Standing in front of the 2,600-year-old Temple of Hera, an actress dressed as an ancient priestess used a concave mirror to light a silver torch with the sun’s rays Thursday.

Hundreds of tourists visiting the site where the Ancient Olympics were held from 776 B.C. to 393 A.D. stood in the intense heat to witness the ceremony.

The actual lighting ceremony, to be attended by International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, will take place Friday. If clouds disrupt the lighting of the torch, Thursday’s flame will serve as backup.

The Youth Olympics will be held from Aug. 16-26.

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Standing in front of the 2,600-year-old Temple of Hera, an actress dressed as an ancient priestess used a concave mirror to light a silver torch with the sun’s rays Thursday.

Hundreds of tourists visiting the site where the Ancient Olympics were held from 776 B.C. to 393 A.D. stood in the intense heat to witness the ceremony.

The actual lighting ceremony, to be attended by International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, will take place Friday. If clouds disrupt the lighting of the torch, Thursday’s flame will serve as backup.

The Youth Olympics will be held from Aug. 16-26.

1. Youth flame dress rehearsal goes smoothly
2. FIFA dress code bars Iran girls from Youth Games
3. IOC says many nations chasing Youth Olympics (PA SportsTicker)

VANCOUVER '€” On 10 occasions over the years, John Furlong has given a speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade.

As regular as clockwork every fall, the main face of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics took the stage to talk about the progress in bringing the Games to Canada. He would talk about the financial struggles, the need for volunteers, the sport challenges and even the Vancouver Games in context to other Olympics.

Every time he brought his special brand of infectious enthusiasm that at times bordered on blatant boosterism.

But on Friday, in an emotional speech that earned him a sustained standing ovation from a packed room of about 1,000 people, Furlong gave a last address in which he concluded Canada had indeed been fundamentally altered by the Games.

"I would like to think as we wrap this up that we have done our best and we have changed our country and we have changed the lives of people and that the next generation will have something that perhaps the last didn't have," he said.

"That the Canada of tomorrow will be that vibrant, strong, enthusiastic, we-can-take-on-anybody Canada that we all wanted when we went into this."

It was, as some in the audience said later, classic John Furlong. Full of hope and enthusiasm from a heart brimming with pride for his adopted Canada, he spoke from a podium draped with a crisp Canadian flag, flanked by three Mounties in red serge uniforms and a uniformed Vancouver police officer.

Yet Furlong chose to start his address in a more sombre way, reflecting on the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili the very day the Games opened on Feb. 12.

Still deeply struck by Kumaritashvili's death, Furlong said the accident knocked Vanoc's staff back hard just as they thought they had got past the worst challenges of organizing the Olympics.

"I will never forget that call because my immediate reaction was one of complete helplessness," he said. "I honestly did not know what to do. It was not something I had ever before confronted and I felt like my own son had been in an accident. I closed my door and had every emotion you could possibly have. I was praying the call would come back that he had survived and that as bad as it was we would get over this and we would move on."

Vanoc had never remotely considered the possibility of the death of an athlete, he said.

"All I knew was that I was the leader of a great bunch of men and women, people who had pulled together, stuck together for all these years, and I believed in my heart that somehow we would find a way to get through this, overcome this."

It was a day, he said, "when our humanity needed to be our primary compass."

Furlong's speech capped a luncheon in which Premier Gordon Campbell lavished praise on the CEO, saying it was clear that Canada's Games could not have accomplished as much under the direction of another person.

"Thank goodness we had John Furlong to lead that charge for over 10 years," he said, noting that Furlong had travelled more than 1.2 million miles around the world as he organized first the bid and then the Games. "On behalf of all of us, John, congratulations on collecting all of those frequent flyer miles," he joked.

This was, in essence, Furlong's public swan song. He remains the head of a swiftly diminishing corps of employees at Vanoc, which will wind up most of its business by June.

That's when it will deliver a complex agenda of lessons learned to the organizers of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

Furlong said his team stopped wondering if people outside Vancouver would accept that these were Canada's Games the day the Olympic torch landed in Old Crow, Yukon.

"People had come from across the ice and from all over the north to be in Old Crow for that little flame, and we knew that Canadians had accepted the invitation to be part of this," he said.

