Whistler's Olympic Story - Part 2

BLOG POST posted on February 8, 2010 by Whistler Watch

Lefleting the torch relay crowd in Whistler

→Environment, →Dominion Stories, →2010 Olympics

So the torch made it's way up the Sea to Sky Highway and was in Whistler on Friday the 5th of February. A lot of people in Whistler have reservations about the games and many of them have left town or are planning to shortly, but very few people are outspoken in Whislter. That means that is up to a handful of us locals to defend Whistler from such things as environmental destruction, social degradation, and corporatism. An uphill battle sometimes in a ski resort that oozes money, yet depends on working poor and the middle class to operate.

As the torch made its way through Whistler though it did have its detractors, one person met it with a sign of protest south of the village, another ran along side it for some time with a torch that resembled a dubby, anther made a mocumentary of the event as it passed his house (I have not seen it yet), and I focused my attention on the thousands that came out to the village to see the Whistler cauldron being lit and another women helped me by handing out leaflets in another part of the crowd. There were likely some other scattered protests that I am unaware of, and many of the young adults of Whistler seemed very skeptical of the whole thing with many snide remarks being made around me at the village event.

I brought my huge bike trailer along to the village and plastered it with signs informing the public about the environmental impacts of the games and some major recommendations for change. Though most people were excited to see the torch, almost all of the people who walked past me or whom I spoke with were very supportive. I got a lot of encouraging remarks, hugs, and high fives and was told to keep up the fight. I handed out information about the impacts the olympics have had on Whistler. I only had three 'negative' comments all night:
1. one guy gave me a thumbs down as he passed by
2. one women who lives here (I could tell by the uniform she was wearing) said as she passed by, "I don't want any of that information because I love the games"
3. one guy said "what's this? Go home!" to which I responded, "I live here, I was born here," so he said "this is way more fun, what you guys do is silly!"
So all very intelligent responses! As I said, everyone else was very receptive. The massive coke and RBC presence helped, as people couldn't believe how corporate the event was. One friend of mine who was kind of excited to see the torch now wants to leave Whistler for the games after she found the event so corporate and the entertainment far below her creative expectations.

The pressure to change the way the Olympics are staged is mounting globally, and I believe that justice will prevail or the Olympics will fall, likely not this year...but they can't continue the way they are now with all the pressure to change.

Sara