Jim Welch Deputy Managing Editor, Sports

Q: What excites you most about the Winter Games in Salt Lake City?

A: What excites me about Salt Lake is what excites me about every Winter Games: Seeing the world's best athletes perform in events that most people pay attention to for only a few days every four years. The other attraction is meeting these athletes and their supporters from places that most people can only dream of visiting -- from Croatia to Kazakhstan; from Ukraine to Uzbekistan. And as interesting as it is to see the Games in such exotic places as Lillehammer, Norway, and Nagano, Japan, there really is something special about a Games on your home turf. The Americans will really turn out in force to cheer on their team, but they'll be supportive of foreign athletes as well.

Q: How will improvements in security at the Olympic venues and village affect the coverage of the events, if at all?

A: The heightened security is only partly a result of the events of Sept. 11. Already, the Salt Lake Games were to be the most-secure ever. But I must say the highly visible presence of machine gun-toting soldiers in camouflage is unlike anything I've seen in past games. For the television viewer, there won't be any discernible difference in the coverage of the events themselves. But for onsite fans, it will mean longer lines in the cold while everyone is closely screened by the magnetometers. As for the journalists reporting on the events, they too will have to brave long lines in the frigid temperatures and face many other inconveniences. But as we all know, readers and viewers don't really care much about the problems of reporters in getting the story, just that they get it.

Q: Given the global tension that has emerged since the events of the past several months, could there be any noticeable international fallout with so many countries converging in one place? Or does the Olympic spirit disregard all conflicts for the sake of competition?

A: I think you might see more visible displays of patriotic fervor on the part of the U.S. athletes and fans, which most visitors from other countries will understand and accept. Given the nature of the Winter Games, there will be very few athletes from those nations that have been most directly touched by the recent conflict. By that I mean Pakistan, the Arab states and especially Afghanistan. Historically, the International Olympic Committee has called for a worldwide truce during the Games, and it did so this year. President Bush has taken the step of assuring all athletes safe passage to the USA but he doesn't plan to take steps that might result in a cessation of hostilities in Asia. Certainly, I don't expect to see any incidents involving ticketholders here in Salt Lake that would be prompted by the international situation.

Q: What will be some of the new and more interesting events to watch out for this year?

A: What's new are skeleton, which is a lot like the backyard sledding those of us who grew up in the North used to enjoy, and women's bobsled. The USA stands a very good chance of winning several medals in the women's bob. And you can't find a ticket for either of those new sports anywhere.

Q: What new techniques, technologies or systems are you using to improve coverage of the games and how will you implement them?

A: Along with usatoday.com, we are planning to use a lot more interactive features on the website. Also, we've outfitted six of our reporters with digital audio recorders so we can send back interview soundbite for use on dot-com. Our photographers are also using a new generation of digital camera that will make it possible for us to quickly transmit sparklingly clear images using laptops and cellphones from the hillsides at the alpine skiing venues.

Q: What do you anticipate will be the biggest challenge to the Sports staff as a whole in Salt Lake City?

A: As the number of platforms that we provide information for continues to grow, even a rather large staff like ours can get stretched a bit thin during the three weeks that most of us will be here. We have reporters filing stories to USA TODAY's website, sending in audio files, taking part in interviews for Gannett-owned TV stations and now working with one of our new partners, The Weather Channel.

Q: How does the importance of the cultural aspects of the Olympics compare to that of the sports events and the athletes?

A: The cultural element is huge at the Olympics. You have the most varied participants and audience that you'll find at any athletic competition. You also are exposed to the underlying cultural influences of the host city, in this case Salt Lake City. Visitors will be exposed to the Old West, Native Americans (Utah's name is derived from the Ute tribe) and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormon Church.

Q: How do you maintain objectivity and make sure to avoid any biases while covering the Olympic events?

A: I have to admit there are times when it's a little tough to hide the excitement you feel when an American athlete or team rises to the occasion and challenges for a medal. I remember standing there freezing on the mountainside when Tommie Moe unexpectedly captured the gold medal in downhill skiing in Lillehammer. I no longer noticed that my toes had gone numb and that my beard had turned to ice.

Q: How does the increasing presence of commercialism affect the coverage of the Games?

A: The commercialism has little effect on how we cover the Games, except that we now report on sponsorships as a big part of the overall Olympic scene. Because NBC and the TV rights holders in other countries pay so much to broadcast the games, this does have a real impact on other television networks, many of which now choose not to send crews because they can't shoot the events or even broadcast them for a lengthy period after the events. The worldwide sponsors like Kodak, Xerox, Coca Cola and McDonald's spend millions of dollars and their presence is highly visible at the Games. But so far, the commercialism seems a lot more subdued here than it was in 1996 in Atlanta for the Summer Games.

Q: In your opinion, what are the three most important things that a fan of the Olympics can take away from following the Games?

A: Without trying to sound too sentimental, there really is a strong sense of unity that emerges during one's time at the Olympics. Also, you develop a certain awe at just how skilled these athletes are and an appreciation for the fact that, for the most part, they are true amateurs who compete for the love of the sport, unlike a lot of the athletes we see in major pro sports.