Vancouver View -- Australian Controversies; Rogge Arrives; Papal Blessing

Boxing Kangaroo

Australia is facing pressure from the IOC to remove a large flag hanging in the Olympic Village depicting the boxing kangaroo that has become a symbol of the team from Down Under.

Hanging from a balcony in the village since Sunday, the flag may fall into the category of commercial imagery which is not allowed in an Olympic venue. Flags of a country are usually the only banners permitted in venues and they are a common decoration in Olympic Villages.

Australian Olympic Committee media chief Mike Tancred tells Around the Rings the boxing kangaroo flag has hung in the village at previous Olympic Games without incident.

IOC media chief Mark Adams tells ATR that a decision will come “in the next few days”. The ruling IOC Executive Board meets Sunday and Monday, perhaps the venue for a decision.

Bobsleigh Battle

Australia is also involved in a dispute over whether it should be allowed to enter a team in the ladies bobsleigh that could cost a spot already taken by Ireland.

The AOC has asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to decide the last minute appeal to add the Australian women to the roster for women’s bobsleigh. The change would be either as a 21st team or at the expense of Ireland, which qualified for the last spot among the 20 teams the IOC quota allows for the event.

Australia contends that it should be allowed to enter a team under a wild card provision that makes one slot available to Oceania and another for Asia, according to rules of international bobsleigh federation FIBT.

A hearing is scheduled Monday at the Vancouver offices of CAS. The hearing was scheduled for Saturday, but Irish Olympic leaders pushed to change the date so that Olympic Council of Ireland President Patrick Hickey could attend in person with legal counsel.

The two Irish bobsledders are already accredited and checked in to the Olympic Village in Whistler. The Australian women, who have been training at the Whistler Sliding Center, have not been accredited for the Games and are staying outside the village.

Rogge on Vancouver Legacy

IOC President Jacques Rogge tells Vancouverites that the Winter Games can leave a lasting legacy for the area.

Rogge arrived in Vancouver on Thursday. In an open letter in Friday's Vancouver Sun, Rogge says that the Olympics are about more than 16 days of glory.

"In a few days, the world's best winter sports athletes will be in Vancouver for 16 days performing on a global stage and writing a whole new chapter of achievement. But the success of the Games will not be measured solely by the events on the snow and ice of Vancouver and Whistler," Rogge says.

Rogge says that Games are about more than memories. The IOC is focusing on the economic and environmental legacy of the Games. The Winter Games impact on Vancouver can last long after the closing ceremony.

Rogge: "Vancouver is poised to set a new standard for legacy planning based broadlyon a vision that aims to ensure that 16 days of competition this Feb. 12-28 will continue to benefit the community 60 years into the future."

For the full editorial, click here.

Jet Set Sports Aids Stranded Make-A-Wish Children

Hospitality company Jet Set Sports is helping 11 seriously ill children find Olympic accommodations after plans for a floating hotel were sunk.

Newwest abandoned plans last week to use the Norwegian Star cruise ship as a floating hotel, citing low sales. Among the hundreds of guests left without accommodations were 11 families connected with the Make-A-Wish foundation.

Jet Set Sports announced Thursday that it will step in to provide alternate housing.

"Jet Set Sports has ensured that these courageous children will enjoy unforgettable wishes during the Vancouver Games," said Ross Hetherington, executive director of Make-A-Wish BC & Yukon. "Thanks to their effort and generosity, eleven children with life-threatening medical conditions, and their families, will experience the awe-inspiring event that is the Olympic Games."

Make-A-Wish Foundation is an international organization that seeks to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. The 11 children are from Australia, Canada and the U.S.

“When I read about this situation, I knew we had to step in and help," said Sead Dizdarevic, chairman and CEO of Jet Set Sports. "The Make-A-Wish Foundation, like the many deserving organizations we’ve been lucky enough to associate with in the past, are a perfect fit for us, and we’re thrilled to play a small role in the success of their programs.”

Jet Set Sports is an official VANOC sponsor. Jet Set Sports served as an official sponsor for the 2006 Torino, 2004 Athens and 2002 Salt Lake City.

Pope Blesses Vancouver Olympics

The Vancouver Winter Olympics have the blessing of Pope Benedict.

The Pope offered his blessing to the athletes, organizers, volunteers and others participating in the Games in a letter to Vancouver’s Archbishop Michael Miller.

"Such an important occurrence for both athletes and spectators allows me to recall how sport can make an effective contribution to peaceful understanding between peoples and to establishing the new civilization of love,'" said the Pope.

"In this light, may sport always be a valued building block of peace and friendship between peoples and nations."

Written by Ed Hula III and Sam Steinberg.