The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Forget the massive dance-off from the Olympic opening ceremony five years ago in Rio. The rock concert vibe from the 2012 London Games is a distant memory too.
Tokyo went with a muted approach for the kickoff of the 2020 Olympics on Friday, successfully reading the room for a polarizing Games that were postponed a year but still couldn't escape the pandemic.
Competition at the Games actually started a couple days ago, but Friday evening's ceremony (local time) served as the formal opener despite the ever-present shadow of COVID-19.
Curious locals gathered outside the venue's exterior fencing late in the afternoon, eager to soak in some of the atmosphere from afar given the proceedings were closed to the public. Protesters upset that the Games were going ahead were also nearby.
They could only watch as arriving media members and photographers posed for photos beside the famous five rings stationed near the stadium entry point.
One couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret upon entering the cavernous yet magnificent venue, which will also be used for athletics events and the Aug. 8 closing ceremony.
Dozens of flags lined the perimeter of the building, overlooking tens of thousands of empty seats.
Normally a night for locals to let loose and celebrate after years of buildup, the ceremony felt more like a dress rehearsal than the real thing since few were on hand to enjoy it.
Performances were strong, but the applause was a mere fraction of the normal level with the stands so sparsely occupied.
Audience participation was obviously a no-go this time around, but the traditional team walkout remained a highlight even without roars from the crowd.
Athletes wore masks as they strolled out in their national team kit, waving their hands and arms and trying their best to enjoy the moment, as strange as it might be.
Sporting bright red jackets, crisp white pants and grey masks, basketball player Miranda Ayim and rugby sevens player Nathan Hirayama proudly waved the Maple Leaf as Canadian flag-bearers to lead a modest contingent of 30 Canadian athletes.
Given many athletes tightened their schedules here due to limitations as a result of the pandemic, several countries had leaner participation numbers. The usual big-name star power simply wasn't at the same level.
Tennis player Felix Auger-Aliassime and badminton player Michelle Li were two of the higher-profile Canadian Olympians on hand.
Those on hand made the most of the opportunity. Chef de mission Marnie McBean clapped as she walked near the front of the pack as the Canadian athletes made their way into the cavernous venue.
The bright-eyed looks and raised cheeks gave away the big smiles that couldn't be seen behind the facemasks. Canadian IOC member Dick Pound was shown on the in-house monitors cheering on the team's entry.
"Today, the entire world will unite for the official opening of the Tokyo Olympic Games in Japan," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a release. "This is an opportunity to celebrate athletes' excellence, sportsmanship, and dedication in Canada and across the world."
Trampoline champion Rosie MacLennan carried the Maple Leaf at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2021.
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
The Israeli army on Monday ordered tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza's southern city of Rafah to start evacuating from the area, signalling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.