Tonight I had the opportunity to go to the Victory Ceremony at BC Place. Although there were no medals given out live in Vancouver tonight, we did watch a live feed from the scene at Whistler where Canada’s newest Golden Boy – Jon Montgomery – received his medal. It was pretty cool to be in a room with thousands of others hooting and hollering, clanging their cowbells, and celebrating with this very proud Canadian. Singing the National Anthem with all these new friends – super fun! Oh, and they also gave out some other medals that I am sure were very well deserved.
Actually, what was so fantastic about the Ceremony was that there were people from all over the world in attendance – lots of different flags being waved and languages being spoken. But everyone cheered and clapped as each and every athlete was handed his or her medal. We all stood for the National Anthems of Countries whose Anthems we didn’t know. We were paying tribute to the athletes regardless of whether they were from. It was quite the sight to see!
Each night’s victory ceremony is sponsored by a different Canadian province or territory. Tonight was The Yukon. The Province has about 30 minutes at the start of the show to entertain the audience – I was surprised to learn that the Yukon beat boxes. And there were puppies! Well, they were full-grown dogs, but they were adorable.
After the official medal presentations are over, the music begins. I suspect that about a third of the audience leaves when the music starts, and in my humble, music loving opinion, they are missing out. Each night is a different band – with a strong focus on Canadian Talent. Check here for upcoming scheduled performances. Tonight however, was the Welsh band The Stereophonics. All I will say is – awesome! They were great.
The Victory Ceremonies are a great way to experience the pomp and circumstance of the Games… at a much more economical price. Tickets start at $22, with premium tickets costing $50. VANOC is constantly releasing more tickets – head on down to the Tourism Vancouver’s Flagship Visitors Centre at 200 Burrard Street to pick some up.
