Olympics brought out Canada’s pride

From coast to coast to coast, Canadians are feeling a little more national pride after the closing of the 2010 games.

I have to admit, I was rather reluctant to jump on the Olympic bandwagon in the build-up to the games.

I tended to side with the voices that were calling for more social housing over the cheers to spend millions on the games.

And let’s be honest: once the games started they didn’t exactly inspire confidence.

Lack of snow, poor weather, the tragic death of the Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili and the technical difficulties at the opening ceremonies did nothing for my enthusiasm towards the games.

The protest, which turned to a riot on Feb. 13, beckoned my journalistic side to venture downtown. Arriving post-riot, I was quickly drawn into the massive celebration of the games and Canada.

Vancouver was transformed into a truly global village, people flooded the streets from all over the world.

It would have been hard to not get excited.

As Canada’s medal count rose and the gold medal men’s hockey game drew closer, the patriotism and energy in the city was undeniable.

I was an Olympic convert. I cheered for Canadians during every event I watched. I even got excited about figure skating and totally stoked on curling. When Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal in overtime during the men’s gold medal game I could hardly contain my pride.

We had won our most coveted prize and Canada was on top.

The Olympics brought passion to Canada, which is something I think we have been missing. They brought pride in our athletes and our identity. They showed the world what Canada is really like and topped it all off with a healthy dose of the self-deprecating humour that we are so famous for.

Maybe the Olympics have succeeded in bringing the world to our country.

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