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I cannot believe the latest from the International Olympic Committee. Their decision to hold the Winter Olympiad in Torino this year raises serious questions, most notably: “who in Torino has pictures of Jacques Rogge with un bouc?”

Torino is definitely a small-market city. Sure, at about one million residents, it’s 40 times bigger than paltry Lillehammer, but it’s definitely not a smart decision for the Olympics if they want to grow their brand. When was the last time anyone got in a bidding war over Turin TV rights? Furthermore, what is there to do in a city of merely one million? Were I choosing a location to host a major sporting event, there would be plenty of available activities for spectators to enjoy in lieu of the event itself. Torino has some shroud, and that’s it.

The worst part of this decision, though, is the IOC’s stubborn insistence on holding the Winter Olympics in a cold-weather city. Great. Just because of this absurd policy, spectators will have to bundle up before watching the skeleton quarterfinals. I can’t imagine that anyone other than a serious curling fiend would be willing to endure dressing in a parka in order to cheer on their favorite squad. Clearly, attendance will suffer.

Of course, the televised presentation bears the brunt of the decision to hold the Winter Olympics in a cold climate. Instead of padding the time between competitions with shots of sailboats, boardwalks, and sunbathers, NBC must resort to footage of blizzards, dreary snow-covered streets, and Yeti. If these prove insufficient, it is possible that NBC will have to produce and televise endless personal-interest montages about the three Americans that participated, but did not medal, in the Nordic skiing competition.

In addition, the wintery conditions adversely affect the athletes’ performance. As long as the Winter Olympics are held in cold-weather conditions, we may never know how fast the biathlon could be run if competitors could wear track shorts and eschew skis. Indeed, some athletes are so affected by the cold weather that they turn to alcohol and perilous levels of hot air in order to stay warm.

I’ll probably watch some of the Winter Olympics; I’ll at least see whatever appears on SportsCenter. However, the fact remains that scheduling sporting events in cold-weather locations is always a bad idea. Here’s hoping that the 2014 games are in a more suitable city, like San Diego, New Orleans, or Honolulu.