Congrats Vancouver! After taking a beating in some media in the first few days - some of it justified - especially questions about the safety of the luge track after the tragic death of the Georgian athlete - much of it overhyped minor glitches that happen at every games - it is nice to hear some of the glowing comments after the games ended.
One headline from an AP article pretty much sums up many stories I have read from various world media over the last few days and that is
'Vancouver atmosphere will be tough to match'.
For Canadians the high we are all still on - I don't know if it will ever be matched for us. That final weekend Gold Rush was just amazing to watch. And then of course that OT winner by Sid the Kid in what was likely the most anticipated single game of any sport in the last 25 years or longer in this country - well you just could not write a more dramatic script. Totally off the charts!
So even - if others were still trashing Vancouver - it really would not matter - we're just on too much of a high. But nonetheless it is nice to read comments like these taken from this AP article.
http://wintergames.ap.org/Story.aspx?st=id...b02b9c5b3045851 ***
- Amid the tragedy, the medals race and the hockey frenzy, the Vancouver Olympics will be remembered above all for the fervor and ebullience of its Canadian hosts.
- For future Olympic host cities London, Sochi and Rio de Janeiro, matching Vancouver's festive atmosphere will be a tough act to follow. "The way Vancouver embraced these games was extraordinary," International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said. "I've never seen anything on this scale before. This is really something unique." Rogge and other IOC officials were unanimous in their verdict that Vancouver delivered the greatest ambiance and public enthusiasm of any Winter Games since the magical 1994 Games in tiny Lillehammer, Norway. Vancouver's joyous mood also has been compared with the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney.
- Despite the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili in a training trash on the day of the opening ceremony and a rash of glitches and weather problems in the first few days, Vancouver lifted the Winter Games to a whole new level. The streets were filled with partying spectators, the venues were packed with cheering fans and the entire country seem united for two weeks behind a single cause. "For the first time, the Winter Olympic Games are on equal footing with a Summer Olympic Games," said Kevan Gosper, a senior IOC member from Australia. "When we look back, we can say Vancouver is where we could start comparing Winter Games with Summer Games and not just winter with winter and summer with summer."
- Sebastian Coe, leader of the London organizing committee, was particularly impressed with the full venues and public spirit in Vancouver. "Not since Sydney have I seen a city embrace the games the way they've been embraced here," Coe said.
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Now the hardest part of all - at least for those of us in Toronto - how the hell do we go back to watching our pathetic Maple Leafs. - sigh.
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