By Jay Scott Kanes

HONG KONG – The 2010 Winter Olympic Games that closed Sunday in Vancouver looked like a big success, even when viewed from really far away. A flurry of Canadian victories in the final few days did wonders for the host nation’s self-esteem. Never before has Canada harvested so much Olympics gold.

When an overtime goal by star-player Sidney Crosby ended a tense ice-hockey final, with Canada defeating the United States 3-2, Canadians began to celebrate from coast-to-coast and overseas. Temporarily, they cast aside aspects of their usual mild manners and politeness.

On Lamma Island (here in Hong Kong), fellow Canadian-born residents rushed up to me on the village’s Main Street. “Congratulations,” we told each other while shaking hands or embracing. “We won the Olympics, eh?”

Well, not “us” personally. But it looked mighty good to see Canadian athletes adorned in gold and the Maple Leaf flag waving with such prominence atop the sports world.

Remarkably, Canada ended the Games with 14 gold medals, more than any other country, which echoes host China’s gold-medal victories at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. But for Canada, such success nearly defies belief. Although Canadians have world-class experience with ice and snow, it’s rare for such a thinly populated nation (34 million people) to outpace all the sporting giants like China (1.3 billion people), the United States (309 million), Russia (142 million) and Japan (127 million).

Admittedly, athletes from the United States (with 37 medals) and Germany (30 medals) made more trips to the winners’ podium than did the Canadians (26 medals including seven silver and five bronze). But the 14 gold medals glittered so impressively, especially beside the runner-up totals -- 10 gold for Germany, and nine each for the U.S. and Norway. (The Norwegians over-achieved too. No one handles winter sports better than those five million people.)

Of course, any discussion of the Vancouver Olympics needs a solemn moment to remember Georgian competitor Nodar Kumaritashvili, who died in a tragic crash when practicing for the luge event. In tribute, 60,000 people at the closing ceremony gave the Georgian team a standing ovation.

Within a few days, Canadians everywhere should calm down enough to view the Games and the gold medals with a more-customary modesty. Then they’ll yell less, simply smirk a little and think, “Not bad, eh?”

Not bad at all.


Sidney Crosby scores to give Canadians what they
most want -- the gold medal in men's ice-hockey.



Photos courtesy of the International Olympic Committee (www.olympic.org)

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