Grading the Games: Vancouver Wins Top Marks, Some Duds, Too

It could not be more symbolic or well-timed. Just as Canada secured its Olympic hockey title Sunday, the sun broke through the clouds to truly make golden the final hours of the 2010 Olympics.

As many as 100,000 filled blocks of closed-off streets to celebrate the Canadian hockey win, an outpouring that may be un-matched in the annals of the modern Olympics. The gleeful crowd, at its biggest since the Games began Feb. 12, was emblematic of the atmosphere for these Games which will be a lasting memory.

We give them an overall B+, rating the Games across six categories: Atmosphere, People, Operations, Media, Venues and Sport.

Atmosphere - A

Except for a few rainy days that dimmed the party scene, there was a Mardi Gras atmosphere in downtown Vancouver for 17 nights.

The crowds, well-behaved, boisterous but friendly, made these Games the people experience that’s been missing from recent editions of the Games.

“Much more fun than Torino,” says one Olympic veteran.

Live sites, pavilions, shopping, dining and hotels all within strolling distance made Vancouver a welcoming place for the Olympic hordes, whether from Burnaby or Britain. Long lines everywhere, whether Russia House, Germany Haus or Irish House.

All this atmosphere comes despite a pitiful look of the Games program. Tiny banners hung from light poles at a few places in the city while more prominent signage was restricted to Olympic venues. No building wraps in Vancouver compared with the plethora seen two years ago in Beijing.

Whistler must also be mentioned. The mountain village hosting alpine, Nordic and sliding events was the embodiment of the charm of smaller Olympics a generation or two ago.

People - A

Very friendly, helpful or, very sorry if they couldn’t help. Even out of service buses said, “Sorry.”

It seemed Canadians wanted to be able to tell children too young to remember that they, too, were at the Olympics. So many strollers!

The volunteers conveyed their excitement at the once in a lifetime opportunity, even the ones who had crummy assignments, like standing in the rain after dark swinging gates open for journalists.

Spectators didn’t always know the proper etiquette. Overly-enthusiastic spectators cheered during a curling match, bringing a Danish curler to tears.

Police also appeared to strike the right balance. They were pleasant and friendly and omnipresent.

Operations - B

The most challenging tasks for VANOC during the Games involved the complex operation of moving parts that make up any Olympic Games.

The extraordinary effort to keep events on schedule at Cypress Mountain is described by VANOC chief John Furlong as “a battle against the mountain”. VANOC won the fight, but not before spending millions to move snow into place and losing millions when it was forced to cancel 28,000 general admission tickets because footing at the muddy venue was unsafe.

Transportation was an early headache as imported buses and drivers picked up experience with the streets of Vancouver. IOC members were unhappy with the hour-long bus ride they had to take to opening ceremony, a journey that should have taken15 minutes.

But the most critical (and feared) transport link, the Sea-to-Sky Highway, worked well and never broke down along the 120km stretch between Vancouver and Whistler.

Vancouver organizers suffered their share of mechanical embarrassments. Among them: an ice surfacing machine that to be replaced with a rival brand at the Richmond Oval and failure of the fourth leg of the Olympic cauldron to rise from the stadium floor during opening ceremony. Poking fun at the flop, the closing ceremony opened with a clown repairing the recalcitrant cauldron leg which rose into place, Catriona Le May Doan lighting it as she was supposed to Feb. 12.

Whatever the issue, Vancouver organizers responded quickly to problems, earning kudos from the IOC and other stakeholders.

Media - A

Media areas were spacious and adequate, whether the massive Main Media Centre/International Broadcast Centre in Vancouver or the smaller facilities in Whistler. Internet functioned well and results were free from delays or inaccuracies.

It was a relief for media to only be randomly screened at the MPC and venues, but sometimes several would be picked off one after another to go through the mag and bag as they returned to the MPC from a venue.

Buses were mostly comfortable and left on time for venues.

It took a long time for athletes to run the gauntlet of TV cameras to get to the print media in the mixed zone. The microphone/speaker system worked well so reporters didn’t have to crowd around the athlete.

Little things make a difference: free coffee in the MMC from sponsor Far Coast was a welcome treat for many.

Venues - C

The track at the Whistler Sliding Center proved to be a deadly venue, claiming the life of Georgia luger Nodar Kumaritashvili during a Feb. 12 training run. Findings of inquiries may target the design of the track. VANOC raised the wall on the curve where the athlete lost control. This dark episode in the Games has dragged down the marks for this category, which includes some excellent venues.

Another low point, Cypress Mountain, snowboard and freestyle venue, plagued by no snow or too much rain. The “battle against the mountain” might not have been needed if another venue was chosen instead of Cypress. A site in Whistler might have had fewer weather issues. Cypress also had initial crowd flow problems, which seemed to be alleviated with the cancellation of general admission tickets.

Excellence: the Richmond Oval, Whistler Olympic Park (Nordic events) and what many call the best-ever Olympic Village.

Sport - A

The results on the field of play provided striking story lines, many with a Canadian flavor, whether the first Canadian gold won on home soil – or the last one by the men’s hockey team, the athletes kept serving high drama across these Games.

Good behavior was the general rule with the Games spared any embarrassments except for the fuss over the Canadian women’s hockey team celebration of beers, champagne and cigars on the ice.

A major plus: two minor doping infractions across nearly 2,000 tests during the Games. IOC President Jacques Rogge says he won’t be fully relaxed until 2018, when the statue of limitations runs out for doping violations from the Vancouver Games.

Written by Ed Hula.