SOCHI, Russia -- A Russia in search of global vindication kicked off the Sochi Olympics looking more like a Russia that likes to party, with a pulse-raising opening ceremony about fun and sports instead of terrorism, coddling despots and gay rights. http://www.thecoltsofficialstore.com/authentic-jerrell-freeman-colts-jersey/ . And thats just the way Vladimir Putin wants these Winter Games to be. The worlds premier athletes on ice and snow have more to worry about than geopolitics as they plunge into the biggest challenges of their lives on the mountain slopes of the Caucasus and in the wet-paint-fresh arenas on the shores of the Black Sea. But watch out for those Russians on their home turf. A raucous group of Russian athletes had a message for their nearly 3,000 rivals in Sochi, marching through Fisht Stadium singing that theyre "not gonna get us!" Superlatives abounded and the mood soared as Tchaikovsky met pseudo-lesbian pop duo Tatu. Russian TV presenter Yana Churikova shouted: "Welcome to the centre of the universe!" Yet no amount of cheering could drown out the real world. Fears of terrorism, which have dogged these Games since Putin won them amid controversy seven years ago, were stoked during the ceremony itself. A passenger aboard a flight bound for Istanbul said there was a bomb on board and tried to divert the plane to Sochi. Authorities said the plane landed safely in Turkey. The show opened with an embarrassing hiccup, as one of five snowflakes failed to unfurl as planned into the Olympic rings, forcing organizers to jettison a fireworks display and disrupting one of the most symbolic moments in an opening ceremony. Some world leaders purposely stayed away, but U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and dozens of others were in Sochi for the ceremony. He didnt mention the very real anger over a Russian law banning gay "propaganda" aimed at minors that is being used to discriminate against gay people. But IOC President Thomas Bach won cheers for addressing it Friday, telling the crowd its possible to hold Olympics "with tolerance and without any form of discrimination for whatever reason." Also missing from the show: Putins repression of dissent, and inconsistent security measures at the Olympics, which will take place just a few hundred kilometres away from the sites of a long-running insurgency and routine militant violence. And the poorly paid migrant workers who helped build up the Sochi site from scratch, the disregard for local residents, the environmental abuse during construction, the pressure on activists, and the huge amounts of Sochi construction money that disappeared to corruption. For all the criticism, there was no shortage of pride at the ceremony in what Russia has achieved with these Games. The head of the Sochi organizing committee, Dmitry Chernyshenko, captured the mood of many Russians present when he said, "Were now at the heart of that dream that became reality." "The Games in Sochi are our chance to show the whole world the best of what Russia is proud of," he said. "Our hospitality, our achievements, our Russia!" The ceremony presented Putins version of todays Russia: a country with a rich and complex history emerging confidently from a rocky two decades and now capable of putting on a major international sports event. Putin himself was front and centre, declaring the Games open from his box high above the stadium floor. Earlier, he looked down as the real stars of the Games -- those athletes, dressed in winter wear of so many national colours to ward off the evening chill and a light dusting of man-made snow -- walked onto a satellite image of the earth projected on the floor, the map shifting so the athletes appeared to emerge from their own country. As always, Greece -- the birthplace of Olympic competition -- came first in the parade of nations. Five new teams, all from warm weather climates, joined the Winter Olympics for the first time. Togos flagbearer looked dumbstruck with wonder, but those veterans from the Cayman Islands had the style to arrive in shorts. Canada entered midway through the march. Womens hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser carried the Maple Leaf to lead representatives from Canadas 220-athlete team. Its Canadas biggest team ever assembled for a Winter Games. "To represent the best of Canada is such an honour, its chilling," Wickenheiser said. "There is so much excitement." Canada looked sharp in outfits designed by Hudsons Bay, featuring a red coat with toggle style buttons and a black stripe adorning the hip line. The women in the Canadian contingent wore black mock turtlenecks and wool V-neck sweaters, while the men sported a tailored white dress shirt, wool cardigan and red and white striped ties. Black bottoms rounded out the ensembles "I wish our Olympians the best of luck as they take on the world in Sochi," Prime Minister Stephen Harper posted on his Twitter account. Canadas target is to finish first overall in the medal count after finishing third with 26 medals at home in 2010. Not all of Canadas athletes marched into Fisht Olympic Stadium. The mens hockey team hasnt arrived yet, figure skaters are in the middle of the team competition and skiers and sliders are staying too far away from the host city. The smallest teams often earned the biggest cheers from the crowd of 40,000, with an enthusiastic three-person Venezuelan team winning roars of approval as flag bearer and alpine skier Antonio Pardo danced and jumped along to the electronic music. Only neighbouring Ukraine, scene of a tense and ongoing standoff between a pro-Russian president and Western-leaning protesters, could compete with those cheers. That is, until the Russians arrived. Walking in last to a thundering bass line that struggled to overcome the ovations from the hometown crowd, the Russians reveled in all the attention. Their feeling could perhaps best be summed up by Russian singers Tatu, whose hit "Not Gonna Get Us" accompanied them to their seats. Russians place huge significance in the Olympics, carefully watching the medal count -- their dismal performance in Vancouver four years ago is on the minds of many. These Games are particularly important, as many Russians are still insecure about their place in the world after the end of the Cold War and the years since that have seen dominance of the United States and China. International politics were never far beneath the surface. One member of the VIP crowd carrying the Olympic flag was Anastasia Popova, a young televison reporter with the state-owned Rossiya TV channel, best