IOC 'Investigating' Canadian Women Hockey Players

Those stuffed shirts at the International Olympic Committee, people who've probably never donned a uniform for any athletic endeavor, really need to get a grip. They're going to investigate the Canadian women's gold medal team for celebrating inappropriately? Good grief, get a life, people.

The International Olympic Committee will investigate the actions of Canadian women's hockey players who celebrated their gold medal victory Thursday night by swigging beer and smoking cigars on the ice in Vancouver.

A number of players, including 18-year-old superstar Marie-Philip Poulin, were drinking alcohol on the ice following the team's 2-0 defeat of the United States. (The legal drinking age in British Columbia is 19.) Players lingered for more than 70 minutes after the awards ceremony reveling in the arena, which was empty except for media and arena staff.

Gilbert Felli, the IOC's executive director of the Olympic Games, said that drinking in public was "not what we want to see" from athletes at an Olympic venue. The organization will investigate the actions and will speak with the international hockey federation and Canadian Olympic Committee and ask them to "act accordingly."

Steve Keough, a spokesman for the Canadian Olympic Committee, told the Associated Press, “We condone celebrations. … We don’t condone actions of irresponsibility. I think Canadians understand it’s quite an emotional moment for our team. It was not our intention to go against any IOC protocols.”

Yes, let's punish these young ladies who've spent the better part of thier lives to get to this point.

Let it go, folks.

As an aside, I'd really like to have been at the after-party.

Miserable Failure

So much for the star-power of Oprah Winfrey, the fashion sense of Michelle Obama, or the pleas - another apology - from BarryO, Chicago was the first to be eliminated by the IOC in voting for selection of the host city for the 2016 Olympics.

A winner has been selected, either Rio or Madrid, but will not be announced until approximately 12:30PM (EDT).

The Guardian is live-blogging the event.

UPDATE: It's RIO

New York Times Shocked By Chinese Censorship

Useful idiots are always the last ones to figure it out.

They're aghast that Communists would actually lie to them!

Man, they're stupid.

Western journalists working at the Main Press Centre in Beijing say they could not access the website for Amnesty International on Tuesday, a claim that officials with the International Olympic Committee say they are investigating, according to Reuters.

The website’s unavailability came a day after Amnesty International issued a harsh report criticizing China for failing to live up to promises that it would improve its human rights record ahead of the Olympics. Kevan Gosper, chairman of the I.O.C.’s Press Commission, also said he would look into reports of slow Internet access at the Centre, which by the time the Games begin on August 8 is expected to welcome 20,000 accredited journalists.

Sam Zarifi, Amnesty’s Asia Pacific director, said he began hearing about the problem after he directed reporters working at the Main Press Centre to his website to view the recently released report. “It is really disappointing,” he said in a telephone interview. The Chinese government’s “one big, begrudging promise was that foreign media would have free access on all issues, everywhere.”

Always a stunner when those Communists go back on their word, isn't it, Sam?

Next thing you know they'll figure out they're being spied on.

IOC Hack: Beijing Air Just as Bad as Los Angeles and Atlanta

Here's a look at the dense smog enveloping Beijing less than two weeks before the Olympics begin.

With only 11 days to go until the start of the Beijing Olympics, this was the smoggy scene in the Chinese capital yesterday.

Visibility was down to half a mile in some parts, including the National Stadium, while the Athletes' Village complex could not be seen from the nearby Olympic Green.

The athletes are in fear of the polluted air.

Now an IOC nitwit claims it's just more mist than smog and ludicrously claim the air in Atlanta and Los Angeles was just as bad.

Really?

Du was supported by Dr. Patrick Schamasch, an orthopedic surgeon who is the IOC's medical and scientific director. Schamasch said the IOC was monitoring Beijing's air. He said particulate matter on Sunday "was a little bit higher than what's expected but nothing dramatic."

He said readings for ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide fell within 2005 guidelines set by the World Health Organization.

He did not disclose the exact levels, saying it was not the IOC's practice.

"Today there is nothing critical preventing an athlete from running, except the visibility," he said. "I can tell you it's mist more than smog."

Schamasch said conditions were "not worse" than in other cities that hosted the games, mentioning Los Angeles, Atlanta and Athens.

Someone needs to clue this idiot into the fact runners might be aided by visibility. You know, in order to see where they're going.

Update: Thanks to Doug Ross for linking. He's unearthed a slew of additional photos. More also from Ed Morrissey at Hot Air.