An Interview with Olympic Volunteer Liang Zhao

by: Stephanie Trabold



While on spring break in Beijing, China, Stephanie Trabold had the opportunity to visit the Bird’s Nest, home of the 2008 summer Olympic games. Trabold had interviewed tour guide Liang “Simon” Zhao. Zhao explains his personal volunteer experiences in the massive Olympic family and the impact the games have had on China.



ST: What was your position?

LZ: I was a volunteer with the Olympic Committee during the Beijing 2008 summer games. I was the translator and lesion for the president of Canadian Manual life. Canadian Manual Life was a five-time sponsor for the Olympic games. It was a very important spot.

ST: How did you get the opportunity to work at the Olympic Games?

LZ: A friend had told me about the opportunity. I filled out the online application and was accepted.

ST: Wow. The application was open to the public?

LZ: Yes. Anyone could have applied. The local government was even encouraging university students to volunteer, so they could improve their English. The Olympic committee would offer training through a series of tests, and depending on the degree of one’s English skills would determine his/ her placement.

ST: Have the Olympics benefited any local industries?

LZ: The tourism industry was highly impacted. During the games, it was harder to get a tourism Visa into the country because of the security. Local businesses were able to connect with Olympic sponsors. Many foreign companies were connected to the locals as a result of the bigger Olympic sponsors.

ST: How have the Olympics changed China if at all?

LZ: Before the games, people didn’t really see the climate and living conditions as a problem. During the preparation for the Olympics, the government really took initiative to clean up the area. As a result, people can see the blue skies and more people are learning English. People wanted to learn as much English as possible to become a part of the Olympic family, and as a whole people are more cooperative.

ST: What was the biggest highlight for you?

LZ: I got to see some of the stadium events live and for free. Also while working for Canadian Manual Life, I was given a special access badge that allowed me to be in the same room as President George W. Bush.

Injury Holding Up for Future Olympian

By: Stephanie Pugliese
American skiing celebrity Bode Miller hoped his right ankle, which he injured in December, would make it through the the World Cup season.




Even with his injuries, Miller won gold in the “super combined”, silver in the “super-G”, and bronze in the “downhill” events and became the most victorious American skier. Except, Miller will not finish the World Cup schedule according to a broadcast on Tuesday. Miller will skip the rest of the season due to the lasting injury.

Miller who is 32, sustained a serious sprain while playing volleyball on his spare time and unfortunately the ankle has not fully healed.

“My ankle is still bothering me, so I am going to stay home and get treatment,” Miller said, then stated, “My goal at the beginning of the season was to get ready for the Olympics and to win races in February. I just focused on that and I did that. If I wasn’t injured, I would have a made a separate decision about going to World Cup Finals, but that’s not the case.I feel like I accomplished everything I wanted to this season so it’s nice to just be able to relax.”

Since Miller’s injury, he is not in a position to win a World Cup points title because of his injury. Miller is still trying to beat his rival, Benjamin Raich of Austria.

Paralympics Media Coverage Falls Short

By Corey Diamond

The Paralympics is one of the largest sporting events in the world, and the largest showcase for disabled athletes. This has concluded last week in Vancouver and flew under the radar with little to no media coverage.

The 2010 games were not broadcasted on any major television outlets and was only available to watch in the U.S. via the internet and select highlights on NBC.

The Paralympics are an important event which should raise awarness across the globe about those with disabilities and their rights. This is a tremendous event with extraordinary athletes. The media should broadcast these games and let the whole world see how talented these athletes with severe disabilities are.

Since there are so many misconceptions and stereotypes of those with disabilities, the Paralympics is an important event to show the world that these people are talented beings and able to accomplish spectacular feats. It is an injustice to the handicapped population to not broadcast the Paralympics.

Hopefully, in future years there will be enough protest and public uprising to have the games more visible and talked about in the media.

Paralympics in Vancouver

When the Olympics come to mind people just automatically think of the top sports with the top athletes. But what we shouldn’t forget is the Paralympics, for the disabled.

The Paralympics is a smaller and less crowded event with the top notch athletes who have disabilities. It previously just took place in Vancouver on March 12 to the 21st. This event is very much similar to the regular Olympic Games, it just features different athletes that have disabilities and can’t compete with the other athletes.

One of the events that they had was the 2010 Paralympics Torch relay. The ten day relay was very critical to Canadians because it gave them a chance to discover the inspiring stories about the Paralympics.

Lighting of the Paralympic Flame during a ceremony in Ottawa involves torchbearers who represent each province and territory.


By:Brianna Burns

Canadian Pride at a High Since Winter Olympics

By Nicole Malczan

Although the Winter Olympics are over with, the sense of national pride for Canada is only bolstering since the completion of the games. In a poll conducted by Leger Marketing and reported about in The Montreal Gazette, over eight-five percent of Canadians feel a burst of pride due to the gold medal winnings that their country has earned during the games.


Another interesting result from the survey that was conducted found that about three-quarters of Canadians believe in increasing funding for aspiring Olympic athletes under a program called Own the Podium. This program seeks to improve Canadian sports and althletics.

Earlier this March, Canada's Finance Minister Jim Flaherty approved a federal budget which would include a boost towards the Own the Podium program. All of this should lead to further Canadian pride on Olympic performances in the future.

