Countdown To The Olympics

Vancouver, BC ― After 17 days of thrilling athletic competitions, amazing displays of sportsmanship and magical moments when lifelong dreams were finally realized on the podium, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games will draw to their official close tonight.

In looking back and celebrating the impact of Canada’s Games and the future of the Olympic Winter Games, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) would like to share some of the initial statistics available.

By the numbers: The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games

February 12 to 28, 2010

• 17 days of thrilling competition and athletic accomplishments
• 15 sport disciplines
• 9 competition venues
• 3 Olympic training facilities
• 86 medal competitions
• 86 Victory Ceremonies (16 in-venue medal presentations, 25 at BC Place and 45 at Whistler Medals Plaza)
• 615 medals awarded
• 1,055 athlete bouquets presented
• 82 participating National Olympic Committees (NOCs)
• 6,500 athletes and team officials in total
• 2,632 registered athletes
• 50,000 workforce members for the Games, including paid, contractor and volunteers
• Of that total, 18,500 were volunteers; 6,500 volunteers will also work during the Paralympic Winter Games
• 25,000 workforce uniforms distributed
• 96,409 people accredited for the Games
• 10,800 media representatives: 7,000 rights holding broadcasters, 2,800 press reporters and photographers and non-rights holding broadcasters, as well as 1,000 host Olympic Broadcast Service (OBSV) personnel
• 3.5 billion worldwide television viewers are estimated to have tuned into the Games
• Olympic rights holding broadcasters have offered Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games coverage on more than 300 TV stations and on more than 100 websites worldwide
• 47 per cent more global television coverage of the Games than for the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games
• This represents approximately 24,000 hours of coverage
• 50,000 hours of total broadcast hours of the Games across all media platforms around the world
• 6,000 hours of coverage worldwide on mobile platforms
• As of Day 15, 33.1 million Canadians (99 per cent) have watched coverage
• 27.7 million cumulative audience or CUME (meaning 82.7 per cent of Canadians) experienced the Games on February 27 through the platforms of Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium.
• 1,500 appearances by the Vancouver 2010 mascots: Quatchi, Miga and Sumi by the end of the Games
• 20,567 deliveries made to Olympic venues
• 1.6 million tickets available for the 2010 Winter Games
• More than 3.3 million pairs of Vancouver 2010 Red Mittens sold
• $500-million target for gross retail sales of Vancouver 2010 branded merchandise met by end of Games
• 2.2 million people engaged to date by the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Oympiad, which will continue for three more weeks
• More than 4,000 artists at 600 events, over 60 days in 60 venues are taking part in the Cultural Olympiad
• More than 12,500 volunteer hours clocked for Olympic Closing Ceremony. The thousands of volunteer performers range in age from 10 to 68
• More than 450 racks of costumes, 3,600 metres of elastic, 4,100 pairs of shoes, 18 kilograms of glitter, 10,000 green sequins, 200 giant spheres and balloons, as well as 20 zygote balls were used in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies
• 275 million visitors in total to www.vancouver2010.com, shattering the previous record of 105 million set during the Beijing 2008 Games
• 78 million total unique visitors to the site
• A record of 9,185,306 unique visits in a single day ― set on February 24. The previous record set during the 2008 Summer Games was 8,797,614 on August 11, 2008
• Vancouver2010.com was visited 85 million times this month from within Canada and reached more than 70 per cent of Canadians with Internet access and over 50 per cent of the total Canadian population
• 19.1 per cent of North Americans with Internet access visited the website this month
• 4.6 per cent of people worldwide with Internet access visited the site this month
• 14,000 followers on Twitter.com/2010Tweets
• More than 1.25 million downloads recorded for the official mobile spectator guide, which for 10 days of the Games was the No. 1 free app in Canada
• 1.1 million Facebook fans, nearly four times the total amount for Beijing at the conclusion of the 2008 Games

Vancouver 2010

Vancouver (AFP) – Sidney Crosby scored the winner in overtime as Canada won the Olympic title Sunday, beating the United States 3-2 to become the first host nation to capture men’s hockey gold in 30 years.

Crosby got the winning goal 7:40 into the overtime period, taking a pass from Jarome Iginla and sliding a shot under the pads of US goaltender Ryan Miller.

“It doesn’t even feel real. It feels like a dream,” said Crosby as Canada clinched a record eighth Olympic men’s hockey gold.

“Our team worked really hard in regulation time and they got that one by us in the end. But we came out in overtime and this is just an unbelievable feeling.”

