Vancouver 2010: An Olympic Experience

By Ian King · The Mainstream
Published March 9, 2010

Over the course of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, I was fortunate enough to visit Vancouver, Canada, not once, but twice.

The atmosphere was amazing with thousands of people of many nationalities and ethnic backgrounds present.

During my time in Vancouver, I met Xinxin Guo, the Chinese bronze medalist in women’s aerials, on the streets of the Gastown district of Vancouver; however, I was quickly warned away by her Olympic translator.

I ran in to some outrageous Australians while getting dinner in an Irish pub. Ben, Tim and Phil had come all the way from Adelaide to Vancouver to see the games before backpacking across Canada.

Vancouver’s street performers, a staple of the downtown area, had to audition for permits to perform during the Olympic Games, so only the cream of the crop were allowed to ply their trade.

Everyone was showing their team spirit with tens of thousands of people supporting their favored teams as they flocked into the streets celebrating the victories of their countries.

The Olympic Games were a wonderful display of multiculturalism and cohesion. It was incredible to see so many people from so many places, with so many different values being together without conflict for a sustained period of time.

The Games were a triumph for the U.S.A. Never in the history of the Winter Games have we won so many medals, but in reality the greatest achievement of the Olympics is the way it can bring individuals together.

I sincerely hope that I will be fortunate enough to repeat my Olympic experience someday.