OPORTS mclennonb@douglas.be.ca The “Oh’lympics Games Brian McLennon, OP Sports Editor The Winter Olympics begin this week in Torino, Italy. Hundreds of athletes from around the world will converge on the city located in the Alps of Northwestern Italy to ’ compete in fifteen different events; Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, ’ Bobsled, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Nordic Combined, Short Track, Skeleton, Ski Jumping, Snowboarding, and Speed Skating. With all the muscles flexing, hearts pump- ing and sweat dripping off sculpted bodies, it is no wonder that one of most popular events at the Olympic is the ole’ down and dirty...sex. Ever since the beginning of the games, a good romp in the hay (or snow for the winter games participants) has always played a major role in Olympics. The reported level of frisky activities that were taking place off-camera led the Athens Olympic organizers to stockpile their Olympic Village pharmacies with an over abundance of 130,000 condoms...now that’s amoré. The numbers are a dramatic increase to the mere 25,000 condoms that were on hand when the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. When you really think of it, it all makes perfect sense. Many athletes and coaches still believe that the best way to peak performance is abstaining from sexual activity before competition. So, with all these horned-up athletes crammed into an athletes’ village complex, you’re bound to have more than just ski boots “knockin.” In an effort to curb these kind of events, a ministry of called LifeWay Christian Resources partnered with Lay Witness for Christ International and hosted “An Evening with the Olympians: True Love Waits” in Athens. The event featured athletes who encouraged students to make a commitment and remain abstinent from sex until marriage. Evidently, these same athletes didn’t take the message back to the Olympic Villages, where the 130,000 condom stockpile was supplied to the 17,000 athletes. Organizers wanted ensure they didn’t encounter the same problems as in Sydney, where a condom shortage had the latex orbs worth more than the Olympic Gold itself. In an effort to prevent combustion by the athletes, 20,000 more condoms were quickly shipped in before the Games ended. But let’s not get carried away here. Cupid has done more than just shoot his arrow into the confines of latex; he has actually made some real love connections. During the 1972 Munich Olympics, Hostess trainer, Silvia Sommerlath caught the eye of Swedish crown prince Carl Gustaf XVI Bernadotte. When the games ended, he tracked her down and the two were married in 1976. Former Canucks player, Bret Hedican was struck by Cupid’s arrow during the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville when he was introduced to figure skater, Kristi Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi claims she had no recollection of the initial meeting as she was in “la-la land” after winning the gold medal. However, a few years later at GM Place’s opening gala, the two were reunited as she was a starring performer and he was with the Canuck’s organization. Yamaguchi said that it was the second introduction that “made an impression”. The two were married in 2000 and now have two children. At the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City (SLC), Utah, love was in the air as sweethearts took to the streets on Valentine’s Day to exchange kisses. The lip lock- ing event all started with the SLC police officers handed out heart shaped “Kiss Me” suckers. Heeding the advice of the tasty treats, couples began to embrace each other in streets of this normally dry, conservative city. Even a mem- ber of the US men’s skeleton team caught the love bug, as Lincoln Dewitt and his fiancée, Linda Sanders, joined eight other couples and exchanged official 2002 Valentine’s Day/Coca Cola pins as a symbol of their love for each other. Sanders said the event was very romantic. The list of athletes that have found true love during the Olympics is quite impressive. Here a short list. Biathlon Antje Miezersky and Ian Harvey ~ Ntala Skinner and Kevin Quintinillo Deborah Nordyke and Curtis Schreiner Liv Grete Skjelbreid and Raphael Poiree Figure Skating Kristi Yamaguchi and hockey player Bret Hedican Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow Silvia Fontana and John Zimmerman Carol Heiss and Hayes Jenkins Ludmila and Oleg Protopopov Ekaterina Gordeeva and (deceased) Sergei Grinkov Ekaterina Gordeeva and Ilia Kulik Jenni Meno and Todd Sand Beata Handra and Charles Sinek Isabelle Brasseur and Rocky Marval Tatiana Navka and Alexander Zhulin Jill Trenary and Christopher Dean Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko Katarina Witt and Alberto Tomba Skiing Hannah Hardaway and Brian Currutt Beckie Scott and Justin Wadsworth Megan Gerety and Tommy Moe Anna Parisien and Joe Levins Penny Pitou and Egon Zimmerman (divorced) Andrea Mead and David Lawrence (divorced) Lynn Spencer and Jim Galanes (divorced) Speedskating Jennifer Rodriguez and KC Boutiette Leah Poulos and Peter Mueller (divorced) Marianne Timmer and Peter Mueller So, while you’re watching the athletes perform this week in the Turin Games, keep an eye out for that glazed look that accompanies new love. You may be witnessing the birth of a lifelong partnership, or, at least the initial stages of the nights of bumpin’-and-grindin’ to come.