Wednesday, February 6, 2002
Tickets for Opening Ceremonies: Priceless
By CHRIS STEVENSON -- SLAM! Sports
SALT LAKE CITY -- Price, apparently, is no object when it comes to attending
Friday night's Opening Ceremonies for the Winter Olympic Games.
Despite a price tag of $885 U.S., the ceremony at Rice-Eccles Stadium is sold
out.
"I have to admit we got (the price) just right," said Mitt Romney, the Salt
Lake Organizing Committee president and CEO. "The number, however, was not
picked out of thin air. It was derived from the figure of the Atlanta Games
and the Syndey Games. We took their figure and increased it slightly for
inflation.
"Why do people pay such a high price? Because it really is a fabulous chance
to connect with the world. It's the chance of a lifetime."
Maybe so, but some folks might have to take a lifetime to pay for it...
TIME FOR WORK: Canadian speedskating star Catriona Le May Doan hasn't hit the
ice since arriving here. "I feel like I've been on holiday," she said.
Wednesday was taken up with blood testing, a media conference and then a
reception for the Canadian Olympic team in the evening. (Thursday) I'll get
in the groove," she said. The long-track speedskaters were the stars of the
Nagano Games for Canada where they won five medals (a gold, two silver and
two bronze) and Le May Doan expects even better this time around. "I think we
can exceed that," she said. "We expect more. When you see our results, we
should expect more."
FATHER GOES BEST, ER, MAYBE NOT: Werner and Christoper Hoeger are both
skipping classes to be here, just not the way you would expect. A
father-and-son duo competing for Venezuela, though they live in Boise, Idaho,
Werner, 48, is taking a sabbatical from his teaching position at Boise State
University. Christopher is a 17-year-old high school junior and honor
student. Werner has only been competing since 1999...
A DOG'S LIFE: There are no doubt one or two reporters around who feel like
they are worked like dogs during the Olympics. Then there's Santa. The mutt
from Mexico is the star of a television show on the biggest network in Latin
America, according to co-worker Andrea Riquelme. Santa's accreditation hangs
around her neck with her picture on it...
IT'S AS EASY AS FALLING DOWNHILL: Germany's Georg Hackl started the pursuit
of his fourth-straight gold medal in luge Wednesday and was tops in one of
the two training runs. The 35-year-old German is trying to become the first
Olympic winter athlete to win four-straight gold medals in an individual
event. Carl Lewis (long jump), Al Oerter (discus) and Paul Elvstrom (sailing)
have done it in the Summer Games. A Bavarian, Hackl enjoys donning
lederhosen, performing Bavarian dances and toasting his victories with beer.
That doesn't make him a bad guy...
THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES: There was some talk about the new suits the
Canadian longtrack speedskaters will be wearing in competition here and how
they stack up against those of other countries and manufacturers. "We've got
the best team," said Steve Elm of Red Deer, AB, "so it doesn't matter."
That's the kind of confident talk you like to hear.
HEAR AND THERE: The headline in The Salt Lake Tribune says "Grumbling Over
Gridlock." Guess they just keep that headline for every paper in the city
that hosts the Olympic Games...Starting Thursday no flights into Salt Lake -
except for commercial flights - can land without first landing and being
checked out at one of four other cities: Boise, Idaho; Grand Junction, Colo.,
Colorado Springs, Colo., or Las Vegas. No flights at all will be allowed into
or out of Salt Lake for four hours before and during the Opening Ceremonies.
2002 Games News Coverage
