2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony
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The Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics (Vancouver 2010) was held on February 12, 2010 beginning at 6:00 pm PST (02:00 UTC, February 13) at the BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. With more than 40 million dollars allocated for just the opening ceremony, paid in part by the federal government, the ceremonies will be the most expensive to take place in any Winter Olympics and the second most expensive in Olympic history after the Beijing 2008 games. They will also be the first Olympic ceremonies to be held indoors. Both ceremonies will be directed by David Atkins, also the director of the Sydney 2000 and Torino 2006 ceremonies.
The event was officially opened by Governor General Michaëlle Jean,[1][2] the Canadian representative of Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada and its official head of state.[3] The opening ceremonies were dedicated by the VANOC to Nodar Kumaritashvili, a Georgian luger who died earlier in the day in a training run.[4]
Program
Opening section
A large screen showed a snowboarder skiing down a slope, with people holding torches in the shape of a maple leaf, a Canadian symbol, while the dates and locations of previous Winter Olympic games were stated. This concluded with the snowboader leaping through a set of Olympic Rings and into the stadium, and him welcoming the crowd. [5]
Welcome by the First Nations
The Four native tribes of that area were represented, where four totem poles were raised from the centre of the stadium, and greetings were given to the crowd (and the world) in their native tongues, English, and French.
National Anthem
Nikki Yanofsky sang the Canadian National Anthem, O Canada.
Parade of the Nations
The participating countries marched in, with Greece coming first, then the other nations entered in alphabetic order of their their country names in English, and ending with the host nation, Canada. The team from Georgia was greeted with a standing ovation out of respect for their fallen collague, Nodar Kumaritashvili who died in a luge accident earlier that day. The team left an empty space in the processional and left the stadium immediately following the procession. They had indicated they would not participate in the opening ceremonies or withdraw completely, but decided against doing so. The team wore black neckties and armbands to honor Kumaritashvili.
Athlete Tribute Song
Nelly Furtado and Bryan Adams sang "Bong the Drum" as a tribute to the Olympic athletes.[6]
Cultural Section
- Directed by David Atkins
- Narration Provided by Donald Sutherland
Hymns of the North
A giant, sparkling puppet of a polar bear rose from the stadium floor, and hovered over the performers on a simulated ice flow,[6] one of the largest puppets ever created.
Spring Section
Performance by Sarah McLachlan of her song "Ordinary Miracle."[6]
Rhythms of the Fall
- Tribute to Quebec
- References a story of a witched canoe
- A fiddler duels with his shadow that appears on the moon. The stage is here covered with big red, Canadian maple leafs.
- A tap dancer calls a river to encircle to main podium.
- Dance by Brock Jelison
Who Has Seen the Winds
- Tribute to Canadian Praries
- A poem by W. O. Mitchell
- Song: Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell
Lighting of the Torch
According to the program, Wayne Gretzky, hall of fame hockey player; Nancy Greene, skier; speedskater Catriona LeMay Doan, and basketball All-Star Steve Nash are to light the Olympic torch.[6]
Entry of the Olympics Flag
According to the program, former hockey star Bobby Orr, musician Anne Murray, race car driver Jacques Villeneuve, and the mother of Terry Fox, Betty Fox will have carried the flag into the stadium [6]
Dignitaries and other officials in attendance
- Stephen Harper, Canadian Prime Minister [6]
- Joe Biden, Vice President of the United States
- Michaëlle Jean, Governor-General of Canada
- Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia
- Vladamir Putin, Prime Minister of Russia (Due to Russia hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics)
- Chiefs of the Native Peoples on whose traditional land the Olympics are being held. [6]
- Stephen Colbert, leader of the Colbert Nation and member of the US Speed Skating Team
Notes
- ^ "Governor General to Open the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games". February 8, 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
- ^ "Gov. Gen. Jean to open 2010 Games: PM". Edmonton Sun. Canadian Press. 2009-06-27. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ^ "Role of the Governor General". Office of the Secretary to the Governor General (OSGG). Retrieved 13 February 2010.
- ^ AP (Feb 12, 2010). "Organizers Dedicate Vancouver Olympics Opening Ceremony To Georgian Luger Killed In Crash". CBS. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
- ^ Crary, David (February 12, 2010). "Despie luger's death, foul weather, Olympic ceremonies open festively". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference
Despie luger's deathwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).