Time to bring the Winter Olympics out of the cold?

With only one year to go there is increasingly more talk about the 2014 Winter Olympics. However, a large amount less than London 2012. Granted we were the host nation, but come to think of it I have never noticed a great hype about the Winter Olympics. Why is this? In the UK we don't exactly have many places to practice these winter sports. But I have also noticed there is no worldly interest in these games compared to the Summer Olympics.
This could be due to a number of reasons.

Ed Drake- Team GB in Vancouver 2012, BBC Sport

 Money
Living in a host city for an Olympic games you are consistently?? bombarded with the amount of money that is being spent to host these games. Every four years the cost of hosting these games has risen. For example; Sydney 2000 cost- £720million, Athens 2004 cost- £11billion and Bejing 2008 cost- £40billion. 

Yes I know these are all summer games host cities, but in 2010 hosting cost Vancouver $7billion and for 2012 Sochi & Sponsors would have forked out over $50billion. This price is extraordinary, and unimaginable what is this money going on? The Winter Olympics has only 7 different sports and just over 80 events... 

The cost of hosting has also lead to counties pulling out of the race to host these games. The Swiss cities of St Mortiz & Davos recently pulled out from running to host the 2020 Winter Olympics. Switzerland decided to pull out after the residents of the cities voted no. A major reason for the residents voting no was reported because of the high costs that Sochi and over cities has endured hosting the greatest shows on earth.

Sports

Both Summer and Winter Olympics are based around sports and competing on your countries behalf. Traditionally and in fact still today, the Winter Olympics has only attracted those countries who has a good winter for people to take part in these winter sports and become good at them. I think this is a major reason why the Winter Olympics are developing at the rate of Summer games or getting as much media attention, TV coverage, Sponsorship (not including Sochi), interest from the world and just attention in general.

Team GB Ice Hockey Vancouver 2010- BBC Sport

Winter Olympians take part in 7 different sports with a grand total of 86 events. Compare with the summer games of 26 sports (sport that actually took place in London 2012) and 302 events (in London 2012). That is a HUGE difference. For the generation of today when attention span is low having around 5 different sports and 60 different events on each day is amazing, so much choice, drama, and activity.

I think its about time for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to start thinking about introducing new sports, if that it possible. How many winter sports can you name? I think there is only a limited amount of sports that uses snow or ice. This is where I think there needs to be a re-think of "winter sports". Could some summer sports be transferred over? Or invention of new sports?

If new sports are unable to be brought in, then something needs to done to spice up the existing sports. The sports in the winter games most people find them hard to relate too. For example; Curling? Not curling someones hair but the sport, I think I have made my point. There aren't many sports people can relate too, unless of course they live in the snowy areas of the world.

There are many things that need to change for the Winter Olympics to keep up with the success of the summer games. Hopefully the amount of money going into Sochi 2014, something spectacular will happen.

Football- Slowing coming into the digital era

Goal-line technology will finally be used selectively in Football (soccer) matches and tournaments. FIFA has launched a tender process for selecting a company to fulfill the contract for its showpiece competitions. 
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) gave the go ahead in July of the introduction of goal line technology by approving Hawk-Eye and GoalRef systems these systems were used in the 2012 Club World Cup venues in Toyota and Yokohama. FIFA said the systems were "successfully" implemented at Decembers tournament. 

Picture from The Guardian

After this success FIFA has confirmed that GLT will be used at the 2013 confederations cups and 2014 World cup in Brazil.  For England fans this has been a long time coming, especially after the controversial Frank Lampard goal in 2010 against Germany in the world cup.

FIFA said in a statement: “The aim is to use GLT in order to support the match officials and to install a system in all stadia, pending the successful installation, and pre-match referee tests. With different technologies on the market, FIFA has launched a tender today, setting out the technical requirements for the two forthcoming competitions in Brazil. The two GLT providers already licensed under FIFA’s Quality Programme for GLT, and other GLT providers currently in the licensing process (that must have passed all relevant tests as of today) are invited to submit tenders. Interested GLT companies will be invited to join an inspection visit to the Confederations Cup venues, currently scheduled for mid-March, with a final decision due to be confirmed in early April.”

 

Picture from thethao.vtc.vn

FIFA has awarded GoalControl, based in Germany a license for its goal-line technology system GoalControl-4D. GoalControl-4D uses 14 high-speed camera located around the pitch which are focused on both goals. The position of the ball is continually and automatically captured in three dimensions as soon as it approaches the goal line. the system will send a signal to the Referees watch in less than a second, one the WHOLE ball has crossed the line. GoalControl will provide GLT at the FIFA Confederations Cups and the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil. FIFA has confirmed that all  systems will all feature at these cups. GLT, Hawk eye, GoalRef and GoalControl.

Most recently the English Premier League has also said that GLT will be used in next season. GLT will start as early as the Community Shield, at Wembley in August. The Football association general Secretary Alex, Horne, ahead of the International FA Board (IFAB) meeting in Edinburgh, said:

"We are in the middle of tendering at the moment with the Premier League, so its effectively 20 Premier League Clubs and Wembley Stadium. 

"We are looking at the providers that are available and are looking at a couple and will be making a decision shortly. We expect the technology to be in place for next season, for the Community Shield" 

To many football fans this is a great outcome and can only enhance the game. like technology has done for crickets' decision review system, tennis and hawk eye, even in the NFL technology has improved the game. GLT tries to eradicate human error, even if human error can cause that much beloved drama that all sport fans live for. GLT is not 100% fool-proof but will strive to make the game fairer and remove those awful decisions. 

I am all for GLT, it will create new drama and doesn't take away the love or humanity of sports. It can only improve the game and bring sport into digital era.