The 2010 Winter Olympics Blend Culture, Sports, and Olympic Spirit

The 2010 Winter Olympics are about to kick off on February 12 in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia and on the slopes of one of the world's premiere ski destinations in Whistler, approximately two hours north of where the opening ceremonies for the 21st Winter Olympics will be held at BC Place. A world-renowned city known for being one of the only metropolitan cities where a person can hit the beach, go waterskiing, hike in a rain forest, and hit the ski slopes all in one day, Vancouver will undoubtedly capture the hearts of many worldwide viewers who tune into the 2010 Winter Olympics. Underneath the beauty, however, lies a rich native history of British Columbia's First Nations tribes that are as integral to the identity of the beautiful Western Canadian province as the maple leaf is to Canada. Interestingly, it's the First Nation's theme of the 2010 Winter Olympics that serves as the foundation to showcase Canada's multicultural diversity.
Unveiled in late 2007, the official mascots for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games were inspired by legends of the First Nations peoples of Western Canada, which include Quatchi, a sasquatch, Miga, a mythical Sea Bear hybrid of Orca whale and Kermode bear, Sumi, the guardian spirit with Thunderbird wings, legs of a black bear and hat of the Orca whale, and lastly Mukmuk, a friendly Vancouver Island marmot. Although MukMuk is included as a mascot, the Olympic creature is so rare in real life that most won't see it in public and stands as the first sidekick mascot in Olympic history.
The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver are only days away and the Olympic torch has already traveled over 27,000 miles around Canada alone, with more than 12,000 Canadian torch bearers who range from former Canadian Olympians and local athletes to students, community leaders, and more. As it made the trek from Newfoundland on the far east coast, the torch has traveled by canoe, dogsled, foot, and even by ski. When the Olympic torch arrives in Vancouver on Thursday, February 11, it will be the longest Olympic Torch Relay in one country in Olympic history.
istory. Along with the torch relay, VANOC (Vancouver Olympic Committee) and the IOC (International Olympic Committee) have put together an impressive list of events that will most certainly enhance the Cultural Olympiad of the 2010 Winter Olympics, which began more than 2 years ago in 2008, as artists from all over the world in different disciplines will take part in the games, from dance to music and other forms of creative artistic expression. Last year we caught up with Toronto-born, Esthero, who performed at the legendary Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver as she took part in a Cultural Olympiad event with Somali-Canadian hip-hop artist, K'naan. Other artists within the 400 performance filled Cultural Olympiad include Sarah McLachlan, Damian Marley, Fiest, Nelly Furtado, Raphael Saadiq and India.Arie, Lou Reed, Steve Earle, Tegan and Sarah, Pheonix, Alexisonfire, and many, many more, also including the Spirit of Uganda, a group of orphans from Uganda who perform the traditional dances from their native land. The Cultural Olympiad also features a variety of Canadian artists (Sarah McLachlan and Nelly Furtado among the list) that range from spoken-word performances to visual arts, digital media, film, and theater, which included the ballet version of Joni Mitchell's The Fiddle and The Drum and Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe that were both among the first theater projects to take part in 2009.
As Vancouver and Whistler welcome more than 80 nations and 5500 athletes for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, the stage is set as downtown Vancouver has transformed itself into a welcome center that houses various works by different artists. With a majority of the art inspired by the First Nations theme, international visitors will enjoy the rich history of British Columbia's native peoples and the stories behind culture as a melting pot of world cultures gather in harmony to celebrate the Olympic spirit.
The Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics take place on Friday, February 12 as the Olympic torch ends its Winter Olympic journey at the 55,000 seat BC Place, the largest air-supported stadium in the world.