Canadian forward Patrick Marleau added: “It is unbelievable. I have never felt something like this before. As far as hockey goes it is the best moment I have ever had.”

Crosby was held off the scoresheet for most of the tournament but he has a knack for scoring dramatic goals. Earlier in the tournament he scored the game winner in a shootout as Canada beat Switzerland 3-2 in the preliminary round.

Jonathan Toews and Corey Perry had earlier given Canada a 2-0 lead before the US fought back, equalising with just 24 seconds left in regulation time.

Roberto Luongo was superb in goal, making 34 stops for Canada who became the first host to win an Olympic final since the US triumphed at Lake Placid in 1980.

Ryan Kesler and Zac Parise scored for the US who suffered their first loss of the tournament after five straight wins.

“It is devastating,” said US defenceman Jack Johnson. “We were one goal shy of a gold medal. It is the biggest game any of us have ever played in. Nothing we did before compares to this. You lose the silver you don’t win it.”

Canada had a 2-1 lead in the third and looked headed for victory but the US clawed back with Parise scoring his dramatic late leveller to send the final into sudden-death overtime.

Over 10 million Canadians were expected to watch the game on TV while, inside the arena, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was joined by Hollywood actors Vince Vaughn, Michael J. Fox and William Shatner as well as singers Michael Buble and Neil Young.

Crowds began forming outside the Canada Hockey Place arena four hours before the highly-anticiplated showdown between the two best teams in the tournament.

The game lived up to its billing as the teams traded chances throughout, and both goalies Luongo and Miller had to be at the top of their games.

It was a battle between Canada’s potent scoring attack and the American defence anchored by Miller.

Forward Toews opened the scoring with just over seven minutes left in the first period beating Miller after picking up a rebound.

Mike Richards stole the puck from defenceman Brian Rafalski at the side of the US goal and took the first shot but it bounced right to Toews. It was the first goal of the tournament for Toews to go with seven assists.

Forward Perry picked up a loose puck and wristed it past Miller in the second period to make it 2-0 for Canada.

Ryan Getzlaf started the play by carrying the puck into the US zone. He tried to backhand a pass to Patrick Marleau but it hit a skate and Perry picked it up and easily beat Miller.

Kessler scored on a tip in just over four minutes later to cut the Canadians lead to one goal. Luongo got a piece of it but not enough as it trickled in to make it 2-1, setting the stage for Parise’s game tieing goal.

Finland beat Slovakia for the bronze on Saturday.

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Vancouver 2010

Companies to provide highly prized tickets to Closing Ceremony of 2010 Olympic Winter Games

Vancouver, BC ― Two hundred and fifty volunteers who worked tirelessly to help make the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games a success will be able to attend the spectacular Closing Ceremony tonight, thanks to a generous donation of tickets by Jet Set Sports and its affiliate company CoSport.

The companies, which are Official Supporters of the 2010 Winter Games, made the announcement this morning with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) at the Main Press Centre (MPC) in downtown Vancouver.

“We’re so pleased to help recognize the outstanding efforts of some of the more than 18,500 volunteers from across Canada and more than 50 countries at the Olympic Winter Games who have helped make this an international sporting event watched by millionsof spectators here and billions around the globe,” said Jet Set Sports company founder and CEO Sead Dizdarevic. “The volunteers have been great ambassadors for the city of Vancouver and all of Canada in helping to host these great Games.”

Jet Set Sports has donated more than 12,000 complimentary event tickets to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games for use by local school children, volunteers, security personnel, athlete families and numerous other non-profit organizations. In addition, Jet Set Sports stepped in at the last minute to provide complimentary hotel rooms to 11 Make-a-Wish families from around the world.

The 250 tickets were awarded to volunteers through a random draw. The lucky volunteers will be contacted by VANOC later this morning with details on when and where to collect their tickets for the ceremony, which will feature a special tribute to the volunteers of the Games.

“This is an amazing opportunity for these volunteers to participate in the Olympic Closing Ceremony and we are thrilled to reward them with this very generous gift from Jet Set and CoSport,” said VANOC CEO John Furlong. “Our volunteers have come in every day and given their all to make Canada’s Games something every resident from coast to coast to coast could stand up and be proud of. Without their support, these Games quite simply would not have been possible. They are our greatest ambassadors and helped make the athletes, the country and the Games shine with glowing hearts.”

