WHAT A GAME

VANCOUVER - Lucky enough to be in the press area for the most magical hockey game most of us will ever remember. And then got to sing in the most wonderful singalong ever.

To watch the Canadian flag go up after Sidney Crosby's wonderful goal was quite something. I had to write for our website, but I did manage a few photos during the post-game ceremony.

It was fun to write the story and also keep an eye on our Twitter feed. We got comments from folks in Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Scotland and all over the world; folks who couldn't get TV but were able to "follow" the game on Twitter.

It's pretty coo, and the Star's Twitter feed has been a remarkable success, and a real sign of things to come. More later, after the big party tonight and the closing ceremony, but here a couple pix to whet your appetite.

Vancouver/Whistler Games- get ready for the proclamation...Curling cross?

VANCOUVER - When he was president of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch used to stand up at the closing ceremony of each Olympics and proclaim them the "best ever."

Not always, but most of the time. Trouble was, it became something of an automatic response and lost its meaning.

Current IOC president Jacques Rogge, who looks somewhat robotic but has a nice, dry sense of humour, has ceased this practice. Instead, he searches his thesaurus every night before going to bed on the eve of the closing ceremony and finds the right word. "Stirring," "wonderful," "exciting," etc...I'd love to someday hear the words "barely tolerable" or "excrement," but I"m not holding my breath.

Rogge held a breakfast on Thursday for a couple dozen international journalists, including several Canadians. Among them was Jeff Lee of the Vancouver Sun, Stephanie Leyritz of Canadian Press and myself. I don't say this out of some great sense of pride, although I admit it's kinda nice to be on the short list after covering Olympic issues off-and-on since 1989 and covering three Olympic bids; the two Toronto efforts (as I recall, we lost both) and Vancouver's winning campaign. There was nobody at the beakfast from Canada's national newspaper, the one that spent all that money to be the official paper of the Olympics. I do find it kind of odd, as they have some very good reporters. But none of them have spent much time covering IOC sessions over the years, and you gotta give these guys face time if you want to get to a breakfast with the big honcho.

Anyway, the real point is that Rogge laid out some fairly impressive props for Vancouver/Whistler. So I'd expect to hear some pretty nice words on Sunday during the closing ceremony.

"VANOC (the organizing committee) did a great job and the athletes had great games," Rogge said over breakfast.

The Belgian surgeon said there were concerns about VANOC early on.

"Much of this has been exaggerated," Rogge said. "There was fair criticism of a number of issues but they’ve been exaggerated criticism, definitely in the beginning."

Rogge said he's been struck by Vancouver's spirit; a spirit some suggested this laid-back city would never exhibit.

"What will stand out is a kind of communion between the citrizens of the city and the games, the way they participated in this event on the streets of the city and the unique atmosphere we have experienced," Rogge said. "I would say that having spoken to many athletes, they are very happy. They are happy with the village itself, they are happy with the general organization, they are happy with the competition, they are very happy about the warm, supportive crowds. They’re not chauvinist, cheering for Canada only.

"Everyone is excited also by the fantastic atmosphere here in the city and the public, the people of Vancouver partying, having fun, coming together in the city," he said. "This is something really unique that I’ve only seen to Sydney to a certain extent in 2000. Really this is something that adds a lot to the quality of these Games.”

As I said, Rogge does have a sense of humour. He was asked by an American reporter about adding new winter sports. A few things have been considered, he said.

Knowing the IOC has been adding things like ski cross and snowboard half pipe and other, "X-Games" style events. I looked over at Rogge when he was finished and said, "I've got an idea. Curling cross."

He laughed pretty hard, actually, and said, "Hey, that's pretty good."

CLOSING PARTY

Details, of course, aren't being revealed for Sunday's closing ceremony. But VANOC chief John Furlong has promised a "real Canadian goodbye" and said "we might even poke fun at ourselves a little."

I"m still holding out for a Stephen Colbert performance, or at least a nod in his direction. And I'd LOVE to see Neil Young or Joni Mitchell or Diana Krall. Maybe an appearance by the famous, stalling Olympia ice machine? Nah, probably not.

Vancouver business boom (of sorts)...Where are my bathroom helpers?

VANCOUVER - Got a report today to say that sales at BC restaurants jumped an average of 33% in the first week of the 2010 Winter Games, compared to the same period (Feb. 15 – 21) in 2009.

