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Image from Vancouver2010.com
Note: This post takes a distinctly Canadian slant. Like a good Canadian, I’ll apologize for the gushy outpouring, but will go ahead with it anyway.
At the time this blog post is being written, the showdown between the US and Canadian Men’s Hockey team is a mere hour away. From my home in downtown Toronto, I can see little pockets of people – donned in red and white toques, Team Canada jerseys and maple leaf-kissed mittens (which are far too warm for the current weather, but we care not) – making their way to bars, pubs and friends’ places. There, they will lubricate their voices with a good domestic brew in preparation for the hollering and cheering that is in their future.
Besides learning that Canadians are far more proud of their country than we’ve let on in the past, these 2010 Olympic games in Vancouver have come with other lessons:
Set A Tough Goal And Back It Up
Despite having a population smaller than California and a less-than stellar history of medaling in Olympic games, Canada set into motion ‘Own The Podium,’ a plan to earn the most medals in the games. With it, came unprecedented funding for athletes and training facilities from both corporate and government pools. The result? A best-ever showing of a Canadian team at any Olympic games, third overall in the medal standings and a record-tying (possibly breaking if our hockey team pulls through) feat of earning the most Gold medals won by a country in any Winter games.
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Listen To Your Audience And Adapt
One of the complaints the Vancouver organizers heard right away was the inaccessibility of the Olympic cauldron, which was kept behind a rather unfortunate-looking chain-link fence. Thankfully, they listened and quickly made changes so that more people could enjoy the Olympic flame in an atmosphere that was less refuge camp-esque.
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Don’t Let The Bashers Get You Down
The host nation will be the first to admit the Vancouver Olympics got off to a shaky start. The death of Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili, hours before the opening ceremony was a particularly sad moment for everyone involved in the games. For the first while, things didn’t seem to improve much – a cringe-worthy gaffe in the opening ceremonies showed us exactly how well Steve Nash can hold a fake smile, warm weather was turning these winter games into the Spring Olympics and complaints about broken equipment, missing buses and line-ups earned Canada some major snark from the international media. Members of the British press went so far as to suggest Vancouver was hosting the worst Olympics ever, dubbing them “The Glitch Games” and “The Calamity Games” just days after the opening ceremonies.
But the organizers – and more so, the people attending and participating – pushed on. The vibe in Vancouver is one of overwhelming positive energy. The 2010 Olympics have become a story of perseverance, teamwork and the inspirational power of an underdog that refuses to give up.
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Edited To Add @5:54pm EST: YYYEYYEEEEAAAAHHHH!
Tags: content marketing
