Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro

It’s a well-known fact that in Brazil soccer is a national sport and a popular pastime. Actually that’s an understatement, because in Brazil soccer is everything. It’s what drives not only the economy but also the mood of the country. It’s as important to have a soccer filed in town or even a tiny village as to have a church, actually more so. It’s the only sport that seems to be the content of the news and the only sport that ever gets covered on TV, period, as if no other sport existed.

Needless to say, when there is World Cup to be played, the euphoria of the country escalates, and having won the World Cup five-times already that’s understandable.

I arrived in Brazil on June 9, which was Wednesday; the World Cup 2010 in South Africa was starting on Friday with Mexico playing the home team of South Africa. The game ended in a tie and Mexicans considered that a success as South Africa has not lost in two years and fans were more than hopeful of their team advancing beyond the group play round robin.

Walking down Copacabana Beach boardwalk I came across last minute preparations of a large outdoor screen and bleachers set up so the local fans could watch Brazil’s matches. As soon as the first matches in South Africa got under way, the TV channels were telecasting from the locker rooms, the practice field, the hotel, everywhere and anywhere the Brazilian team and their superstars stayed or happened to be. All were in fine fettle, confident, and the country even more so, expecting nothing less than their team would bring home the big trophy.

The first matches brought two surprises. Uruguay tied France 0:0, beat Mexico 1: nil, routed South Africa 3: zip, and suddenly the world, including Brazil, took a notice as that’s their little neighbor to the south.

Of course the loss of the home team to Uruguay was a shocker and immediately diminished their chances of so much expected success. Their consolation was they beat France 2:1, which was the first nail in the coffin for the French, the big time world champs just a few years ago.

In a Group B Argentina ruled and Maradona was cocky. Brazilians hated that as they would anything Argentinean and course was being set for a likely showdown with Brazil.

Brazil played in Group G and their first mach was against the communist amateurs from North Korea. The Brazilian media had to analyze the opponent, pondered some respect but of course their super stars the likes of Kaka, Maicon, Robinho or Elano would toy around with these guys who have some four teams in their first division, the only division, and half dozen of what could pass for an actual stadium in the country. Whatever the stats for North Korea’s soccer facilities, they were in fact pretty good match for the Brazilian footballers.

The entire Brazil shut down for this game and some 200,000 million Brazilians were at their sets to witness this spectacle. Brazil won 2:1, though they were a lot more in control than the score suggests. Of course the Koreans showed they could play with Brazil and that’s what they wanted to prove and did. When they later played Portugal, they got swept off the flied 7:0 and suddenly Brazil feared the worst – getting beat by Portugal, their former colonialists.

But that first win, narrow as it was against measly North Korea set off the Brazilian media on a frenzy. That first goal by Maicon, shot right between the Korean goalie and his goal post, from a right side and practically parallel to the goal line, was replayed on the Brazilian television good one billion times over the next few days. Maicon dropped to his knees, kissed his finger, clearly in heaven. Brazilian flags sold like hot cakes and everyone had one hung off his window. The streets decorated with flags and confetti bearing Brazil’s colors were being set for the ultimate street party that was to come.

Needless to say the hopes were high, mood elated, Brazil was winning. I was somewhat dismayed at seeing that these champs were so enthused over their narrow win over North Korea. But Brazil loved what they were seeing. The whole country wore yellow jerseys of their team and bars were full, for any game broadcast from the South Africa.

In the other groups, England was showing mediocre results. They tied US which were a great result for US but the English footballers were starting to get roasted by their press. They did not last long and lost to Germany in the round of 16 and were sent packing going home embarrassed.

US had a good run, after their game with England ended in a draw they also tied Slovenia and having beaten Algeria they moved on from the base group, though lost narrowly to Ghana 2:1 in a first match after that.