About Jet Set Sports
Jet Set Sports and its sister company CoSport are leading providers of Olympic Games hospitality packages and Olympic Games event tickets to corporate clientele and the general public. Since 1984, Jet Set Sports has provided clients with unparalleled hospitality experiences at Olympic Games through its VIP Hospitality Programs and Hospitality Management Services. The company is an official sponsor of the Canadian Olympic Committee, the US Olympic Committee and various other National Olympic Committees throughout the world. Most recently, the company was an Official Sponsor of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece and the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information, visit www.jetsetsports.com and www.cosport.com.

About VANOC

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Vancouver 2010

Don’t miss a minute of the action! What spectators need to know before going downtown to celebrate the final day of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Whether you are sitting in a seat at Canada Hockey Place or watching from a one of the celebration sites, know before you go and travel smart:

1. Plan ahead for extra travel time.

Today there will be very large numbers of pedestrians and crowds traveling into and out of Downtown for the Gold Medal Men’s Hockey Game and the Closing Ceremony, so vehicle travel will be challenging. Come Downtown to celebrate, but don’t bring your car- take transit, walk or cycle, and plan ahead for extra travel time.

1. Checkout Travelsmart2010.com for the latest news regarding road restrictions and transportation schedules.

Beatty Street (between Smithe and Dunsmuir) and Robson Street (between Cambie and Beatty) will temporarily close to vehicles and have limited access for pedestrians on February 28 from 8:00 am to midnight. Additionally, Olympic Lanes and temporary parking restrictions extend through to the morning of March 2 to support large volumes of traffic traveling to and from Downtown Vancouver, and to the Vancouver International Airport.

1. Celebrate in the streets – responsibly.

Use dedicated pedestrian routes: Pedestrian corridors on streets such as Granville and Robson will continue to operate on February 28. At noon, some or all of the road space will become pedestrian only areas until midnight.  Watch out for bus traffic as approximately 600 to 700 motorcoaches and hundreds of transit buses will travel and/or park on many downtown streets between 8:00 am and midnight.

1. Get in on the action.If you don’t have tickets for seats inside Canada Hockey Place or BC Place, make your way toRobson Square and LiveCity Yaletown for live broadcasts of the Gold Medal Men’s Hockey Game and Closing Ceremonies on large outdoor screens.
2. Get in your seat. Gates to BC Place open at 1:30 pm for the Closing Ceremony. Those arriving early will be able to watch the end of the Gold Medal Men’s Hockey Game live on the giant indoor screens. The pre-show begins at 4:30 pm and includes special instructions for the audience participation elements that will make the Closing Ceremony unique. Those who arrive within the last 90 minute before an event starts typically experience the longest waits for transportation, to clear security, to pass through the ticket gates, and to use the concessions and washrooms – and risk missing the beginning of the show. For these reasons, we encourage ticket holders to arrive at BC Place between 1:30 and 3:30 pm on Sunday.

Vancouver 2010

Whistler (AFP) – Norway’s Petter Northug won the men’s 50km cross country gold on Sunday, beating Germany’s Axel Teichmann in a two-up sprint.

Teichmann won the silver and Johan Olsson of Sweden took the bronze.

jd/dj10

Vancouver 2010

Vancouver (AFP) – Canada is hoping to write its own Hollywood ending Sunday when they clash with the United States in an Olympic hockey final that has all the hallmarks of being a classic.

The highly-anticipated gold medal match will be arguably the biggest international game on Canadian soil since the 1972 Summit Series the hosts played against the Soviet Union.

The entire nation stopped 38 years ago to watch as the countries played eight games, including four matches in Canada before the teams headed overseas for another four games in the Soviet Union where Canada won the series.

Once again the nation has galvanized itself behind its beloved hockey team as Canada carves its way through the Vancouver tournament.

Unlike most of his players, Canadian coach Mike Babcock is old enough to remember the Summit Series and so understands the magnitude of Sunday’s match.

“It is a special, special thing,” said Babcock, who coached the Detroit Red Wings to a Stanley Cup championship in 2008.

“What I know from the teams that I coached that have won championships is that if you win together then you walk together forever.

“You remember those guys because you have done something special. Here is an opportunity of a lifetime and we want to make good on it.”

The win over the Russians in ’72 was Canada’s Miracle on Ice. Now Canada is hoping to become the first team to win the Olympics on home soil since the Americans thrilling 1980 Lake Placid triumph.

The Americans other Olympic gold medal also came on home soil in 1960 in Squaw Valley where they beat Canada 2-1.

Canada won its first Olympic gold medal in 50 years with a 5-2 win over the USA at the 2002 Salt Lake Games. The same teams met earlier in this tournament in the preliminary round with the Americans coming out on top 5-3.

