Opening Ceremony for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver 2010

I love the Olympics! So I was excited to watch the Opening Ceremony for the 21st Olympic Winter Games,  Friday night on NBC. 

I was curious to see how it measured up to the over the top spectacle put on in Beijing in 2008. While it didn't compare, it had a lot of pizazz and packed a powerful entertainment punch. I watched most of the four hour show. 60,000 people packed into the coliseum in beautiful, Vancouver, British Columbia,Canada.

 Commentator's Bob Costas and Matt Lauer pointed out that many of the athletes were wearing black arm bands to honor the death of fellow competitor, 21-year-old Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili. His fatal high-speed crash at the Whistler Sliding Centre happened just hours earlier.

The crowd stood to observe a minute's silence for their fallen comrade, Nodar Kumaritashvili. Here's a shrine dedicated to his memory.

We learned a lot about the rich cultural heritage of Canada during the festivities. Bob Costas  said Canadians are, "as a group, among the friendliest, most welcoming people on Earth." He noted there was nothing wrong with their competitive spirit where they would offer a friendly greeting, but then tell you they plan to kick your butt during these game. I love Bob Costas. We had him on The DSC as a guest many times over the 16 years I was on that radio show. He's a super nice guy in person. 

Here's a general view of the indoor stadium. This was the first time an opening ceremony was held indoors at the Winter Olympics.

The ceremony opened with a snowboarder zooming down a hill and flying through the Olympic rings.

 A giant, glittering, white bear lit up the stadium.

As giant sheets of fabric dropped from the ceiling.

 

2,500 competing Olympians from 82 nations paraded through the coliseum, including 216 from the USA ...

 

 while athletes from Canada paraded last.

 

 

The fabric reappeared a few times for different times. Here it was used to look like a giant mountain with skiers flying up and down it.

 

People on rollerblades skated around the white mountain.

 Here's are two close up's.

 Here the fabric was used in a tribute to the city of Vancouver.
 

 For the first time diverse, Aboriginal participation in the planning and hosting was huge for this event. We learned a lot about their deep roots in Canada's rich history.

 

  

 

I want to register my complaint against NBC for not airing the Olympics live. Those of us on the west coast will watch everything on tape delay, so NBC can air the events at a later show. That means people like me who like to Twitter while we watch TV, will read everything that happens before it happens, thanks to tweets in other time zones. Please follow me on Twitter at Ruthie66.

 

This shows a musical tribute performed on a gigantic stage.

 

There were tons of stunning laser light shows, but I couldn't find any photo's to share here. Click on the link at the end of this post to see video's of some of the performances; especially the whale light show.

The evening was capped off with the traditional lighting of the Olympic torch.

 

The most famous Canadian athlete, Wayne Gretzy waves to the crowd.

 

The only glitch in the night came when the fourth column didn't rise up from the floor.

Gretzy left the stadium to light this outdoor torch.

 

No opening ceremony is complete without a fireworks show.

 

 There were also standout performances from K.D. Lang and Sarah McLachlin. Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado sang a duet. Donald Suterland narrated a few portions of the show and we heard a lovely rendition of O Canada by one of the locals.


Click here to see video's from many of the night's offerings!