'The Olympics are dead': Does anyone want to be a host city anymore?

[Barrister]

Winter Olympics have only one purpose: the ice hockey tournament. That's more than enough.

So you really just need the NHL and other hockey leagues to form the frozen equivalent of FIFA and make their own quadannual international tournament.

They've already done it:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=750156

[Eddie Teach]

It's all the X Games shit.

That stuff beats figure skating.

[garbon]

It can easily be done, just requires discipline, honest government, and some creativity, so . . . yeah, I guess that rules out the US cities.

For the most part, even if doing it correctly, doesn't seem like it'd be that great for residents of any major US city.

[Duque de Bragança]

Winter Olympics have only one purpose: the ice hockey tournament. That's more than enough.

So you really just need the NHL and other hockey leagues to form the frozen equivalent of FIFA and make their own quadannual international tournament.

They've already done it:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=750156

Meh. NHL rules and rink sizes.

The first World Cup competition since 2004 will feature national teams from the United States, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic, and there will be two all-star teams, one made up of the top 23-and-under North American players and another featuring the top NHL players from the European countries that aren't represented by their national teams, including Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Norway, Denmark and Latvia.

The Olympic tournament with NHL players will still be missed.

[The Minsky Moment]

Weren't Salt Lake City Olympics very financially efficient, Mitt Romney jokes aside?

I said US *cities*

[lustindarkness]

It's all the X Games shit.

That stuff beats figure skating.

That shit should not be in the Olympics either.

[Eddie Teach]

I like the one where you have the four skiers going at the same time. Looks like an actual race.

[crazy canuck]

I like the one where you have the four skiers going at the same time. Looks like an actual race.

Ski cross?

[Eddie Teach]

That's the one.

[Norgy]

It can easily be done, just requires discipline, honest government, and some creativity, so . . . yeah, I guess that rules out the US cities.

It sounds like the Winter Olympics should just rotate between Canada, Japan, and the Nordic countries then

France, Russia, Germany, Austria, Italy and even the Czechs and Poland compete at high levels there. So does the US. The sprint skiing teams of Canada and the US are well on their way to beat the rest.

Heck, even Spain had a drugged-up former German gold medalist at Salt Lake City.

I think like with most sports events, the issue is twofold; you have corrupt organisations and corrupt and drugged athletes. We should make a choice. Either everyone is allowed to throw money around like it was no tomorrow and drug themselves to perfection only to have their hearts explode at the finishing line, or it should be policed Nazi style with lifetime bans, completely transparent voting and application and at an amateur level like the Olympics used to be.
Professional sports could allow spears, cock rings and AK47s and full frontal nudity for all I care.

[Savonarola]

France, Russia, Germany, Austria, Italy and even the Czechs and Poland compete at high levels there. So does the US. The sprint skiing teams of Canada and the US are well on their way to beat the rest.

Heck, even Spain had a drugged-up former German gold medalist at Salt Lake City.

I think like with most sports events, the issue is twofold; you have corrupt organisations and corrupt and drugged athletes. We should make a choice. Either everyone is allowed to throw money around like it was no tomorrow and drug themselves to perfection only to have their hearts explode at the finishing line

It's an idea whose time has come (again):  https://screen.yahoo.com/weekend-drug-olympics-000000571.html

[Norgy]

 

[The Larch]

Heck, even Spain had a drugged-up former German gold medalist at Salt Lake City.

That was hillarious. The guy came out of the blue and got Spanish citizenship. Suddenly all the media were cheering on him and calling him "Juanito", hyping him to the utmost degree. Then when he tested possitive he went back to being Hans and nobody ever spoke about him anymore.

[Grey Fox]

Then they should offer to organize them. I mean, winter olympics have traditionally been held in some rather small places. The madness is making the winter olympics, by definition a rather small affair, a massive undertaking. Right now the winter olympics have 98 events, in Salt Lake in 2002 there were 78, 57 in Albertville in 92 and 39 in Sarajevo in 84. There's some rather severe event inflation going on.

It's all the X Games shit.

You mean the interesting sports & the only ski events that don't need a crazy moutain?

[Syt]

Looks like the Winter Games 2022 will be held in either Beijing or Almaty.

Yay.