trashed for sure

just got home - I went down - got to yaletown station around 12:15 am walked by the top escalator I could hear screaming and a buzz of noise - stepped out it was fairly busy - some people were playing street hockey on hamilton - walked up to granville stream of people doing the same in both directions - as you get a block away from granville you can hear this noise and see movement - passed irish house packed full - something must have happenned in the bar next door - the bouncer was taking at least 20 police officers with him into the club through a side door

granville was busy crazy walked towards davie it was so so - all the bars/clubs had lineups

walked back towards robson - the two blocks south of robson were packed still walked around saw loads of police lots of happy people

glad i went down to see it

My first couple of photos from the Gold Medal Game. I just got back in, and it's super late. So, I'm going to bed. :D More tomorrow...

I have photos from the Bronze Medal game and most past games on my Flickr, if you're interested: http://www.flickr.com/syume

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2690/...3a0e7c13_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/syume/4397427381/

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2762/...5de379bf_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/syume/4398198882/

GO KIPPER GO! :D
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/...14673fe6_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/syume/4397369923/

4 million people in the UK watched the Ski-Cross final!

just watching cbc morning news...

Rogge picks his top Games moments

Grit of injured skiers, Canadian exuberance touches IOC chief

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge sat down on Saturday to answer some questions about the performance of the Vancouver Games and his views about the future of the Olympics.

Q: Are you happy with the way things have gone?

A: Yes, I am happy. I mean there was the very important and horrible crash of Nodar Kumaritashvili, of course, something that we will not forget.

But I owe it to the organizers to really congratulate them for doing a fantastic job. It started with a little bit of teething pains, but none of which has affected the performance of the athletes and for me that is the most important thing.

As seen by the victory of (men's mogul gold medallist Alexandre) Bilodeau, I knew that the tide had turned. The victory of Bilodeau has triggered a lot of reaction in your country.

Q: How much time did you spend sleeping in the athlete villages?

A: I think four to five nights. Because of my night meetings and early meetings, I cannot go to more than four or five. But speaking to the athletes, they are all ecstatic about these fantastic Games. The athletes who come for the first time are going to be ecstatic anyhow.

But it is the ones who have participated two, three Games that count for me because they can say yes, this one was good.

Q: How do you decide what makes a "best Games ever"?

A: As you know, I abandoned the tradition of my predecessor (Juan Antonio Samaranch) who always said "the best ever" and then when he was confronted with the Atlanta Games he had to abandon that and he very wisely said "These are the most interesting Games." So, there was "the most" still in the sentence.

What I do is I go to my stakeholders. The Games are for the athletes, so I speak to the athletes and preferably those who have more than one experience. I speak to the team leaders, to the national Olympic Committees. I go out and speak to my colleagues, the IOC members, to the broadcasters, to the MPC (Main Press Centre), major media outlets, the broadcast rightsholders and the sponsors, and then I try to gauge the mood of the Games. You have to catch it in one word or one phrase.

Q: How do you think the IOC, the Canadian public and the world will regard the Games?

A: I would say all the stakeholders within the IOC, not just the IOC, have a very high regard for the Games. They are happy, which for me is very important.

I think I don't have to give you any description of what happened on the streets here. What happened was fantastic. It is not me saying that. I am here in my office or at the venues or travelling back and forth. (Someone) said that this was a sense of unity here for this country. This is important for me because I've never heard that before. I think you will regard these Games with pride and you deserve that.

This is much more than the city's Games. It is not Vancouver's Games. It's Canada's Games. Canada had embraced the Games even before this but Canada will come out with more pride at these Games.

How will the world look at this? Well, interestingly, we have figures from ratings and we are amazed with the ratings. They are always very time-zone dependent. We made comparisons from Salt Lake City and here, in both traditional winter sport countries and countries without any winter sport tradition, and we are up in all by 30 to 40 per cent.

I met the guy from the Brazilian rights holders and he said "we couldn't believe it, this is the first time we aired the Winter Games and we had unexpected ratings." I said "how come?" and he said "the way the Games have been shown on television express joy, a kind of very nice story and this is something that Brazilians like. The Brazilians like a party, and the party has affected the Games."

So I think the world will see the Vancouver Games with a lot of positive memories.

