Winter Olympics

After the brilliant display of athletic achievement in the 2004 Athens summer games the Argentines have little to celebrate about in Turin. In 2004 the Argentines took the gold medal in two of the four most celebrated team sports in the games; Men’s (soccer & basketball), however just two years later the Argentine people have little to celebrate over in the Olympics. Their only headlines in the games are concerning a former U.S. skier who is now in his mid-forties, and is the oldest skier ever to compete in the games. It is a great story for Argentina but the guy competed for the U.S. in Salt Lake City, and came in last in his event. Regardless, a larger problem is brewing in the Winter Olympics besides low ratings, Sasha Cohen falling and poor U.S. performances; the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America have never won a Winter Olympic medal, and actually only 39 of the 203 countries on the Olympic committee have ever won a medal. What should be done about these inequalities? Maybe some of the winter games played in Africa or Latin America should be incorporated into the truly international Olympic games? The Olympic committee does not seem to care, and they have actually suggested that countries such as Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, with their majestic ski resorts, should mimic the South Koreans who have rather recently became medal contenders when they began to put money into better facilities. Additionally, it seems that something must be done quickly because no one wants to watch another Mexican skier finish an hour behind the guy that came in second to last, or a giant stage hook coming out for an Ecuadorian figure skater.

Article here.