Germany was solid and advanced along with Ghana from the Group D. Holland and Japan advanced from group E., Paraguay and Slovakia from Group F, which was a bit time for Slovakia, their first ever getting to the World Cup and right on to the round of 16s. That left Italy, the reigning World Champions, packing. They lost to Slovakia 3:2 which was actually a very good game, and after a draw against New Zealand and losing to Paraguay they were done, having shown very little to deserve the esteem in which they had been held since the last World Cup.

In Group H Spain was quietly advancing along with Chile. Brazil had a so so game against Ivory Coast showing little but at least winning by 3:1, which made for more goals to be replayed over and over on Brazilian TV, along with countless interviews and analysis by all experts and non experts. Mind you the country would shut down for each game, literally, shops and offices, everything, as the entire population was expected to go into a bar or home to watch the game on the tube.

Showdown with Portugal was set as final game in the group but as it mattered little who won, both teams were already advancing, the game finished nil: nil. Brazilians were content though apologetic for their team’s tie on account of the non-importance of the game.

In the round of 16, Uruguay showed they were solid and routed South Korea 3:0. US were edged by Ghana 2:1. Holland beat Slovakia narrowly 2:1 in a pretty decent game. Brazil beat Chile 3:0 in a best performance of their tournament play so far and so expectations were growing higher for the ultimate cup win. TV stations were showing nothing else but soccer, all channels, literally, 24/7 it seemed.

Germany sent England packing, Paraguay did same to the Japanese, Argentina to the Mexicans and Spain halted the hopes of Portugal in the Iberian Peninsula showdown. All matches were by narrow margin, usually by a single goal only, only Argentina beating Mexico 4:1 was showing they were at their peak and ready to defeat anybody. Brazilians were bit worried but did not show it. Maradona was giving interviews and talking it up.

Quarterfinals were the judgment day for Brazil. Holland beat them convincingly 2:1 and the whole country took on a somber mood instantly. TV programming was beginning to get back to normal, though some analysis continued. Suddenly yellow jerseys were no longer worn nor sold all over as they were prior to the loss. No more goal replays on TV. The gigantic outdoor screens were all being disassembled all over Brazil.

The only satisfaction Brazilians felt at that point was when Germany shocked Argentina 4:0. The Brazilians cherished those goals and their screams of approval were nearly as load as when their team scored when they were still winning.

Uruguay continued their streak playing excellent football, beating Ghana 2:1. Paraguay, another of Brazil’s neighbors, narrowly lost to Spain in a game that could had gone either way. It was sad to see as even most Brazilians seemed were hoping for a showdown with Uruguay, or at least for having two South American teams in the semifinals.

In the semis Holland powered over Uruguay though most Brazilians were hoping for Uruguay to avenge their loss to Holland. It did not happen, the Dutch was pretty keen and won 3:2 in a tight win. Much the same happened in the other match, someone had to lose, and it was Germany, losing to Spain 1:0, but both matches were excellent and anyone could had won.

So the final showdown was between Holland and Spain and the Spaniards won. Nothing spectacular but a 1:0 win and that’s all it mattered. Not a convincing win but so it goes. By then Brazilians hardly watched the game and actually ever since their loss in the quarters the Brazilian TV channels went back into broadcasting their national football league matches despite the bleachers on all stadiums everywhere being visibly empty. But still the matches were on TV, as if to make the Brazilians forget that the World Cup was still going on.

Of course the next World Cup will be in Brazil, in 2014 and two years after that Rio will host the Olympic Games, so the Brazilians are already getting pumped for those events. And the World Cup 2010 in South Africa is already forgotten. The soccer is played everywhere in Brazil, the enthusiasm for the game is ever present and obviously resilient to any loss. They know they can win next time and they probably will!

After Czech Republic’s defeat of Slovakia at their Olympic hockey tournament opener in Vancouver Olympic Games, Jaromir Jagr, one of NHL’s all-time great forwards, said it: “We can beat anybody here, and anybody can beat us.”

