Support Right To Play, Shame On VANOC and GM Canada

VANOC the walking filth that has mounted the corpse of what once was a noble movement and fucked that dead beauty into the mud, sinks to a new low. Being less honourable than whores and less generous than pimps, they have banned the Right To Play charity from the Olympic village and from the Olympics. Here are the folks that are being cut out of Vancouver...

The Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee (LOOC) conceived Olympic Aid (now Right To Play) in 1992 in preparation for the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway. The focus of Olympic Aid during these Games was to show support for people in war-torn countries and areas of distress. A partnership was formed among the Red Cross, Save the Children, Norwegian Refugee Council, Norwegian People’s Council, the Norwegian Church Fund and Olympic Aid to raise funds for and awareness of the specific initiatives each of these organizations were implementing.

As you can see, these are not the sort of people that share the vision of the VANOC. No indeed, these are people for whom ethics and morals feature in their lives and works. To the real estate speculators, masturbating lawyers and greedy swine of VANOC this is entirely alien. Obviously Right To Play presents a grave threat to the integrity of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. After all, this is the sort of work that these terrifying, current and former Olympic athletes and their supporters do...

Right To Play is an international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Working in both the humanitarian and development context, Right To Play trains local community leaders as Coaches to deliver our programs in more than 20 countries affected by war, poverty, and disease in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
  
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, guides our work. Right To Play programs target the most marginalized including girls, the disabled, children affected by HIV and AIDS, street children, former child combatants and refugees.

Right To Play is supported by an international team of top athletes from over 40 countries. As role models, these athletes inspire children, raise awareness and promote opportunities for funding for Right To Play projects. Currently Right To Play works in: Azerbaijan, Benin, Chad, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Pakistan, occupied Palestinian territory, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, and Zambia.

OMFG! Those horrible fiends. Not only do they give their time, expertise and star power to children in war torn and impoverished areas, they also have conflicting sponsors. They're lucky just to be excluded from the Olympic Movement (which is resembling a bowel movement more and more, day by day), I'm surprised the VANOC champions of corporate greed haven't sued the charity into dust and ashes.

Andrea Shaw, vice-president of marketing for the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC), told the Star as much in an email sent late Wednesday night. That came following an interview earlier in the day when she explained Right To Play would not be allowed to set up a booth in the athletes village as it had done in the past because it has conflicting sponsors with VANOC.

"It is VANOC's (our) understanding that the IOC has raised the same concerns on conflicting sponsorships with Right To Play and has taken the position that Right To Play can no longer be associated with the Olympic Games," wrote Shaw.

Now let us be perfectly clear, the Olympic village is not a public venue and is secured exclusively for use by athletes, coaches and officials. Even with a conflict in sponsorship, it would be one that exists within the confines of the athletes' secured area and wouldn't impact the public face of the games. The purpose of Right To Play's presence would be to recruit athletes as ambassadors and offer them the opportunity to share their love of sport with children. Well the modern Olympics have blessed little to do with the love of sport or plight of children, not when there is the love of money and the worship of greed to supplant the fussy bother of athletics. So what is that deathly conflict of sponsorships?

Shaw said VANOC made the move based on contractual obligations to sponsors to give them exclusivity. One of the main sponsor conflicts between Right To Play and VANOC in Canada was in the automotive sector, where VANOC has a lucrative deal with General Motors Canada and Right To Play is supported by Mitsubishi.

Splendid, let it be known that Mitsubishi, makers of fine, efficient automobiles and some of the world's most renowned engines, have cast their lot in support of an athlete driven charity that brings joy, sport and healthy play to children in need around the globe. VANOC and General Motors Canada, makers of a failed line of unspectacular vehicles and gorging on public money to stem their losses, do not care a damn about children. VANOC and General Motors Canada have banished those that care more about children than money from their big show.

VANOC is the organization that has raped the language, claiming ownership of such words as "snow" and "winter" and has gone so far as to trademark a chunk of our national anthem. Their relentless greed and vulgar ignorance know no bounds. Now it seems quite clear to me that the Vancouver Olympic Games of 2010 is willing to build its fortune at the expense of children's misery. Way to go VANOC! Be sure to buy your over-priced, sweat shop manufactured plush toy of Quatchi the child hating mascot, exclusively for the only kids that matter, wealthy ones.

Now one would imagine that some sort of arrangement might be made. But one would be wrong.

Koss said that Mitsubishi had agreed to end the partnership if it meant VANOC would allow Right To Play into the village, but said VANOC was demanding they not have any association with any non-Olympic partner company between now and 2012. He said that would be the end of Right To Play.

"We had a choice between running our programs or being in the Olympic village," Koss said. "With that, it was very clear we cannot stop running our programs, our commitment to the kids."

Isn't that adorable? They aren't just greedy, they're greed is punitive and demands exclusivity and fealty. Nothing says charity quite like threats and conditions. Again, Mitsubishi was willing to forego their sponsorship for the greater good and for the long term benefit of children around the world. In terms of corporate stewardship and responsibility, they have set a sterling example here. General Motors of Canada and the VANOC, not so much. No wonder fat Steve Harper decided to divert millions from arts funding, within the heritage portfolio, and pour our good dollars into the guttering flames of the Olympic torch as it illuminates a shameful course across Canada. These are his kind of folks, they know what side of the filthy lucre is buttered, meanwhile the good guys, the athletes and children are toast. Victory!

"Among those disappointed is Olympic rower Silken Laumann, a past chair of Right To Play who still serves as a member at large.

I can't get in VANOC's head," Laumann said. "They've made their own statements around why it won't work as far as their Olympic sponsorship. But I can say that it's the first time that an organizing committee has tried to stop Right To Play from being in the Olympic village.

"Right To Play has always had corporate sponsorship. Every not-for-profit in the world today relies on corporate sponsorship for non-restricted funding, which is an integral part of running any of its programs."

In the 21st century Olympics, the athletes don't matter, the Olympic spirit has been sold to the highest bidder and the world's children can suffer. My hat is off to VANOC and General Motors Canada, long may you both fail.

In case you might want to show that not all Canadians are voracious assholes, here is a link to Right To Play's donations page:

Donate to Right To Play

and here is a link to the good folks at Mitsubishi Canada, in case you're considering the purchase of some wheels that aren't built on spite:

Mitsubishi Canada

(Tip of the hat to Lenny in the comments)