Mary Malmros wrote:
What a completely idiotic and weenie article.

I agree with you - the article is a slam piece. But I also agree that
there is something real underlying the article.

I think the Winter Olympics could do better at inclusion. There's no
excuse for the Jamaicans to be excluded for financial reasons when their
Bobsled team was otherwise qualified. Possible the dominant countries
could create a financial pool for such cases?

Also, while I think it's dangerous for Eddy the Eagle to jump or Sulidan
the Slink to run a downhill, and therefore support qualifying results
before entry in the Olympics is allowed, a "preliminary" open to all
countries could be run in each discipline, following entry
qualifications similar to those minor league racing uses (The Tahoe
League uses no top 10 finishers in Far West races, I believe. Equivalent
might be no FIS points nn?) Maybe the podium from the pre-races could
be allowed into the "real" Olympics - certainly the safety issue would
have been addressed. Many of the warm countries could round up some
ex-pat but still citizens who've been living in winter-countries to be
their entries in numerous disciplines, who could afford to enter the
preliminaries. Such opportunities would go along way toward inclusion
without materially impacting the Winter Games.