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On February 12th, the curtain will rise on the 21st edition of the Winter Olympics, held this year in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. During the 17 days of the Games, almost 5,500 athletes and team officials will compete in 86 medal events. More than 80 countries will participate, including athletes from nations like Senegal, the Cayman Islands, Ghana, and Bermuda. In addition, 1,350 athletes will compete in the Paralympic Games, held over ten days beginning March 12th.
This is the third time that Canada has hosted the Olympics, having previously held the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary. Vancouver is the warmest and most populous city to ever host the Winter Games, with an average February temperature of 4.3 degrees Celsius and a population of almost 600,000.
But the statistics can only say so much. What cannot be so easily transcribed is the inspiring feeling that comes from witnessing the competitive nature of the human spirit. The Olympics are, after all, a series of stories: those of the athletes, the spectators, the host city and country and above all, that of the Olympic tradition itself.
As a Canadian living abroad during one of the most exciting events in Canada’s recent history, it’s difficult not to feel a bit left out. The run up to tonight’s Opening Ceremonies has been a long and joyous one: as soon as the International Olympic Committee announced Vancouver’s successful bid in 2003, preparations began to ready the city and country for the influx of international athletes and media. It also began to stir the patriotic spirit of Canadians across the country. After a years-long media campaign to promote the Games, the 2009 torch relay (the longest in a single country in Olympic history) finally began its nationwide circle from the western city of Victoria, BC back to Vancouver. The torch covered almost 45,000 km through all ten provinces and three territories, and has been carried by 12,000 different Canadians.
Seeing the torch carried by ordinary citizens through small rural towns and sprawling urban streets in freezing weather is touching proof of the unifying effect of the Olympics. In a nation as large as Canada, it’s easy to feel disconnected from events happening on the opposite coast. However, the Games have consciously and successfully bridged this national gap, even borrowing the 2010 Olympic motto, “With Glowing Hearts”, from the Canadian national anthem.
In fact, in a bid to spread even more unity, the Vancouver Games have embraced technology such as Facebook and their own highly interactive website in order to allow the whole world to participate in the excitement. Embodying the welcoming ethos of the Games and Canada in general, even the Olympic iconography is friendly: Ilanaaq the Inunnguaq, the official logo, is the Inuktitut (the language of Canada’s native northern people, the Inuit) word for friend, and the cuddly mascots are inspired by First Nations mythical animals.
All of these welcoming elements combine to warm up a necessarily complicated (and chilly) endeavour, one made even more stressful due to its traditional prominence on the world stage. Because of the outdoor nature of many of its events, the Winter Olympics have always had to deal with more challenging logistics than their Summer counterpart: for instance, due to Vancouver’s lack of altitude, this year’s alpine events will be held in neighbouring Whistler, BC.
In addition, it may be more difficult for spectators from warmer climates to feel involved in the winter sports being played. However, whether or not you’ve ever curled, been alpine skiing, played ice hockey, or figure skated, the spirit of competition remains the same—celebrating the surprise wins, gasping at disappointed hopes, and tearing up at seeing someone reach the pinnacle of their athletic career.
In fact, this year Great Britain will be cheering on its 50-plus athletes competing in events such as curling, skeleton, figure skating and bobsleigh. Currently, Great Britain’s best hopes ride on 2006 skeleton silver medal winner, Shelly Rudman, and Scotland’s current world champion curling team, headed by David Murdoch—though, as everyone knows, a surprise victory at the Olympics is never out of reach for the thousands of hopefuls who participate.
Though I’m sad to miss the excitement of watching the Opening Ceremonies and other events with my family back home, it’s comforting to know that this very absence is what the Games knowingly counteract. On a global level, the Olympic Games invite the world into their home for a few weeks, offer everyone a comfy seat, and then settle back with the crowd to revel in the friendly competition of different cultures each aiming for the common goal of athletic excellence. And that alone makes the many challenges of providing a worthy stage for the world’s finest athletes ultimately worthwhile.
Visit www.vancouver2010.com [1] or check out the Olympic Games Facebook page.
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