Turin bids circus-like farewell to Olympics; Vancouver takes the reins

 

Turin bids circus-like farewell to Olympics; Vancouver takes the reins

 

 

TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 26:

The Olympic flame burns during the Closing Ceremony of the Turin 2006

Winter Olympic Games on February 26, 2006 at the Olympic Stadium in Turin, Italy.

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

 

 

 

 

By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer

TURIN, Italy (AP) -- Arrivederci, eh?

 

 

 

Turin bid farewell to its Olympics and handed over custody of the Winter Games to Vancouver in a spectacular, circus-like closing ceremony Sunday night, with a legion of clowns, acrobats and daredevils echoing both the misadventures and magnificence of the past two weeks.

 

The Olympic flame was barely extinguished when fireworks and confetti -- an Italian invention -- filled the air. Any wistfulness was swiftly submerged in the din, some of it provided by Latin pop sensation Ricky Martin; athletes joined the cast in dancing on the stage.

 

 

 

TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 26:

Fireworks light up the sky during the Closing Ceremony of the Turin

2006 Winter Olympic Games on February 26, 2006 at the Olympic Stadium in Turin, Italy.

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

 

 

 

 

The theme of the evening was Carnevale, the annual festival being celebrated across Italy over the weekend. Some athletes wore red clown noses as they marched across the huge stage of Olympic Stadium, and many of the 35,000 spectators donned devil and angel masks.

 

 

 

 

TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 26:

Artist performs during the Closing Ceremony of the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games

on February 26, 2006 at the Olympic Stadium in Turin, Italy.

(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

 

 

 

 

Italy had an extra reason to celebrate -- a new national hero headlining the first-ever medal ceremony included in a Winter Games' closing festivities. Italy's Giorgio di Centa took gold in the 50km cross country skiing race on the final day of the games.

 

 

 

 

TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 26:

Eugeni Dementiev of Russia (Silver), Giorgio di Centa (C Podium) of Italy (Gold) and

Mikhail Botwinov of Austria (Bronze) celebrate receiving their medals for final 50km

Mass Start Cross Country during the Closing Ceremony of the Turin 2006

Winter Olympic Games on February 26, 2006 at the Olympic Stadium in Turin, Italy.

(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

 

 

 

 

The crowd exploded in cheers and waved a sea of tiny Italian flags as di Centa and his fellow medalists strode to the podium. Helping bestow the medals was di Centa's sister, Manuela, an International Olympic Committee member and former cross country medalist herself.

 

Before declaring the games closed, IOC president Jacques Rogge described the Turin Olympics as "truly magnificent."

 

"You have succeeded brilliantly in meeting your challenge," he told organizers. "Grazie, Torino."

 

"We've done it," exulted Valentino Castellani, the organizing committee chief.

 

While Castellani spoke, an intruder who had obtained a staff ski-jacket approached the microphone and shouted, "Passion lives in Torino" before being whisked away by security officers. He was taken into custody for questioning.

 

 

 

 

TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 26:

A performance artist icefishes during a segment of highlighting Vancouver

as the next Winter Games host during the Closing Ceremony of the Turin 2006

Winter Olympic Games on February 26, 2006 at the Olympic Stadium in Turin, Italy.

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

 

 

 

 

The spotlight then shifted to Vancouver, host of the 2010 Games, with the raising of Canada's Maple Leaf flag and a resounding rendition of "O, Canada" by British Columbia-born opera star Ben Heppner. An Olympic flag was handed by Turin Mayor Sergio Chiamparino to Rogge and then to Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan.

 

A quadriplegic since breaking his neck skiing at 19, Sullivan was unable to grasp the flag pole and wave it himself. Instead, Rogge placed the flag in a special cylinder on Sullivan's motorized wheelchair, and the elated mayor spun around several times to make the flag flutter, to the crowd's delight.

 

The lighthearted, often-lyrical pageantry opened with a white-and-black-clad clown on horseback entering from beneath the giant Olympic rings at one end of the stadium.

