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X Paralympic Winter Games


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They don't get as much attention as their big sister, but the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games were a year ago.

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Vancouver Paralympic Opening Ceremony

They were the first Winter Paralympics held in Canada. A thunderbird inspired critter named Sumi served as the mascot. Terry Fox's parents arrived at BC Place with the flame and it was finally handed off to teenaged Para-athlete Zach Beaumont to light the cauldron. Canada's Lauren Woolstencroft and Germany's Verena Bentelewon each claimed five gold medals, becoming the two most successful athletes at the Games. Viviane Forest of Canada became the first Paralympian to win gold medals at both the summer and winter Paralympics. The games had wide TV coverage in the host nation (with demands to air the ceremonies in prime time on TV). And IPC President Sir Philip Craven praised the organizers and the hosts.

And then after 9 days, we were up to Whistler to close it and hand it over to Sochi. The Games were over.

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So...here we are. A year later. Both 2010 one-year anniversaries have come and gone. And no doubt, the entire Vancouver forum will soon close and be locked away in the archives.

Edited by Kenadian
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It was first kindled by aboriginal spirit guides in Ottawa and then re-lit every morning in a different city using ashes from the previous cities until it came to Vancouver.

Thanks, K.

I know we had another thread discussing the torch designers but I can't find it. Anyway, on the Beijing Torch Relay page/Archives, I found this for Sapporo 1972: "It was designed by Mr Munemichi Yanagi to match the cauldron." So that also could've been the first instance where the torch (or at least just the base-holder in Sapporo's case) matched the cauldron. (It's really quite UGLY!!) :(

http://torchrelay.beijing2008.cn/en/archives/modern/1972sapporo/headlines/n214039131.shtml

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