Vancouver 2010

The 2010 Winter Olympics are underway in Vancouver. I always get very excited about the Olympics as it is not just the world's most important sporting event but the premier global event and for two weeks, everyone's attention turns to one particular city, whether it is a small winter resort or a major city and, most importantly, the athletes that are participating in them. Early thoughts.

It was a sad tragedy what happened to the luger from the Republic of Georgia. Sometimes you have wonder whether competition standards are being sacrificed for safety. However, I thought that the Games and the IOC handled the situation fine. It was appropriately recognized that the Opening Ceremonies.

The Opening Ceremonies were great. The lighting was of quality where having it inside did not diminish the event at all. However, the situation with the Olympic cauldron was inexcusable. For those that did not see, part of the setup malfunctioned and they could not light all of it. However, these Games had a second torch (since the cauldron has to be outside and visible in the city) and that made up for it. The torch lighter was hockey legend Wayne Gretsky.