2010 Winter Olympics: Games Begin Under a Bad Cloud

Before the 2010 Winter Olympics even began, there were problems.

Despite having snow in all 49 continental United States and most of Canada, Vancouver somehow missed out on the storms. Whether or not we're seeing the beginnings of a "curse" on the games will be for the superstitious to decide, but the Winter Olympics definitely are not starting off on the right foot.

Temperatures around Vancouver have been mild and the snow is being trucked in on an almost continual basis.

Injuries to major competitors such as the United States Lindsey Vonn, and the barring of several dozen athletes due to substance abuse violations also have marred the opening.

Then there was the tragic death of  Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili just prior to the Friday night's Opening Ceremonies.

As Saturday opened, all the downhill skiing events were cancelled due to slushy conditions, making it unsafe for the athletes to ski, and it is doubtful at this point if any of the ski events will be run on Sunday.

Vancouver sits relatively close to the Pacific Ocean, and the weather currents from the Pacific have kept the temperatures around the area from staying below freezing.

According to an NBC report, the Whistler Resort, where the downhill ski events are being held, was removed from the World Cup Circuit after three straight years of not enough snow to run the events, resulting in three straight years of cancellations.

Why this little factoid wasn't taken into account when Vancouver was making their bid for the games is something we'll probably never know.

The real question that should be raised right now is, considering the history of the area, should Canada and Olympic officials immediately start looking for an alternate site to run the downhill ski events?

If the long-term weather forecast doesn't look favorable to running the events, then the IOC would serve the athletes, and the games, much better by wasting no time and looking farther east into Canada for a ski resort with snow.

Given how much snow is on the ground in the rest of North America, snow that isn't going anywhere anytime soon, finding an alternate location in Canada shouldn't be a difficult task.