Let the Games Begin: The 2010 Olympics

The excitement of the XXI Olympic Winter Games can be felt among many sports lovers. The games begin today, Friday, February 12, 2010.

There are problems; however. One crucial element is the lack of snow! There is more snow in areas on the east coast of the United States than in Vancouver. It doesn't seem that they are set up to make snow because the lack of snow in Vancouver in February is an oxymoron. There has to be snow.

There's rain.... The view is gorgeous. I have been to Vancouver. However with rain in the forecast the 55,000 people in the BC Place Stadium for the opening may not get to see that view. We will be watching a first ever indoor opening ceremony.

The Olympic flame is another problem. I don't remember a problem with the flame in the many years I have been watching the games. There may be two torch lighting ceremonies. We all have been wondering if the greatest hockey player in Canada's history, Wayne Gretzky, should be honored. Or should some one less known? I cannot understand this. Why would the Olympic Committee not honor an amazing athlete from Canada? There are reasons which I'll talk about below.

The flame arrived in Vancouver last night after a 106-day torch relay that passed through more than 1,000 communities

The model beautiful American skier Lindsey Vonn has once again injured herself. This time it is a bad injury and it might prevent her from the games. She has a contusion on her shin which will not be healed any time soon. She has tried to ski with medication and managed at least to get her boot on which she could not do when this first happened. She managed to ski so she is more optimistic than she was when she first hurt her shin.

Then there is the competitiveness of the organizers themselves. The Beijing Summer Olympics opening ceremony just 1 1/2 years ago was spectacular. Can Vancouver even begin to touch that event? Should they even care? To get around this, The Vancouver Organizing Committee has decided that winning the most medals rather than having the best opening ceremony is their goal - which as it should be. They have invested $117 million for this to happen!

The men's hockey team will be watched and analyzed perhaps ad nauseam. They are seen as a " must gold winner" for Canada. So we come full circle to Mr. Wayne Gretzky who was on the 1998 Olympics team. Still the Committee is looking for people who raise sentiments among the watchers of the opening events.

Betty Fox is the mother of national hero Terry Fox, who lost a leg to cancer at age 18. In 1980 he tried to hobble across the country with an artificial leg for his Marathon of Hope. He cut it short after 3,150 miles.Terry died of lung cancer a year later at the age of 22. Annual Terry Fox runs have raised $500 million for cancer research.

Rick Hansen is a paraplegic athlete who has won many wheelchair marathons and wheeled through parts of four continents to raise money for research into spinal cord injuries. These are honorable torch lighters who have spawned the idea of lighting two cauldrons! One would be inside BC Place Stadium and one in a plaza overlooking the downtown waterfront.

Expect to hear performers such as Nelly Furtado, Sarah McLachlan and k.d. lang.

You can start watching the sports phase of the games this afternoon with ski jumping qualifications at Whistler.

My DVR is set to tape all the prime time coverage. So let the games begin.

Some of the facts for this article are from the Associated Press.