Archive for July, 2012

Not all the action is on the water at Olympic regatta

- July 31st, 2012

ETON DORNEY, ENGLAND – There’s plenty of excitement here at the Eton College Rowing Centre.

Oh yeah, there’s races on the water, too.

One of the interesting sidelights is the coaches on their bikes following the races on the banks of the Olympic basin. During one race Tuesday, I counted three dozen people on bikes jockeying for position as they pedalled along, screaming encouragement.

As you might expect, there are wrecks with people pedalling along pretty fast – a men’s eight covers the two kilometres in under six minutes – with their attention divided.

Canadian coach Ken Wu went into the bushes Monday – twice.

“I saw him go headfirst into the bushes and I saw his legs flapping,” said Canadian high performance director Peter Cookson. “I stopped and said, ‘Kenny are you okay?’ because I didn’t want to miss the race.’ He waved and said, ‘I’m fine.’”

Cookson tries to make the two-kilometre ride every time there is a Canadian boat in the water.

That meant three trips Tuesday, luckily without incident.

“It can be scary. The faster the boat, the scarier it is, of course, because you get into a peloton and people are watching the race and not really watching where they are going. There are a lot of wheels that touch,” said Cookson.

“There’s sorts of crazy stuff that happens along there. People taking split times and watching the race. They have all sorts of things they are trying to do which is why accidents happen. I don’t do that. Sometimes I’ll take (stroke) rates, but I always make sure I’ve got nobody too close behind me or too close in front of me. Most of our coaches are pretty good about that so we don’t cause any problems.”

Canadian coach Terry Paul brought his own bike with him, but BMW supplies bikes to the coaches.

“They’re quite nice,” said Cookson.

Wonder if there’s a damage deposit?

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The Ticket Wicket

- July 31st, 2012

Is there a genuine ticket problem at the London Olympics or is it simply a lack of understanding in the Olympic ways?

I think it is a little of both as Day 5 of the 2012 Games goes on with empty seats in venues being the most-talked about issue in and around London. The great transportation snafu – the pre-Games worry – has basically been solved by London’s solid train and tube situation. It’s crowded going places, but you get there, and in reasonable time.

The ticket dilemma happens at every Summer Games, but it hasn’t been as pronounced as it has been here. Why? Because there is a lot of angst by Britoners over the lack of tickets available for events and the number of empty seats they see on television.

Here’s the thing. The empty seats weren’t available to the public. They are IOC seats, sponsor seats or politician seats. The seats are reserved for the accredited only. So even if the London organizers want to fill them, they can’t.

I’ve never been to an Olympics that didn’t have a ton of empty IOC seats in choice locations. It happens everywhere – but it’s noticed here more for two reasons: 1) the rest of the stadium are pretty closed to full; 2) the frustration level over the empty seats.

The empty seats become less obvious, say, in a place like Athens, where you could go to a venue like softball and half the stadium would be empty. There is no half empty here. Everywhere I’ve been so far looks closer to oversold than empty. But the IOC seats are like the Platinum seats at the Air Canada Centre at the beginning and end of some periods. The fancy people who sit there aren’t always on time, and sometimes don’t show at all. It’s no different here in London, where the paid for seats are filled. It’s the seats that weren’t bought and can’t be sold that remain empty and really, isn’t that just part of what doing business with the IOC is all about?

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Medal No. 2 for Canada?

- July 31st, 2012

LONDON – Long, busy day at the pool here where swimming heats take up the morning, diving in the afternoon and Michael Phelps race towards history tonight.

But for Canadian fans, all eyes will be on a possible second medal of the Games in the women’s 10-metre synchro event where Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion are solid contenders.

The pair were second at last year’s Pan Am Games and seventh at the world championships.  With just eight teams in the event, they are considered realistic prospects for silver or bronze – behind the heavily favoured Chinese.

Our source for how much in contention the Canadians are is always bookmaker William Hill, who have listed the Canadian pair as the co second-choice with Great Britain at odds of 16-1. (The Chinese are 1-16.) The Aussies are next at 18-1 with the next closest contender at 40-1. By the William Hill numbers, then, Canada is a good bet to finish anywhere between second and fourth.

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Late, Late British TV Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea

- July 31st, 2012

British TV Not Everyone's Cup of Tea

LONDON – For Olympic visitors caught up with jet-lag or too many cups of English tea, late night British TV is an odd revelation.

Our long days here mean I get back to the hotel in time to switch on late, late, late shows, and they range from bizarre to comical to what-the-Hell?

Aside from the usual American imports like CSI Miami and infomercials for workout DVDs, there are the explicit British skit comedies — that cross way over the line.

Canadian comics couldn’t imagine saying in front of a camera what Brit funny-men do daily.

Then there are the late-night TV roulette games. The English love to wager, and do it 24 hours a day.

There is a wild-west feel to late-night British TV.

As of earlier this year, even for-profit abortion and post-conception advice services can advertise on late night television here.

Then there are the channels that promote adult chat and text/video lines.

Topless models roll around, grab themselves roughly and hump the floor while talking on their cel phones — urging callers to dial in.

While it’s supposed to be captivating, it’s more uncomfortable and seedy.

I like naked women the same as any red blooded Canadian boy, but these lines just seem wrong and disturbing.

There’s been a debate in the UK, especially over the past year, whether some of these chat line ads are effectively sex lines and possibly fronts for prostitution.

Ya think?

Canada has late-night chat lines, though the ads are tame when compared to these.

We also have comics and shows that push the bounds.

And, granted, we have full-on porn on specialty stations after midnight.

But there’s something no-holds-barred about British late night that likely has more than a few Olympic visitors wide-eyed and surfing into the night.

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Win for Britain still a hoop dream

- July 30th, 2012

LONDON – Tom Maher was not a happy man Monday night.

The coach of Great Britain’s women’s basketball team watched his inexperienced squad blow a lead against Canada and lose its best shot at getting a win at the Olympic Games.

“I’m not pissy because we lost,” said the dour Aussie, who led the Opals to bronze and silver Olympic medals in his time Down Under. “I’m that way naturally.”

Canada represented Great Britain’s best chance of getting a win here — Canada is the next lowest ranked team at 11th in the world against Britain’s 49th — but Maher said his players just aren’t equipped to deal with the kind of pressure they faced Monday night.

Great Britain got a berth in the tournament as hosts.

“They’re just not A-grade reliable players … their level of experience is way out of whack (with the other teams here). We’ve got to stay in touch with reality,” he said. “We’re 49th in the world. That gives you an indication of where we are.”
Maher is also looking at the big picture.

This is the start of Great Britain’s women’s program.

“Four years ago, it was basically all volunteers, moms, dads and some big-hearted person coaching them. It’s nobody’s fault for the way it was. But I have no doubt, I’m 100% sure there is going to be a legacy (from hosting the Olympics).”

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