The opening ceremony of the
2010 Winter Paralympics
The 2010 Winter Paralympics (), or the tenth Paralympic Winter Games, were held in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, from March 12 to 21, 2010. The opening ceremony took place in BC Place Stadium in Vancouver and the Closing ...
, or the X Paralympic Games were held on March 12, 2010 beginning at 6:00 pm
PST (02:00
UTC
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...
, March 13) at the
BC Place Stadium
BC Place is a multi-purpose stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Located at the north side of False Creek, it is owned and operated by the BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), a Crown corporation of the province.
The venue is currently t ...
in
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. The opening ceremony's theme was "One Inspires Many", and featured over 5000 local performers. The 2 hour long ceremony was produced by Vancouver-based Patrick Roberge Productions Inc
The event was officially opened by
Governor General
Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
Michaëlle Jean
Michaëlle Jean (; born September 6, 1957) is a Canadian former journalist who served as the 27th governor general of Canada from 2005 to 2010. She is the first Haitian Canadian and black person to hold this office.
Jean was the Organisation i ...
,
representative of
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
,
Queen of Canada
The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is one of the key components of Canadian sovereignty and sits at the core of Canada's constitutional federal structure and Wes ...
.
Programme
National anthem
Canada's national
anthem
An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...
, "
O Canada
"O Canada" () is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the music, after which French- ...
", was performed by singer
Terry Kelly, a blind former Paralympian. Mari Klassen signed the anthem in
American Sign Language
American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that i ...
(ASL). Hundreds of children stood in the shape of a maple leaf in a formation.
Parade of the Nations
The participating countries entered in alphabetical order of their country names in English, except for host nation,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, entering last.
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
has the greatest number of athletes with 55.
Artistic section
*
Luca Patuelli
*
Dal Richards
Dallas Murray Richards, CM, OBC (5 January 1918 – 31 December 2015) was a Canadian big band leader.
Richards and his band performed in the Lower Mainland, at PNE bandstand and the annual New Year celebration at the Bayshore Hotel. The band ...
and his orchestra, and
Michael Kaeshammer
Michael Kaeshammer (born 7 January 1977) is a Canadian jazz and boogie-woogie pianist.
Early life and education
Kaeshammer grew up in Offenburg, Germany, where he studied classical piano for seven years. At age thirteen, he became interested i ...
Joined by trumpet player
Bria Skonberg
Bria Skonberg (born 1983) is a Canadian jazz trumpeter and vocalist.
Early life
Skonberg was born in Chilliwack, British Columbia in 1983; her great-grandparents on her father's side came from Sweden. She took piano lessons in elementary school ...
and saxophonist Evan Arntzen.
*
Martin Deschamps
Martin Deschamps (born 23 June 1970) is a Canadians, Canadian rock music, rock singer from Quebec. He records and performs both as a solo artist and as the lead vocalist for the reunited Offenbach (band), Offenbach.
Young age
Deschamps was bo ...
*
Fefe Dobson
Felicia Lily Dobson (born February 28, 1985) is a Canadian singer. Born in Toronto, Ontario, she began performing as a teenager, during which time she received and refused an offer from Jive Records for a recording contract. Dobson signed with I ...
performed the songs "I Want You" and "Watch Me Move".
Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham,
Nikki Yanofsky
Nicole Rachel "Nikki" Yanofsky (born February 8, 1994) is a Canadian jazz-pop singer from Montreal, Quebec. She sang the CTV Olympic broadcast theme song, "I Believe (Nikki Yanofsky song), I Believe", which was also the theme song of the 2010 ...
and others performed.
Entry of the Paralympic Flag
The
flag
A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...
was carried into the stadium. It was then transferred to members of the
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...
' Soldier On program: Sgt. Karen McCoy, and Master Cpl. Mike Trauner, who then raised the flag.
[
]
Paralympic Oaths
Canadian ice sledge hockey
Sledge hockey, also known as Sled hockey in American English, and Para ice hockey in international competition, is an adaptation of ice hockey for players who have a physical disability. The sport was invented in the early 1960s at a rehabilitat ...
player Herve Lord took the athlete's oath as a representative of each of the participating Paralympic competitors.[Paralympic Games kick off in Vancouver]
, National Post, March 12, 2010 Canadian curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide #Curling stone, stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area that is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take t ...
official Linda Kirton took the official's oath on behalf of each officiating Paralympic referee or other official.
Lighting of the Cauldron
The final torch bearer was 15-year-old snowboarder Zach Beaumont, who is an amputee.
Dignitaries and other officials in attendance
* Michaëlle Jean
Michaëlle Jean (; born September 6, 1957) is a Canadian former journalist who served as the 27th governor general of Canada from 2005 to 2010. She is the first Haitian Canadian and black person to hold this office.
Jean was the Organisation i ...
, Governor General of Canada
The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...
* Jean-Daniel Lafond
Jean-Daniel Lafond (born August 18, 1944) is a French-Canadian filmmaker, teacher of philosophy, and the husband to the former Governor General Michaëlle Jean, making him the viceregal consort of Canada during her service.
Biography
Lafond w ...
, Viceregal consort of Canada
The viceregal consort of Canada is the spouse of the serving governor general of Canada, assisting the viceroy with ceremonial and charitable work, accompanying him or her to official state occasions, and occasionally undertaking philanthropic wo ...
* Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...
, Prime Minister of Canada
The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...
* Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia
The premier of British Columbia is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s, the title ''prime minister of British Columbia'' was often used. The word ''premier'' is derived ...
, and his wife Nancy Campbell
* Sam Sullivan
Sam C. Sullivan (born November 13, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the MLA for Vancouver-False Creek. Previously, he served as the Minister of Communities, Sport, and Cultural Development with responsibility for Translink in the ...
, Canada's Paralympic Ambassador, former Mayor of Vancouver
* Sir Philip Craven
Sir Philip Lee Craven (born 4 July 1950) is an English sports administrator, former Paralympic
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. T ...
, President of the International Paralympic Committee
* Jacques Rogge
Jacques Jean Marie, Count Rogge (, ; 2 May 1942 – 29 August 2021) was a Belgian sports administrator, former athlete, and physician, who served as the eighth president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 2001 to 2013. In 201 ...
, President of the International Olympic Committee
Media coverage
Live broadcast:
*: CTV Vancouver
*: SBS
*: TVE
*: France 2
France 2 () is a French free-to-air public television channel. The flagship channel of France Télévisions, it broadcasts generalist programming including news, entertainment (such as dramas, films, and game shows), factual programmes, and sp ...
*: Sky Sport Sky Sport or Sky Sports may refer to:
*Sky Group
**Sky Sports, a group of sports television channels available in the UK and Ireland
** Sky Sport (Germany), a group of sports television channels available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, formerl ...
*: SVT
The ceremony was aired live o
ParalympicSport.TV
and approximately two hours after it ended, it became available as Video on Demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...
(VOD).[
Delayed coverage:
*: RTR
*: ]NRK
The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company.
The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...
*: NTU
*: CTV (full coverage)
*: NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
*: ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
Originally, the host nation's TV broadcaster, CTV, did not plan to air the opening ceremony live. After receiving criticism on the decision, CTV changed its mind and decided to air the ceremony live in Vancouver region. But regions outside of Vancouver continued to air the ceremony tape delayed.
See also
* 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony
References
External links
Official Website of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games
Paralympic Sport TV, web-TV channel of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)
{{DEFAULTSORT:2010 Winter Paralympics Opening Ceremony
Ceremony Opening
Paralympics opening ceremonies
Ceremonies in Canada