TORINO or Turin, the thorny question that has divided these Olympics since day one.
Turin, it seems, is a grim industrial city in northern Italy that lacks the sparkle and charm of Bologna, Rome or Milan. Torino is the gateway to the Alps, where plazas resonate to the sounds of opera and rock music, where you open your hotel window
on a distant but magnificent mountain vista every morning.
Turin is famous for Juventus and Fiat. Torino is winter sports crazy, a city where Alberto Tomba never needs to pay for a drink and Franz Klammer requires constant security protection.
RESPECTED news sources report that President George Bush has been glued to coverage of the curling back in the Oval Office as the USA's women just missed out on a medal, but the men pipped David Murdoch's British squad to a bronze. "He's gone curling crazy," one insider revealed.
Curling crazy or just plain crazy - you decide.
THE exit of the United States and Canada from the ice-hockey tournament will do little to help the cause of the sport in the Olympic movement.
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge met the NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman, and players' union chief, Ted Saskin, last week, where both confirmed their personal commitment to NHL players competing at the Games. But not all team owners are happy at losing star names for two weeks.
Bettman admitted that some owners are against or lukewarm to playing in the Games, and an evaluation will be made. "We're doing this because we're trying to be good citizens for the game as far as international hockey is concerned," Bettman said.
"We're not in this for short-term gain. We feel this is going to be good for the game of hockey long-term."
The NHL's six-year collective bargaining agreement signed with the players last summer includes the 2010 Games in Vancouver. But 2014 could be held in Asia, and that would present a challenge to the league.
GREAT Britain didn't even bother to qualify an ice-hockey team for these Games: a world ranking of 22 meant they decided that even the "taking part" was not worth the hassle. It's 70 years since Glasgow-born Jimmy Foster won hockey gold for Britain at Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
JOY Tottman, or Totty to her friends, is an Oxford graduate who officiated in the women's ice hockey. Fighting in the women's game is rare, but 23-year-old Tottman is used to it in Britain's elite league.
"I'm at no disadvantage. There aren't many men who could split up two professional hockey players who are intent on fighting," she said.
Tottman, though, has courted some controversy during the past two weeks - disallowing a USA penalty in a surprise shoot-out defeat by Sweden.
THE pin-up girls of the British Olympic team are room-mates in the Olympic Village in Sestriere - and have become firm friends. Chemmy Alcott admits messiness is her biggest vice, but skeleton bob silver medallist Shelley Rudman has no complaints about her new mate's side of the room.
And it's also a good job Alcott is a heavy sleeper, after Rudman celebrated her medal into the small hours on the eve of Alcott's appearance in the alpine combined.
"Shelley was brilliant: she was so quiet I didn't even notice her coming in," said Alcott. "She's been a great room-mate, and I've really enjoyed having her company. I was disappointed I could not go out and celebrate with her, but I had an event the next day, and I needed my sleep."
YOKO Ono urged a watching world to embrace peace when the Games began 16 days ago. We wonder what she would make of the fact that Finmeccanica - Italy's biggest arms makers - are among the official sponsors of the Cultural Olympiad, which is running alongside the sports programme.
IOC chief Jacques Rogge will give next month's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne the swerve after a petty squabble made his presence impossible.
Rogge spent several days in Manchester during their Games in 2002, while Juan Antonio Samaranch was a regular during his days as IOC chief. Rooge had planned to attend the opening ceremony and stay for three further days, but he is shocked by the refusal of organisers to grant accreditation to Australian IOC member Phil Coles.
Coles is a sworn enemy of Games chief Ron Walker, and is also not on speaking terms with fellow IOC member Kevan Gosper, a close friend of Walker. The row dates back to Melbourne's failed Olympic bid in 1986, when Coles was accused of supporting Atlanta over the campaign of his home country.
Coles has denied those accusations, and said he even kept his voting slip to prove that he voted for Melbourne.
TURIN recruited more than 100 cheerleaders to entertain crowds, and locked them away practising for four months. It doesn't look like it, though.
They have got heart, but not much rhythm, and their dark orange and gold outfits don't do much for Italy's reputation as the world's centre of style.
