Olympian Adam van Koeverden talks to Sportsnet.ca from the floor of the Opening Ceremony in Beijing:
“What an absolutely incredibly amazing, awesome experience. There is no string of adjectives which can possibly do justice in describing just how special the opening ceremony was.”
“All the diversity, beauty, community and enthusiasm of the Olympic movement all packed into one place and time. I waved the Maple Leaf as high and hard as I could all the way around the Olympic Bird’s Nest Stadium; every time our red and white horde passed a group of Canadian fans waving a flag of their own, a rush of familiarity reminded us all that millions of Canadians back home are watching and cheering us on every step of the way.”
“The diversity of the world Olympic stage is a thing of distinct beauty and wonder. The multicultural diversity of our own team and country, reflected by the broad racial spectrum of athletes representing Canada was a true thing of beauty for me. Members of our men’s field hockey team donned their red turbans as a sign of the personal significance of their Olympic experience, and athletes such as Jujie Luan who have competed for other countries and now call Canada home, proudly representing the Maple Leaf. Jujie even won China a gold medal in fencing in 1984 and is so well known by the Chinese that the Olympic volunteers leapt out of their queues for the chance to have a photo with her, many of the volunteers recognizing a woman who won before they were born. I myself am first-generation Canuck, born from Hungarian and Dutch immigrants.”
“The show was an amazing spectacle, I hope everyone back home caught it on TV and felt a patriotic chill up their spine at the first site of our red and white.”
“I’m still in awe and filled with gratitude, pride and honour to have been a small part of something so great.”