Olympic cauldron lit to open Vancouver Games

VANCOUVER: The Olympic cauldron has been lit to open the XXI Winter Games.

One of the cauldron lights didn’t work, however, so only three of the final torchbearers actually lit the flame.

The final torchbearers were hockey great Wayne Gretzky, NBA All-Star Steve Nash, skier Nancy Greene and speedskater Catriona LeMay Doan, who was stuck posing and holding her torch.

Gretzky is en route to light a second Olympic cauldron in Vancouver’s downtown waterfront area.

The Olympic sports competitions begin Saturday and run through Feb. 28.

The ceremony was marked by tributes to 21-year-old Nodar Kumaritashvili of the republic of Georgia, who died after going off the track and hitting a steel pylon during a luge training run.