2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony (AP)
The 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremony was filled with music, sight and a lot of emotions. While Canada had put together an amazing show, the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili just hours before the ceremony hung over the event.
The flags were lowered to half-staff and the 21-year-old slider's grief-stricken teammates took to the floor with black armbands (photos 5 & 6 below) and scarves.
Highlights of the three-hour show included Canadian superstars Nelly Furtado and Bryan Adams performing together. Singer Sarah McLachlan and fiddler Ashley MacIsaac also performed. But it was K.D. Lang’s sublime rendition of Hallelujah (picture 9 below) that brought the audience of 60,000 to complete silence.
The ceremonies ended with the event’s only glitch as one of the four crystal pillars malfunctioned and didn’t rise from the floor. This left leaving speed-skater Catriona LeMay Doan unable to join in the lighting with skier Nancy Greene, hockey super star Wayne Gretzky and basketball All-Star Steve Nash. LeMay Doan simply saluted the approving crowd with her torch and with Gretzky’s lighting the cauldron to 2010 Winter Olympic Games officially began.
Other Olympic articles ~
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Nodar Kumaritashvili crash video of death at the Winter Olympics
Luge crash kills Nodar Kumaritashvili at Winter Olympics - photos
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Winter Olympics TV schedule and events links
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