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2010 Olympics: praise and protest

(Saskatoon StarPhoenix) As the Olympic Torch passed through Saskatchewan, crowds of roaring spectators lined the streets to cheer the torch onwards. An owner of Klein’s Food in Regina on Central Avenue in Swift Current, a little girl in the stands holding a sign saying “My dad is the torchbearer” printed in block letters, and a celebrated varsity athlete were just a few of those that carried the excitement towards and through Saskatoon on the Canada 2010 Olympic Torch Relay.  “Congratulations,” said Olympic staffers to the runners, “You are now part of Olympic history.” But not everyone was cheering. Thirty protestors in the crowd were there to draw attention to the relay’s immense corporate and commercial footprint. Protest organizer Ashley Budd said the Olympic’s corporate sponsors are there to push product, not sport.

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These torch protests will be repeated one month from today in the city of Vancouver, when the Olympic Games kick off.  Protests will be occurring surrounding mass corporate sponsorship and control, green washing, aboriginal rights, and homelessness, among others. Across the country, people are divided in national pride and national shame. Read on for the competing visions of the much anticipated 21st Winter Olympics, be it for praise or protest. 

1.

True cost of the Olympic Games

Five Ring Circus Documentary
Five Ring Circus is a 2007 documentary by Conrad Schmidt that explores both the financial and environmental cost of hosting the Games in Vancouver. It features interviews with activists, community leaders and local politicians. This film undermines nearly the whole collection of benefits to hosting the games that are claimed by the VANOC and IOC.

2.

“With glowing hearts”

Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics

VANOC is the organizing committee if the Vancouver Olympics, created to “touch the soul of the nation and inspire the world.” VANOC’s vision, mission and values are outlined here, offering their dedication to creativity, sustainability, excellence, trust and team. For more info, check out the information media kit they provide.

3.

Why resist 2010

Resist 2010
Resist 2010 is a protest initiative taking place in three related campaigns: resistance to the Olympics, the G8 summit and the Security & Prosperity Partnership. The protests target government and corporate plans to “…intensify resource exploitation, market expansion, and social control.”

4.

The Olympic saga

Google Timeline of Olympic history
See how it all started. An in-depth timeline of the Olympics from 776 BC to 2009, made up of a collection of documents and news stories from a variety of sources. Track the path of the Olympics from Greece to Vancouver, from the first Coca-Cola kiosk at the Amsterdam Games in 1928 to the Dalai Lama and the Beijing Olympics in 2008. 

5.

Olympic family

International Olympic Committee - Mission Statement
The IOC is a corporation based in Switzerland and made up of the 205 National Olympic Committees. It is responsible for organizing the Olympic Games, promoting Olympism throughout the worm and leading the Olympic Movement. It promotes positive legacy, blends sports with culture and education, and acts against any form of discrimination affecting the Olympic Movement.