Q: What did you think about those first few days when the outdoor cauldron was kept behind a fence?

A: I can understand that there is some need for protection. I would imagine that given the protest groups you had to put some kind of protective fencing to avoid graffiti on the cauldron or vandalism.

But if you have an outcry, that proves that the symbol is still very strong. It is an indirect proof of the strength of the symbol. If people would not react that way, I would say "hey, there is something wrong with our brand." And if people complain because they cannot get close, this is something that is important for us.

Q: How do you describe that elusive message of Olympism? Is it based on how successful a Games is or is it based on an individual's achievement?

A: For me, Olympism in a way is expressed in the dreams of young athletes, of young people. The Games are an important showcase that is aired to the entire world. The real purpose of the Games is to make sure young people are exposed to sport. There was a very interesting survey that shows that more than 60 per cent of people who have been watching the Games have the feeling or desire to be more physically active.

I know what attracted me to participate in sports. It was this elusive dream that one day I wanted to participate in the Olympics. That is the Olympic spirit. From that stems a lot of things. You learn to respect the rules of sport. You learn that you can achieve anything by working hard, that you get more by playing in a team than alone.

Q: What was the defining image of the Games for you?

A: In terms of image, [Friday's] evening Canada's two gold and a bronze in the shorttrack speed skating. I've never seen a stadium explode like [that] evening. This is also helped by the fact that in shorttrack everything is decided at the last corner. So a three-second explosion, a three-second suspense. If you look at ice hockey much, if it is 5-0 you know the game is over. But what happened in this defining image was the whole public, which was 95 per cent of Canadians, uniting behind their athletes.

Q: What is the defining story of the Games?

A: For me it is not the victory. I have great respect and I enjoy seeing (various athletes win gold). But for me the story is two women, Anja Paerson and Petra Majdic. Anja Paerson, taking a heavy fall (in alpine skiing), being written off by her team, being given advice not to race the next day. She had severe bruises. She went back and won a bronze.

Petra Majdic winning a bronze (in cross-country skiing) with a collapsed lung and four broken ribs. Now, I am a surgeon and I know what that means. And she won bronze. She had to be hoisted on to the podium. I say hats off to them. These are Olympians.

Q: How do you regard the fears of Canadians that they may be left with big bills after the Olympic party is over?

A: You have to look at the legacies of the Games. You have the bricks-and-mortar legacies. Look at the highway to Whistler and the rapid transit system, the convention hall, Richmond oval which will become a community facility. You have the sporting legacy, the ski slopes, the ski jumps and the sliding track.

And then look at the human legacy. It is one where, I hope, where the youth of Vancouver and the region will be attracted to sports, not just only winters sports but summer sports as well.

The second thing is that the Games themselves are the breath of oxygen for the development of sport at the grassroots level. As you know, the revenue the IOC gets is redistributed by 94 per cent to the grassroots levels and the organizing committees. That for me is the justification because without financial means we cannot help developing countries.

Q: As a doctor, what is the prescription you would give to Canadians who will suffer depression from post-Games letdown?

...

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2...575/story.html

The numbers are in. In the USA the Gold Medal game received higher ratings than; The Grammy's, The Rose Bowl, The PGA Masters Tournament, and, The Daytona 500. 27.6 million people.

Probably the same amount in Canada watched....!!!

The Olympics in general were a SMASH HIT for NBC. They probably didn't lose nearly as much money as they thought they would :P

OK then, here's a few more from the middle of the insanity at Robson/Granville :cheers:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2739/...63ac59c3_o.jpg
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nonstopdesign/4396774949/

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/...5b6fb054_o.jpg
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nonstopdesign/4396774913/

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2742/...b4df0c69_o.jpg
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nonstopdesign/4397025029/

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/...2b2d2316_o.jpg
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nonstopdesign/4397791684/

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2677/...ed2d7089_o.jpg
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nonstopdesign/4396774859/

:previous: The big question then is why is that. I mean sure the timezone helped and so you can't compare it to Torino or Nagano. At the same time you can compare it to Salt Lake. And yet these Olympics had more people watching it than Salt Lake. So what exactly was it if it is even one thing that got people to watch.

I'm sure HDTV contributed to the increase.

