Early in these a furore was caused by a journalist .
Now I'm ready to pose another question, which will probably provoke just as much debate. Have these actually been the best Winter Olympics ever?
Let me clarify that question a little. In many ways there are always two parallel Olympics which take place - the one that viewers around the world , and the one that .
For example, the were considered to be a great success by the international television audience, whereas many people who witnessed the Games at first hand in the Chinese capital.
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When I arrived at the International Broadcasting Centre today, my pass was checked by the woman on security as usual. The difference on this occasion was that she told me that I couldn't come in.
I'm not going to deny that during my career I have, maybe once or twice, blagged my way into places where I probably shouldn't have been - a springs to mind - but I'm happy to say that in Vancouver I'm a fully accredited journalist.
The broadcasting centre is my base during the Games. So you can imagine my surprise when she stopped me in my tracks.
I looked at the lady and I could see that she was smiling. "You're British," she said. ", I'm not going to let you in." Luckily, I could see that she was joking, I gave her a slightly nervous chuckle, and then continued on my merry way. Behind her jovial comment, though, lay a serious point. Many Canadians have been really hurt by some of the criticisms in the British media.
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When you arrive in a city to cover an you always know that at some stage during the Games something totally unexpected is going to happen that will make headlines around the world.
Often that story can be an uplifting one, but tragically . Vancouver had to host the world's best winter athletes, yet just hours before the Opening Ceremony one of them died.
As John Furlong, the chief executive of the Games said, "It's not something I prepared for, or ever thought I would have to be prepared for."
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I have two reasons to be excited today. I'm heading to for the , and I'm starting what I hope will become a regular blog.
I'm currently travelling at 30,000 feet somewhere over the east of Canada, and am already discovering that blogging is a great way to kill time during a 10-hour flight.
I should probably confess right at the beginning that this isn't actually my first foray into the world of blogging, although my previous attempt was rather short-lived.
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