Shame on female ski jumpers for embarrassing Dick Pound

Governor-General Michaëlle Jean gave Canada's female ski jumpers a boost recently by apparently having a discreet word with International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge about their inclusion in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Team member Atsuko Tanaka ,18, said Jean told her about the conversation with Rogge during a reception with atheletes at Canada House in Whistler. The GG reportedly said the Olympic head appeared positive about prospects for women's ski  jumping at the next winter games.

Canada's female jumpers fought in B.C. courts to have their event included at the Vancouver Olympics. However, they ultimately failed when the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear their appeal of the B.C. decision to keep them out of the games.

After encouraging signals from Jean, leave it to Canadian senior IOC member Dick Pound to add his opinion.

In commenting on their recent legal battles, he noted: "I don't think the IOC had very much pleasure being convicted in absentia of discrimination against women athletes. It was a lot of bad publicity for the IOC. I know they don't appreciate it and I don't appreciate it.”

How unfortunate Mr. Pound doesn't appreciate the publicity.

Seems like the Canadian women didn't appreciate being kept out of the Vancouver Olympic Games based on their sex - in a country that guarantees gender equality in its Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Tish-tosh. Rights, schmights.

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Australia, here I come (or another Olympic perspective): I'm thinking of expanding my horizons beyond journalism with a bid to produce Australia's next big national celebration.

I've got it all worked out: big floating kangaroos, digeridoos and choruses of Waltzing Matilda. Crocodile Dundee hosts, natch.

Don't know much about Australia, but my father's closest mate was from Sydney. Surely those are good enough bona fides to put on an Olympic-scale show.

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Speaking of being embarrassed: It's worth watching the March 2 episode of The Agenda when it's posted on TVO's website. (Should be soon.) A big giggle. Steve Paikin's topic was the closing ceremonies in Vancouver, with lots of tasty comment on the hilarious banality of it all.  Seems like everybody thought the only thing missing was Monty Python's Lumberjack Song.

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Mea culpa for a dearth of postings: Decoder readers may have noticed there have been no posts for, ah, a rather long time. (I certainly hope it's been noted.)

Investigative assignments kept me away from blogging. I keep promising to advise readers when that happens and, next time, will try to actually do so.

Comments

[selam]

First let me say Dick Pound is an idiot.

Having said that, the women were kept out of the olympics simply because they don't have enough competitive depth. If the situation is reversed I can guarantee you that the men would be sitting out. Simply put the men's and women's competitions are NOT the same. On top of that they tried to keep men's ski jumping out of the Olympics in a child like, if-I-can't-have-it-you-can't-as-well move. 83 competitors from 14 countries is not enough to really mean anything if you are 30th.

As a matter of fact women's hockey may not even stay because after Canada and US, there isn't much competition.

[Roger Leo]

Shame indeed to those upstarts who seek equal treatment. I thought for a moment from the headline that you were serious. Pleased to see you are clear-minded on the rights and wrongs of this IOC decision, the chauvinism of M. Rogge, and the blinkered view of Dick Pound.