Vancouver bids Olympics farewell
The Vancouver Winter Olympics drew to a spectacular close on Sunday after 17 days of intense competition.
Canada topped the medal table, with 14 golds, seven silvers and five bronze medals, while the United States won the most medals with 37 overall.
Amy Williams clinched skeleton gold to win Britain's only medal at the Games.
Olympic chief Jacques Rogge said: "This extraordinary embrace by the entire city is something unique and has given a great atmosphere for these Games."
The closing ceremony began with the comedic emergence of the Olympic flame's fourth ice crystal leg, which failed to appear during the opening ceremony.
The show, which lasted more than two hours, featured the likes of Canadian actors William Shatner and Michael J. Fox poking fun at their country in a self-deprecating manner.
The Games, which featured 2500 athletes from 82 competing nations, had begun in the worst possible way with the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili.
The 21-year-old was killed when his sled flipped and he hit a steel pole during a training run on the much criticised, high-speed Whistler Sliding Centre track.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic_games/vancouver_2010/8542068.stm