'BoniBlog – Joy Turns To Sadness

Joy Turns To Sadness … Now Show Must Go On
The sun actually tried to break through the clouds yesterday morning and my trek into the Media Press Centre showed a great deal of Canadian patriotism and sheer joy. Cars were streaming past sporting Canadian flags; kids were in strollers waving miniature flags. Television coverage showed the final phases of the Torch Relay, smiling faces everywhere.
And then tragedy struck. Georgian luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili died after a horrific accident during the final training session at the Whistler Sliding Centre.
The 1:30 Media Conference at the MPC with IOC president Jacques Rogge and VANOC CEO John Furlong was supposed to be a feel-good affair, touching on the final phases leading to the Opening Ceremony.
Instead, it was a sombre, brief affair that lasted seven minutes – with the focus being exactly where it should have been … on a young athlete whose Olympic dream became the worst possible nightmare for him, his family, his teammates and his country.
It was clearly a difficult decision for the Georgian team whether to continue to compete at these Games and we continue to wait for the results of the investigation to provide details on why it happened and what could have been done to prevent it.
Last night at BC Place Stadium, the world focussed on Canada. I didn’t know Nodar Kumaritshvili but I had a heavy, heavy heart as I saw my country take centre stage. May he rest in peace and may the Vancouver Games carry on spirit, dignity and good, old Canadian pride, something Nodar Kumaritashvili hopefully learned during his brief time in our country.