The Winter Olympics officially opened on Friday but Vancouver's big day was overshadowed by the tragic death of a Georgian luger in an horrific crash. The BC Place stadium staged a colourful indoor ceremony involving a host of stars linking Canada's past with the modern nation, including a welcome from the country's Native peoples.
It culminated years of planning as some 2,500 athletes drawn from 82 nations prepare to compete in the February 12-28 showpiece, with Canadian governor general Michaelle Jean officially declaring the event open. With flags at half-mast in honour of luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge reminded all athletes of their responsibility as role models.
"Dear athletes, these Games belong to you ... so give them the magic that we all desire through your performances and your conduct," said the 67-year-old Belgian, who is presiding over his final Winter Olympics as he steps down after the Summer Games in London in 2012. "Remember that you are role models for the youth of the world. There is no glory without responsibility."
Organisers were faced with their worst nightmare when Kumaritashvili died earlier in the day after flying off the Olympic luge track at high speed and smashing into a metal pillar during a training run. The 21-year-old was knocked unconscious and immediately placed on a stretcher with blood pouring from his face before being air-lifted to hospital and pronounced dead.
"This is a very sad day. The International Olympic Committee is in deep mourning," a visibly shaken Rogge said earlier. "He had a dream to participate in the Olympic Games. He trained hard and he had this fatal accident. I have no words to say what we feel."
Georgia's shell-shocked eight-man team, now reduced to seven, considered pulling out of the Games but decided to compete in honour of Kumaritashvili. "Our sportsmen have decided to be loyal to the spirit of the Olympic Games and compete and dedicate their efforts to their fallen comrade," said Georgia's minister for sports and culture Nikolos Rurua.
They marched into the stadium wearing black armbands in a sombre mood and were greeted by a standing ovation from the 60,000-strong crowd. There was later a minute's silence. An investigation into the crash by the Coroners Service of British Columbia, the police, and the International Luge Federation concluded Kumaritashvili came late out of curve 15 and did not compensate properly. It said the luge competition would go ahead as planned on Saturday. With tragedy hanging over the Games, organisers continued to battle warm weather in Vancouver and on nearby Cypress Mountain, the host of the freestyle events.
Tonnes of snow have had to be driven and helicoptered in from higher elevations to Cypress, and rain has further complicated matters. The men's downhill event is set for Saturday morning, but with more rain and snow forecast overnight, that too could be in jeopardy. Despite the conditions, the Olympics began at Whistler with ski jump qualifying.
Six gold medals are set to be decided on the first competitive day on Saturday. The Games' build-up culminated with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron, signalling the end of a marathon which has seen the torch cross 45,000km of the country.
It met small-scale protests on the final leg Friday when around 100 demonstrators, upset over the financial and environmental impact of the Olympics, briefly blocked the relay route. In the evening, around 1,500 people were involved in an angry stand-off with police and despite sticks and bottles being thrown, the protestors failed in their bid to disrupt the ceremony.
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