Day 1Let the Games Begin
Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi declared the 2006 Torino Games open near the end of a two-and-a-half hour show that featured a spectacular display of lights, pyrotechnics and music. Minutes later, Italian Olympic legend Stefania Belmondo lit an arc of fireworks that wound its way to the Olympic cauldron. Belmondo, a former cross-country skier, won 10 medals over the course of five Winter Games.
Earlier, former Italian gymnast Yuri Chechi struck a bronze anvil several times with a hammer in a fiery start to the opening ceremony of the 20th Winter Olympics. With 35,000 spectators on hand in the renovated Stadio Comunale, and an estimated two billion more watching on television, hundreds of dancers in colourful costumes took the audience on a beautiful trip through Italian history. Italian supermodel and singer Carla Bruni led the traditional parade of nations, followed by athletes from 80 countries.
Canada entered the stadium 16th, following Bulgaria and before the Czech Republic, with flag-bearer Danielle Goyette of the women's hockey team leading the way. She was joined at the front of the Canadian pack by some of her teammates, including captain Cassie Campbell and assistant captains Hayley Wickenheiser and Vicky Sunohara. Many Canadian athletes gabbed on cellphones and snapped pictures as they took their seats in the athlete section. The Canadians wore white parkas with red trim, white puffy pants and sand-coloured sheepskin hats with fuzzy earflaps. The jackets included a large red maple leaf under the left arm and had "Canada" emblazoned just above the hemline.
Early in the show, rollerbladers in red body stockings hurtled down ramps onto a white stage, the backs of their helmets shooting out bursts of fire. In a homage to mountain life and livestock in the Alps, dancers wearing green sheaths pranced near brightly-painted fake cows pulled on rollers.
Near the end of the show, spectators ringing cowbells cheered as eight women carried in the Olympic flag, including actresses Susan Sarandon and Sophia Loren. Yoko Ono, wife of the late John Lennon, made a plea for peace. British musician Peter Gabriel followed and sang Lennon's Imagine. Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti closed the ceremonies with a stirring performance of Let No One Sleep.
Womens Hockey
Team Canada faces a complete unknown when it starts defending its women's hockey crown at the Torino Olympic Games.Canada begins play Saturday (CBC, 2:30 p.m. EST) against Italy, which ranks in the lowly B-bracket at the world championships.
"I've never seen them play," Canadian forward Hayley Wickenheiser admitted.
Italy is competing only because it's the host country, so is simply hoping not to be embarrassed by the powerhouse Canadians.
"I know it is going to be tough," Italian defenceman Rebecca Fiorese said. "They are as good as some Italian men's teams."
"Everyone is expecting (a blowout)," added Canadian captain Cassie Campbell. "But I think we have to go out and just play our game.
"Obviously, if things get out of hand ... then we'd have to take a look at that. There's a respect issue. We'll see what happens once the game gets going. But we have to play as if it's the gold-medal game."
Wickenheiser, for one, certainly expects Canada to play as hard as it can.
"We want to get our lines rolling and get our systems working," she said. "We cannot worry about who we are playing against."
"We cannot worry about the score," Canadian forward Jayna Hefford noted. "By no means, do we want to run it up or make anyone look bad but, at the same time, we have to make sure our team is working the way we need it to."
Most observers figure Canada will score in double digits. But Italy, which boasts only four club teams, is excited to play on the Olympic stage.
"We have few rinks, and no money for our teams," Fiorese said. "You (Canadians) have a very different reality in your country about ice hockey.
"I've talked to some Italians who've said that just having a women's team in the tournament and women actually playing hockey in this country is huge for the sport in Italy," Hefford pointed out. "It's a huge step forward for women's hockey in Italy."
Beyond Italy, Canada takes on Russia on Sunday (CBC, 10:30 a.m. EST). Canada is 10-0 overall versus the Russians, including a 7-0 win at the 2002 Salt Lake Games. Canada will play Sweden Tuesday to finish the preliminary round.
"We have four strong lines that can put the puck in the net and play defence as well, and we have the best goaltending tandem in the world," Campbell said. "I think we're stronger than 2002."
Womens's Freestyle Skiing
A confident Jennifer Heil will have plenty of motivation Saturday as she attempts to become Canada's first medal winner at the Torino Olympics. The 22-year-old freestyle skier, who missed the podium by one hundredth of a point four years ago in Salt Lake City, enters the women's moguls event (CBC, 1 p.m. EST) ranked No. 1 in the world. While moguls is notoriously unpredictable, Heil is considered as close to a medal lock as there is. But she will have to contend with rival Kari Traa of Norway. The pair battled in World Cup action a few weeks ago in Lake Placid, N.Y., with Traa – the defending Olympic gold medallist – earning 25.82 points for the win. Heil followed at 25.30.
"I'm really excited because I'm feeling really strong and skiing really fast," Heil said after earning her fifth medal in six World Cup events this season.
Also scheduled on Day 1 of the 20th Winter Olympics is women's hockey – Canada versus Italy – men's singles luge, pairs figure skating, men's 5,000-metre speed skating, men's 20-kilometre biathlon and nordic combined. Heil, one of Canada's best hopes for gold, will be shooting for her seventh medal of the season in Turin after racking up two victories and four second-place finishes in her first seven events. The Spruce Grove, Alta., native has been dominant since taking the 2002-03 season off to recover from chronic injuries. Heil made history in 2004 as Canada's first World Cup champion and repeated the feat in the 2004-05 campaign. On Saturday, the three-time Canadian champion also is expected to face stiff competition from Austria's Margarita Marbler and Nikola Sudova of the Czech Republic. Marbler was a bronze medallist at the 2005 world championships, while Sudova took silver in the same event. Michelle Roark of the United States is the dark horse but has yet to prove she can win away from home as both her victories this season have come on American soil. Stephanie St. Pierre, Kristi Richards and Audrey Robichaud are the other Canadian competitors. St. Pierre, who won silver at Lake Placid, appears to have fully recovered from a knee injury suffered two years ago and could contend for a medal. Richards, 24, finished second at a World Cup event in Oberstdorf, Germany, two months ago. Robichaud, 17, twice has finished sixth this season.
Other Canadians to watch on Saturday include pairs figure skaters Valerie Marcoux/Craig Bunton and Elizabeth Putnam/Sean Wirtz; Vancouver's Jeff Christie (men's luge); Calgary speed skater Arne Dankers (men's 5,000 metres); Ottawa's Robin Clegg (men's 20 km biathlon); and Jason Myslicki (nordic combined).
Later,
Kenaz
