The existing fence around the Vancouver 2010 Olympic cauldron was moved overnight about 25 metres closer to the cauldron that sits on a downtown waterfront plaza, allowing the public to get a closer look. A senior Vancouver 2010 official said an observation point on top of a nearby empty building will open to the public, reports The Star. The official said crowd control procedures had to be worked out before they could allow people up the stairs and onto the deck for the bird’s eye view of the flame. Vancouver 2010 organizers now admit they underestimated the number of people trying to view the flame. Thousands of people were “herded like cattle” past the flame by an Olympic volunteer perched on a lifeguard’s chair and armed with a bullhorn, reports The Star.
Vancouver Police have arrested two people in connection with protests that included an anti-Olympic rampage through downtown Vancouver Saturday, reports the CBC. A small group of people wearing masks and hoodies smashed windows in the Hudson Bay Company store, a sponsor of the Vancouver 2010 Games, and spray-painted cars along a main street. Eleven people have been arrested in connection to a series of Olympic protests which started Friday They are charged with disturbing the peace, assault, assault of a police officer, and mischief. An unsigned letter distributed to news media Tuesday from the “Black Bloc” anarchists suggested there would be more protests targeting Olympic sponsors.
Several people were reportedly injured late Tuesday when a surge of people caused a barricade to collapse during a free concert at Vancouver’s David Lam Park. The City of Vancouver released a statement which said about 19 people were injured when the barricade collapsed, and nine were taken to hospital for further assessment. The concert was cancelled along with a planned fireworks display. The city said the entire barricade would be replaced and the site will reopen Wednesday.
Canada’s commissioner of official languages Graham Fraser is to launch an investigation “over the next few days” into complaints that not enough French was used at the Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremony. A spokesperson for Fraser, Robin Cantin said, “a notice of intent to investigate” will be sent this week to Olympic organizers and Canadian Heritage, which is responsible for policies and programs “that promote Canadian content…and strengthen connections among Canadians”. He said the investigation “quite possibly” won’t be complete until the Olympics are over, reports The Star. Cantin said the investigation would ask questions as to what happened, why it happened, and what corrective measures might be needed.
