This will mark the third time that Canada has hosted the Olympics, in Montreal (1976) and Calgary (1988).
The official emblem of the Vancouver 2010 games is that colourful guy up there, Ilanaaq the Inunnguaq. Ilanaaq is the Inuit word for friend. It's based on a particular Inukshuk that serves as a landmark in Vancouver.
In 2010, the world will be watching Vancouver, British Columbia, which is Canada's third largest urban centre (after Toronto and Montreal). It's a pretty nice place and much more moderate than is normal for our country that's normally embattled by snow and ice. As a major Canadian urban centre, it shares a lot in common with Toronto and Montreal, boasting a diverse, multicultural population and is one of the most livable cities in the world and one of the most expensive in North America.
British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada and borders the Pacific Ocean. It was the sixth province to join Confederation in 1871 and today, it is the province with the third-largest population in Canada, behind Ontario and Quebec. Its seat of government is the city of Victoria and Vancouver is its largest metropolitan area.
Canada is the country that sits atop the United States like a funny hat. It was formed as the Dominion of Canada in 1867 by the British North America Act. It is a constitutional monarchy, modelled after the Westminster system. This means that Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, etc. is our head of state, with Her Excellency The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General representing the Queen in her duties. We also elect our governments (lead by the Prime Minister of Canada), which sits in the House of Commons (which is a part of the Parliament of Canada, located in Ottawa, Ontario), where there is often a lot of rowdy shouting going on.
Canada is made up of ten provinces and three territories. It is among the most developed nations and largest economies in the world and features pretty awesome coloured money. Since WWI, Canada has played a major role in the world, being a major participant in WWII, introducing the concept of peacekeeping during the Suez Crisis, and leveraging its status as a middle power throughout the Cold War. It has the highest per-capita immigration rate in the world, is officially bilingual (English and French), and has officially adopted multiculturalism.
The mascots are these fellas, which are inspired by real Canadian animals (not really). Miga is a sea bear, which is part orca and part bear. Quatchi is a sasquatch who dreams of playing for Team Canada as a goalie. Sumi is a part bird, part bear, part orca. There's also an unpictured marmot, Mukmuk, who's their sidekick. Also, despite what clever shoops you may encounter, Pedobear is, in fact, not a mascot.
The official motto for this Olympics is With glowing hearts/Des plus brillants exploits, which are two different lines (English and French) from Canada's national anthem, O Canada:
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
Ô Canada!
Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix!
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
So now that you have the proper prerequisite knowledge of your awesome hosts, let's all go on to the hype and speculation. How well are you expecting your country to do? What sports are you going to be following? Will Canada's men's hockey team meet our expectations to not suck (like in 2006) and bring home the gold on home turf? How many loonies do you think are going to be secretly buried under the rink at GM Place?
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^-^ unfortunaitly...I feel that the government did a bit of a foolish thing having the games at such a poor economic time...I don't think there is a single person in my small, rural village who can afford to go. so, in the end, we are paying (through taxes) for something we won't even be able to see first hand...
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