city in US history and it lost half of its population over forty years, but the worst may be over for Detroit. There is hope for the Motor City. But for Detroit to squander its precious resources on an Olympic games is ludicrous. The city leaders must focus on the immediate needs of the city's residents. An Olympic bid is pie in the sky. That city is on life support but helpful change takes time and Detroit has that once last, the one with the dancing women who pretended to understand or refused to discuss the play.

I am struck by the statement that "there is no reason to attack LA." There is no reason to attack any city or any people in any city. This is the horror of terrorism. Whichever city wins any Olympic bid--any bid for any future games--will become a potential target for cold hearted monsters hell bent on killing people. What happened in Paris this past week is proof that no city will be immune and the cost for security for future games will be staggering and may, eventually, surpass costs for venues. Winning a bid will put a bulls eye on the winning city. It's terrible but it's the reality of the insane age in which we are living.

After the 2001 attacks on NYC, many people believed that city should just be given an Olympic bid in an effort to show solidarity. Of course, as time passed, so did this feeling of unity and NYC's bid failed. I hope Paris gets the games in 2024 and not because it has been attacked but because it deserves to host and has worked for years for the right to be a host again. Nevertheless, why any city, in this age of lunacy, would want to go to such a staggering expense and have to invest more money in security than in actual venues and infrastructure defies logic on every possible level. Paris sure does not need the international attention. It is already a world class city and has been for five hundred years. In any event, Paris wants to host the games and I suspect they will. No matter where future games are held, the largest portion of the budget will go to security and that cost will geometrically increase with every new Olympiad. And no city will be immune from the monsters who committed this crime in Paris.

For television glitz an glamour, they are all pretty much the same since 1988 and after. But for the warmth and connectedness of some of the smaller games, Lake Placid is my choice. My god, you could rub elbows with Olympians all over that beautiful little village. I think way back to Innsbruck in 1964. I loved watching those games. Munich--no way. I cannot even think about those tragic games without remembering the images of the terrorists in the Olympic village.

Louis, I saw your post above and want to say that the photograph of Jesse Owens is just perfect. He has always been one of my heroes.

So many of you know more about Olympic organizing and presentation and I find all of these opinions interesting. I live near Lake Placid and in the past few Olympic cycles I have to stop myself and remember how far the winter games have evolved. When I think of tiny LP hosting the 1932 and 1980 games and how inexpensively they did both and then I look at Vancouver or Sochi, there is no comparison--none. It is almost as if there is no connection between Lake Placid in 1980, the last of the small games, and all of the previous winter games and every winter Olympics from at least 1988 and beyond. And I have to remind myself that Lake Placid was the only viable bidder for the 1980 games and had even offered to try to host in 1976 when Denver voted the games out. Basically, by the 1970's, it had become difficult to scare up a potential host. In a way, Lake Placid may have saved the winter games concept. It had its problems but it had its glories and may have kept the winter games alive. And look how far the Olympic winter games have come.

For whatever it is worth, I had low expectations based on the drumbeat of news reports in the weeks prior to the opening. However, despite what I think was rather smarmy coverage by NBC in the States, I have the sense that the Sochi games were more than successful, they were memorable. The venues were striking and based on the coverage I saw, the Olympic core surrounding the cauldron was spectacular and colorful. It all looked to be quite joyful. And regardless of the fact that my country is in constant dispute with Russia, I believe that Russian history and culture is deep and compelling and they presented their heritage with great style. I am glad the games found their stride and were not destroyed by terrorism. Three hundred years ago, Peter the Great built his magnificent city and "window to the west" on the Baltic but St. Petersburg's creation cost the lives of 100,000 serfs. Peter's goal was to link Russia to Europe and to modernize. I think the Sochi Olympic Winter Games had a similar goal (without taking 100,000 lives in the process, of course). Evidently, in the 21st Century 51 billion bucks can buy one hell of an event, but despite that cost, Russia deserves a chance to sell itself to the world and a cooperative Russia is better than an isolated and bitter Russia.

I don't know for certain if the games will help bring Russia into the 21st Century or if they will improve ties with the West. And I am well aware of the problems in Russia under Putin's leadership. But I am hoping the games go well and that humans, somehow, can transcend dual toilets, yellow water, unfinished hotels and all of the other problems we have heard on television for the past few weeks and possibly find some good in each other and allow that to be a lasting legacy of these games. PS: I also know that 50 billion spent on these venues may, in reality, be the one lasting legacy of these games. That is one astounding chunk of change to drop on a two week event especially considering the poverty endured by many Russian people across that vast land. 50 billion! That number makes the Montreal Olympic Stadium costs to seem like bargain basement prices.

With all of the negative publicity--unfinished venues and hotels, potential terrorist attacks, Russian human rights violations--I expected nothing very valuable or worthwhile at all. But the opening ceremony was wonderful and it was an honorable tribute to a great nation's rich cultural history. And as I watch the competitions on television (despite the sometimes far too jingoistic NBC coverage) I find myself impressed with the spectacular venues and hoping all continues to go well for everyone's sake but especially for the people of a proud nation that is hosting these games. I know the games cost far too much. I know they are laced with corruption. But these games are also sparking a wonderful sense of achievement for the Russian people. These Russian games deserve to be successful and they are well on their way in that direction. These games are also giving Americans a far better vision of Russia than current news stories might provide. Who knows? The Sochi Olympic Winter Games might help improve Russia's ties to the west. I'm all for that.

I don't know a great deal about Stockholm, but why wouldn't it make a great location for an olympic winter games? Sweden is a peaceful, tolerant nation and their capital city is cultured, rich in history, environmentally friendly and beautiful. What a wonderful backdrop for an olympic games.

COC choef says "what the country needs most is a summer olympic games," and "there won't be any trouble woth terrorism." With two such obviously ridiculous, overbown, cliched comments, he should resign that position and run for wizard of Oz or perhaps mayor of Disneyland.