| All eyes turned on Vancouver come Friday |
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| Local Content - Editorial |
| Written by production |
| Thursday, 11 February 2010 16:13 |
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It seems unreal that in just a few days the eyes of the sporting world will be on Vancouver as it opens the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. When Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Games most people thought that would likely be the only time the games would come to western Canada in their life time. For those who were fortunate enough to carry the Olympic torch or volunteer their time for the games, it was seen as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Who knew that 22 years later the games would once again be on Canadian soil and only one province to the west? Hosting a sporting event of the magnitude that is the Olympics is certainly neither easy or cheap. There are a long list of both pros and cons when it comes to being a host city, host province and even host country for the games. There is a huge cost both financial and socially to hosting the games. While the rest of the world can sit back in their living rooms and enjoy 24-7 coverage of the games in comfort those who actually call Vancouver home are in for a much rougher ride. When millions of people descend on your city there simply isn’t enough room to contain them all. As in Olympics past, some Vancouver residents made sure their own winter vacation plans would take them out of the city during the actual run of the Games. Others are getting into the spirit of the event and planning to take in sporting competition and cultural displays. No one who has ever been under the world-wide microscope that is the Olympics can blame either side for their approach to the games. For those who are willing to stick it out, the games promise a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Olympics are more than just a world-wide competitions among athletes. The Olympic movement is about sportsmanship, about opening the doors to the world and inviting everyone to see Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada in a whole new light. The Olympics offer the hosts venues the opportunity to shine, to give everyone who cares to watch an glimpse of what makes another part of the world great. It is an opportunity for Canada to shine. Why not be part of that light? Friday heralds the opening ceremonies and for two weeks everyone can share in a little part of the games by wearing red and white, displaying their Canadian pride. In a world where there is so much negative it doesn’t hurt for everyone who share in the positive for a couple of weeks. Whether you agree with the time and money that has been spent on preparing and hosting the Olympics or not, that discussion is now mute, the games are here and now is the time to enjoy them. There will be plenty of time after the games and in the two years leading up to the 2012 Summer Olympics to debate the long term impact of hosting such a world-wide event. The Olympics are the one time every two years when the world can literally come together in one place at one time to share in something that is bigger than one athletes or one country. The Olympics, no matter where they are host, belong to the world. Why not enjoy the ride. |
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