Is it an Olympic torch or a big, fat joint?
Some people in Vancouver are wondering, as the marijuana capital of Canada gears up to host next year’s Winter Games. The silver and white torch, when lit, reminds them of a marijuana cigarette, giving new meaning to the Games’ motto of aiming “higher.”
“It’s white, there’s the fire, and there’s its irregular size that’s wide in the middle and thin on both ends,” said Jonathan Mercier, 27, a tourist from Montreal. He’s not surprised that the torch is being dubbed the “Olympic toke.”
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
Vancouver Games organizers, who plan to escort the Olympic flame on a 45,000km public relay across Canada before the Feb. 12 opening ceremonies, are happy to get the free publicity.
“We’re thrilled that people are talking about the torch design” in Canada and the US, said Jim Richards, 45, the Games’ director of torch relays. “It’s absolutely tremendous.”
US comedian Jimmy Kimmel, on his late-night television program last week, poked fun with a doctored photograph purportedly showing gold-medal swimmer Michael Phelps smoking the torch. Jim Rome also lampooned the torch in a commentary on ESPN television last Thursday.
A team of 80, including aerospace engineers, designed the stainless steel and aluminum torch at Montreal-based Bombardier, said Isabelle Rondeau, a spokeswoman for the world’s third-biggest airplane maker. The torch, weighing 1.6kg and stretching 95cm, is meant to symbolize winter sports, ice and snow, Rondeau said.
“The real inspiration was the winter landscape and the lines that skis make in the snow,” Rondeau said.
Locals may have reason to see things differently. British Columbia, the third-most populous Canadian province, leads the nation in marijuana production, said Sergeant Bill Whalen of the Organized Crime Agency of British Columbia, an arm of the provincial government.
The 300 block of West Hastings Street is home to shops selling marijuana paraphernalia and to the Marijuana Party’s so-called vapor lounge, where people heat up marijuana and inhale the fumes.
Reaction to the torch controversy has been mellow in that neighborhood, said Jodie Emery, 24, an editor of Cannabis Culture magazine.
“It’s a coincidence that Vancouver is very marijuana-friendly, and known for being such, and that the torch for the Vancouver Olympics looks like a marijuana joint,” said Emery, whose husband, Marc, has campaigned to legalize marijuana in Canada.
Still, she’s keeping her mind open to more conspiratorial explanations.
“Maybe somebody on the design team might have tried to slip that in,” Emery said.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
RSS