By comparison, the folks at Vivonet, whose technology is used in restaurant and hospitality industries across North American, said restaurant and food service sales in Eastern Canada increased a mere 6% and remained flat in the Prairies. Full-service sales (sit down meals) in BC restaurants have taken a bit of a hit since the Olympics began, but Vancouver’s Yaletown, downtown and Whistler are bucking the trend with increases of 130%, 103% and 56%, respectively. They are also basking in the Olympic glow with overall sales increases of 128%, 89% and 44% during the first week of the Games (not including Valentine’s Day).

However, areas within the city, but not close to venues, have actually registered a slight drop year-on-year.

It seems about right. I had a drink the other night at a hotel that's about 10 minutes from the main media centre, quite close to Robson St., and had no trouble finding a table on a hugely busy party night. When the weather's nice and Canada wins a big medal, folks seem to want to simply wander about on Robson or Burrard and soak up the atmosphere.Cab drivers have told me that business isn't bad, but it's not great.

LONG-TERM SPORTS BENEFITS?

Vancouver organizers today talked about how they hope that events like Ashleigh McIvor's gold medal win in ski cross on Tuesday will lead to more kids taking up more sports.

"We've seen cross-country ski programs set up, and there's a luge club up in Squamish," said Cathy Priestner-Allinger, VANOC'S chief sports person.

VANOC CEO John Furlong said he wants to see Canadian kids head to ski hills and other outdoor sports spots."There couldn't be a better legacy that that one," he said.

Call me a cynic, but I don't really believe that hosting the Olympic Games will transform a nation of kids from couch potatoes to cross-country skiers. We've hosted two Olympics in Canada in the past 34 years - Montreal 1976 and Calgary 1988 - and I don't think it's done a lot to reduce obesity rates in Canada or hike sports participation; at least not nationally. We have, on the other hand, seen a large network of sports venues set up in Quebec, which continues to supply a vast number of freestyle skiers, short track speedskaters and figure skaters. Calgary, also, has become a huge training ground for speedskaters, alpine skiers and cross-country racers.

That's one reason Toronto wanted to host the Olympic Games, and why the city is hosting the 2015 Pan American Games.

I'M SO LONELY

It's interesting to see how different media centres operate at the Olympics. They had a bazillion people on staff in Beijing, most of whom spent hours at a time doing...nothing. They had two people stationed outside each washroom to point the way to the toilets, as if we couldn't read the giant washroom signs stationed all around the building. They'd open the door for you, and the second you finished washing your hands they'd leap into action and furiously wipe offending water marks off the faucet or mop up even the smallest pools of water off the counter top.

Here, I'm reduced to having to find the sign of the guy standing up and look for the word "toilet" to find my way. Man, that's tough.

Vancouver rocks, but Whistler's got the Olympic feeling...Olympic one-liners

WHISTLER - Crazy hats. Alpine views. Packed bars. And Olympics everywhere you turn.

Had a chance to check out Whistler on Monday, and one of the first things I did was run into Cindy Burr from Tourism B.C.

"I'll be curious how you find Whistler versus Vancouver," she said.

After a few hours of checking out the village, riding the gondolas with fellow Star scribbler Dave Perkins, dining on burritos at the Rendezvous Lodge near the top of Blackcomb Mountain and generally soaking up the atmosphere, I was struck by a thought (it happens, albeit rarely). Vancouver has been a great, raucous party for the most part. But it's largely Canadian in flavour and doesn't feel quite as, well, Olympic.

That's not a diss on Vancouver. The Main Press Centre and the International Broadcast Centre and the hockey games are downtown, and there are foreign "houses" such as Russia House and USA House and Heineken House for the Dutch. But they're spread out a bit. And when Robson Street or Granville get flooded with folks at night, most of them are Canadians.

You'll see folks in bright yellow Sweden hockey jerseys and bright yellow, braided hats with pigtails, and there are lots of Russians in red-and-white and Americans decked out in the colours of Uncle Sam. But the overwhelming majority of people you see are draped in Canadian flags or Hudson's Bay gear, although how they found the hours to wait in line for the official clothing I have no idea. It's great, but it almost feels like Canada Day in February.

Whistler, on the other hand, is more compact. You'll pass the Swiss pavilion and a few feet later be surrounded by crazy Icelanders in goofy hats, or Norwegians in Viking caps. There's lots of Canada gear,  of course, but it feels more international; with athletes in their national duds sprinkled heavily among the guys who've attached Canadian flags to hockey sticks.