The Paralympic Games

by: Stephanie Trabold

Tonight begins a new generation for the Olympic games. Although not as popular and publicized as the original Olympics, the Paralympic Games hosts a variety of courageous athletes as they battle not only against the elements, but the challenges of their everyday lives.

The Paralympic Games celebrate its opening ceremony and continues in Vancouver, BC. Viewers can watch the action from their computers through Paralympicsport.tv a live video stream feature offered through the Vancouver Olympics website.

The attitude of the Paralympic games is reflected in its slogan; "With glowing hearts." The Paralympic Games do not emphasize competition but learning and unity.

The dedication and perseverance of these athletes is illustrated with the passing of the torch.




With Glowing Hearts the world can be inspired.

The Aftermath of the Olympics

By: Stephanie Pugliese



This was the situation for Vancouver, who had the honor of having the first Olympics Games in the height of the most latest global recession

For Vancouver, having the 2010 Winter Olympics Games cost around $6 billion (an estimate) and records have shown that for Canada, having the Olympics could either be a good thing or a curse. Canada has seen its previous host cities see millions in returns on its investment, as well as losses.



Canada found themselves in debt for about 30 years after the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics. The debts rocketed up to $1 billion; it wasn’t until December 2006 that the cost of the Olympic Stadium was paid off.

After the 1976 Montreal Games suffered such massive financial losses, in 1984 only Los Angeles and New York showed any interest of hosting the Games.

Nevertheless, Calgary turned what was the priciest Winter Olympics at that time ($1 billion), into a financial accomplishment by protected unprecedented $430 million in television rights. By the end, the coordinator had made $130 million profit.

When it was declare that Vancouver would be having the 2010 Olympics, eye browser were raised when the news came about. Questions were asked whether the city would be able to do so, particularly after the fact that it took decades to pay off the Montreal Games.

However, Vancouver managed to raise $5.7 billion to put on the event by fund-raising... and the section is hoping to see the payback.

Ralph Lauren Cashing in on the Games

By: Corey Diamond

The US olympic team went with a trendier look this winter moving away from its former official outfitter Roots, to team up with the Ralph Lauren Polo co. Ralph Lauren released an entire line of clothing to outfit America's athletes and partnered with a select few to model the new look.

Ralph Lauren's Olympic line features jackets, pants, polo shirts, winter hats, sweaters and fleeces and are available for purchase at any retailer who carries Ralph Lauren Polo.

“It is a proud moment for us to watch these esteemed athletes as they walk out onto a global stage representing America in
front of billions of people worldwide,” said David Lauren, Senior Vice President of Advertising, Marketing and Corporate
Communications.

The line Polo has released stays true to their preppy roots and their high price tags. Luckily, for those looking to save money, the Olympic line is currently on Sale at locations such as Macy's since the conclusion of the Olympic games.

Canada says Goodbye to the World's top athletes and teams.

After 17 exciting days of top athletic competition, Canada says Congratulations and goodbye to the world’s top winter athletes during the Closing ceremony of the 2010 Olympic Games.

Around 2,600 Olympians who competed at Canada’s Games entered Vancouver’s indoor stadium no longer grouped by nation but altogether as “one nation of athletes.”



The night was filled with many different emotions. Tears and smiles filled the room by congratulating all the Olympians on their success. The night was also a musical festival with Canadian bands Nickelback, Avril Lavigne, Simple Plan and many more.

By:Brianna Burns

The Olympics Boost NHL's Reputation

By Nicole Malczan

The 2010 men's hockey tournament was amongst the highest rated of the entire games, bolstering pride and support for both the US and Canada. In turn, the National Hockey League, or NHL, has been reaping some of the benefits taken from Sunday's game.

Despite that, according to this link , Gary Bettman, NHL's Commissioner, is debating whether or not to allow his team to play hockey for the next Olympic games, set to take place in Russia in 2014. However, with hockey rated as fourth in terms of American sports, it could use the boost in reputation, although the article cites that moving NHL players to the 2014 Olympics may not boost its reputation to American fans.

However, it could be worth a try to attempt to get American fans enthusiastic about both the upcoming games and hockey.

The Olympics goes digitally interactive

by: Stephanie Trabold

As the Vancouver Olympics draws to a close, one can still participate in the action from the comforts of home. The Vancouver 2010 Olympics has teamed with SEGA to recently release the official video game released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 systems.

The game features most of the events featured at the games including luge, skiing, shortboard, snowboarding, and speed skating.

The Vancouver Olympics website offers interested gamers the opportunity to preview the game with their online videos.

This is not a new concept to the Olympics to capitalize on the success of the previous games. For example, SEGA has also created Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games for the Wii. The first game released surrounded the 2008 summer games in Beijing, China.

To relate to the recent Vancouver 2010 games, SEGA has released Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games.



As a gamer, SEGA would do better to stay with the Wii system for this type of game. Wii is a more interactive system that allows players to move with the familiar characters which are a favorite to all Nintendo fans. To play the Olympic games on a stationary system such as Xbox or PS3 is going to get very boring very quickly and will mostly fade with as the excitement for the Vancouver Olympics draws to a close.