Now that the flag bearer question has been taken care of, we are left to ponder one of the best kept secrets - who will be the last torchbearer and light the Olympic flame. I hope they are truly able to keep it a secret and someone doesn't lit it slip like in the case of Clara Hughes (note to VANOC and the COC...don't tell her coach anything!)
I have started a poll on the right on the screen. Please let us know who you think will have that honour by voting or posting comments. Click on their name for further information.
- Betty Fox: If you want tears and drama, Terry Fox's mother would be a good choice. Other pros for her to be given the honour: she is from the Lower Mainland, and she has tremendous online support. However, one can not overlook the fact that she is not Terry Fox himself and she is not an Olympian or even an athlete.
- Rick Hansen: Will the Man in Motion get the nod? My guess is that he is going to be involved in some way. He is an accomplished Olympian and terrific spokesperson who is more than up to the task of having the eyes of the world on him plus he is from BC. I would love to see him be the one to bring the torch into the stadium and but can't decide if he will be the one to actually light it.
- Trevor Linden: Captain Canuck only made the Poll as his name has been tossed around in the media as a contender. He is an Olympian, humanitarian and much loved Vancouverite but first and foremost he is seen as a professional hockey player. I don't think he will add 'Olympic Flame Ignitor' to the list as he is not readily recognizable outside of Vancouver.
- Wayne Gretzky: Is he still Canadian? I think they revoke your citizenship when you have lived in the Southern States for as long as he has. Nevertheless, he is probably the face of Canadian sport outside of this country and an Olympian. Rumours are fierce that the Great One will be "the One" and his choosing would be the equivalent of Mohammad Ali lighting the torch in Atlanta. However, I hope they are a little more creative in their selection.
- Cindy Klassen: It is not unheard of for a current Olympic athlete to light the flame - it was done at the Sydney Games. And, there is no doubt she is an accomplished athlete with six Olympic medals to her credit. However, she has already been bestowed with the honour of Flag Bearer at the Closing Ceremonies in Turin so I think she won't make the short list. If it was going to be a current athlete it should be Clara Hughes but they have already given her another honour.
- Nancy Greene: As a member of the bid committee, a Senator and the Canadian Olympic Ambassador I think she is considered too much of an insider to make the short list. She is well loved though and her Olympic alpine accomplishments are still unmatched in Canada.
- Barbara Ann Scott: This is another Canadian living in the United States for so long I think she probably says "y'all" and no longer remembers what Smarties are. Calgary would have been her chance to light the flame if she was going to have one so I think this Sweetheart will be skipped over this time around.
- Gatean Boucher: This is Clara Hughes' pick, but she is a fellow speed skater so she may be biased. However, he was instrumental in establishing Canada as a competitive Speed Skating county and has four Olympic medals in his trophy case, 2 of them gold. Unfortunately, outside of Quebec he has has generally been forgotten about so I don't think he would have the 'wow' factor to be considered as the last torch bearer.
- Sale & Pellitier: These gold medalists are my personal addition to the list and I have barely seen them mentioned anywhere as contenders. This would be an ingenius pick, giving them a chance to feel the Olympic glory they were robbed of in Salt Lake; a way to help right a wrong and a strong symbol of fair play. In addtion, they seem to be flying under the radar at the moment. However, VANOC may not be brave enough to assign the task to them as it may open a lot of old Olympic sized wounds that some powerful people would just like to forget.
- A Child: This may seem like an odd choice but that is the one the organizers of the Calgary Olympics made. Will history repeat itself? Not likely unless they are trying to establish some strange Canadian 'tradition'.