It's also far more compact, so you can walk past two stages with live music within a few hundred yards of each other, then check out Jennifer Hedger getting her makeup on prior to going on air for CTV. (If you prefer you can probably watch Michael Landsberg getting an injection of pomposity, but I'll take Hedger, thanks).

Of course, Whistler also gets the benefit of stunningly beautiful, snow-capped mountains for that Winter Olympic feeling. But the sidewalk pubs and bands and flags and Olympic rings that folks stand in front of  all day long make a big difference. Unlike the Olympic cauldron in Vancouver, this is a symbol that's made for getting up close and personal with.

If you still have a chance to get up there this week, go for it. It's a wonderful way to spend a day.

FIVE-RING QUOTES

There's lots of funny comments floating about anytime you get this many young people gathered in one spot. I particularly like a couple of the quotes I found today on the Olympic News Service, which is a fabulous intra-net tool that most of us scribes couldn't live without.

Swiss ski cross racer Sanna Luedi had wonderful things to say about Canada."I love Vancouver," she said. "It's the best city ever, I think. It's my first time on this side of the earth. There's the sea; it's warm. I'm not so used to the tall buildings. I come from Bern, it's a little bit smaller."

Cross-country ski gold medallist Oeystein Petterson was asked about his nickname, The Sausage.

"You'll be disappointed if you think it refers to what's between my legs," he said. "Some people think I look like a sausage in my racing suit. Looking at the faces here (in the press conference), I don't think you disagree."

German skier Kathrin Hoelzl was asked if she has any pre-race superstitions and had this reply: "Well, I have a certain sequence when I get dressed. And I also wear the same panties when I race Giant Slalom."

Wonder if the Canadian alpine team might want to give it a shot?

VANCOUVER - It’s kinda hard to think of this as a Winter Olympics city.

I walked home from the press centre last night, stopping to have dinner with family at the terrific Italian Kitchen on Alberni, when some hockey fans drove by in a convertible. With the roof down, of course.

Spotted another guy driving with his top down this morning as I headed for a walk down to the parks that line Coal Harbour, which is between the press centre/Olympic cauldron and Stanley Park.
There were lots of folks out and about, walking dogs and taking photos. But the cauldron was nuts. The lineup was more than an hour long, and there were thousands upon thousands of fans in red Canada hockey jerseys, toques and jackets strolling about. Many lined up to see the cauldron from the viewing platform that VANOC smartly opened up, but others pressed their faces against the cyclone fencing or stood on barricades in the road to get their shots.

Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t remember ever seeing so many locals milling about at the various Olympics I’ve covered. The Games were a big hit in Sydney, but the main action was quite far from downtown. There were Olympic facilities in downtown Salt Lake. But it’s downtown, uh, Salt Lake; not cosmopolitan Vancouver. Athens also was largely a suburban affair, as was Turin and Beijing.

There’s only one real event happening downtown, that being hockey. Plus the victory ceremonies at BC Place. Everything else is at Cypress Mountain or at the Pacific Coliseum east of downtown or in Richmond. Or Whistler, of course. Still, you can barely move downtown some nights, and the whole city seems electrified.

Very cool.

Sun shining on Vancouver...not to mention the American Olympic team

VANCOUVER - Okay the Brits are still pretty cranky about Vancouver.

But a combination of factors has helped ease some of the criticism of the Vancouver Olympics.

VANOC chief John Furlong, like all Canadian sports fans, came into these Games praying for success for the athletes from the true north. But he should probably thank the gods for the American success at their next-door neighbour's venue, because it's kept the U.S. media focussed on the athletes and not on the organizational snafus.

  

The American media, and understandably so, are going wild for Skier Lindsey Vonn and snowboarder Shaun White and speedskater Shani Davis, all of whom crushed their opponents on Wednesday to add to Uncle Sam's gold medal haul. With all that glory being heaped on a pretty diverse group of athletes, and with the sun shining and Vancouver looking pretty damned spiffy, the U.S. media doesn't appear to be spending much time on faulty ice-cleaners or luge accidents, notwithstanding the Wall Street Journal story on the luge track

The weather certainly doesn't hurt, and thanks to the Star's Randy Risling for the above phot. Instead of rain and fog, Vancouver is basking under a high-pressure ridge that's making bulbs burst into colour and putting all the visitors from Ontario in a rather jolly mood. Folks are parading in shorts and a warm jacket is sometimes too much.

