In 1988 I nearly froze to death eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Olympic torch in my hometown.
A simple flame burning inside a sculptured piece of metal; who would have thought?
It was a great day and one that left me smiling and proud to be Canadian.
Now 21 years later, the Olympic flame is about to return to Canada and pass through our little corner of the world again.
But somehow that mystical feeling that blanketed me two decades ago appears to be missing.
I’m still proud Canada is hosting the Olympics in February, but I can’t help but think Canadians are now being made unwilling participants in a giant public relations campaign.
Recently, the CTV Olympic Media Consortium sent out a press release across Canada trumpeting the fact media personalities including Brian Williams, Jennifer Hedger, Michael Landsberg and Globe and Mail sports columnist Stephen Brunt had been chosen to carry the torch during its cross-country journey across Canada to Vancouver/Whistler.
These people will be covering the Olympics for CTV and TSN as broadcasters and reporters, so already they are receiving a reward for their work.
Sounds like a bending or fracturing of journalistic ethics to me.
During the past six months, Vancouver/Whistler Olympic organizers conducted a lottery to select people to carry the torch during its journey across Canada.
With the world about to beat a path to Canada’s door, it was somewhat disappointing to learn that the number of people who had entered the lottery was far fewer than anticipated.
Yet those average people, and I dare say former Olympians, should be getting a chance to carry the torch ahead of the media types specifically chosen by CTV.
I guess if you lay out millions for the broadcast rights to the Olympics, it must give you the right to jump ahead in the line.
Total bull cookies in my books.
It’s all about connections and how much you want to worship at the feet of those who hold the gold.
Even before the public had a chance to purchase tickets online, the prime tickets for medal games in marquee events including hockey, figure skating and curling had already been for teams, athletes, sponsors, broadcasters and Olympic officials.
Joe and Joan were plain out of luck from the word go.
There is no doubt in my mind Olympic fever will have swept across Canada by the time the torch reaches Vancouver, and the venerable white flag with the five rings slides up the stainless steel pole in February.
As Orillia resident and veteran TSN broadcaster Vic Rauter told me recently, the world has changed a lot since Sept. 11, 2001 and terrorism is always a worry at every Olympic gathering.
The athlete massacre at the Munich Olympics in 1972 reminded us all of that cold fact.
And so just traveling around Vancouver and Whistler during the Olympics will be a nightmare
on many different levels.
Having been in the midst of enough high-profile, high security sports/cultural/political events, I know just how much of a nerve-bender they can be.
So I’ll be happy to welcome the torch to Canada, and applaud when it passes by my front door.
Then I’ll settle back and watch the events unfold on television from Vancouver/Whistler, secure in the knowledge I don’t have to fight traffic jams and police roadblocks trying to get back to a comfortable bed.
As for Landsberg, Hedger and the rest of the media ‘torchbearers’, I hope they sleep well at night.
They have been given special treatment by their employers.
While none of us expect the Canadian broadcasters to be anything other than cheerleaders at the Olympics, it would be nice to throw some ethics and balance into the mix as well.
Only time will tell.
