http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/...urn=oly,219193
1. The first indoor Opening Ceremony -- For the first time in history the Opening Ceremony of an Olympics will be held indoors. BC Place, a domed arena in downtown Vancouver and the largest air-supported structure in the world, will play host to the Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony of the Games of XXI Winter Olympics. A sold out crowd of 60,600 is expected in the oddly-shaped venue (affectionately known as "the marshmallow" by Canadians). The decision to hold the ceremony inside worked out well for organizers. Rain is forecasted for Friday night in the host city.
2. This won't be a replay of Beijing's Opening Ceremony -- After the stunning Opening Ceremony display two years ago in China, Vancouver organizers have smartly downplayed expectations for their show Friday night. With a wildly disproportionate budget, thousands of fewer volunteers and an inability to come close to matching the man-hours put in by Beijing performers, Vancouver couldn't possibly have expected to match the pageantry put on in the Bird's Nest in 2008. But that doesn't mean Friday night won't be special. Officials have said to expect "more emotion than spectacle."
3. Canadian themes -- A good Opening Ceremony doesn't need a massive budget or thousands of performers, it needs to entertainingly reflect the culture of the host country in a manner that's easily relatable to the three billion people watching on television. As such, expect sections this evening about aboriginal culture, the frigid weather and the sports that accompany it and, perhaps, some theatrics from Canada's most famous performing troupe, Cirque de Soleil.
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