Editor:
Thank you, Jenny Wagler, for covering Chris Shaw's Five Ring Circus talk (Coast Reporter, Jan. 22). I was sorry to have missed the event, but it was refreshing to read that not everyone on the Sunshine Coast is on the Olympic bandwagon. Kudos to Shaw for his determination to speak out despite continued threats to his rights and welfare.
In the summer of 1976, I sat glued to my TV, watching young Nadia Comaneci at the Montreal Olympics fly through the air, breaking record after record. I remember feeling awe and pride that a girl so young could be so strong, so accomplished, so driven.
I wish I could still get excited by the Olympics now, but I can't. This is not the naive world of '76. I am not proud that we made the choice to support this huge corporation, and I despair at the massive negative impact the Games have on local economies, environment, human rights and social welfare. The IOC's bottom line is profit, not sport, and this saddens and angers me.
We in Vancouver's outlying communities want our share of the Olympic goodies, so we rally 'round the torch like it's a magic wand. On Feb. 4, my partner and I will not be cheering on the sidelines.
Carolyn Affleck and Derek Youngs
Sechelt