I could see this. The Olympics are soooo pretty in HD :P

Plus, I think Beijing really got a ton of people interested in the Olympics again.

Also, NBC did an amazing job with their coverage... so that helps.

Geez, it's so weird. The road blocks are down and there are CARS parked on Robson St.

I may be likely to get hit by a car, forgetting I have to actually look for them now :P

Interesting point and a good one. I'd also say this was the first full blown social media games, plus the addition of smart phones.

this sort of helps - more countries broadcast these games too (from the jacques roggue interview)

Congratulations to Vancouver for a great two weeks. Following along with the posters on this thread made it even more enjoyable. Thanks.

I saw from the news about 80% of Canadians watched the hockey game and 75% watched the closing ceremony.

Talking to my German friend, a lot of people in Germany watched the Gold Medal game lastnight, despite hockey not being super popular. Everyone was pulling for Canada :D

The game was broadcast in German at 1080p HD. So unfair. Ours is downgraded to 720p is it not? Apparently the announcers were very impressed with the crowd, comparing it to World Cup football.

And the views of Vancouver were beautiful! Now he wants to visit.

:tup: :tup: :tup: This is one of the biggest things I wanted coming out of the Olympics; for people to know that Vancouver exists and that we really do know how to have a good time (even though we dont have soccer etc.)

I believe you can get 1080p OTA if you have a small antenna pointed at Seymour.

Technology was a valid consideration, but I think mostly it was because the Americans had their best Games ever - with the full cast of American Olympics personalities. Their 24 hour gold rush was the Olympic equivalent of Superfriends: Bode, Vonn, Shaun, Shani, Ohno, etc.

Those same US athletes helped turn these Games around, at least in the minds of the press. They wouldn't stop talking about the Glitch Games until those athletes started delivering some truly spectacular performances.

NBC's coverage is sugar-coated at times, but mostly it is just so damn good in terms of the stories they tell - and this Games had so many riveting stories that it was hard to keep up.

One more year! Imagine 60,000 fans singing O Canada at the first MLS game. :) Ok, maybe I'm overstating it a bit. :)

Hmm. Let me get right on that :jester:

Some more Gold Medal photos :D More are on my Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/syume Have more to upload soon.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/...f6fb3a65_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/syume/4399230009/

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2726/...63b9f67a_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/syume/4400004662/

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/...4bf2a64b_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/syume/4399271553/

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/...08f4a6be_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/syume/4400160656/

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4020/...c786114e_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/syume/4400165710/

Today was an incredibly sad day. Seriously, life goes on.
Great job by my stomping grounds on hosting great Olympic games!
Made me proud to hail from BC!
Vancouver will never be the same, just terrific games.:worship:

Great pics Yume. This sums it up from the outside:

• Video Link

Watching CTV News...it's definitely quiet for 6 pm.

They are back inside now?

NBC Nightly News reported that during overtime more than 35 million American households were watching the hockey game. Those are higher ratings than last year's World Series.

Some videos I took downtown yesterday. WARNING: I am new to the world of video so please keep that in mind. And turn you volume way down on your computer.

This was right after the win, right in front of the CTV booth:
• Video Link

• Video Link

This is ground zero, Granville at Robson, and I only filmed for a very short time cause I was worried my camera might slip out of hands and I would never see it again:
• Video Link

Robson and Seymour here, which was much more managable to walk around in but still crazy:
• Video Link

Only in Canada would a bunch of street hockey games break out in a near-riotous crowd.

Gotta say the city did an excellent job of cleaning up overnight. The streets and sidewalks are CLEAN, any and all barricades are down. No police anywhere.

There are cars on Robson, there are hardly any people... Robson Square is deserted as is Granville St., everything is back to normal.

A lot of the art projects have been removed, the lanterns on Granville are gone. All of the Coke propaganda is gone from every restaurant, I saw them carting away a truckload (literally a Budget truck rental truck) of it today. You'd think they would want all of the restaurants to keep the chairs, tables, umbrellas, special machines, etc. Reminds me of when a Starbucks closes and removes any traces of it ever being there within 12 hours.

