Canadian Pride at a High Since Winter Olympics

By Nicole Malczan

Although the Winter Olympics are over with, the sense of national pride for Canada is only bolstering since the completion of the games. In a poll conducted by Leger Marketing and reported about in The Montreal Gazette, over eight-five percent of Canadians feel a burst of pride due to the gold medal winnings that their country has earned during the games.


Another interesting result from the survey that was conducted found that about three-quarters of Canadians believe in increasing funding for aspiring Olympic athletes under a program called Own the Podium. This program seeks to improve Canadian sports and althletics.

Earlier this March, Canada's Finance Minister Jim Flaherty approved a federal budget which would include a boost towards the Own the Podium program. All of this should lead to further Canadian pride on Olympic performances in the future.

The Paralympic Games

by: Stephanie Trabold

Tonight begins a new generation for the Olympic games. Although not as popular and publicized as the original Olympics, the Paralympic Games hosts a variety of courageous athletes as they battle not only against the elements, but the challenges of their everyday lives.

The Paralympic Games celebrate its opening ceremony and continues in Vancouver, BC. Viewers can watch the action from their computers through Paralympicsport.tv a live video stream feature offered through the Vancouver Olympics website.

The attitude of the Paralympic games is reflected in its slogan; "With glowing hearts." The Paralympic Games do not emphasize competition but learning and unity.

The dedication and perseverance of these athletes is illustrated with the passing of the torch.




With Glowing Hearts the world can be inspired.

The Aftermath of the Olympics

By: Stephanie Pugliese



This was the situation for Vancouver, who had the honor of having the first Olympics Games in the height of the most latest global recession

For Vancouver, having the 2010 Winter Olympics Games cost around $6 billion (an estimate) and records have shown that for Canada, having the Olympics could either be a good thing or a curse. Canada has seen its previous host cities see millions in returns on its investment, as well as losses.



Canada found themselves in debt for about 30 years after the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics. The debts rocketed up to $1 billion; it wasn’t until December 2006 that the cost of the Olympic Stadium was paid off.

After the 1976 Montreal Games suffered such massive financial losses, in 1984 only Los Angeles and New York showed any interest of hosting the Games.

Nevertheless, Calgary turned what was the priciest Winter Olympics at that time ($1 billion), into a financial accomplishment by protected unprecedented $430 million in television rights. By the end, the coordinator had made $130 million profit.

When it was declare that Vancouver would be having the 2010 Olympics, eye browser were raised when the news came about. Questions were asked whether the city would be able to do so, particularly after the fact that it took decades to pay off the Montreal Games.

However, Vancouver managed to raise $5.7 billion to put on the event by fund-raising... and the section is hoping to see the payback.

Ralph Lauren Cashing in on the Games

By: Corey Diamond

The US olympic team went with a trendier look this winter moving away from its former official outfitter Roots, to team up with the Ralph Lauren Polo co. Ralph Lauren released an entire line of clothing to outfit America's athletes and partnered with a select few to model the new look.

Ralph Lauren's Olympic line features jackets, pants, polo shirts, winter hats, sweaters and fleeces and are available for purchase at any retailer who carries Ralph Lauren Polo.

“It is a proud moment for us to watch these esteemed athletes as they walk out onto a global stage representing America in
front of billions of people worldwide,” said David Lauren, Senior Vice President of Advertising, Marketing and Corporate
Communications.

The line Polo has released stays true to their preppy roots and their high price tags. Luckily, for those looking to save money, the Olympic line is currently on Sale at locations such as Macy's since the conclusion of the Olympic games.

Canada says Goodbye to the World's top athletes and teams.

After 17 exciting days of top athletic competition, Canada says Congratulations and goodbye to the world’s top winter athletes during the Closing ceremony of the 2010 Olympic Games.

Around 2,600 Olympians who competed at Canada’s Games entered Vancouver’s indoor stadium no longer grouped by nation but altogether as “one nation of athletes.”



The night was filled with many different emotions. Tears and smiles filled the room by congratulating all the Olympians on their success. The night was also a musical festival with Canadian bands Nickelback, Avril Lavigne, Simple Plan and many more.

By:Brianna Burns

The Olympics Boost NHL's Reputation

By Nicole Malczan

The 2010 men's hockey tournament was amongst the highest rated of the entire games, bolstering pride and support for both the US and Canada. In turn, the National Hockey League, or NHL, has been reaping some of the benefits taken from Sunday's game.

Despite that, according to this link , Gary Bettman, NHL's Commissioner, is debating whether or not to allow his team to play hockey for the next Olympic games, set to take place in Russia in 2014. However, with hockey rated as fourth in terms of American sports, it could use the boost in reputation, although the article cites that moving NHL players to the 2014 Olympics may not boost its reputation to American fans.

However, it could be worth a try to attempt to get American fans enthusiastic about both the upcoming games and hockey.

The Olympics goes digitally interactive

by: Stephanie Trabold

As the Vancouver Olympics draws to a close, one can still participate in the action from the comforts of home. The Vancouver 2010 Olympics has teamed with SEGA to recently release the official video game released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 systems.

The game features most of the events featured at the games including luge, skiing, shortboard, snowboarding, and speed skating.

The Vancouver Olympics website offers interested gamers the opportunity to preview the game with their online videos.

This is not a new concept to the Olympics to capitalize on the success of the previous games. For example, SEGA has also created Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games for the Wii. The first game released surrounded the 2008 summer games in Beijing, China.

To relate to the recent Vancouver 2010 games, SEGA has released Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games.



As a gamer, SEGA would do better to stay with the Wii system for this type of game. Wii is a more interactive system that allows players to move with the familiar characters which are a favorite to all Nintendo fans. To play the Olympic games on a stationary system such as Xbox or PS3 is going to get very boring very quickly and will mostly fade with as the excitement for the Vancouver Olympics draws to a close.