The sun and warm temperatures have helped traffic too. VANOC officials today said a lot of folks are riding bikes to Olympic venues, and that's not something you often see in the Winter Olympics. Lots of cyclists are riding to work, too, which has cut down on car traffic in a city with darn few highways.

There's still a long way to go, but if things continue like this Vancouver might just escape with its reputation intact. Possibly even improved.

Canadians, of course, are still focussed on picking up medals. The heat is decidedly on the women in today's 1,000 meter speedskating race. Christine Nesbitt of London has won the last four World Cup races in this distance, and she should be get at least something shiny. A gold, of course, would be wonderful.

Canada will have six medals going into the women's 1000 race. It's not bad but it pales to the 14 captured so far by the Americans. And it looks like Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso are about to each win a medal in the super-combined, which would make it 16 and a whopping lead over the Canadians.

There's still time to improve. Many of Canada's strongest events are still to come, including skeleton on Friday, bobsleigh on the weekend and lots of speedskating and short track still to come. Both hockey teams look strong after early action and Kevin Martin and the men's curling team had a good outing today, taking care of Sweden 7-3.

If it's any consolation, the Russians are crying for heads to roll over their uninspiring performance at the Vancouver Games. As day seven dawned, the Russians had just three medals; a gold, a silver and a bronze. Yikes.

It's certainly nice to be getting lots of reader comments on the blog. In case you don't usually check for comments, I'm posting a few excerpts here.

""Own the podium" is just fine with me," one person said. "A little assertiveness doesn't hurt."

"All a scam," another reader said. "I watch people across the street sucking back $8.25 pints and $7 brats after lining up for 45 minutes to see some bogus "pavillion". A lot of nothing to do and nothing to see. This ain't no Expo, just a bunch of quickly slapped together temporary venues to sucker all the tourists."

"I'm sick of the Quebecers always bellyaching for more," said one reader, referring to criticism that there wasn't enough French spoken in the opening ceremony. "They are the most spoiled province in our country!! Am I the only one who noticed there was no mention ofOntario in the opening ceremonies???"

 

Media feeding frenzy in Vancouver...the headlines will not be fun to watch.

VANCOUVER – This is my sixth Olympics. And I’ve never seen anything like it.

 

Vancouver Olympic organizers hold a daily press conference at 11 a.m. Pacific time to brief the media on general events. Usually they’re pretty harmless. I’ve seen some serious questioning, such as in Beijing over human rights and lip-synching, and in Athens about the general state of preparedness for the 2004 Olympics.

 

But today was the first time I’ve seen the international media go into a shark-like feeding frenzy at an Olympic Games. And it wasn’t pretty.

 

There’s still time to recover, but I don’t know if VANOC will ever get over the stigma of cancelled tickets (20,000 more just today), lousy weather, hydraulic arms that don’t lift up during an Opening Ceremony, buses that can’t get up a hill that’s been there a million years and shouldn’t take anyone by surprise and ice-cleaning machines that break down in a country that should have more experience with the damned things than anybody else. Not to mention, of course, the death of that poor Georgian luger. I can't still can't get that video image out of my mind. Horrible.

 

I’m sorry, but it has become an embarrassment. Organizers can’t help that the weather suddenly turned warm. But global warming is hardly a new sensation, and Vancouver has had a couple pretty warm spells in previous winters. Besides, who on earth ever trusts a weather forecast? You’d have better luck tossing a coin in the air for anything other than a 24-hour forecast if you ask me.

 

The latest media hype came today after VANOC announced it has had to cancel 20,000 more standing room only tickets for upcoming events at Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver, a site that officials had jokingly labeled “our special child” but is probably being silently cursed. Folks who had hoped to take in some of the only relatively cheap seats - $50 a pop – for upcoming ski cross, parallel giant slalom snowboard and snowboard halfpipe events – are now being told they’ll get a refund.

They’d already cancelled 8,000 standing room tickets for Monday and Tuesday’s snowboard cross. So that means 28,000 folks will have all or part of their Olympic dream shattered.

 

They say conditions at Cypress are dangerous, and I believe them. Surely they didn’t want to do this. But they could’ve put these events in Whistler, where the conditions are sometimes iffy but usually more reliable than Vancouver. Instead, they opted to try to create a  “legacy” of sports venues in the Vancouver region, versus erecting temporary facilities in Whistler.

