With no likely figure skating scandal to rock the Winter Olympics, it appears our controversy these 2006 Games is among American media outlets: What the hell do we call the city?
Is it Turin or Torino?
NBC has consistently referred to the city as Torino, which is the Italian pronunciation of the host city.
So does any news organization have the polpette to use the American bastardization, Turin?
I think I speak for everyone when I tell the Toledo Blade, "Oh no you di'nt." Taking a bold statement and not caring who knows it, on the front page of the sports section Sunday in the top left corner, The Blade went out on a limb with the following editorial decision:
In Italy, the city in which the Winter Games are being held is known as Torino. In English, the city is known as Turin.Did you gasp too? The audacity!The Blade will refer to the Games as the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
Jonah Goldberg of the National Review is just as displeased of calling the city Torino:
I'm sure others have said it, but I really can't stand that we have to call these the Torino Olympics. We don't refer to the Roma Olympics. It ain't the "Shroud of Torino."Because when I think "Olympic coverage," I think "National Review."We really lost a lot when we caved on the whole Peking is now Beijing thing.
Google News has over 50,000 stories involving Turin, and just a measly 7,000 for Torino.
Scott Collins of my new favorite newspaper, The L.A. Times, reports on the bitter rivalry between news outlets going with Turin or Torino:
"Turin is the city's English name," anchor Elizabeth Vargas told viewers Friday on ABC's "World News Tonight." "Just as we would say 'Rome,' not 'Roma,' 'Florence,' not 'Firenze.' "Yet Sports Illustrated — CNN's sister subsidiary — is using Turin. And what about the Worldwide Leader in Sports? ESPN is using Torino....
That seems to be a minority view. "Torino" is the preferred choice at cable outlets Fox News Channel and CNN.
What does this all mean?
Nothing. Call it what you want. I'm fairly certain we'll know what you mean.
Article comments
1 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
More on the Southern California front: I did note, as you mentioned, that L.A. is using "Torino," while San Diego--where I am--is using "Turin."
Probably to spite L.A.--that's the way we like it.
2 - Marco Borgna
Pleas use TORINO or I will say NUOVA YORK instead of New York.
Marco Borgna... from TORINO!
3 - Nancy
I've always wondered why no one ever seems to call someplace what the locals call it, but insist on calling it something else, like "Turin" for "Torino". Why not just call it "Torino" to begin with? Like calling "Beijing" 'Peking'. Ignorance, laziness, or rudeness, I guess. "Torino" it is, for me at least. Grazie!
4 - Matthew T. Sussman
Interesting how ABC and Liz Vargas went hardcore with the "Turin" talk yet ESPN, their sports entity, prefers "Torino."
Walt Disney must be spinning in his fridge.
5 - The Theory
I am definitely on the Torino bandwagon since the "Torino Olympics" flows much better than "Turin Olympics."
6 - Scott Butki
I just linked to this post from my piece on
the disappointing Olympics.