 

 

 

 

Artists perform during the Winter Olympics closing cermeony in Turin, Italy,

Sunday, Feb. 26, 2006. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

 

 

 

 

A dazzling array of circus acts, parades and carnival shenanigans followed -- clowns on swings and swiveling in large hoops, ballerinas and tumblers, acrobats dangling high above the stage from ribbons and rings, a person on stilts jumping rope, dancers dressed as Tarot cards. one convoy of clowns was equipped with vintage Italian motor scooters and pint-sized Fiat 500s, one of the smallest cars ever mass-produced.

 

 

 

 

Artists perform amongst giant tarot cards during the closing ceremony

of the Torino 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, February 26, 2006.

REUTERS/Grigory Dukor Reuters

 

 

 

 

Throughout, bits of burlesque unfolded in the stadium's entryways and aisles as a vagabond flower seller -- a traditional carnival figure -- was chased by a squad of Swiss guards. Watching it all was the so-called carnival court, a buffoonish royal entourage seated in a center stage box intended to gently mock the VIP seating of various Olympic dignitaries.

 

Among the real-life VIPs attending were Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who waited until the final day to make his first visit to the games, and a U.S. delegation including former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and car-racing great Mario Andretti. Berlusconi was greeted with a mix of cheers and jeers when he was introduced.

 

The athletes entered to the backdrop of "Volare," "That's Amore," and other classics. Among the flag-bearers were several gold medal winners, including U.S. speedskater Joey Cheek, Russian figure skater Evgeni Plushenko and Canadian speedskater Cindy Klassen, who won a games-high five medals.

 

Once seated in the stadium's lower deck, the athletes had a prime view of perhaps the ceremony's most magical moment.

 

 

 

 

An artist performs during the closing ceremony of the

2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy,

Sunday Feb. 26, 2006. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

 

 

 

 

Out of a ring in the center of the stage, a hidden, vertical wind tunnel was positioned to send up a blast of air powerful enough to lift winged, white-clad performers high in midair to hover like slow-gliding birds. one after another, to ethereal music, these flying humans rose gracefully and floated in the spotlight, then descended -- one of them, incredibly, on a snowboard; another on skis.

 

Soon afterward, the Olympic flag, aloft since the start of the games, was lowered and carried out slowly by eight Italian sports greats, including boxer Nino Benvenuti and skier Gustavo Thoeni. A children's choir sang Verdi's beautiful chorus "Va, pensiero" from the opera "Nabucco."

 

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli followed, and roughly 400 lamp-carrying women in white gowns drifted across the stage. Their lamps slowly extinguished and then, suddenly, the huge Olympic flame high above the stadium went out as well.

 

 

 

 

TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 26:

Artist perform during the Closing Ceremony of the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games

on February 26, 2006 at the Olympic Stadium in Turin, Italy.

(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

 

 

 

 

 

TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 26:

Fireworks go off towards the end of the Closing Ceremony of the Turin

2006 Winter Olympic Games on February 26, 2006 at the Olympic Stadium in Turin, Italy.

(Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

 

 

 

 

 

Updated on Monday, Feb 27, 2006 12:11 am EST

 

 

 

 

The Vancouver 2010 logo was presented during the ceremony.

Pool Photo by Ezra Shaw

 

 

 

 

TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 26:

The emblem of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games is seen on a medallion

that was featured in the Closing Ceremony of the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games

on February 26, 2006 at the Olympic Stadium in Turin, Italy.

 

The emblem features an inukshuk, a stacked rock in human form as created by

the Inuit people of Canada's Arctic. The inukshuk was used as a guidepost that

provided direction across the vast horizons of the North. Over time, the inukshuk

has become a symbol of hope and firendship throughout Canada.

(Photo by Stephen Munday/Getty Images)

 

 

 

 

 

TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 26:

An emblem reflecting the cultures and spirit of Canada's four host nations is seen

on a medallion presented by the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games

at the Closing Ceremony of the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games

on February 26, 2006 at the Olympic Stadium in Turin, Italy.

 

The emblem reflects the unique cultures and spirit of the four host first nations,

the Lil'wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh. The rim of the medallion represents

 the creator and ancestors watching over a human face symbolizing

each of the four First Nations. In the centre, four feathers point to the cardinal directions,

 north, south, east and west, extending an invitation to the peoples of the world.

(Photo by Stephen Munday/Getty Images)

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/torino2006

 

 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/27/sports/olympics/27olympics.html?th&emc=th