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Olympic rings are seen illuminated on a barge moored off Stanley Park before the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics - Source: Reuters -
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Vancouver prepared to welcome the world to the Winter Olympics on Friday, with excitement over who would light the cauldron at the opening ceremony tempered by fog and rain and the tragic news that Georgian luge competitor Nodar Kumaritashvili died after a training crash
Nodar Kumaritashvili, a 21-year-old Georgian luger, died after a horrifying crash in training on Friday, casting a pall over the Winter Olympics hours before the Games were to be declared open.
Kumaritashvili was thrown off the sled as it bounced over the rim of the lightning fast track at the Whistler Sliding Centre at around 90mph and slammed into a pillar. The crash at a Whistler track regarded as the fastest in the world destroyed a mood that had been one of celebration, as Vancouver prepared to welcome the world.
Residents lined the streets early on a mild day in the city centre, cheering on torch-bearers before the opening ceremony, which was due to begin at 1800 local time (1500 NZT Saturday).
Small groups of anti-Games protestors swapped chants with pro-Olympic fans, many decked out in Canadian colours, but there was no serious trouble.
Speculation was rife about who would be given the honour of lighting the cauldron at the ceremony.
Fog and rain that forced the cancellation of the men's Alpine skiing downhill training session dampened the excitement a little before a shadow was cast over Vancouver's big day by a crash that made for unbearable viewing.
Training was immediately suspended.
Indoor ceremony
The BC Place arena in Vancouver, venue for the first Winter Olympics opening ceremony to be held indoors, will be packed and hundreds of millions of viewers will tune in to see the cauldron brought to life by the final, as yet unidentified, torch-bearer.
Many people in Vancouver expect Wayne Gretzky to be the man to take that honour after the former ice hockey great was spotted in the city this week.
The ceremony will mark the official opening of Games that will run until Feb. 28 in the prosperous city on Canada's Pacific Coast.
Before the crash, the main talk was whether Lindsey Vonn, one of the most popular and recognisable faces among the athletes, would be able to compete.
The American arrived worried that a bruised shin might stop her going for five gold medals in Alpine skiing and while she used Twitter and Facebook to reassure fans that she was getting better, the cancellation of her training run on Thursday meant she was unable to get a real test.
"With Glowing Hearts", read the front page headline in the Vancouver Sun on Saturday, yet not everyone in the city is delighted to see the five-ring circus in town.
Anti-Olympic groups plan a series of protests and predict one of the largest sporting events in the world will draw anti-globalisation activists from across North America.
Whether the sport itself takes place on schedule may depend on the weather in Whistler and Cypress Mountain, where fog and rain are causing problems.
The men's downhill training session set for Saturday morning was cancelled due to fog and the women had to be content with a piste inspection.
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