That prophesy has been correct in both respects. The Czechs beat the Slovaks and Latvia, got edged by the Russians, narrowly escaped defeat at the hands of Latvia the second time around in the preliminary round, and last night suffered a devastating narrow-margin loss to Finland.

Most of the games at the Olympic tournament involving the top teams in the world were tight games and not pretty to watch. US barely slipped past Switzerland which Canada subdued only by a single goal in am unexpected shootout earlier. Slovakia made it barely past Norway 4:3, same score by which they surprised Sweden, tournament’s favorite.

There have only been two shockers thus far. Canada’s rout of Russians by a score of 7:3 in the preliminary round and the defeat of Sweden in the quarterfinals. Though the Americans have been expected to play team Canada for the gold before the tournament started, by now both teams know they have to get first through their semifinal matches, US against Finland and Canada against Slovakia, and it would not be a real bombshell if Finland would play Slovakia for the gold.

None of the NHL hockey stars, including Ovechkin, Malkin or Crosby, have shined. In fact it can be said that most remarkable performances have been delivered only by the goalies. The astounding realization comes from noting that the historically second-rated teams of Norway, Latvia and particularly Switzerland have improved so much that from here on they have to be counted among Olympic hockey contenders rather than underdogs.

It’s a shocking news to read of an Olympic athlete dying at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. The news was even more tragic that it happened only few hours before the actual official opening ceremony, the joyous of occasions when athletes march on the Olympic stadium sporting nothing but smiles.

While the Georgian delegation chose to continue competing at the games, their somber faces told the story. Fortunately death of an Olympic athlete at the games is not a common occurrence. Over the last one hundred years of the modern Olympic Games there have been only a handful of tragic accidents. Nodar Kumaritashvili’s death, the Georgian luger that died on Friday on the luge track at Whistler Mountain, was only seventh death at the Olympic Games, two of which have occurred at the summer Olympic Games and now five at the Winter Olympic Games.

Olympic Games have certainly experienced their share of tragedies, the most horrific of which was the death of eleven members of the Israeli athletic delegation at the 1972 Summer Olympic games in Munich at the hands of terrorists. In 1996 at the Atlanta Olympic Games two people died at the hands of another fanatic, but sporting deaths have been relatively few.

Of the five death at winter games, three were skiing related in crashes that had to with collisions, either with another human or hitting a tree and basically were a result of ineffective management of the downhill courses, either permitting too many people on the course or not accounting for a possibility that a skier could go off course and hit a tree.

The tragic accident in luge on Friday was the second in the luge event at the Olympic Games. The first was of a British luge athlete who died during his training run for the first Olympic luge competition at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. At the time his death could have been in part assigned to the fact that luge was a new Olympic event and inexperience might have been the more likely cause rather than the track design.

On another hand, the athletes that medaled at the Innsbruck Olympic Games in 1964 in luge race were all from only three countries, Germany, Austria and Italy, and one look over the list of top finishers in luge at all the Olympic Games since reveals that the event has been dominated by athletes from the nations that share the Alps.

Luge, like the bobsled, originated in St Moritz, Switzerland, a prominent ski resort in the Alps, in the late nineteenth century. Although most of the best artificial luge and bobsled tracks are situated in the Alpine resorts, few exist elsewhere in Europe, namely in Norway, Russia, Poland and Slovenia. Japan built a fine track for the Nagano Olympics. In the United States there are famous tracks in Lake Placid and Park City. Obviously cost of construction has all to do with the fact why state of the art luge and bobsled tracks are not found in too many countries, and while mountains with snow are found in many a country and sledding is a favorite and inexpensive pastime over the world, becoming a skilled luger ready to compete at the Olympic Games is another matter.

While the Whistler luge track had received a lot of publicity and its speeds of over 90 miles per hours were noted with some alarm, as was its safety, as well as critical voices were concerning the limited access that was being strictly streamlined, it has been also well documented how many lugers in fact crashed on the track before the fatal accidents.

