It seems that people want souvenirs of the Salt Lake Games and will do anything to get them. Even going so far as stealing them. Dozens of banners and flags displayed throughout Salt Lake Country during the Games have disappeared from utility poles, city buildings and even police stations in several cities. The problem is that some city leaders had already pre-sold them or were planning to give them to residents through draws. In Holladay, where 40 of 51 banners were stolen, most were flags of Israel and Canada, which were part of a larger country flag display in the city plaza.
The lucky coin that was imbedded in the ice during the hockey finals at the Salt Lake Games is now in the Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame exhibit. The Canadian men’s and women’s teams both won gold medals at the event. But what was discovered after the “loonie” (Canadian dollar) was placed in the Hall of Fame exhibit, was that it was a 1987 coin, the same year Canada won the Canada Cup over the Soviet Union.
And finally, reports say that a shop owner in Russia’s far eastern city of Yuzhno-Sakhalin is refusing to serve American customers in protest at allegedly biased judging during the Salt Lake Games. The shop, named “Hollywood and California” had a banner on display in front of the entrance to the compact disc and cassette store, which read “due to the unjust decisions at the recent Olympic Games, U.S. citizens will not be served in this shop”.