 

That’s nice. And it’s good that most of the actual sporting events have gone off. In fact, it’s interesting to note the only delays so far have in Whistler for alpine events, not at Cypress. Cypress has snow for athletes, just none for visitors. But visitors are pretty key to Olympic budgets and the Olympic experience, and they've not always been treated well. Poor food and poor bus transportation have plagued Cypress at various events so far. And now there's the ticket snafu.

 

On top of all of this, of course, is the bus issue. Media buses seem to come and go at various times with no attention paid to schedules. In Beijing, they left at precisely the second they were supposed to, and the media could always rely on the 12:15 bus leaving at 12:15, not at 12:13 because the driver felt like it. Not much sympathy for the media, I realize. But the fact is you’d better treat the media well or you’ll pay. They have great press facilities here, but it all falls apart if the buses aren’t on time. Just remember Atlanta, which was the previous winner of the “Worst Games” moniker but just might have been passed on the inside lane.

 

(One thought occurs to me on the Atlanta issue. There was no Internet to speak of in those days. No twitter comments about “worst games.” No bloggers dumping on the city from afar. And no Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert. Vancouver has a far bigger media problem to deal with than Atlanta did, folks).

 

VANOC today said they’ll bring in a new ice cleaner from Calgary, a Zamboni. Apparently that one never breaks down. And apparently the one at the Richmond Oval has worked fine for more than a year. But, geez, the land of ice and snow can’t even find a proper machine to clean ice? How embarrassing is that? NOT TO MENTION that the Olympia machine that broke down is made in Canada and Zamboni's are made, uh, in the U.S. (How much fun will Colbert have with this, I wonder? We want to Own the Podium, but right now we can't even Clean the Podium).

 

As I wrote the other day, this IS the country that invented the Canadarm, right? So why do we have ice machines break down and hydraulic lifts that can’t pop up from stadium floors and buses that can’t make it up a hill when they’re carrying Olympic athletes?

 

The Star was all over the Olympic cauldron issue the other day. They had Wayne Gretzky light the damned thing last Friday night. But when folks went down to see it they found their way barred by an ugly, chain-link fence. Of course it can’t be available for weenie roasts and folks need to stand back. But a chain link fence? Come on, guys.

 

Asked if these are the worst games ever, IOC spokesman Mark Adams replied, "I find it bizarre that people ask questions like that."

 

"I am shocked because the athletes are really happy," said VANOC spokeswoman Renee Smith-Valade.

 

Yes, they appear to be. For the most part. But many spectators - and folks who dreamed of being spectators - are pretty angry.

 

There may still be time for VANOC to recover. The city looks great. The weather (not that I trust the forecasters; see above) is SUPPOSED to improve today. But it may be too late for Vancouver to recover.

 

The media is out for blood, folks, and the results will not be pretty.

Canada acting like ugly Americans, some say...Vancouver's Olympic shine

VANCOUVER - I was floored.

Canada’s Alex Bilodeau had just won the Olympic first gold medal by a Canadian on our home turf. Naturally, Canadians were a little pumped.

I saw an American-based reporter I know as I walked through the media centre – a guy who was born and raised in Canada – and said something like, “great result, eh?”

His response almost knocked me to the ground.

“It’s disgraceful,” he said. “It’s sickening.”

What on earth are you talking about, or words to that effect, I asked.

“Those Own the Podium people are a disgrace,” he said, the blood rising in his face and his speech quickening. “They’re arrogant and they’re a disgrace.”

I asked what’s wrong with trying to win, but all I got was that Canadians are supposed to be nice and all.

“But you here go acting like bloody Americans. If that’s what you want, to beat your chests and chant ‘Canada, Canada, Canada’ like Americans chant ‘USA, USA, USA,’ be my guest. But it’s a disgrace to the country I grew up in and the country I love.”

Wow. It’s only one guy, but I was taken aback – and still am 12 hours later – by the sheer, red-hot intensity of his comments.

It’s weird. He grew up in Canada and lives in the U.S. and hates Own the Podium as if it’s some sort of sacrilegious cult. I grew up in the U.S. and have lived in Canada for nearly 30 years and think it’s just fine.

What’s wrong with trying to win? Isn’t that why we play sports?It’s nice to get personal bests. And there’s no shame in falling short of your goals. Most of us do it a thousand times a day. But deep down we all want to win.

