365 days until the Winter Olympics are held in Vancouver Canada. I can hardly wait. It seems like forever since the Torino games.

And the saturation coverage has already begun with TSN launching their choices for Canada's Olympic hockey team tonight - almost a full year before the games. And during the games in Canada we will be getting over 2100 hours of coverage between the 11 TV networks, 10 radio outlets and websites that will be dedicated to Olympic coverage. Apparently I will be able to watch whatever is happening live either on one of the TV stations or on the web at anytime during the 657 hours during which live competitions are expected to take place.

I'm getting dizzy just thinking about it! LOL

I'm afraid I'm not as hopeful about Vancouver... I'm sure the action at the venues will be great - the Canadians always do a very good job - but the infrastructure is worrisome: I was part of a group that supported & hosted a foreign ski team for the pre-Games in January. ALL luggage got lost, all 14 pieces. So far, clearly the fault of the airline (BA), but it stayed lost for 4 days: bits and pieces arrived, BA gave them to a courier to deliver to us, the courier gave it to Greyhound, Greyhound lost it, couldn't deliver it, etc., etc. A real nightmare, with a team sitting there unable to train or even change clothes.

Wonder what it'll be like with thousands of athletes arriving with bulky and expensive equipment?

No matter where or who we called, no one seemed either to know, or to care much. The courier even laughed at our situation and hung up! The last items showed up 12 hours before they left – and some of the skis were broken!

Maybe they're planning to finance the Games on lost-and-found sports equipment?

I wonder if the Olympic Committee is doing anything to help this sort of problem?

Nat

Games sponsor RBC is airing cute claymation commercials for the torch relay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0j2aVR2j8s

One can enter to be a torch bearer.

Really interesting story in the paper today about speedskater Trevor Marsicano's bout with depression from being taunted for his "facial rash and extra-long eyelashes" as a child.

Very touching. Hope he can keep it together to make the Olympics.

The guys who run Gay Ski Week at Whistler - in cooperation with the Whistler Pan Pacific will be operating the first ever Pride House during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Way to go Dean!

Here is the release.

Whistler, BC - May 8, 2009 -
GayWhistler, the producers of the annual WinterPRIDE festival, has just secured Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre as a partner in hosting the first ever PRIDE House during the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. "We are so excited to be able to work with Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts, a hotel chain that embraces similar values we hold dear; the value to be authentic, the value to embrace diversity and the value to be inclusive. Together, we will create a safe space for our gay and lesbian community and their allies to go to during the Olympics," says Dean Nelson, CEO of GayWhistler.

PRIDE House will be a haven where Olympic and Paralympic athletes, coaches, family, fans and allies to come out and be their authentic selves regardless of sexual identity or preference. PRIDE House will be a hip lounge where guests can chill and watch the games, trade pins or just hang out and meet other "kewl" open minded individuals. "It is our desire to have a couple key OUT celebrities, such as Ellen DeGeneres or Neil Patrick Harris, to come out and be part of the magic of PRIDE House," continues Nelson. Jim Douglas, General Manager of Pan Pacific Whistler said, "We are proud to be chosen as the host venue for this historical PRIDE House. We have always welcomed everyone to our properties with open arms and our team has always enjoyed the week of WinterPRIDE, so this was a natural and easy decision for us to embrace."