Olympic notes

By Times staff writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 22, 2002

At a glance

WHEN: Through Sunday.

WHERE: Salt Lake City and surrounding area.

WEATHER: Mostly cloudy, high of 49.

BEYOND THE VENUES

Curiosity almost killed the coach

The Japanese Olympic Committee apologized to local authorities after a cross-country coach pointed an unloaded biathlon rifle at police in Heber City. Kazunari Sasaki, who said he had never handled a gun, asked the biathlon coaches if he could hold a rifle. He pointed the weapon toward a window in their hotel room. Two police officers in a room directly across the way saw the gun pointed in their direction. The officers quickly came to check, and Sasaki was still holding the rifle when he wheeled to face them as they entered the room. The JOC commended the officers for the "great restraint they exhibited in this manner." Sasaki, speaking through an interpreter, said, "I didn't know anything about gun etiquette. I heard afterward that if I pointed a gun at the police officers, they could have shot. I'm so glad that they didn't."

Skating ticket: $450 Seeing it: much more

Chantelle Phillips said she felt a little guilty after her father spent $1,800 for her to attend Tuesday's women's figure skating short program with her mother, sister and sister-in-law. At $450 a ticket, she didn't expect to have her view of Michelle Kwan, Irina Slutskaya and Sasha Cohen blocked. "I feel kind of bad that he spent that much money and we can't see the whole rink," said Phillips as she watched from her seat in Section 136 of the 16,000-seat Salt Lake Ice Center. They weren't alone. Most of the people in the arena, designed to be the home of the NBA's Utah Jazz, couldn't see the entire rink, and those in the upper corners had as much as a quarter of the ice obscured. "We did everything we could to let people know ahead of time," said Cecelia Paglia, general manager of the arena during the Olympics. "But still, some people are unhappy when they show up and didn't realize the reality of the situation." Paglia said organizers did their best to tell customers about the obstructed views when they purchased tickets.