Own the Podium is giving Canadian athletes a chance to win. But that’s not to say it’s telling them to act like jerks and stomp on opponents.

Indeed, when Bilodeau won his gold did he dump all over former Canadian Dale Begg-Smith? No. Bilodeau was lovely in his calm, measured responses to questions.

When she finished second by a nose in women’s moguls, did Jenn Heil bitch and complain? No, she was gracious despite a reporters’ unwarranted hostile tones and even went out of her way to thank course preparation workers. Great kid.

Canadian Olympic Committee chief Chris Rudge wandered past my desk in the Canadian Press office at the media centre this morning and we chatted about the issue.

“What I said the other day when we had our Own the Podium press conference was that we want to win but we want to win the way we’ve always won, with grace and humility. I don’t see what’s wrong with that.”

Neither do I. But it still made me wonder what folks down south think. I’ve read a few negative comments on Own the Podium. But I was also interested today to read what NBC TV announcer Bob Costas had to say.

"Canadians are among the friendliest, most welcoming people on earth. I don’t see anything incompatible with saying, “Welcome, but now we want to kick your butt.”

I got a comment posted on this blog earlier today from a reader with the tag Uptown. Here's what they had to say:

"I dunno, I think we're acting like ugly Canadians in a dark corner or two. Frankly, I've always thought "Own the Podium" was a poorly named, poorly phrased expression of a bad attitude, too. Sorry, but it's just... gauche. And the criticisms here and there of us fighting for stupid advantages - like using tighter-than-convention clothing for snowboarders, or the training time issue on the luge track, well, it only heightens the snark factor. The only reason I'm excited about the Games is because we're hosting them, not because I want us to "own" them. This isn't the Berlin Olympics, it's an international event we should be proudly internationalizing further. Frankly, even the fact that the media posts national medal counts seems to me to be a betrayal of the whole spirit the Games were created to foster. 'Be worthy of the podium' would have been a better ideal to have striven for."

LOST IN THE SHUFFLE

With Bilodeau winning his gold, some of the real effects of Own the Podium’s money injection into Canadian sport got lost. Up in Whistler, Jean Philippe Le Guellec finished sixth in the biathlon 10 km sprint, marking the best-ever finish by a Canadian man in biathlon.

Also in Whistler, Canadian Sam Edney came seventh in men’s luge. That’s also the best finish ever by a Canadian.

Speedskating is something we’ve been good at it for a long time. Ditto men’s moguls, thanks mostly to a strong Quebec contingent that Steve Milton of the Hamilton Spectator points out carried Canada through some pretty lean years at the Winter Games.

But moving up in men’s biathlon and men’s luge is a real sign of increased depth.

“Everyone’s punching above their weight,” the COC’s Rudge told me.

CELEBRATION

It's hard to believe some folks didn’t think quiet Vancouverites would embrace the Olympics. They’ve been, in a word, rabid. There were something like 100,000 folks out on Robson Square after Bilodeau’s win. And even several hours later there were still Canadians wrapped in red-and-white maple leaf flags wandering about downtown, hooting and hollering.

I saw a couple young Asian-Canadians dressed in Canadian gear walking down Alberni St. about 10: 30 p.m.

“Why are we singing so loud,” one of them asked the other.

“Because we’re CANADIAN!!” her friend shouted.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

Here we go again; more complaints about a lack of French in the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Games.

There wasn't as much as there could've been. But let it go and don't rain on Canada's parade, folks.

French isn't spoken much out west, in case you didn't realize it. And if you've ever heard VANOC chief John Furlong mangle a simple "bonjour," you don't EVER want to have him speak French in public.

They had a well-known Quebec singer at the end of the Opening Ceremony. Apparently they tried to get Celine Dion but she couldn't make it. So maybe folks should blame her.

IOC president Jacques Rogge speak French, although he could've used more. But there was French spoken and French and English on the video screen and in the announcements on the p.a. system.

At the press conferences that VANOC holds each day, spokeswoman Renee Smith-Valade answers questions en francais whenever asked. The IOC's two languages are French and English. There's plenty of French language service available at the Games, but the natural language out here is English. So get used to it, people. And stop whining.

TRANSPORTATION

The weather they can’t control. But if there’s a specific weakness shown so far by Vancouver organizers, it’s transport.