“It is one game for the gold medal and we owe this team something because they got the better of us in the preliminary round,” said Canadian forward Brenden Morrow.

“They probably have something against us from 2002.

“So there are lots of little things within this game. At the end of the day it is two teams going for a gold medal and pouring their hearts out for it.”

Said Robyn Regehr, who played in the 2006 Turin Olympics for Canada and was asked to try out for the 2010 team, “If the Americans win they will probably make another movie about it so we want to see that doesn’t happen.”

Forward Ryan Getzlaf said the Americans were underdogs to begin with but have improved since they beat Canada a week ago.

“That was a wake-up call for us,” Getzlaf said. “A lot of people ruled (USA) out at the start. They came in and played really hard but we are going to be ready for it.”

Babcock, who lives in Detroit, tells his players to not lose sight of why they are here.

“There are lots of great memories over the years of hockey and winning,” he said.

“The Americans have the Miracle (on Ice). My kids watch that and they think it is great. I don’t think it is that great.

“Sports is a funny thing. You never know when you are going to get this chance again.”

Canadian forward Jonathan Toews said he was going to get ready for Sunday’s game by spending a relaxing evening in the athlete’s village.

“We are going to play the game of our lives,” said Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks. “There is no reason to go crazy mentally and overthink the game. I plan to be ready for the drop of the puck.”

US ready for Canada’s red-hot passion
Even American hockey players cannot wait to see the passionate atmosphere around their Olympic final showdown with Canada on Sunday, and they are going to be the targets of a hockey-mad nation’s wrath.

While some flag-waving US supporters will surely find their way among 18,000 in Canada Hockey Place, it’s the red-clad sea of Canada fans whose screams and yells help create an electric atmosphere in the arena – and beyond.

“The arena? Can you imagine what the streets will be like?” US forward David Backes said. “When you get to hockey in Canada, the passion has a whole other level to go. I expect a wonderful environment.”

US team general manager Brian Burke, who has the same job for the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs, sais he loves the intense pressure being in his role for a Canadian NHL club puts on himself and an organization.

“Hockey is not a sport in Canada. It’s a cult. It’s a religion,” Burke said. “Canadians view this as their game.”

That makes the thrill all the more exciting for some US players that have never been in such a situation.

“I don’t think anything can prepare you for that,” US defenceman Ryan Suter said. “It’s going to be a crazy atmosphere and a lot of fun.”

“I can’t wait to go out there on that ice and see what that’s going to be like,” US forward Ryan Callahan said.

US goaltender Ryan Miller, who made 42 saves in a 5-3 US preliminary round victory over Canada last week, has been a calming force for the Americans and takes the same attitude to the crowd that will be taunting him.

“It’s going to be a great atmosphere but it doesn’t change the game,” Miller said. “Skates. Puck. Ice. Hopefully I will lace on my skates the right way.”

Each side tries to claim an underdog role by making the other the favorite.

“You’re going to see a dogfight then,” Backes said. “We expect them to come out even harder than last time. We have to raise our game a notch or two.”

US defenceman Brian Rafalski sees the game as potentially life-changing for his young teammates.

“They have a chance to set a standard for themselves for the rest of their careers,” he said.

Martin Brodeur was the Canadian goaltender for the first US-Canada game but Roberto Luongo will be in the crease for the hosts on Sunday against a US team that has never trailed at Vancouver.

“He’s athletic and long and he takes away the bottom of the net,” Backes said of the biggest game in his career.

“(We need) players in his eyes, rebound goals and when we get those opportunities, get them to the top of the net.

“We have to be able to stifle the storm early even if they get the lead on us. Who stays on their game the longest is going to be key.”

Callahan sees the US key as putting pucks behind Canada’s defence and using team speed to out-chase the hosts while defenceman Ryan Suter is prepared to be patient if Canada comes out hard at the start.

“We have to play our game,” Suter said. “If things don’t go our way, we have to know that it has worked before and stay with it. They are going to come out flying. They will be better. We will have to be better.”

While the Americans come off a 6-1 semi-final rout of Finland, Canada had a tense 3-2 victory over Slovakia that went down to the last second.

“Hopefully Slovakia didn’t wake the sleeping giant,” Backes said.

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Vancouver 2010

Vancouver (AFP) – Canada won their 13th gold medal of the 2010 Winter Games on Saturday when their undefeated men’s curlers beat Norway 6-3 to seal their second consecutive Olympic crown.

