60,000 people crowded into BC Place Stadium for yesterday's closing ceremony of the Olympics.

Jubilant Canadians celebrated their men's ice hockey team's success earlier that day, making a total of 14 gold medals for the host nation.

It was a stark contrast to the one minute silence during the Opening Ceremony in honour of the young luger who was killed in training, which no-one would forget, said the IOC President Jacques Rogge. He went on to say that to be fair to all of those involved in the games, the games should be judged on their own merit, while not forgetting what had happened.  

Figure skater Joannie Rochette whose mother died of a heart attack earlier last week on arriving to see her daughter take part in the games, was chosen by officials to be the flagbearer for the closing ceremony. What a heartbreaking and difficult time for this courageous competitor who had managed to win a bronze medal in spite of the trauma she was going through.  She said it had been a tough week for her but she was determined to walk into the stadium with a smile on her face and celebrate with her teammates after accomplishing her goals.