Buses carrying Olympic athletes up to Cypress Mountain last week got stalled. Another bus carrying native Canadian chiefs and the Premier of British Columbia to the opening ceremony was delayed.

Spectators say waits have been as long as five hours to get to their destination and others have said they have missed events because of transportation problems.

“There are thousands of buses, there are hundreds of drivers. There are nine transportation hubs. It's a big beast to manage,” said Renee Smith-Valade, vice president of communications for VANOC.

“We're having some teething issues, there's no question. But we're working on them every day.”

Security concerns derail Olympic cauldron viewing...Jenn Heil - I think I love you

VANCOUVER - It's a shame when you let the protesters win.

The giant Olympic cauldron that Wayne Gretzky lit after Friday night's Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony sits down on the Vancouver waterfront. It's a scenic spot at the bottom of Thurlow St. on what's called Jack Poole Plaza, named for the late president of the Vancouver Organizing Committee.

It should be a real gathering spot for locals and tourists, being right next to the International Broadcast Centre and right on the Burrard Inlet, with great views of Coal Harbour, Stanley Park and the mountains of North Vancouver. But it's surrounded by a 3-meter high chain link fence and blue signs that say "No Trespassing."

"I guess I understand but it's too bad people can't get closer," said one local this morning. "The Olympics cost a lot of money and I'd like to enjoy it."

Folks, of course, are still down taking photos. But it's not the same when you have to look at it through a wire fence.

"It's for security," a police officer told the Star. "Besides, NBC owns it. They paid for it."

No offence, but it's also, um, rather ugly.

Vancouver organizers are having a press conference today and we'll ask them about it. They'll undoubtedly talk about security concerns and the rioters who ran amok in downtown Vancouver on Saturday, smashing windows and such.

But Canadians are spending $900 million on security for these Games. Surely there are enough cops and military types around to guard the main Olympic symbol that folks who don't have $500 for hockey tickets can go down and enjoy.

"I remember people standing at a considerable distance from the Olympic Stadium to have their picture taken with the Olympic flame at both the venues" in Turin in 2006 and again in Beijing at the 2008 Olympics, said VANOC spokeswoman Renee Smith-Valade. "I think it's remarkable people can get as close as they can to this legacy cauldron we've placed at the far end of the International Broadcast Centre.”

Smith-Valade said the decision to place the cauldron within the security perimeter was made months ago after the death of bid chairman Jack Poole and over the past few months, infrastructure was put in place including the necessary gas line.

“It was a beautiful place to put the Flame as part of that developmet. We do want the Flame to be secure and safe and it's obviously a safety issue for people getting too close to trhat location. It is within a secure zone.”

“Our venue team is looking at what may be possible to maybe replace the chainlink fence with something that may change the security so people can see it and take pictures. We'll be looking at how we can adjust that.”

Good call.

JENNIFER HEIL - THE EPITOME OF CLASS

Jennifer Heil of Spruce Grove, Alta. comes off the moguls hill at Cypress Mountain on Saturday night and has a great run. A minute later, an American nudges her off the top of the podium with a fabulous performance. No shame in a silver when you've done a great job but get beaten out by someone who has the ride of their life. But here comes a CTV reporter tossing a camera in Heil's face and interrogating her about her failure to win gold.

Ask if she's disappointed, sure. That's your job. But at least be pleasant about it and don't make the poor kid feel badly. She didn't do a face plant. She didn't fall down or swear at a judge and get disqualified.

Heil could've got mad. But she was about as nice and bubbly and pleasant as you could imagine, in case you missed her on TV. Just fabulous. And what a great smile.

Her comments about the support she got from Canada and the picture a little girl sent that showed Heil on a podium were great. But what impressed me most was the end of the interview. After asking a bunch of questions, the interrogating reporter started to end the interview. But Heil stopped her.

"I just want to," Heil started, and I thought she was going to thank God or thank her family Instead, she said, "I just want to thank the people who worked so hard to get the course ready," or words to that effect.

She just got blindsided by an overly aggressive reporter, just lost out on a gold medal, and just missed out on a chance to win Canada's first-ever gold medal on home soil. The interview is over. And she stops the reporter and insists on thanking volunteers who help get a rainy course into Olympics shape? How classically Canadian is that?

I think I love this kid.

Opening ceremonies in Vancouver - awesome...Canadian cuisine a big hit...

VANCOUVER – I've done a few of these, and I still get goosebumps - chicken skin if you like - at an Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics.

