Island fans of international sport might as well get used to bleary-eyed viewing of the Olympics through 2022.
The first of three consecutive Olympic Games to be held in Asia — the worst time zone possible for live viewing on the West Coast of North America for non-night owls — have begun in PyeongChang, South Korea with the 2018 Winter Games.
That will be followed by the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. The next Olympics in a more amenable time zone aren’t until the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.
“The Olympics have been big for us in the past,” said Joel Chudleigh, sales and marketing manager for the Strathcona Hotel, which features an array of drinking establishments catering to sports fans and another patrons.
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But Pyeongchang 2018 is not exactly Vancouver 2010, when packed Island bars and pubs exploded with a near-unprecedented and uproarious display of national pride when Sidney Crosby scored his golden goal.
Sports events — from the Super Bowl and Stanley Cup to the Olympics and World Cup — mean big business for bars and pubs. But not Pyeongchang 2018, for which the opening ceremony began at 3 a.m. PT Friday morning.
“We will obviously show repeats. But that’s about all we can do — replay the overnight events the next day. But we have no signage out or anything,” said Chudleigh.
That’s despite that Canada is in a rarefied position in winter sports and is projected to be a top-five nation in the medals table, perhaps even top-three, at Pyeongchang 2018.
“Event start times of 4 a.m. [from South Korea] are really tough,” said Chudleigh. The World Cup start times, soccer’s big show this summer in Russia, will be a little better, he said.
PyeongChang 2018 is almost like the unloved Olympics.
“A lot of people I’ve talked to don’t even know the Olympics are on,” said Chudleigh. “Not having the NHL players in the hockey competition is a big blow to these Winter Games, regardless of time zone.”
A few places on the Island have caught the Olympic spirit. One is Canada’s Lounge, at Uptown shopping centre in Saanich. A large maple leaf and the words “We Are Winter” are painted on a wall. Entry is free to the lounge, which offers three big-screen TVs of Olympic viewing, another one for Wii players, red-and-white thundersticks for cheering, a kids’ floor hockey area with plastic sticks, foosball and air-hockey tables, photo booth, popcorn and tea.
“We realize the Olympic action won’t be shown on TV in real time because of the time difference, but we thought this was a nice touch, and a good use of an empty space during the duration of the Games,” said Cynthia Frias, marketing coordinator for Uptown.
Canada’s Lounge opened Friday and will run, during shopping centre hours, through to the last day of the Winter Games on Feb. 25.