Olympics are nearly here

Six-and-a-half years go by pretty quickly.

It seems like just yesterday when Vancouver was awarded the 2010 Winter Olympics. The announcement touched off celebrations throughout Canada. For the first time since 1988, the Olympics would be coming to Canada.

That announcement was made on July 2, 2003.

Excitement for many Canadians has been slowly building over the last six-and-a-half years. Since January 1, Canadians have been force-fed stories on the Olympics, the Olympic torch relay and Olympic commercials.

As hard as it is to believe, the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics are just days away.

Has there been Olympic overkill? Absolutely. Every time I see one of those “Do you believe?” commercials on television, which seem to air on an incessant basis, I feel like throwing my remote through my television.

But I am looking forward to the event. I'm looking forward to watching events live. These Olympics aren't taking place halfway around the world. Events will take place during the afternoon, or during prime-time television, and not at 3 a.m.

And Canadians should win lots of medals. Americans, Russians and Chinese won’t dominate the podiums at these Olympics.

For the first time ever, Canada enters the Olympics with a firm belief that this country can “own the podium,” and finish atop the medal standings. Canada was tied for fifth in gold medals, and finished third in overall medals, in Turin.

There’s no question a Canadian will win a gold medal, something that didn't happen the other two times the Olympics were held in Canada. The key questions are: when Canada will win their first gold, who will get that first gold, and how many gold medals will Canada win.

I’ll watch pretty much any of the sports. Except for the two-man luge. And I’ll certainly be watching events that Canada has a shot at winning.

Is everybody thrilled to have the Olympics in B.C.? No. I don’t fault people in southwest B.C. who aren’t looking forward to the Olympics. I know I would be excited to have the Olympics close to home if I was still living in the area, but I love my sports.

If I wasn’t a sports fan, I’d be doing one of two things: counting down the days until the Olympics were finished, or booking a flight to a location where I wouldn’t hear a word about the Olympics.

The Olympics will cause a real inconvenience for a lot of people in southwest B.C. during the next few weeks.

But for most Canadians, the Olympics will be remembered for wonderful sporting moments, and not the headaches they cause.

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