| Salt Lake City |
 |
 |
| GER |
12 |
16 |
7 |
35 |
 |
| USA |
10 |
13 |
11 |
34 |
|
| NOR |
11 |
7 |
6 |
24 |
|
| CAN |
6 |
3 |
8 |
17 |
|
| RUS |
6 |
6 |
4 |
16 |
|
| AUT |
2 |
4 |
10 |
16 |
|
| ITA |
4 |
4 |
4 |
12 |
|
| FRA |
4 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
|
| SUI |
3 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
|
| NED |
3 |
5 |
0 |
8 |
|
|
|
|
Games operations run smooth as silk with hardly a glitch
By Lisa Riley Roche
Deseret News staff writer
The daily meeting to fix any operational glitches of the 2002 Winter Games was over almost before it started on Monday.
"Today can be described as an absolute home run," Fraser Bullock, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee's chief operating officer, told the nearly 50 meeting participants.
When the meeting adjourned less than 15 minutes later, there was nothing on the to-do list projected on a giant screen in the Games' nerve center.
Known as the Main Operations Center, it is staffed around the clock by representatives from various functions associated with the Games, including transportation, security and sports.
They work in front of a wall of television screens that show not only the day's events, but also the security checkpoints outside venues and a selection from the Utah Department of Transportation's 250 traffic cameras.
During a brief tour of the facility — located within SLOC's downtown headquarters — Bullock seemed confident that the Games would continue to run smoothly.
"You know what it is? It's an incredible amount of planning over years and years and years, working on every detail and a fabulous team. When issues do arise we can attack them and resolve them on the spot."
SLOC officials gather each afternoon at 3:15 p.m. to go over the day's difficulties. A smaller meeting of top management follows and then SLOC's leaders head over to the Little America hotel to meet with the International Olympic Committee.
About all SLOC officials had to talk about Monday was the decision to cancel the women's downhill at Snowbasin because of high winds. The event was rescheduled for Tuesday.
"That was Mother Nature," Bullock said.
The good news from Snowbasin Monday was that there were no major transportation problems. The day before, SLOC President Mitt Romney helped direct traffic near the resort for about 30 minutes.
Monday, several other SLOC officials, including marketing director Mark Lewis, were on hand to help direct spectators.
It still took up to two hours to get out of the park-and-ride lot — but that didn't faze Bullock, who said that's what spectators have been told to expect.
There were a few small details that organizers are dealing with, including the long lines at the concession stands at the Deer Valley and Park City venues.
Bullock blamed the situation on employees of the caterer who quit at the last minute to accept better-paying jobs.
He said more employees were being rounded up.
Bullock spent Monday morning in Park City watching three Americans sweep the men's snowboard halfpipe competition.
That, too, merited a mention at the staff meeting.
"It was unbelievable, unbelievable," Bullock said the event. "Beach volleyball times ten."
E-MAIL: lisa@desnews.com
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February 12, 2002
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