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Olympics: Vancouver 2010 OFFICIAL THREAD


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Dam fans supporting their country.

 

Fans' fervour rattling some athletes as Own the Podium goal slips away

 

Huge, roaring crowds may be throwing some contenders Off the Podium

 

BY DAMIAN INWOOD, THE PROVINCEFEBRUARY 23, 2010

 

 

The boisterous and deafening barrage of Maple Leaf support at Olympic venues may have thrown Canada's athletes off their game, admit officials.

 

And that may be partially responsible for the county's low medal count, they say.

 

"We've never seen anything like that and maybe we were ill prepared to how we would react to Canadian fans really showing their colours," Nathalie Lambert, chef de mission of the Canadian Olympic team, said Monday.

 

"We've never seen this before."

 

The Canadian Olympic Committee was sifting the entrails of the first 10 days of the Games, which saw Canada standing fourth with nine medals and the U.S. almost out of sight with 24.

 

Before the Games, Canadian officials vowed Canada would win the most medals.

 

Lambert said the athletes may not have been ready for a city that has gone Olympic crazy.

 

"I think we definitely had some cases where nerves were not totally under control," she added.

 

"And that's the only sad part of all this — that some athletes with great hope and great potential didn't live up to their expectations and are really devastated right now."

 

Lambert said she experienced both Montreal and Calgary, and the level of frenzy was nowhere near levels seen in Vancouver and Whistler.

 

Chris Rudge, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), said Canadian athletes have never performed before "an audience so big, with so many Canadians and so loud . . . and how each athlete responds to that I don't know."

 

And Rudge admitted that Canada will not finish first in medals at its first home Games in 22 years.

 

COC sport leaders are going to look at the "adrenaline rush" that the support caused, he said.

 

"The size of the crowd and the level of support and the noise — I'm not sure to what degree it was addressed by each of the coaches and the team leaders."

 

Rudge said he still thinks Canada will get a final medals total in the 20s.

 

Vancouver 2010 spokeswoman Renee Smith-Valade said the $117-million, five-year Own the Podium program was designed to make sure Canadian athletes arrived at the Games believing they had everything they needed to succeed.

 

"We're confident that we've achieved that," she said.

 

Smith-Valade said the program makes sure Canadian athletes "have fire in their eyes and they'll make the country proud, no matter how they perform."

 

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© Copyright © The Province

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QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 23, 2010 -> 10:36 PM)
um, yeah, this Swiss curler has a tongue ring. Just sayin.

 

Tongue rings are somewhat confusing. They're only for the thing you're thinking of if they are located more toward the back of the tongue. I know from experience and being greatly let down by it.

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QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Feb 24, 2010 -> 12:20 AM)
A furious 3rd period rally has sent the Latvia/Czech Republic game to overtime. I thought this game would be a complete blowout, Latvia really wasn't even competitive in the pool play games. This would be an all time upset if it somehow happens.

 

Their goaltender has played an amazing game.

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QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Feb 24, 2010 -> 09:05 AM)

 

Thanks, got it up and running, pretty damn good quality. LOL at the "Boss" button, it brings up a blank excel sheet. Your boss will be more pissed at you staring at a blank spreadsheet instead of watching the game. GO USA

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