February 12th: On This Day, Steve Nash Made Olympic History
February 12, 2010. The night of the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where Steve Nash became the first, and to date only, NBA player to light the Olympic cauldron.
The eight-time NBA All-Star and two-time MVP, who lived in British Columbia from a young age, became the second basketball player to light the fire at the Olympic opening ceremony after Sergei Belov at the 1980 Summer Games.
Held at the BC Place stadium, the opening ceremony was dedicated to Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, due to compete in the games, who had died earlier that same day when his sled crashed on a practice run.
After the pageantry of the ceremony, which included music, dance, giant glowing bear statues and acrobatics dressed as skiiers, the games were officially opened by IOC President Jacques Rogge and then-Governor General of Canada Michaelle Jean.
The Olympic flag was brought to the main stage by notable contributors to Canadian sport and culture, including Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Orr, 1997 Forumla 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, 1948 skating gold medallist Barbara Ann Scott and acclaimed actor Donald Sutherland.
At the ceremony's climax, the lighting of the cauldron, Nash was joined by three others - speed skater Catriona Le May Doan, alpine skiier Nancy Greene and all-time Ice Hockey great Wayne Gretzky. It would go on to be the most memorable moment of the ceremony, but for the wrong reasons.
Four pillars of ice were to emerge from the floor, before each of the torch bearers, and when lit the flame would travel up each of the pillars and meet in the middle, forming the cauldron. However, only three pillars emerged from the floor on the night, and Le May Doan was left holding her torch while Nash, Greene and Gretzky went ahead and lit the cauldron.
This mistake was later recalled at the closing ceremony, which opened with the final pillar finally emerging and Le May Doan was brought back on to light it.
The entire ceremony can be viewed online here.
The games themselves were considered a big success, praised for the atmosphere at the events. Winning fourteen golds, Canada finished top of the final medal table.
Picture: Al Tielemans
