Games go on – as they should

Despite the gruesome death of the 21-year-old luge rider, Nodar Kumaritashvili , from the former Soviet republic of Georgia, the 21st Winter Olympics in Vancouver are carrying on amid soggy conditions. Apparently some welcome snow arrived today, but it forced some postponement of events.

Yet, it’s always great to see the Olympic rings. It is the world’s flag and one day, in maybe another millennium, it will be. It shows how we’re all interconnected and dependent on one another.

Even though the Winter Games don’t have the mass appeal of the Summer Games, they are gripping in their own right. Unlike the Summer Games, the Winter Olympics feature so many events where death or severe injury are always possible.

What makes the Games great, though, is to hear of the obstacles that so many athletes have overcome to reach this pinnacle of success. The Canadian mogul skier, Alexandre Bilodeau, who won Canada’s first goal on Canadian soil (in three Olympic tries) is inspirational in his own right. His older brother has cerebral palsy and they’ve been best friends their whole lives with the older always rooting and supporting his younger brother. It’s an uplifting story for any era.

I find myself rooting for the Canadians to do well if front of their home fans. Of course, I cheer for all the athletes from all the countries. It’s a remarkable achievement just to be there.

Also, the American pair’s skaters’ back story is inspiring as well. Evora and Ladwig don’t fit the typical profile of upper-crust, pampered skaters, but blue-collar types who worked their way to get to Vancouver despite calls for them to give it up.

As for NBC, it’s great having Bob Costas as host. He’s the best who’s ever done it. But, like previous Olympics, everything is tape-delayed and the finals of the best events aren’t on until 11 p.m. It’s ridiculous in this Internet age and it’s the main reason why NBC expects to lose $200 million on the Games. It’s really their own fault. Much like newspapers, they have yet to adapt to this new world of instant information, commentary, analysis, video and audio.

But, I still love hearing the Olympic theme music, “Bugler’s Dream,” written by French-American film scorer Leo Arnaud and orchestrated by Felix Slatkin in 1958. ABC first used it in its Olympic broadcast for the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble, France, and it’s been forever linked to the Olympics by most Americans. NBC finally had the good sense to use it again after airing a few Olympics without it. It’s the audio cue for the Olympics - summer or winter.

Long live the games.