Dow Travers, the first Cayman
Islands athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics, marched proudly around the BC
Arena at the opening ceremony of the Games in Vancouver on Friday carrying his
national flag.
Travers, 22, competes in the giant slalom on
21 February and as he walked around the packed stadium in front of three
billion people watching on TV, his heart pounded in excitement.
Marching behind Travers were Donald
McLean, president of the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee, his coach Gene
Bridgewater and David Carmichael, Chef de Mission. Watching proudly amongst the
60,000 crowd were Dow’s parents Anthony and Mary Anne, the Premier McKeeva Bush
and Minister of Sports Mark Scotland who said: “We were proud to see the Cayman
flag being carried for the first time in our history into the Winter Olympics.
“The ceremony was amazing and we
are looking forward to Dow competing. We wish him luck and all the Cayman
Islands will be behind him.”
Canada has promised to make this
the best ever Winter Olympics ever and judging by the spectacular start, it
could achieve it. Canadian superstars that performed included k.d. lang, Bryan
Adams and Nelly Furtado. The night was tinged with sadness though because a
Georgian luge racer, Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, died earlier during training. A
minute’s silence was observed.