Few are happy as Turin breaks

Winter Olympics 2006Hundreds of anti-capitalist protesters blocked streets, athletes complained about dirty rooms and city dwellers acted like it was business as usual.

With just over 24 hours left before Turin opens the 20th Winter Olympics, many people in this industrial city were feeling decidedly less excited about the Games than they were when Italy won the right to stage them seven years ago.

You could almost be forgiven for forgetting that this was a sports event - except that many athletes were in equally bad humour, complaining about lost luggage, dirty accommodation and over-zealous officials.

"These are dirty Games because they have spent huge amounts of money and we don't know what use it will be in the future," said a demonstrator called Laura, one of 200-300 who forced torch carriers to change their route across the city.

It was the fourth time demonstrators forced the torch, which symbolises peace, to switch route during its troubled, two-month trip across Italy, which is hosting the Games for the next fortnight.

The protesters, well aware of the raised media attention, took the chance to list their other grievances: they shouted opposition to the expected arrival in Turin of US first lady Laura Bush, and denounced the construction of a high-speed train link between the city and France and an anti-drug law.

Turin officials have long feared that groups could take advantage of the world's media, and beefed up the police presence and spent about €90 million to protect tens of thousands of athletes, fans and reporters.

Bush, her daughter Barbara and at least 15 heads of state or government are expected to attend this evening's opening ceremony.

But for many people in Turin, where red bunting reading the Games' slogan of "Passion is here", the protesters and the officials, police and journalists are all an irritation.

"People are just fed up at the moment. You can't get to work because of all the traffic blocks and the police," said Stefania Brunelli, 35, who works in a bar.

Athletes, meanwhile, were complaining that Turin had failed to finish its last-minute building rush to create accommodation for the influx, especially in the Alpine Olympic village, home to downhill, alpine and slalom skiers.

"I don't like it at all, it's really dirty. You step out of your room and you're ankle-deep in mud. It's just too dirty," said Liechtenstein skier Marco Buechel, who had tested the downhill course at Sestriere Borgata.

Also in Sestriere, German head luge coach Thomas Schwab and triple Olympic champion Georg Hackl both criticised the organisation of the Olympic competition.

Schwab said he was annoyed by the way the material commission of the International Luge Federation checked the sleds.

He gave the example of a rubber protection above the blades of German Jan Eichhorn's bobsleigh that was found to be too thick by eight hundredths of a millimetre.

"Ridiculous," said Schwab.

Hackl, who announced that he would retire after the Games, said only the three Italians had a good-sized changing room while the other competitors had a smaller one.

But that did not stop others from enjoying the slopes.

American Daron Rahlves set the fastest time in yesterday's first training run for Sunday's Olympic downhill.

"I had a huge smile on my face going down, from the top to the bottom," Rahlves told reporters.

For the Spanish Winter Olympic team, though, several members were concerned that training might not be able to begin. They still had to wait for their luggage after arriving on Monday.

Competitors were left without skis, snowboards and cases after their luggage was lost on departure from the newly opened terminal at Madrid's Barajas airport.

"It's sad that we are arguing about something like this . . . They are looking for the luggage in Madrid," a Spanish official said.

Meanwhile, Britain have already struck gold in curling - four days before this year's competition even reaches the ice.

The International Olympic Committee have announced that Britain's victorious 1924 team will receive official recognition as Olympic champions, rather than their previous classification as winners of a demonstration sport.