At times, he said, the progress of the organization was painful to watch. Financial pressures and logistical challenges beset Vanoc. The deaths of Leo Obstbaum, Vanoc's design director, and Jack Poole, chairman of Vanoc's board of directors, felt like body blows.

"The biggest lesson was we had a vision and we never quit on it, never," Furlong said.

He offered one last video memory of the Games, a long vignette of the highs and some of the lows, from construction to competition and from torch on to torch off. It earned him another ovation.

Furlong said later he has not yet figured out what he will now do. He admits he's had lots of job offers "but I am not considering any."

He hinted he will write a book about his experiences.

But with the Olympics and Paralympics barely a month distant now, it's too early to decide anything.

"I'm too tired and don't really want to do anything too suddenly. I'm going to try to catch my breath and I am still waking up too early," he said. "It's not waking up in the morning in a cold sweat kind of feeling when you're running a project like this. It feels good. I am looking forward to the next stage of my life."

The Vancouver Sun

jefflee@vancouversun.com

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The love story between Shira and Jeff Standfield began on the water.

The two former Paralympians, and elite adaptive rowers, first met while training for the 2006 World Rowing Championships in the U.K. and married in September.

So it was only fitting the athletic pair were together Friday afternoon as they carried the 2010 Winter Paralympic flame across Burrard Inlet to Vanier Park in an adaptive rowboat built for two.

'€œIt was amazing,'€ said Shira as she took in the excitement of the men, women and children '€” some draped in Canadian flags '€” who gathered to watch the torch come ashore.

'€œThat was the greatest thrill,'€ she said. '€œAll these people on the beach, smiling for us and taking pictures. I just felt really connected to them.'€

'€œI just felt them cheering for the Paralympics,'€ said Jeff.

The Standfields were among the 300-plus torchbearers who carried the flame through the city on its 24-hour relay in advance of Friday night'€™s opening ceremony at BC Place.

For many it was an emotional day.

Andrea Holmes was brought to tears earlier Friday after introducing torchbearer and top Canadian wheelchair athlete Chantal Petitclerc to a modest crowd at Robson Square.

'€œShe is such an amazing hero and role model to me,'€ Holmes said.

Petitclerc, who was paralysed in an accident when she was 13 years old, is this country'€™s most decorated wheelchair athlete.

Her accomplishments are widely recognized for bringing international attention to athletes with disabilities.

Holmes, a below-the-knee amputee, is herself a former Paralympian. She competed in long jump in Athens in 2004, where she ranked in the top 10.

After heading across the water, the flame was taken on-board a Sea King helicopter by Master Corp. Brett Rickard. Rickard lost his left leg in a military accident in 1988 and is now the longest-serving amputee with the Canadian Forces.

Pilot Daniel Baouya with 443 Squadron in Patricia Bay was proud of the military involvement in the Games.

'€œIt'€™s nice to be part of such a big, important event,'€ he said.

Baouya said the symbol of the Paralympics is particularly important to soldiers, many of whom have lost their lives and limbs while serving in Afghanistan.

'€œThe Paralympic Games brings out that kind of spirit in us to still strive for excellence and try and do our best, no matter the situation,'€ he said.

Crowd sizes were noticeably smaller during the Paralympic torch relay compared to the unprecedented levels of public enthusiasm displayed during the Olympics last month.

Many blamed the timing of the event '€” which opened two weeks after the 2010 Winter Games concluded.

Liz Kalt of Coquitlam said, while it was nice to have a couple of days off after the excitement of the Olympics, the Paralympics began too late to tap in on the city'€™s momentum.

'€œI think they should either hold it together [with the Olympics] or right after,'€ she said.

dahansen@vancouversun.com

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VANCOUVER -- Olympic gold-medal goaltender Roberto Luongo lit a Paralympic cauldron in front of a cheering crowd of hundreds at Robson Square on Thursday evening.

The Vancouver Canucks captain made his through the flag-waving masses carrying a Paralympic torch as the crowd called, "Looooooou, Loooooou, Looooou."

Once on stage, Luongo was asked by Paralympian Andrea Holmes how it felt to win Olympic gold.

"It's something I will remember for the rest of my life," Luongo said. "The support of the whole city and the whole country was unbelievable."