The result left Canada untouchable in the gold medal count, an impressive achievement for a nation coming into these Games having failed to win a single title on home ground at the 1976 Summer Games and the 1988 Winter showpiece.

In a tight battle, Canada, urged on by a passionate capacity home crowd, kept an iron grip on the final early on and were never behind throughout.

Skip Kevin Martin, described the win as “an amazing feeling,” saying all the hard work had been worthwhile.

“We’re very, very happy. It’s a dream come true. It’s a lot of work, a lot of years to get it done,” he said, adding: “The boys sure played well today.”

Reacting to the news that Canada cannot now be caught in the gold medal tally, Martin said: “We need to have more Olympic Games in our country don’t we? Because the crowd is a major factor, when you have that extra player on the field.”

Canada were 3-0 ahead at the break but the Norwegians, wearing their trademark diamond-patterned trousers, scored two points in the sixth end to pull back to within a point.

The host nation re-established their three-point lead in the seventh and although Norway pulled a point back in the eighth, Canada again edged ahead, going into the tenth with a 6-3 lead, leaving them on the brink of the title.

In emotional scenes, the crowd, which included Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Hollywood star Donald Sutherland, burst into an impromptu rendition of the Canadian national anthem before the home team sealed victory by making it impossible for Norway to level the scores.

Martin said hearing “O Canada” being sung was “an amazing feeling. You hold and stop the game and you enjoy it.”

Norway skip Thomas Ulsrud said: “If you give me 10 minutes then I’ll probably be happy with silver. We didn’t put in a good game today and Kevin’s team was great.

“We had a plan coming in, as long as we could keep it tight then we would have a chance. We tried to play defensively and it didn’t work. He came right back at us every time.”

The win is a major tonic for the host nation after their women’s team agonisingly failed to close out victory over defending champions Sweden Friday, leaving skip Cheryl Bernard distraught.

Canada’s men romped through qualifying, winning all nine games, including a narrow 7-6 win over the Norwegians, becoming the first team to stay undefeated in round robin in Olympic curling before beating Sweden in the semi-final.

Martin, silver medallist at the Salt Lake Games in 2002, led the same rink that took gold and silver at the 2008 and 2009 world championships, also featuring Benjamin Herbert, Marc Kennedy and John Morris.

Saturday’s final was a repeat of the 2002 title match, in which Norway took gold.

Earlier, Switzerland gained revenge for their European championship defeat by defeating Sweden 5-4 to take bronze.

jw

Vancouver 2010

Vancouver (AFP) – Bringing home the Olympic hockey gold is not a sprint to the finish but an exercise in managing nerves and overcoming hardships, says Canada associate general manager Ken Holland.

“People want us to win in six straight games but teams that win the Olympics are the ones that handle the adversity the best,” Holland told AFP while watching the Canadian players practice at Canada Hockey Place arena ahead of Sunday’s gold medal clash against the United States.

“When we first got here we expected bumps in the road. We had a huge emotional game against Russia. We survived a big scare from Slovakia. All these experiences prepare you for future ones.”

Canada will attempt to become the first team to win Olympic hockey gold on home ice in 30 years when they meet the USA.

As GM of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, Holland guided his club to a Stanley Cup championship in 2008.

He said the NHL playoffs are intense but for a short tournament nothing compares to the Olympics.

“We have been to the Stanley Cup finals two years in a row and we have got just seven players in this tournament. You have got all the top players from all the top NHL lines here. Everybody is so good,” Holland said.

“The checkers on these Olympics teams are 30-goal scorers in the NHL. The speed of these games is another notch above the NHL game.”

Holland said it hasn’t been difficult for management to get the Canadian players to buy into what they are trying to achieve at the Vancouver Olympics.

Forwards like Dany Heatley are counted on for scoring with the San Jose Sharks but he has been a physical force for Canada throughout this tournament.

“We told the guys if you don’t play on the power-play here then you have to contribute in another way. Maybe take a defensive role, block shots, throw checks,” Holland said.

It can work the other way too. Forward Brenden Morrow has never been a big scorer in the NHL but he scored a key goal in Canada’s 3-2 win over Slovakia in the semi-finals.

“The goals are a bonus and come from the law of averages,” said Morrow. “If you work hard enough then you get some bounces. My goals are never pretty but they come from winning the battles.”

That’s exactly the kind of thinking that Holland and coach Mike Babcock, who also coaches the Red Wings, are looking for in their players.

“We told the players at the start of the tournament that when it is over no one is going to remember what you did. They will remember what the team did. It is about the team and the country,” Holland said.