Yeah, some of it's sappy. But it's also cool. And say you weren't moved when Canadians gave the Georgian team a huge ovation when they marched in to the BC Place Stadium, just hours after one of their eight athletes was killed in a horrible accident in Whistler.

Lots of colour and drama in the introductory part of the show. I'd still love for VANOC chair John Furlong to stand up and welcome the Americans and tell them he hopes they enjoyed their four minutes of speedskating training at the Richmond Oval, but it's kinda unlikely.

Some cool moments; the snowboarder leaping thru the Oly rings was awesome. But seeing Clara Hughes carry in the Canadian flag was a huge thrill. She's as good as it gets as athletes go, and the crowd was NUTS.

Okay, there was something like the Coca Cola polar bear to wonder about. And, sorry, but those giant silver totems that slowly arose at the start looked, well, rather phallic. (And, yes, my children will HATE me for writing that. It embarrases them so).

I thought Sarah McLachlan looked kinda cute for a girl. And Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado were rocking pretty good, although a friend thought her lip-synching was just off just a smidge.

Canoes, awesome fiddlers (Maritime Visigoths, someone next to me who shall remain nameless but is a columnist for the Globe and Mail named Christie).

Lots of cool stuff here, folks. Check Rosie DiManno's column in the Star on Saturday for lots of colour. And be sure to check out the photos from awesome shooters Steve Russell and Richard Lautens, too. Not to mention Rick Madonik, Randy Risling, Tara Walton and Rick Eglinton.

Great idea to have Rick Hansen, Wayne Gretzky, Nancy Greene Raine, Catriona LeMay Doan and Steve Nash all involved at the end. But too bad one of the hydraulic lifts appeared to falter, leaving only three folks out there to light the inside cauldron. A shame. But still a nice night, and something we'll remember for a long, long, long, long time..

CANADIAN CUISINE ROCKIN THE FREE WORLD?

I’m still full.

 

Thursday morning the folks at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada put on a terrific display of this country’s diverse food and beverage products, offering breakfast to a whole whack of media types and other hangers-on at the Pan Pacific Hotel.

 

The spread was remarkable. I had oatmeal-crusted French toast stuffed with blueberry, mint and crème cheese with a berry compote and a side of apple cider-braised pork sausage.

Chef Donna Dooher of Mildred’s Temple Kitchen in the west end of Toronto made a cumin-scented dosa with Canadian chickpea and buckwheat flours, wrapped around a sweet potato and roasted onion curry. Yum.

 

There was lots of seafood, of course, including salmon and Maritime lobster. And good old Alberta steak, too.

All in all, a nice way to start the day.

 

Of course, today is the big day. Arnold is carrying the torch for California, although we can't imagine why Vancouver organizers asked him. I can't see the relay from my hotel window but I can hear a bit of commotion and horn honking. Oh, wait, there's a big crowd gathering below my hotel on W. Georgia St., with lots of red-and-white fleece and flag waving and such. Here's a quick pic:

 

 

I'll be at the opening ceremony tonight (I know, lucky me), helping columnist Rosie DiManno and likely twittering for anyone who isn't watching on TV, and I can't imagine who that might be. I'll try to sneak in a couple photos, too.

 

HERE'S THE STORY, OF A LOVELY COUNTRY...

 

Good bit in the LA Times the other day by columnist Chris Erskine, who wrote that if the Brady Bunch had their own country, it would be Canada.

It's a great thought, although I can't quite picture who would play Marsha. Anyway, Erskine did a fine job, talking about how landing in Vancouver is "like landing on a piece of jewelry."

How's that for a nice mental picture?

 

PAINTING THE TOWN PINK

 

So, American skate Johnny Weir says he had to rush out and buy pink bathmats and candles so his room would smell nice. And he says he couldn’t POSSIBLY have roomed with a guy at the Vancouver Games but is thrilled to be sharing accommodations with Kingston-born Tanith Belbin. I know some some hate the guy, but I find him rather amusing.

 

HUDSONS  BAY SOIREE

 

Nice party Thursday night at the Hudsons Bay store in downtown Vancouver. Michael Ignatieff made an appearance, which I just missed.

But there were lots of athlete types and more than a few good-looking men and women.

Store officials said there was an hour lineup Thursday to get into the official Olympic Spirit shop at the store.

Yeah, this town’s pumped, all right.