Luongo fan Nitesh Verma, 22, who was wearing a No.1 Luongo jersey, waited at Robson Square for three hours to watch his hero carry the torch.

Verma said the gold medal game was one of the best hockey games he had ever seen.

"It was a storybook ending -- the hometown goalie wins gold. He played really well," Verma said.

Luongo's advice to the Paralympic athletes is just to enjoy themselves, despite the pressure.

"That's what I did, " Luongo said.

Luongo was joined on stage by B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson, Heritage Canada's Stephen Wallace and B.C.'s Minister of State for the Olympics Mary McNeil.

"We have an opportunity to cheer on some exceptional Paralympic athletes, who will amaze you," Campbell told the crowd, who he lead in a chant of "Go Canada Go."

"Some of these stories are pretty phenomenal, and their performances are incredible," Campbell said during the celebrations earlier Thursday. "When you see that most of the events are sold out, that shows that people are ready to celebrate again."

Robertson encouraged Vancouverites to cheer on all of the athletes.

"We've got 10 fantastic days ahead. Let's have the time of our lives," Robertson said.

The 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympic Games will be the first Winter Paralympic Games to be held in Canada.

"I'm more excited for the Paralympics than I was for the Olympics," said spectator Louisa Peters, a Vancouver resident. "I'm hoping it'll actually put disabled athletes and issues in the forefront because they're just as important as regular athletes."

Thursday afternoon Vanoc CEO John Furlong was on hand for the festivities, along with city councillors Raymond Louie, Suzanne Anton, Heather Deal and Andrea Reimer.

"It's a great reflection of our city that we have so many people out," said Furlong. "People are lining up for tickets all over town, and Whistler is just jammed with people too. I'm very proud of what the people of the city have done. I think everyone's in for a real surprise."

Earlier in the day, 22 people carried the torch along a 1.1-kilometre route at the University of B.C. They included Jennifer Krempien, a five-time Paralympian in wheelchair basketball, and Bonita Sawatsky, an associate professor at UBC whose research focuses on the biomechanics of human movement.

Performers on campus included Ache Brasil Capoeira, the UBC Acapella Club and the UBC Dance Team.

A 24-hour torch relay began at 2 p.m. In all, more than 300 torchbearers will carry the flame during the relay, which travels predominantly around a two-kilometre circuit in downtown Vancouver.

Around 11:30 a.m. today , the torch will continue on a "linear relay" into the Burrard Inlet, on an adaptive rowboat, a Sea King helicopter and several Canadian naval vessels before heading back to land at 1:45 p.m.

The torch will eventually end up at BC Place for the opening ceremony, which begins at 6 p.m.

Several streets, including sections of Georgia, Granville, Hamilton, Robson and Smithe streets, remain closed to vehicle access today to allow for pedestrian traffic and entertainment.

The Ziptrek zip line at Robson Square opens at 10 a.m. today. It will continue operating throughout the Paralympics, which end March 21.

awoo@vancouversun.com

tsherlock@vancouversun.com

1. Robson Square celebration for Paralympics spills on to the street

METRO VANCOUVER - About 300 people filled Robson Square, spilling out on to the street, for Paralympic kick-off celebrations Thursday afternoon.

"It's a great reflection of our city that we have so many people out," said Vanoc CEO John Furlong, who was on hand with Mayor Gregor Robertson, Premier Gordon Campbell and several Vancouver city councillors.

The crowd cheered and waved small Canadian flags as a celebration cauldron was lit.

"I'm more excited for the Paralympics than I was for the Olympics," said attendee Louisa Peters. "I'm hoping it'll actually put disabled athletes and issues on the forefront because they're just as important as regular athletes."

The 24-hour Paralympic Torch relay kicked off at 2 p.m. today. In all, more than 300 torchbearers carry the flame throughout the downtown core.

Stage celebrations at Robson Square will take place throughout the day.

Highlights include Canucks captain Roberto Luongo lighting a celebration cauldron at 6:05 p.m. and former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan carrying the torch at 8:26 p.m.

Toward the end of the 24-hour relay Friday, the torch will continue on a "linear relay" into the Burrard Inlet, on an adaptive row boat, a Sea King helicopter and several Canadian naval vessels before heading back on land at 1:45 p.m.

