Since July 2, 2003, the day that Vancouver found out it had been successful in its bid for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, I have had a lump in my chest regarding the fact that the opening ceremonies would be held in…BC Place.
Ugh.
For a football game? Sure, the 27-year old stadium works well enough, I suppose. The cavernous hallways of the venue sports fans like myself often refer to as “the mausoleum” are perfectly suited to buy disgusting hot dogs and watered down beer. The lighting that makes you squint at times is great if you are trying to stay awake during a particularly uninspired performance by the BC Lions. The sound that reverberates around the stadium like a second rate ventriloquist is most often irrelevant with the advent of a scoreboard telling you what down it is and where the ball is on the field. And the smoke that hangs around for a good 10-15 minutes after any kind of pyrotechnics is quite pleasant for those with heart conditions.
But for the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympic games, where 2 billion people will be watching?
I shudder every time I contemplate it.
And it seems as though others are starting to recognize the drawbacks, as evidenced in this article from NBC Los Angeles:
“For the first time in Olympic history the Olympic flame will be lit indoors, as Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium is a covered stadium. This has caused some speculation on how this will be accomplished, as such a large flame burning for the required 17 days would cause environmental issues indoors. A possible solution to the problem includes installing a special ventilation system to house the flame. It has yet to be officially stated how this problem will be solved. Stay tuned!”
I have always advocated that they should have taken place in Whistler, with snow flying and the beautiful views of the vistas in the background. I don’t care how many people would have been shut out from attending if this were the case, because at the end of the day, the choice would have been the best option for the visuals that will be broadcast to such a huge international audience.
But alas, it was not to be.
I will be VERY interested to see how the organizers attempt to jazz up an environment which can only be described as an eyesore from the inner bowels of the stadium.
Stay tuned indeed.