The Vancouver Olympic Games luge competition finished last night, and no major crashes took place, so although the event is now history some unanswered issues remain.

Statistics showed that Nodar Kumaritashvili competed in five World Cup races this season and placed 44th in the standings after the races in Igls, Altenberg, Lillehammer, Koenigssee, Winterberg, Oberhof and Cesana. Prior to Casena race in Italy, the last luge World Cup race before the Vancouver games he had only 4 points and was ranked 57th out of 65 racers listed. At Cesana, Italy he did considerably better collecting 13 points, and finishing with 17 points on 44th place in the standings before the Olympics.

The argument that he was inexperienced, that luge athletes from smaller nations may not have enough time to practice on top courses may be in part valid. However, the fact that in the World Cup standings behind him finished athletes from Macedonia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, India, Taiwan, Slovakia, Korea, Rumania, Hungary, Argentina, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia but also luge superpowers (with certainly state of the art race tracks) such as Japan, Russia and USA proves that the argument may not be a valid one.

And just for the record, Nodar Kumaritashvili stood ahead also of Bruno Banani of Tonga!! Yes, Tonga, the South Pacific nation, where the only ice they have, not to mention a snow mountain on which to build a luge track, is in their refrigerators! Of course I am just joking, we already know Jamaica has a pretty good bobsled team and last night in luge we saw quite a good run by a luger from India!

No matter how much one wants use the argument that athletes from smaller nations may not be experienced enough or that the sport is simply too dangerous to let less experienced athletes to compete does not stand on its own merit. When the news of the fatal accident became known, and NBC sure brought us numerous repeats of the gory details, albeit with words of warning how graphic the video document was, and one could see how the luge athlete obviously lost control and bounced off of the sheltered wall and was catapulted over the edge of the open wall, landing smack against the steel posts that were right there, the Whistler accident clearly belongs into the category of an improperly track design in terms of safety.

I mean, how stupid can there be a design of a luge and bobsled race track that far accedes any speeds previously ever recorded on any luge race tracks in Europe, Russia or Japan, and on the final turn where races can experience as much as 7Gs, and not figure out that one could bounce of as Nodar Kumaritashvili did, and let these idiotic poles right there, making sure there are more than one so that one can makes sure to hit at least one, stand there without any padding, foam, bales of straw or any protection against impact whatsoever!

Let’s be honest in an assessment – that the deficiency in the design was clearly negligence that is downright criminal! How anything like this could actually pass any kind of safety inspection!

By Saturday, the day after the tragic accident, NBC was set to spare us the graphic video of the Olympic luger’s last seconds of life, professing their sensitivity on the issue, whether toward the Georgian athlete’s family, his fellow athletes on the Georgian delegation, when in fact even his father was not interested in viewing his son’s last seconds of life, the video had by then been well offered for never-ending viewing on infinite number of blogs and YouTube.

Vancouver games organizers and the Olympic Committee may be praised for the sympathetic expression of grief, the staged one minute of silence and tears shed by various high ranking officials, but the question remains – was this a preventable accident? Should the design of the Whistler track actually pass inspection?

Whatever was the designer thinking is one thing, but should whoever did the approving of this track as safe and its being even open, and its being in fact also approved for use at the Winter Olympic Games 2010, be actually held accountable?

It’s not we must see heads fall, but if we are to put a closure to this tragic accident, most of all we need to realize that the luge tracks maybe best enclosed in tubular Plexiglas, or behind glass as that used above the boards in ice hockey, and the only parts that should be left open are those on any straightaway.

Deciding to lower the starting point in order to diminish speeds is one way to decrease the chance of accidents but the solution is still not dealing with any kind of proper design guidelines for artificial luge and bobsled tracks actually being in place.

No matter what we will do from here on will bring Nodar Kumaritashvili back to life, but where we go from here may only assure that future accidents, in any Olympic sport, may have a less chance to occur.