KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia ' After the stress of seven years of intense planning, a financial meltdown, problematic weather, a gruelling cross-country torch relay, an athlete's death on opening day and the euphoria of a final-day gold-medal hockey win, the staff and volunteers of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics were emotionally drained.
LONDON (AP)—Olympic organizers are inviting the British public to register interest in buying tickets for the 2012 London Games.
London organizers announced plans Monday for the 10 million tickets on offer for the Olympics and Paralympics.
More tickets will go on sale than originally planned—8 million for the Olympics, compared to 7.7 million, and 2 million for the Paralympics, up from 1.5 million.
WHISTLER ' The 2010 Paralympics, breaking new records in attendance and visibility around the world, closed out in a flash of colour and patriotism Sunday night as athletes from around the world gathered under a basketball court-sized Canadian flag and wished the Games goodbye.
WHISTLER ' An exhausted John Furlong said Sunday he is happy the arduous road to the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and Paralympics is virtually over.
Looking wan and tired, and occasionally downcast, Furlong told reporters at a closing press conference his energetic "blue jackets" ' the volunteer backbone of two remarkable Games ' may wish for another week of fun, but he certainly doesn't.
WHISTLER An exhausted John Furlong said Sunday he is happy the arduous road to the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and Paralympics is virtually over.
Looking wan and tired, and occasionally downcast, Furlong told reporters at a closing press conference his energetic "blue jackets" the volunteer backbone of two remarkable Games may wish for another week of fun, but he certainly doesn't.
* Keeping balanced budget will use IOC funding
* Paralympics end, praised as success
By Allan Dowd
VANCOUVER, March 21 (Reuters) - Organisers of the Vancouver Winter Olympics and Paralympics, which ended on Sunday, are confident of avoiding a budget deficit when the final bills are paid.
“We think we’re sitting in a pretty good spot and will have a balanced budget when we’re done,” Dave Cobb, executive vice president of the Vancouver Organizing Committee, said before the Paralympics closing ceremony in Whistler.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP)—A Swedish curler at the Paralympics has been banned for two years after failing a doping test.
Wheelchair curling fourth Glenn Ikonen says he didn’t know the blood pressure medication he was taking was on the banned list.
Ikonen, who was to throw the rocks in Friday’s match against Italy, told a news conference he was disappointed his doctor gave him medication that was on the banned list.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP)—The United States sledge hockey team has struck gold with a 2-0 victory over Japan at the Vancouver Paralympics.
The U.S. didn’t give up a single goal in the tournament and jumped on Japan 4 minutes into Saturday’s gold medal game when Alexi Salamone scored on the power play.
Japan was awarded a penalty shot in the second period, but American netminder Steve Cash made a shoulder save to preserve the 1-0 lead.
WHISTLER, B.C. ' Ten years ago, Tyler Mosher was snowboarding with friends on Blackcomb Mountain when he hit a snow drift that disguised a 10-metre hole into a glacier.
At that moment, both he and his life turned upside down. One minute, he was sailing on top of the world; the next, he'd crashed to the bottom of it. He relives the accident to this day, moment by moment. He was flipped upside down, looking 10 metres into an abyss. As he hit the ground, he felt his back exploding.
The doctor and nurse who treated him at the Whistler, B.C., medical centre were crying. He couldn't figure out why until he was told soon after that he'd been paralyzed from the waist down, and that he wasn't likely to walk again.
VANCOUVER ' Canada kicked off another giant party Friday for the world's best athletes, hoping to reignite the sense of pride that stormed the country during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
But this party, started years before with a plan for this country to host its first Paralympic Games, isn't just about waving the Canadian flag or seeing if the country's athletes can top the podium more frequently than those of 43 other participating nations.
