The European and North American Expensive Sports Festival

Saw a good article in the Washington Post the other day, which kind of sums up my unease and disinterest in the winter olympics. Even as a keen Snowboarder in the past, I have often wondered why these games failed to spark up my enthusiasm.

Where the Rich and Elite Meet to Compete

By Paul Farhi

Sunday, February 5, 2006; Page B01
Never mind the usual puffery about what this month's Winter Olympics are all about. Sure, there's the beauty of sports, the spirit of friendly competition, the dedication of great athletes and all that. But the Winter Games are about a few other things as well: elitism, exclusion and the triumph of the world's sporting haves over its have nots.

What the Winter Games are not is a truly international sporting competition that brings the best of the world together to compete, as the promotional blather would have you believe. Unlike the widely attended Summer Olympics, the winter version is almost exclusively the preserve of a narrow, generally wealthy, predominantly Caucasian collection of athletes and nations. In fact, I'd suggest that the name of the Winter Games, which start Friday, be changed. They could be more accurately branded "The European and North American Expensive Sports Festival."

you can read on here