After attending the Nordic World Cup Festival in Whistler this weekend, I've come to the conclusion that the World Cup events are far superior than the "holy" Games.

Whistler Olympic Park hosted the Nordic Combined and Cross-country skiing finals, in preparation for the 2010 Olympics.This was the first of nine World Cups to be held in Whistler.

While the World Cup events tend to be about the sport itself and the athletes, the Olympics are focused on attendance numbers and the exorbitant revenues generated by sponsorships and broadcast rights.

On December 23, while most people were either stranded in crowded airports or were buying those last-minute gifts, Whistler's council called an impromptu Olympic meeting.

It wasn't advertised in the media. Chances are most people were not reading the municipal website two days before Christmas. Not surprising, only two members of the public attended, along with the press and the Chamber of Commerce president.

The purpose of the meeting was to give third reading to the TCUP bylaw. TCUP (pronounced tea cups) is VANOC's newest Olympics acronym and stands for "Temporary Commercial Use Permits."

Over the holidays, I was one of 300 Toronto-bound, Air Canada passengers who were kept on the tarmac for 12 hours with no food or water. 24 hours from gate to gate. Despite Canada's Airline Passenger Bill of Rights, it's difficult to comprehend why Air Canada - the official carrier for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, could treat paying passengers in this manner.

In fact, the Consumer Association of Canada received so many complaints about Air Canada's handling of passengers, that it has requested a meeting with the federal transport minister next week.