Don't get me wrong. I support high level competition in sports and I would gladly provide tax money to aid in athlete development, training and competition. I like to see athletes from different countries, whose politicians can't seem to make much progress toward peaceful interaction, get together and inspire all of us with their talent, spirit, and dedication.
I think, however, that the Olympics has grown to large, to expensive, and to bureaucratic to really demonstrate the ideals of sport. The financing that is necessary to bid for, gain approval, and actually put on an Olympics is now beyond any country's true ability. In essence a group of of power brokers from a particular country get together and take attention away from what is really needed in that country in terms of economic reform, eliminating poverty and disease, establishing human rights, and re-building the infrastructure of the country itself.
In addition, the foundation of sport in that country, that is, amateur athletes at the local level are minimized as countries search for and only support elite athletes. Training centres are created which rather than acting as sources of inspiration only serve to take away attention from local sport and athlete development. In essence the Olympics have become a place of opportunism, professional athletes, marketing, and financial success for an extremely narrow band of athletes. One has only to consider the 2004 US Olympic basketball team, a group of multi-million dollar, bad-attitude (for the most part), salaried stars, staying in their executive suites on the Queen Elizabeth luxury liner during the Olympics in Athens, to realize how ridiculous the Olympic ideal has become.
Locally, here in British Columbia, the 2010 Winter Olympics was not supported by most of the people in the Province. Most people (1) realized what a drain it will be on the economy; (2) did not believe that the cost estimates were realistic; (3) believed that there were dozens of other priorities both the provincial and federal governments ought to be spending money on; (4) believed that the city of Vancouver specifically required attention to its homeless population instead; and (5) expressed the view that most of the money spent building things for the Olympics would only benefit high income individuals and big corporations.
 The current logo is based on the Inuit symbol known as the Inukshuk |
The acceptance generated considerable fatalism and cynicism, but after the bid was won, little was heard of the progress of the Olympic preparations until with great fanfare the Olympic group announced the logo they had commissioned for the 2010 games.
While a few people raved, most people were stunned when the logo was unveiled. Disbelief was another predominant feeling. How could a group of people review more than 1600 submissions for logo consideration and wind-up choosing the one they did? What were they thinking?
No one is critcizing the artist. As an art work, the logo is colourful, balanced, and (fill in the blank here). But the negative reactions far outweigh the support.
Here's a sample of viewpoints about this symbol:
- It looks like Gumby with goalie pads
- It looks like PacMan on steroids
- It's a childish and infantile drawing not worthy of the event it is supposed to represent
- It's a cultural symbol for a group completely uninvolved in the Olympics
- It has nothing to do with the history or peoples connected to the venue
- It is neither symbolic nor representative of the people of Canada, the First Nations groups upon whose land the Olympics will take place, the Westcoast of Canada, or the winter season of Canada
- It's an insult to the First Nations and Indigenous Peoples of Canada
- It is an exploitation of the Inuit people whose permission was not requested, who were not consulted, and are not likely to receive any compensation
- A local (to Whistler) First Nation group believes it is an attack on their sovereign nation similar to the Russians planting their flag on Canada's Parliament.
 Might be better with a red "X" through it. |
Several people have suggested using some type of car crash scene with an X through the scene might be a more accurate logo. In addition they strongly believe that this highway should be made safer, but have cynically added that the highway is used mostly by rich people driving SUV's who can afford the outrageous fees associated with staying and engaging in winter sports at Whistler. In essence they believe that all British Columbians are subsidizing the interests of the wealthy.
Some people have suggested a compromise. Why not continue to use an Inukshuk symbol, but instead of a stylized colorful drawing, use the real thing.
 Actual photo by Rey Carr taken near Yellowknife. |
A real Inukshuk is made of stone, not rubbery, rounded colours. They vary in size considerably and the one depicted here is over 12 feet tall. Here is what The Canadian Encyclopedia has to say about Inukshuk:
"Inukshuk (singular), meaning "likeness of a person" in Inuktitut (the Inuit language) is a stone figure made by the Inuit. The plural is inuksuit. The Inuit make inuksuit in different forms and for different purposes: to show directions to travellers, to warn of impending danger, to mark a place of respect, or to act as helpers in the hunting of caribou. Similar stone figures were made all over the world in ancient times, but the Arctic is one of the few places where they still stand. An inukshuk can be small or large, a single rock, several rocks balanced on each other, round boulders or flat. Inuit tradition forbids the destruction of inuksuit."
The Inuit people populate the northern areas of Canada in small, dispersed villages and communities throughout the Arctic from Alaska to Greenland. Europeans and Americans might still call them "Eskimos" which is a perjorative term that roughly translates to "eaters of raw meat." Inuit means "people," and while estimates of their population range from 4,000-5,000 their influence in the art world, through sculpture, carvings, and drawings has been immense. In the last few years motion pictures have depicted Inuit life in a way never before revealed to the rest of the world. (See for example, the multiple award-winning film, Atanarjuat, the Fast Runner starring Natar Ungalaaq from Igloolik as Atanarjuat or The Snow Walker, based on Farley Mowat's book, Walk Well My Brother, and starring Barry Pepper and Annabella Piugattuk.
It's improbable at this point that the Vancouver Olympic Committee will realize its mistake and come up with a different logo. And although the logo adjudication cost little compared to the size of expenses to come in the future, it does not bode well for the integrity, leadership, and steerage of this Committee. We hope that it will not be a symbol of what future disasters we can expect.
In November, 2005, John Furlong, the head of the Vancouver Olympic Committee, stated in a press conference that Olympic costs were calculated in 2002 dollars and millions more are now needed. He argues that the Olympic bid did not take into account dollar estimates to deal with 2007 when most of the building costs would be incurred. Does anybody really believe that?
Mr. Furlong stretches his credibility even further by estimating that the full-time staff required for the Olympics will eventually total about 1200 people. He thinks that will make the Olympic group one of the largest employers in Canada. What country has he been living in? Literally hundreds of organizations employ more than that number. I think what he meant to say was that it would be one of the largest organizations in Canada to be draining money from taxpayers.
If readers have another suggestion for a better logo, please send it to Simple Signs (logoalternatives@simplesigns.ca) along with a rationale and we will post it on this site.
 VANOC could attempt to supress free speech by removing this image |
However, back to the local artist. Her poster, which can be viewed at Kimberly Baker and then click on the poster art that shows five shopping carts with people lying in different colour sleeping bags (gee, another coincidence that the colours are similar to the Olympic colours) under each cart, and you'll be able to see the original poster.
It might be possible that this web page (the one you're reading now) could be considered a violation of the trademark law established for the Olympics. This could happen because I'm mentioning and depicting trademarked figures, or because I am advocating for Kimberly Baker's poster. The Olympic weenies might think I'm "campaigning" or profiting from their logos, etc. Legally, it's still fair to critique, but if you place a link to this page, and sell tickets to get to it, you better be ready to have a knock on the door from the Olympic committee thought police.
If you have reactions to the comments here, please feel free to contact the author at rey@rey.ca.