Maybe the Russians will for some reason give up on hosting the Sochi Olympics over the next few months, and the IOC will ask Vancouver to host them again? :p

The world comes back to Vancouver, with perfected Opening/Closing Ceremonies under a new roof and perfected logistics.

hahahaha...dream on.

:D That would be super. Maybe Russia will just pull out in fear of being embarrassed with only 3 Gold Medals.

I don't know. I was out earlier today and Granville street was a mess with garbages and beer spills everywhere. Guess they cleaned that up by now ?

I didn't wander down Granville. But there was nobody there, at about 9:30.

Robson St. looked clean, and Granville street didn't have the 3 foot high trash pile it had last night lol

I remember Alex Bilodeau saying with complete confidence after he won the first gold medal that we should not worry, that many more gold medals were going to come. At the time, I wondered how he could be so sure.

granville around 4 pm was fairly clean - they were packing up

I got a bunch of the lanterns as souveniers :) my friend got a bunch too as did a bunch of people - they were just throwing them out! so I grabbed about 4 - i could have had a whole box - lol

i should sell em on ebay

robson square was being dismantled :(

the bay olympic store was insane though still a line and 100's of people

the USA stuff was 50% off! and people were scooping it up and clothes were all over the place

and I saw Russians still all over the place and the Roots store on Robson was jam packed with shoppers too

Realistically, if something were to make the IOC move the Sochi Olympics it would likely have to do with the return of another Russian-Georgian War (a much larger scale of what we saw in August 2008) that also devastates the host city of Sochi and happens over the next few months...and at that point, my thoughts and prayers would be with those who are living in the conflict, I wouldn't exactly want us to host the Games like that.

If Sochi's Olympic hosting capability is incapacitated after 2011, the IOC would most likely cancel the Olympics altogether. There simply wouldn't be enough time for a previous Olympic host city to get their act together and be a replacement.



In 1970, Denver was awarded the 1976 Winter Olympics. But in 1972, to "growing costs" and environmental "concerns" the city held a referendum and voted against hosting the Olympics...after it was awarded to host. And to this day, to the IOC's perspective bringing the Games to Denver is as attractive as bringing the Games to Kabul.

The IOC then asked Whistler to host the 1976 Winter Olympics as it had bid unsucessfully against Denver to host them, but there was a change in government and we weren't interested anymore. Then the IOC looked to Innsbruck, Austria, host of the 1964 Winter Games....and ultimately, that's where the 1976 Winter Olympics were relocated to.

When will all the Canadian merch be half off!?

need to buy a few things :)

lol it was really funny, even before the Victory Ceremony and medal presentation at GM Place lastnight (maybe 10 minutes after the game ended) they had an announcement that "CANADA GOLD" merchandise is available at all stores through-out the building right.. NOW! Everyone kind of chuckled that they were THAT fricken fast at putting it out. Then, they had another announcement that it was all sold out. :sly:

CTV was taking its wraps off today :(

probably after the paralympics

CTV just reported $104 million was spent by visa users and the biggest spenders were USA, UK and China

vid from saturday night

• Video Link

• Video Link

granville street today
http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/3029/dsc08235m.jpg

• Video Link

• Video Link

where's a cop when you need one. someone has kidnapped all the tourists!

i can't wait to walk down granville and not see any orange cones, anywhere!
i'm so sick of them.

Still long lines at the Olympic store, so I went up to the 5th floor. IT'S GONE! :P Somehow.

The Russia stuff is all gone, and the only things left are 50% off USA apparel.

Guess I'll grab my souvenirs at the airport tomorrow. I'm leaving you all again :(

I dont get it...do you live in Calgary or Vancouver? lol

When are they going to stop doing the "streetside" anchoring on the Early News? I'm getting tired of seeing every dork and doofus in town wander in behind them.

Interesting to see the youngsters here getting post partum depression. Imagine what it was like after Expo 86 after we had 6 months to incorporate the fair into our lives, only to have it abruptly ripped away.

I am going to Calgary, then Boston for awhile, then back to Calgary, then to Vancouver. :tup:

Hopefully the JapaDog is open by then.

Oh nice.
Boston is pretty cool. Went to see a hockey game there when the Habs played the Bruins. Crazy atmosphere!

Yeah i really hope Japadog is open by then for everyones sake lol.