Holland, who played goal in the NHL for the Red Wings and Hartford Whalers, said he’s not worried about Canada’s goaltending in these Olympics.

“Roberto Luongo in the last five minutes against Slovakia made some key saves and a gigantic one on Pavol Demitra,” Holland said of Luongo, who was under seige in the last eight minutes of the third period in Canada’s 3-2 semi-final win over Slovakia.

“We haven’t been outplayed yet so our goalie hasn’t had to steal a game for us.

“I am sure Roberto would like to have the first goal against Slovakia back. But at the same time he made huge saves when the game was on the line.”

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Vancouver 2010

Vancouver (AFP) – Finland came back from 3-1 down to defeat Slovakia 5-3 in the bronze medal game of the Olympic men’s ice hockey tournament on Saturday, to capture their fourth medal since the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games.

Olli Jokinen scored two third period goals, including the game winner, for Finland who are the only repeat medallist in the Vancouver hockey tournament.

The Finns won the silver four years ago at the 2006 Turin Games. Russia (bronze) and Sweden (gold) were eliminated in the quarter-finals in Vancouver.

The Slovaks made the Finns work for the win as they buzzed the Finnish goal in the final minutes trying to get the equalizer just like they did against Canada in the semi-finals.

Finnish goalie Miikka Kiprusoff kept the puck out his net but he also had help from the post and his defencemen on different scoring chances.

Jokinen got the winner with just over 11 minutes left in the final period as he took a pass and squeezed through a pair of Slovak defenders before backhanding the puck between the legs of goaltender Jaroslav Halak to make it 4-3.

Forward Valtteri Filppula got the insurance goal into an empty net to close out the scoring for Finland whose roster includes a number of aging stars who are likely playing in their last Olympics.

Finnish national team mainstays Teemu Selanne and Ville Peltonen are nearing the end of their international careers.

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Vancouver 2010

Vancouver (AFP) – Canada won their 13th gold medal of the 2010 Games on Saturday when their undefeated men’s curlers beat Norway 6-3 to seal their second consecutive Olympic crown.

The result left Canada untouchable in the gold medal count, an impressive achievement for a nation coming into these Games having failed to win a single title on home ground at the 1976 Summer Games and the 1988 Winter showpiece.

In a tight battle at the Vancouver Olympic Centre, Canada, urged on by a passionate capacity home crowd, kept an iron grip on the final early on and were never behind throughout.

Skip Kevin Martin, speaking about the win, said: “Finally, it took a long time. But the hard work was worth it.”

“I can’t explain it. It’s an amazing feeling and I think it will get better and better as the day goes on.”

Canada were 3-0 ahead at the break but the Norwegians, wearing their trademark diamond-patterned trousers, scored two points in the sixth end to pull back to within a point.

But the host nation re-established their three-point lead in the seventh and although Norway pulled a point back in the eighth, Canada again edged ahead, going into the tenth with a 6-3 lead, leaving them on the brink of the title.

In emotional scenes, the crowd burst into an impromptu rendition of the Canadian national anthem before the home team sealed victory by making it impossible for Norway to level the scores.

Norway skip Thomas Ulsrud said: “If you give me 10 minutes then I’ll probably be happy with silver. We didn’t put in a good game today and Kevin’s team was great.

“We had a plan coming in, as long as we could keep it tight then we would have a chance. We tried to play defensively and it didn’t work. He came right back at us every time.”

The win is a major tonic for the host nation after their women’s team agonisingly failed to close out victory over defending champions Sweden Friday, leaving skip Cheryl Bernard distraught.

Canada’s men romped through qualifying, winning all nine games, including a narrow 7-6 win over the Norwegians, becoming the first team to stay undefeated in round robin in Olympic curling before beating Sweden in the semi-final.

Martin, silver medallist at the Salt Lake Games in 2002, led the same rink that took gold and silver at the 2008 and 2009 world championships, also featuring Benjamin Herbert, Marc Kennedy and John Morris.

Saturday’s final was a repeat of the 2002 title match, in which Norway took gold.

Earlier, Switzerland gained revenge for their European championship defeat by defeating Sweden 5-4 to take bronze.

Switzerland had been men’s champions at Nagano in 1998 and then collected a bronze in 2002.

“I said yesterday to my boys that I had the same experience eight years ago. I told the boys it feels as good as silver, because you leave the Olympics with a win,” said skip Markus Eggler, a member of the 2002 team.

Swedish skip Niklas Edin said: “It’s the worst feeling I’ve ever felt.”

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Vancouver 2010