VANCOUVER VOICE: O Canada - keep it down!
WHEN you think of thousands of captivated sports fans bellowing the national anthem, football, rugby and cricket spring to mind - but curling?
PARTISAN: Canadian fans have been a sea of red thus far at the Vancouver 2010 competitions (Getty Images)
A lot has been made of made of Canadian home advantage at Vancouver 2010 but at the curling rink when Great Britain's David Murdoch and Kevin Martin of Canada locked horns, it was plain for all to see.
A packed house at the 5000-capacity Vancouver Olympic Centre - minus the few hardcore Brits - got to their feet and belted out a rendition of ‘O Canada' to inspire Martin, struggling at the time, to a 7-6 victory.
"Wasn't that something?" exclaimed a clearly moved Martin.
"We just let it happen and it was in tune and 5,000 strong singing. It's something you remember for the rest of your life. You put it in the old memory bank in the back of your head."
Marc Kennedy, Canada's third, who was due to be taking his shot was even more befuddled.
"The timing was not great, but it was amazing. I'm not sure if that's ever happened in curling - it was unbelievable," he said. "It's like a fifth man out there."
While not exactly speaking from a neutral's point of view, as a non-Canadian, it struck me as a touch over the top.
Partisan crowds enjoying their sport is one thing but there is a time and place for a chorus of your national anthem and the curling rink is not it.
God Save the Queen during a game of lawn bowls? - I think not.
Taken just a small step further it's like Fat Les burping and belching his way through a version of Vindaloo when Nigel Short was pondering his next move against Garry Kasparov or the boozed up Barmy Army storming a particularly high-brow game of bridge.
Yes, scream and shout at the darts, say things like gnarly and stoked with your trousers round your ankles at the snowboarding, dress up as oompah-loompahs or bananas in pyjamas at the test match, but come on now sports fans, don't sing the national anthem at the curling - it's just not cricket.
AS IT HAPPENS: Day nine of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver
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Comments
even Murdockh liked it - i
even Murdockh liked it - i think you have a broom pole stuck up your ass!
~the "G" in "GO CANADA"
It's amazing how staging one
It's amazing how staging one Olympics can put you off a country you previously liked.
First they ban our sliders from their track, then when we a gold despite that, they try to get own girl disqualified.
Then they put off our curling boys at a crucial moment in their match. I never thought I'd say this but I'm really pleased that the USA just spanked your arse in the hockey.
Misinformed
MrMc, no one was ever banned from the track. People are clearly misinformed.
Wolfgang Staudinger, Canadian luge coach. “This is a normal thing. It’s not a specific Canadian issue that we’re bad or mean or wouldn’t let them on. We offered more training to the international luge community than any Olympics before."
“We were supposed to (have) 30 (runs in 2006 in Turin, Italy) and we were cut short to 15. Our international community had about 40 runs on this track."
“We went beyond the call of duty.”
The Australians backed Staudinger’s assertion.
“Everyone’s had pretty good access to the course,” said Aussie chef-de-mission Ian Chesterman.
40 runs sounds pretty good to me, and certain not a 'ban'.
Canadian National Anthem
Hmm..let me guess..you're British..sorry I didn't get your name..or is it anonymous..get over it..there is nothing wrong with National Pride. Of course the place was "packed" with Canadians. The Olympics are in CANADA..just as I'm sure the event's will be packed with Brit's in London in 2012.
The British Press should get the Gold Medal for being the biggest whiners..
Look sports is about knock
Look sports is about knock about banter like this. Lighten up and don't take life so seriously. I thought this was funny and I'm a canadian and also very proud. Go team martin.
Not only that but the anthem
Not only that but the anthem started when the Canadians were about to shoot. If anyone was thrown off, it would have been them.
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