How Do You Say ‘Oops’ in French?

Americans are routinely criticized around the world for an inability to manage any language but English. A sign outside the Main Media Center in downtown Salt Lake City is sure to give ammunition to such critics.

The sign is printed in English and French, the two official languages of the International Olympic Committee. In big letters, in English, it offers directions to an “East Gate” and a “South Gate.” In French, in smaller letters underneath, both “East Gate” and “South Gate” are inexplicably referred to as “Porte Nord.”

“Nord” is French for “north.”

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Real Heady Experience

The opening-ceremony berets may be the hot headgear for American fans, but other countries are looking more than a little weird in their chapeaus of choice at the speedskating venue.

The Canadians have a snappy little knit number in the shape of a maple leaf. Red, naturally.

Then there are the Dutch. Speedskating is the national sport in Holland and Netherlanders turn out in droves for every race--wearing the orangest orange they can find. The Dutch wear orange crowns. They wear orange wigs--fright wigs and that ever-engaging rug with the dangling orange braids. Some wear orange animals.

Considering the preponderance of Wisconsin skaters on the U.S. team--Casey FitzRandolph, Kip Carpenter, Chris Witty, Elli Ochowicz and Catherine Raney--the Utah Olympic Oval would seem a haven for foam cheeseheads. Alas, not a cheesehead has been seen.

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Bend Your Mind

OK, what language is this?

We quote from a press release describing an Olympic event:

” ... is having to deliver the game’s final granite.”

” ... take one with the hammer in the first.”

” ... drew for one against three counters in the sixth.”

” ... executed a triple takeout to thwart.”

” ... could attempt to draw the four-foot.”

” ... her rock could be hidden behind much cover, especially with the ice running fairly straight.”

” ... her shot struck front guards and rolled harmlessly.”

If you said curling, you win a broom.

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Air Supply

From a Salt Lake weather report--does this sound familiar?

“The ground will gradually become filled with fog and haze, further reducing visibility and ... “

” It becomes difficult or impossible to see the nearby mountains.”

“There will be many days when visibility would be reduced by fog and haze...”

Here, they call that an inversion layer. In Southern California, there is another term. Smog.

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Where ABBA?

Canada’s fans made up the majority of the crowd at the E Center for the Canada-Sweden hockey game, but once Sweden took a 4-1 lead in the second period (on the way to a 5-2 victory), it was much easier to hear the small pockets of yellow-and-blue clad Swedish fans.

One particularly noisy group chanted in Swedish, although the melodies were recognizable to almost any American. They chanted to the tune of “Stars and Stripes Forever,” “If You’re Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands,” “Yellow Submarine” and the lyric-less chorus to “Buffalo Soldier.”

And, feeling the international spirit (or perhaps feeling comfortable with their lead and hoping for a closer game) they even joined the Canadian fans in chanting “Let’s Go Canada.”

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Familiar Tune

The Russian men’s hockey team gave high marks to the return of its nation’s old national anthem. Russian President Vladimir Putin restored what had been the music to the old Soviet anthem in 2000, but with different words. Many Russians remember the old lyrics.

“It was great to hear the old anthem,” center Alexei Yashin said. “It brought back memories of all of our great teams.”

Coach Slava Fetisov, who played on many of the Soviet Union’s powerful teams during the 1980s, even took a good-natured jab at the Canadians, who were the Russians’ chief rivals for hockey supremacy during the Cold War.

“I enjoyed hearing it,” Fetisov said. “We had many victories under this anthem. We all know it--and any Canadian player at any time of day or night will be able to hum the Soviet anthem again.”

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Royal Rumble

Prince Albert of Monaco has a score to settle when he competes in a record fifth Olympics in the four-man bobsled.

His goal is to beat a quartet from Hungary, with a magnum of champagne at stake.

Adding color to the rivalry, two members of the Hungarian team live in London and met by accident while jogging.

Nicholas Frankl, 30, whose father fled Hungary in 1956, became fascinated by the bobsled in 1992 while watching it on TV during the Albertville Games.

He decided to form his own Hungarian team and, by coincidence, found his brakeman when he ran into another London-born Hungarian while jogging.

“On our travels, we met Prince Albert in Norway. He was extremely generous, lending us tools and equipment,” Frankl was quoted as saying in London’s Evening Standard on Friday.

All of this has backfired on Prince Albert, at 43 the oldest bobsled driver in this year’s Olympics.

Frankl’s team finished 28th at Lillehammer, while the Monaco foursome placed 43rd.

Four years later at Nagano, Frankl beat the Prince by two places. Now they’re heading for showdown No. 3. The two-day event begins next Friday.

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Times staff writers Alan Abrahamson, Mike Kupper, Mike Penner and J.A. Adande and the Associated Press contributed to this report.