Turin Olympic Winter Games Blog (Home)

Olympic Ticket Sales a Bust, Turin Touts Wine to Lure Visitors
Turin officials say ticket sales for the Winter Olympic Games are well below their expectations, forcing them to advertise the Northern Italian region’s wine and food as a lure for tourists.
Full Story (Source: Bloomberg)

Turin hoping for boost in ticket sales
All is set for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, but organizers can use a little more snow on the Italian Alps, as well as a big hike in ticket sales.
Full Story (Source: Natives)

Italy ideally prepared for Turin Games security: expert
LONDON — Italy has done everything possible to prevent a terrorist attack during the Turin Winter Games but could still face small-scale protests and disruption, an Olympic security adviser said on Thursday.
Full Story (Source: Yahoo!)

Foote knows real spirit of Olympics
COLUMBUS — Adam Foote would make an ideal Olympic candidate for USA Basketball officials except for two pesky details: He is Canadian. He doesn’t play basketball.
Full Story (Source: Beacon Journal)

Turin, Beijing Olympics present contrast
TURIN, Italy — The 2006 Winter Olympics next month in Italy, stands in contrast to the 2008 Summer Games set for Beijing, with China Games more financially flush than Italy.
Full Story (Source: New Karala)

IOC Uses Informants to Catch Drug Cheats
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Informants and whistle-blowers are the newest tools in the fight against performance-enhancing drugs in the Olympics.
Full Story (Source: Yahoo!)

Test your Winter Olympic knowledge
How much do you know about the Winter Games. Take this quiz to find out.
Full Story (Source: USA Today)

Turin organizers urge communists to help calm protests
TURIN, Italy — organizers of next month’s Winter Games have urged the leader of Italy’s Communist Refoundation party to help calm environmental protests on the route of the Olympic torch.
Full Story (Source: Yahoo!)

Turin Olympics stuck in shadow of Beijing Games
Organizers of the Winter Olympic Games next month in Turin, Italy, have scrambled to sell tickets, find sponsors and close a budget shortfall of nearly $100…
Full Story (Source: Washington Times)

Nearly 400,000 Olympic Tickets Available
TURIN, Italy — Nearly 400,000 tickets are still available for next month’s Turin Winter Olympics. The organizing committee said Thursday that 630,000 of 1 million tickets have been sold, and the target of 830,000 would be met.
Full Story (Source: Yahoo!)

Aussies’ last shot at Winter Games spots
For many of Australia’s 2006 winter Olympic hopefuls across all disciplines it’s this weekend or never.
Full Story (Source: The Age)

Bigger Olympic ticket sales, snow needed
TURIN, Italy — All is set for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin but organizers can use a little more snow on the Italian Alps and improved ticket sales.
Full Story (Source: Monsters And Critics)

Athletes’ interest in Turin honour flagging
Most of the top candidates to carry Canada’s flag in the opening ceremonies at the 2006 Turin Olympics — including cross-country skier Beckie Scott and speed skaters Clara Hughes and Cindy Klassen — declined to be nominated for the honour so they can focus on their events.
Full Story (Source: Toronto Star)

Czech Republic chooses record 82 athletes for Turin
PRAGUE, Czech Republic — The Czech Republic’s Olympic Committee selected a record 82 athletes Thursday for next month’s Turin Games. Cross country skier Katerina Neumannova and ski jumper Jakub Janda are among the favorites for gold at the Feb. 10-26 games.
Full Story (Source: CBS Sportsline)

More added to NZ Winter Olympics team
Another six athletes have been confirmed in the New Zealand team for the Winter Olympics next month in Italy.
Full Story (Source: Stuff)

Winter Olympics only 25 days away
An Olympic-record 416 hours will be broadcast, including 200 hours live, impressive considering Turin is six hours ahead of us. Bob Costas will once again host NBC’s coverage.
Full Story (Source: Statesman)

Opening ceremony taking shape
Torino will open the Winter Olympics next month in a whirl of fashion and technology, and close the Games with a nostalgic carnival of harlequins.
Full Story (Source: TVNZ)

Noisy Americans
With Turin still more than three weeks away, U.S. athletes are making it hard for usually oblivious countrymen to ignore these Winter Games.
Full Story (Source: CBS Sportsline)

Looking toward ‘08, China keeps eye on Turin
BEIJING, China — Along with the usual complement of speedskaters and freestyle aerialists, China is packing its Olympic delegation with marketing managers and media handlers.
Full Story (Source: CBS Sportsline)

Fifty years later, gold medalist Albright is back on the scene
ST. LOUIS — She doesn’t look a day over 50, which made the circumstances — a half-century having passed since she won the first U.S. women’s gold medal in figure skating — all the more astonishing to Tenley Albright.
Full Story (Source: Seattle Times)

Turin Olympic Committee Passes $1.5B Budget
The organizing committee for next month’s Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, today approved the 1.2 billion euros ($1.45 billion) preliminary budget for the event.
Full Story (Source: Bloomberg)

Avril Lavigne to star in Olympic Closing Ceremony
Canadian pop superstar Avril Lavigne will perform during the Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy.
Full Story (Source: CBC)

Olympic Flame Carried Up Venice Canal
VENICE, Italy — A ride in a gondola up the famed Grand Canal helped torchbearers of the Turin Olympics avoid protesters Tuesday.
Full Story (Source: Yahoo!)

Turin waits for the World
Some of the most majestic views in the world await Olympic spectators and athletes next month in the Italian city of Turin
Full Story (Source: Buffalo News)

Turin or Torino? Depends on Whom You Ask
The city in northern Italy that’s hosting the Winter Olympics next month is “Torino” to the locals and NBC. For most of us non-Italians, it’s always been Turin.
Full Story (Source: Yahoo!)

The new spectator sport: getting tickets to the Olympics
Monitor reporter Peter Ford braves the online ticket ‘beast’ and mysterious callers - all in his quest to cover the Games in Turin, Italy, next month.
Full Story (Source: CSMonitor)

NBC’s HD Winter Olympics go live
The people over at the Peacock got the cold shoulder from many observers for not airing the HD version of their Summer Olympics 2004 coverage until 24 hours after the events took place.
Full Story (Source: Netscape)