Countdown to Vancouver: Looking ahead to the 2010 Winter Games

We are under 100 days and counting until the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.

The quadrennial running of the Olympic Torch began in late October after the flame was reconstituted by concentrating sunlight at the site of the ancient Olympiads in Greece.

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The flame was delivered to Vancouver on October 30, when Mayor Gregor Robertson announced the official welcome. "Our hope is that this flame will now shine a bright light on the people and the places of our country," he proclaimed. 

The significance of the moment was not lost on Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper who said, "From far and wide, Canadians are ready to welcome the world."

The torch is already on its 106-day, 28,000 mile run across Canada, passing through 1,000 plus communities, touching three oceans (Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic), and being carried by 12,000 torchbearers. The flame is being held aloft by people in planes, boats, and dogsleds, on bicycles, skateboards and surfboards.

It all culminates back at Vancouver in February for the Opening Ceremonies which promise to be as spectacular as those in Torino, Italy at the 2006 Games. They will certainly be at least as bilingual, since most events in Canada are presented in both French and English. Americans will have to get used to hearing their country referred to as "Etats-Unis" as well as the United States.

At 2.1 million in population, Vancouver is slightly smaller than the Twin Cities. The Canadian city will find a lot of Minnesotans mining for Olympic medals at the 2010 games. World Cup Champion skier Lindsay Vonn of Burnsville is expected to lead the North Star athletes. She will have the spectacle of the rugged Canadian Rockies at Whistler as the backdrop for her expected run to the podium.

The Hockey venue at GM Place in downtown Vancouver will see many Minnesotans, male and female, on the ice. Although the teams will not be selected officially until December, Edina's Jenny Potter is expected to see her fourth Olympiad. U.S. Women's National Team Captain Natalie Darwitz of Eagan should don the red, white and blue team colors along with the five-ring Olympic logos for the third time.

The Curling competition should feature Minnesota Olympians, including Chisholm's John Shuster, making a return visit to the World's biggest sports stage.

Other Minnesotans are still vying for spots on teams in speed skating, luge, and snowboarding, among other events. For those who want to see the sites and athletes in person, the final round of ticket sales began on November 7. As we Countdown to Vancouver, Vancouverites are counting on thousands of fans, including Minnesotans, to bring their wallets to the games, and leave singing the praises of their city and the mountains that frame it.

For the latest on Olympic news, teams and events, count on kare11.com. Just click on the Olympic rings.  

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