The opening ceremony begins at 6 p.m. on Friday.

The Vancouver Sun

awoo@vancouversun.com

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METRO VANCOUVER - About 300 people filled Robson Square, spilling out on to the street, for Paralympic kick-off celebrations Thursday afternoon.

"It's a great reflection of our city that we have so many people out," said Vanoc CEO John Furlong, who was on hand with Mayor Gregor Robertson, Premier Gordon Campbell and several Vancouver city councillors.

The crowd cheered and waved small Canadian flags as a celebration cauldron was lit.

"I'm more excited for the Paralympics than I was for the Olympics," said attendee Louisa Peters. "I'm hoping it'll actually put disabled athletes and issues on the forefront because they're just as important as regular athletes."

The 24-hour Paralympic Torch relay kicked off at 2 p.m. today. In all, more than 300 torchbearers carry the flame throughout the downtown core.

Stage celebrations at Robson Square will take place throughout the day.

Highlights include Canucks captain Roberto Luongo lighting a celebration cauldron at 6:05 p.m. and former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan carrying the torch at 8:26 p.m.

Toward the end of the 24-hour relay Friday, the torch will continue on a "linear relay" into the Burrard Inlet, on an adaptive row boat, a Sea King helicopter and several Canadian naval vessels before heading back on land at 1:45 p.m.

The opening ceremony begins at 6 p.m. on Friday.

The Vancouver Sun

awoo@vancouversun.com

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METRO VANCOUVER '€” The 2010 Paralympic Winter Games torch relay arrived in Vancouver this morning at Riley Park Community Centre where it was greeted by 150 people.

The torch was escorted to the park by elders of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation from North Vancouver where the torch was lit earlier this morning.

Paralympic Games ambassador and former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan was among the political dignitaries who welcomed the torch relay.

"We are going to be so proud to show it off (during the Vancouver Paralympic Games)," Sullivan said.

Sullivan called Vancouver the most accessible city in the world.

"I think of the thousands of people who put so much effort into this," Sullivan said.

He recalled the moment when he accepted the Olympic Flag in Torino, adding that people were amazed that a disabled man was the mayor of a major city.

"We are a country that has done so much for inclusion and accessibility. I believe that Vancouver is the most accessible city in the world," Sullivan said.

After the torch leaves Riley Park, the relay will continue at the University of B.C., where 22 torchbearers will run a 1.1-kilometre route along campus pedestrian areas.

Looking ahead, Sullivan is excited about the possibilty the sledge hockey team could win gold for Canada.

"Remember that Canada won the men's god, the women's gold and we've got one more gold (to win) in sledge hockey," he said.

The Vancouver Sun

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Fans wanting to thank Roberto Luongo for his performance during the gold-medal Olympic hockey game will get their chance Thursday when the Canucks captain lights a celebration cauldron at Robson Square.

The cauldron lighting is part of a round of celebrations to kick off the Paralympic Winter Games, taking place March 12-21.

"The attention of the Paralympic movement, we've seen it across the country and it's outstanding," said Suzanne Reeves, director of torch relays communications for Vanoc. "We're in for another great party."

The flame arrives in Vancouver today and will be greeted with a celebration at Riley Park between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The free, fully accessible street party-style event will include face-painting, circus arts performers, children's crafts and a performance by local reggae group the Lazare Halk Band, filling Ontario Street between 30th and 33rd avenues.

Twenty-two torchbearers will run around Riley Park field in a 400-metre loop with two exchange points.

The relay continues Thursday at the University of B.C. from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., where 22 torchbearers will run a 1.1-kilometre route along campus pedestrian areas.

Performers include Ache Brasil Capoeira, UBC Acapella Club and the UBC Dance Team.

At 2 p.m., the torch will begin a 24-hour relay around Vancouver's downtown core while festivities continue along Robson Street, with several stage celebrations at Robson Square.

Highlights include Luongo lighting the celebration cauldron at 6:05 p.m. and former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan speaking at 8:26 p.m.

Toward the end of the 24-hour relay, the torch will continue on a "linear relay" into the Burrard Inlet, on an adaptive row boat, a Sea King helicopter and several Canadian naval vessels before heading back on land at 1:45 p.m.

