Columnist Dejan Kovacevic ruffled some feathers on Friday, after claiming the 2010 Vancouver Olympics were “by far” the worst organized and most dangerous Olympics he’s covered.
This is my fifth Olympics. All had doom-and-gloom forecasts except Vancouver. And Vancouver was BY FAR worst organized and most dangerous.
— Dejan Kovacevic (@Dejan_Kovacevic) August 5, 2016
Canadian TSN broadcasters weren’t thrilled with his claims. Ray Ferraro responded to Kovacevic, saying he was baffled by the tweet.
often baffled on Twitter but I'm not sure you were in the city or at the Games in Vancouver by reading this tweet https://t.co/oYUdn7OJXb
— Ray Ferraro (@rayferraro21) August 5, 2016
James Duthie was equally perplexed.
Err…what? https://t.co/hhCr5AyStI
— James Duthie (@tsnjamesduthie) August 5, 2016
Even Bob McKenzie, who’s currently enjoying Summer vacation, chimed in, joking Tim Horton’s lineups were the culprit for the chaos.
C'mon, it was chaos. The lineups at @TimHortons were really long. @rayferrarotsn
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) August 5, 2016
Ferraro and Kovacevic tweeted back and forth, with Ferraro wondering if Kovacevic was mixing up the 2010 Olympic Games with the 2011 Stanley Cup riot.
not at Olympics pal. There was a riot at SC finals a year later.Hmm, facts do get in the way sometimes #misremember https://t.co/oQ1N5xxHlp
— Ray Ferraro (@rayferraro21) August 5, 2016
The dangers Kovacevic is referring to is a group of protesters (mostly peaceful) who rioted smashing some storefront windows and damaging cars.
Yep. Apparently 200 masked protesters smashing downtown windows during an Olympics now never actually happened. https://t.co/8anIDoTuPL
— Dejan Kovacevic (@Dejan_Kovacevic) August 5, 2016
Duthie pointed out the protests were mostly peaceful and that the damage done was contained and caused by a small group of individuals.
was a most peaceful protest, not riot, first day of Olympics with a handful of idiots…one broke a window.
— James Duthie (@tsnjamesduthie) August 5, 2016
Kovacevic told Duthie if he sees 200 masked protesters smashing windows, he’ll report it.
If at any point in Olympics here I see 200 masked protesters smashing downtown windows, I'll report that, too
— Dejan Kovacevic (@Dejan_Kovacevic) August 5, 2016
Duthie dropped the hammer responding while the Games weren’t perfect, there weren’t riots and Kovacevic’s claims were idiotic trolling.
I was on live at the time. Not a riot. Vancouver wasn't perfect. But your statement was idiotic trolling.
— James Duthie (@tsnjamesduthie) August 5, 2016
The claims the Vancouver games were the most dangerous games Kovacevic covered are a bit absurd. Yes, there were protests and windows were broken, but nothing happened on the scale of Sochi. Are the protests worse than the dangerous course conditions in Sochi which left many athletes injured? Or the reported hundreds killed constructing the stadiums?
Kovacevic isn’t wrong saying there was some danger in Vancouver, but it was on a small scale. Clearly, it wasn’t the most dangerous games he covered – at least to everybody else.
*full disclosure I freelanced at TSN Radio in the past*
Comments are closed.