Sports

VANCOUVER — When Jacques Rogge made his first visit to Canada as president of the International Olympic Committee, he encountered a nation in mourning.
He arrived during the National Hockey League lockout in 2004 and everywhere he went, all he heard about was the lack of hockey.
“I discovered your passion for hockey when I first came here,” Rogge said in an interview.

VANCOUVER — In every stroke of her blade against the ice and every graceful turn of her hand, Joannie Rochette’s mother was there in her thoughts, exactly where she always had been.
And when she turned her final spin, and her body was completely spent, she raised her arms to the rafters. They’d accomplished their goal together.

VANCOUVER — Hockey Canada apologized Thursday for an impromptu party the Olympic women’s hockey team threw for itself on the Canada Hockey Place ice after winning the gold medal.
Canadian players, still wearing their uniforms and with gold medals draped around their necks, celebrated their victory by drinking champagne and beer at centre ice following a 2-0 win over the United States.

VANCOUVER — Imagine running the 1,500 metres — with a smile on your face.
Amid the grace and glamour and glitzy outfits of figure skating, the pure lung-busting, quad-burning athleticism of the sport often gets overlooked.

VANCOUVER — Two years after piped-in vocals from a seven-year-old songbird touched off a controversy at the Beijing Games, Vancouver Olympic organizers are hoping to avoid a similar scandal by being clear about plans for the 2010 opening ceremonies.

VANCOUVER — Since checking into the athletes village, Patrick Chan said he hasn’t picked up a newspaper or turned on a television set, so he was completely oblivious to rumours of a judging controversy swirling around the Olympics.