The opening ceremony begins at 6 p.m. on Friday.

More than 500 athletes from more than 40 countries are expected to participate in the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, competing in sports including ice sledge hockey, wheelchair curling and alpine skiing, biathlon and cross-country skiing for the sitting, standing and visually impaired.

This will be the first time Canada has hosted a Paralympic torch relay. It will comprise more than 600 torchbearers in all, and a distinct aboriginal lighting ceremony will preface each celebration.

Paralympic torch relay gear was unveiled during a media conference at Vancouver City Hall on Tuesday.

The track suit is predominantly dark blue, with minimal green and white accents and "Vancouver 2010 Paralympic torch relay" written on the back.

It is also emblazoned with the Paralympic symbol, composed of three asymmetrical crescents called Agitos.

The Agitos also replace the Olympic rings on the back of the Paralympic red mittens.

The Paralympic torch shares the same sleek Bombardier design as the Olympic torch but is slate blue instead of white.

awoo@vancouversun.com

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WHISTLER '€” For Kirsten Sharp, the Paralympic torch relay is all about changing attitudes.

The 33-year-old Sharp, a paraplegic who broke her back while skiing at Whistler at age 14, was one of the torchbearers as the flame arrived in Whistler on Monday afternoon.

Although she'€™s not a Paralympian, Sharp canoes, rows and swims.

'€œI compete in a lot of sports, but not as a Paralympian,'€ she said in an interview. '€œI sit-ski, but it'€™s not my favourite.

'€œThis is exciting and important. I'€™ve noticed a huge change in people'€™s perceptions and how accepting they are. And the biggest thing I'€™ve had to overcome is other people'€™s perceptions.

'€œThere is nothing disabling about a disability. You just have to have the determination to do it.'€

Sharp, who was also on hand Sunday when three friends carried the torch through Squamish, was one of 50 torchbearers who were cheered by hundreds as they wove through Whistler Village and up the mountain.

The festivities at Whistler, the site of most of the Paralympic events when the Games get underway Friday, began Monday morning at the Squamish Lil'€™wat Cultural Centre where a flame was lit before torchbearers carried it to the Wizard chairlift, up Blackcomb Mountain, across the Peak to Peak Gondola and down Whistler Mountain and through the village, where a cauldron was lit by community torchbearer Matt Hallat, a member of the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski team who has competed in many previous Games.

Hallat, who lost his leg as a child after being diagnosed with cancer, said lighting the cauldron was '€œpretty outstanding. It'€™s one of the highlights of my life.'€

'€œWe start training runs Wednesday. Me and my team are ready to go.'€

Hallat also gives his time and energy to the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program.

Alphonse Wallace, a member of the Lil'€™wat Nation, was the first torchbearer in Whistler. '€œI look at this as an honour by representing my community,'€ he said. '€œThis torch is representative of friendship.'€

Wallace'€™s cousin, 15-year-old Mason Wallace, took the torch from Alphonse.

'€œI'€™m proud, I'€™m very happy,'€ said the younger Wallace, who has spina bifida. '€œI like hockey and I'€™d like to participate. I do sit-skiing.'€

Torchbearer Chelsey Walker is the executive director of Whistler Adaptive Sports Program.

'€œThis creates awareness that Whistler is a great place to come for everybody, including those with a disability,'€ Walker said. '€œFifteen per cent of the Canadian population lives with a disability. But only three per cent with physical disabilities participate in organized sport, versus 31 per cent in the general population. That'€™s where the Paralympics are a huge catalyst for change.'€

Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed, another torchbearer, said 62 of the 64 Paralympic medals will be awarded in Whistler. '€œWe think being affiliated with the Paralympic movement is an important way for Whistler to mature as a community.'€

Torchbearer Patrick Anderson, 30, of Vancouver, won gold in wheelchair basketball at several Paralympic Games, including Beijing, Sydney and Athens.

'€œI hope more Canadian people with disabilities will be inspired to lead an active lifestyle,'€ said Anderson.

After the cauldron was lit in the late afternoon, a crowd of several hundred was treated to the music of Vancouver-based band Delhi 2 Dublin.

bmorton@vancouversun.com

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