Olympic flame touches down

The Olympic flame has arrived in Canada and is now on a 106-day journey that will end next Feb. 12 when it arrives at B.C. Place Stadium to light the cauldron officially opening the XXI Olympic Winter Games.

In the interim, Canadians from coast to coast will have an opportunity to share in the spirit of the Olympics as flame’s torch bearers take it to the wide reaches of our vast nation.

The flame is much more than simply a symbol of a sporting event.

Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, it reflects the celebration of the ancient Olympics and the Games’ revival by Pierre de Courbetin in the late 19th century. It was 21 years ago when the Olympic flame last landed in B.C., and physically and emotionally touched locals forging lifelong memories.

That was of course during the lead-up to the 1988 Calgary Winter Games, which many still regard as one of the most successful Olympics, leaving numerous lasting legacies.

Now, a new generation of British Columbians will get to experience all that the Olympics represents when the uniquely Canadian-designed torch winds its way through various communities across our country and our province, including the Okanagan.

It will be another generation before the Olympics again returns to our fair nation, spreading the love and spirit led by this simple flame.

For some opposed to the expenditure behind staging an Olympics, that will be a generation too soon, but for those two weeks when the Olympics take place, all that will be forgotten.

The time to protest is past, like it or not the Olympics are coming so enjoy the ride while it lasts. If Calgary was any indication, it could be a memorable event for the right reasons.

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