The Olympics in Canada

As the tension before the official start of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics builds up, we look back at the Canadian history of hosting the Olympic Games. The "modern" version of the Games was introduced to the public in 1896 in Athens, Greece. Ever since then Canada has hosted the Olympics twice: 1976 in Montreal and 1988 in Calgary.

The 1976 Olympic Games were memorable in a way that the events were for the first time open to women. Women debuted in sports such as basketball, rowing and team handball. Hockey was played on an artificial pitch and boxer Clarence Hill earned Bermuda a bronze medal, making it the least populous nation ever to win at the Summer Games. Although Canada did not win any gold medals, they won five silver and six bronze medals.

The second time Canada hosted the Olympics was in Calgary and the Games were extended to sixteen days, including three weekends. Curling appeared on the programme as a demonstration sport. The Canadian athletes earned two silver and three bronze medals, but once again, no gold medals even with a home ground advantage.

The Vancouver Winter Olympics begin on February 12, 2010 and the anticipation of athletes, organizers and spectators is immense as the Games are a world-wide event bringing nations together and displaying the most talented athletes from around the world. We are now left to ponder whether Canada will finally walk away with a gold medal won for the first time on home turf.

-By Lenka Hudakova