Jury still out on Nagano Olympics

NAGANO -- The pavilions are closed and the Olympic banners have disappeared. The souvenir shops are half-empty and Zenkoji Temple has regained its calm demeanor. The city's infamous traffic jams are back, and the taxis once again form long lines waiting for customers.

Just a day after the closing ceremonies, you can hardly find a trace of the Nagano Olympics.

Although most of the people are gone and there are no more events left, the residue of the Nagano Games remains. The first Olympics hosted by Japan in 26 years still have some problems to work out.

IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch said in Sunday's closing ceremonies that Nagano and Japan "have presented to the world the best organization in the history of the Olympic Winter Games."

Is that true, Mr. President?

Many have criticized the transportation. In the city of Nagano, the shuttle buses were involved in traffic jams, as expected, on the day of the Opening Ceremonies, causing some people to miss the beginning.

It was worse still in Hakuba. About 1,000 people reportedly missed ski jumping's normal-hill event because traffic prevented buses from reaching the venue. NAOC officials said at a press conference the next day that too many people used the shuttle buses and that caused the traffic jam on the narrow road to Hakuba. But wasn't it NAOC who asked them to use the shuttles instead going by car?

The media was also a victim of the transportation problems. Some reporters were really upset when they failed to make their deadlines because of the traffic jams. Moreover, the shuttle buses departed for Nagano from Hakuba only once every hour. If you finish your work five minutes late, the bus would be gone, and you would have to wait another 55 minutes.

Spectators often had to endure long waits in heavy snow or rain until the buses arrived. So did the media and volunteers. Only IOC and NAOC officials avoided these delays, because they had their own transportation system. And officials say the transportation was good?

On Monday, The Japan Times ran a story that reported the IOC had awarded a symbolic gold medal to the Games for information technology. I agree that Info Tech was one of the successes at the Nagano Games, but I would strip the IOC of its medal.

In the common working room at the Main Press Center, where more than 600 press people worked during the Games, about 50 on-line computers called "Info '98" provided data on Games' results, records and athletes' biographies. The same machines were available at the sub-press centers in the stadiums.

I give Info '98 credit for updating the results very quickly. Within 10 minutes of an event finishing, the updated record was available. But the players' information needs to be improved if the system is to be retained for the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. Check out ice hockey great Wayne "The Great One" Gretzky for example. The information includes place of birth, height, weight and so on. But it misses his current stats before the National Hockey League's Olympic break. How many goals or assists has he had this season? What is his salary this season? What are his career highlights? These are what people and journalists want to know rather than place of birth.

The information on Jan Bos, a Dutch speedskater, was much worse. It said the 22-year-old athlete took part in the 1972 Sapporo Games. It was a mixup with Jan Bols, another Dutch skater, who competed at Sapporo. Bos had appeared in two events at these Nagano Games before the data was corrected. I hope nobody ran the incorrect data.

The city of Nagano and NAOC will have to check to see if one of the Games' themes -- harmony with the natural environment -- was realized. According to the official guide book, the Nagano Games were meant to be smoke-free. As far as I know, smoking was prohibited in the stands at all the venues. But at Hakuba's Ski Jumping Stadium, I saw some media people smoking (believe it or not) in the mixed zone, the area where the press were allowed to talk with the athletes as they returned to the locker room.

And, more surprising, portable ashtrays were handed out in the media rooms. What about the slogan? Are media people so special that they are exempt from these rules?

Recycling was another inconsistency. The volunteers' uniforms were made of recyclable materials and the plates used in restaurants at the venues were made from apple pulp. On the other hand, however, how much paper and how many wooden chopsticks were wasted during the Games? How much garbage was left as 1.36 million people showed up to witness the Olympics? These are among the many questions that have to be answered.

We cherish the excitement the Games produced and the impressions left by the athletes. But this has nothing to do with whether the Nagano Games were well organized. Passing judgment on whether these Olympics were successful or not should come later, shouldn't it Mr. President?