The most reliable and unfiltered point of view on the Vancouver Games is streaming 24/7 across computers, around the world. I have been consistently amazed by the breadth and accuracy of Olympic reports circulating on Twitter. I happened to have a meeting out of the office yesterday and wanted to make sure I was not slowed by Torch Relay processions, so I consulted Twitter on the torch route for the day and was able to receive up-to-the minute updates on the relay’s whereabouts. Random tweets about the status of the relay guided me to and from my meeting without disruption.
I have also found utility for Twitter beyond its ‘Torch Relay GPS’ function. This is the first Games where athletes have been given the green light by the IOC and VANOC to share their personal thoughts with the social media world. A big story making the rounds yesterday was that US Olympic gold medal favorite alpine skier Lindsay Vonn was suffering from an apparent injury and her competition status was in doubt. Interesting, I thought to myself, perhaps this was a window for our Canadian women skiers to barge through and grab the gold. All my hopes were dashed by mid-day when @lindseyvonn was reporting “So I took a bunch of pain killers and numbed my shin with some creams. Warmup was still very painful but I think a step in the right direction”. The mainstream media starting publishing their stories about the status of her injury and how they were intrigued that Vonn chose to use Twitter as her medium for updating her fans.
Superstar NBA player, Twitter veteran (he has 123,307 followers) and Victoria native Steve Nash (@the_real_nash) got his chance yesterday to run his leg of the torch relay and raved about the experience through Twitter: “Fired up to run the Olympic torch today!! Hope some of you will be out there celebrating…” So apparently Nash didn’t make the cut to light the torch at the opening ceremonies, which by the way is the only secret left in Vancouver these days, in this digital media age.
According to reports yesterday, not even the run of show for the opening ceremonies remains a secret. Photos were circulating Wednesday night on Twitter from dress rehearsals that had been taking place over the last few days. Mainstream media outlets were threatening to publish the photos, but were quickly reminded by the IOC that they signed confidentiality agreements prohibiting them from doing so.
As the Vancouver Games open today, I can’t help but think about the legacy and impression these Games will leave on the rest of the World. I’d like to think visitors will be thrilled by our world class hospitality, beautiful venues and amazing athletes, but I’m slowly coming to realize the truth that final impressions of these Games will largely be determined by on-the-ground, civilian social media reports. FH Vancouver encourages everyone to join the discussion and share your thoughts throughout the duration of the Games.