Red, White and Golden
Vancouver 2010 huge success for Canada
14 gold. 7 silver. 5 bronze. The combined total of 26 medals gives us a third place finish overall in the Vancouver 2010 medal count, however it is per International Olympic Committee rules that the 14 gold medals make Canada the official winner of the Winter Games.
If you didn’t believe before, you should now more than ever.
What started off with uncertainty and scrutiny, ended in victory, unprecedented national pride, and a surge of patriotism unseen before in our country. We finally won our first gold medal on home soil (Alexandre Bilodeau in men’s freestyle), and went on to set the record for most gold medals won by a country at any Olympic Games in history.
On top of that, individual athletes such as Hayley Wickenheiser, captain of the women’s hockey team, set new Olympic records - Wickenheiser became the all-time leading Olympic goal scorer.
The Olympic website and the media coverage also set new records – over 80% of the country tuned in to watch the men’s hockey team capture gold over Team USA.
But it’s more than just the numbers.
Spending the last 17 days in Vancouver in the spirit of the 21st Winter Games, I can confidently say that Canada has proven itself among other nations. Our proportionally small population has managed to produce world class athletes competing and excelling against usual powerhouse countries, all the while remaining humble in true Canadian fashion.
The streets were a sea of red and white, but at the same time, the fan bases of other countries and cultures were widely accepted throughout the city.
A nation as diverse as ours has captured the exact essence of the Olympics wholeheartedly. We have brought together the entire world in the name of sport and competition and proven the true north is both strong and free.
Going into the Games, there was much debate whether or not British Columbia or Canada for that matter, could succumb the pressure of hosting such an international event. With the opening ceremonies glitch lighting of the cauldron, the unfavourable weather conditions including cancelling over 25,000 general admission tickets to snowboarding events, and the death of a Norwegian bobsledder, everyone began to think the doubts were accurate.
However, with the alluding ‘I Believe’ mantra fresh in our minds, we came together and overcame the adversity with albeit a bit of humour. We met the world’s high expectations and put Canadian athletics on the map.
Living on average in seven months of cold, Canada has proven that the winter is ours. I believe these Games were a huge success for our country, and we should be more proud now than ever - we’ve got bragging rights for the next four years.