known for her reporting in Syria. Putin and Russian state media have stood strongly behind Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Popovas coverage laid the blame for the Syrian civil war squarely on Syrian rebels. But back to that Russian pride. As Churikova rallied the crowd to scream "louder than ever," she told the fans in their cool blue seats their keepsakes from the night would last 1,000 years. When explaining the show would be hosted in English, French and Russian, she joked that it didnt matter, because in Sochi, everyone "speaks every language in the world." The moment of high pride came at the end, when Russian hockey great Vladislav Tretiak and three-time gold medallist Irina Rodnina joined hands to light the Olympic cauldron. Hes often called the greatest goaltender of all time by those who saw him play, she won 10 world pairs figure skating titles in a row. That was how it ended. At the top, the show -- and the Games -- easily avoided talking about prickly issues even when the women in Tatu took the stage. The duo, who put on a lesbian act that is largely seen as an attention-getting gimmick, merely held hands during their performance on this night, stopping short of the groping and kissing of their past performances. This time? Their lead-in act was the Red Army Choir MVD singing Daft Punks Grammy-winning "Get Lucky."http://www.thecoltsofficialstore.com/authentic-coby-fleener-colts-jersey/ . One category most Canadians will be watching is for Best NHL Player, with a list that includes three Canadians amongst the five nominees. Sidney Crosby, Ryan Getzlaf, and Jonathan Toews are among the players with a shot at being named Best NHL Player. http://www.thecoltsofficialstore.com/authentic-greg-toler-colts-jersey/ . The Anaheim Ducks announced on Thursday that the centre agreed to a three-year contract extension.SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs are whole for the first time in months and they performed in the same efficient style that helped them battle through the rash of injuries. Tony Parker had 22 points and seven assists in his return from a six-game absence, leading San Antonios balanced attack in a 112-106 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night. Parker played with his usual relentlessness, finishing 10 for 15 from the field on a series of breakneck drives. He also had just one turnover in 32 minutes, and the Spurs had six players score in double figures. "I thought Parker looked great again coming off a nice little 10-day break they can afford to give him," Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki said. "And he just comes in and looks great." Despite a series of injuries, San Antonio (43-16) remains 1 1/2 games behind Oklahoma City (45-15) for the top seed in the Western Conference. Tim Duncan scored 17 points, Kawhi Leonard added 16 and Boris Diaw had 13 points and 10 rebounds for San Antonio. Manu Ginobili had 15 points and seven assists as the Spurs extended their winning streak to three games. Nowitzki scored 22 points, Vince Carter added 21 and Monta Ellis had 17 for the Mavericks, who have lost eight straight to the Spurs. Parker looked refreshed after not playing since Feb. 10 for what San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich officially listed as "rest," but unofficially was due to a series of lower body maladies. "I think it was a little bit of (a physical and mental rest)," Parker said. "Pop, I trust his judgment. I didnt want to admit it to myself. But maybe I was tired mentally. Its a lot of basketball the last three years with no break; the (French) national team and NBA. It definitely helped, I felt fresh." The French point guard made his first shot, and on the ensuing possession, drove into the heart of the paint to draw the defence and fired a pass to Leonard for an open 3-pointer that gave San Antonio a 5-2 lead. "I just try to penetrate and make stuff happen," Parker said. "Obviously, I want to score; but I want to do both. I want to create shots for my teammates. Myself and Manu (Ginobili), we can create a lot of offence, we have great shooters all around us. I cant remember the last time we had everybody." Parker punctuated his reeturn with a left-handed layup from the right side of the rim to avoid Dalemberts reach with 45 seconds remaining. http://www.thecoltsofficialstore.com/. "Hes been an MVP candidate, really each of the last three, four, five years," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "Look, hes that good and he was obviously fresh tonight. He hit shots that were the shots that were there. Youve got to give him credit for that and we needed to be a little bit better on our coverages." The Spurs visibly frustrated Nowitzki, who continually yelled at officials. Popovich alternated Splitter, Diaw and Leonard defensively on Nowitzki, who shot 9 of 17. "It was just to give him a different look," Popovich said of the rotations. "Hes such a great player. Nobody stops him. At least giving him a different look makes me feel better like Im trying, like Im doing something." Nowitzki also committed two early fouls. "The first one was stupid," he said. "I saw the ball, kind of reach for it. By the time I reached for it, the ball was gone and I hit his arm. I missed my first two shots. I think I was a little anxious; I really wanted to play well. By the time I settled in in the second quarter, I was little too hyped up." Carter kept the Mavericks in the game almost single-handedly in the first half, as Dallas trailed just 48-47. Ginobili scored eight straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, as the Spurs opened a 78-67 lead with a minute remaining. Ginobili, who was 2 for 5 on 3s, was energized by the teams return to health. "For Tim and Tony, its been a while, more than a month, probably without all three playing," Ginobili said. "It feels good. As I said the last two games, its very important for us to be healthy, to start feeling confident, to start playing with each other again over the last stretch of the season." NOTES: The Spurs have had 24 different lineups this season. ... San Antonio has won 12 of 14 regular-season games against Dallas. The Mavericks have not beaten the Spurs since a 106-99 victory on March 17, 2012, in Dallas. ... Popovich and Nowitzki engaged in somewhat contentious banter during the game. When Nowitzki was whistled for fouling Parker on a drive, he yelled at official Derek Richardson as he left for a substitution, "Just because (Popovichs) yelling doesnt mean theres a foul." Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '
