Mitt and Ann Romney Guests of Honor at Vancouver Winter Olympics, Opening Ceremony Tonight

Anticipation is building in Vancouver, Canada! Tonight, the Opening Ceremony of the XXIst Winter Olympiad will unfold in all of its frosty glory. Numbered among the thousands of down-coated, mufflered spectators will be guests of honor, Mitt and Ann Romney.

Widely recognized for turning around the 2002 scandal-ridden Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, Romney’s outstanding leadership in cleaning up Olympic corruption, reversing fiscal woes, restoring the integrity the Games, and turning a profit for the Games caught the attention of nations across the globe. Romney’s exemplary performance has made him a highly-valued guest at subsequent Winter Games.

The Romneys will be in Canada today through Monday.

Notably, not attending is President Obama. Vice President Joe Biden and wife Dr. Jill Biden will do the honors in his stead:

The official U.S. delegation includes the Bidens, David Jacobson, U.S. Ambassador to Canada; Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President; Mike Eruzione, 1980 Olympic gold medalist, U.S. Men’s Hockey Team; Peggy Fleming, 1968 Olympic gold medalist, Ladies Figure Skating, and Vonetta Flowers, 2002 Olympic gold medalist, Women’s Bobsledding.

The vice president and Dr. Biden will make remarks at a kick-off rally for American athletes today and later attend a reception honoring heads of the Olympic delegations.

Canada is geared up to impress and rumors are rampant as to which Canadian performing artists will rock the crowds in tonight’s show:

Canadians Nelly Furtado, Sarah McLachlan, and Bryan Adams are all likely bets for Friday’s performance, although program details for the opening ceremonies have yet to be disclosed by Vancouver Olympic organizers.

According to a Toronto Sun report, the above-named singers were spotted arriving at the dress rehearsal this week.

People.com predicts that rockers Rush and jazz singer Nikky Yanofsky, also Canadians, are sure bets as well.

There is no yet word on whether other Canadian A-listers, like Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne, and Celine Dion will perform at any time during the games.

One part of the opening ceremony lineup had been confirmed. The new star-studded “We are the World” video for Haiti earthquake relief is slated to make its debut during tonight’s coverage.

VANOC (Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games), the Canadian Forces, and Nike have joined together to deliver desperately yearned-for sports equipment to children in some of the most isolated communities in Northern Canada. Here’s a look at the far-reaching influence of the Olympic Spirit that Mitt Romney sacrificed greatly for and loves so much:

A few facts on Team USA:

This month, 216 Americans will venture north to Vancouver to compete in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Team USA is represented by 123 men and 93 women.

Thirty-one different Americans have won Olympic medals in previous Winter Games, collecting a total of 48 Olympic medals among them (12 gold, 20 silver and 16 bronze).

At the 2006 Games, the United States had its most successful Winter Olympics ever on foreign snow and ice – winning nine gold, nine silver and seven bronze for a total of 25 medals. Snowboarding and speed skating led the way for the U.S. with seven medals each.

Since then, the winter success has only continued. At the individual 2009 World Championships, the U.S. won more gold medals (13) in events on the Olympic program than any country and finished second overall in medals to Canada.

While some of the 13 world champions are unlikely to find similar results in Vancouver, the number speaks to the depth and talent of the Americans.

The Olympics are a showcase of some of the great qualities of the human spirit: determination, persistence, hard work, sacrifice, dedication, faith, passion, teamwork, loyalty, honor, character. The Olympics celebrate the human spirit by revealing the athlete’s unrelenting drive to push the limits of human capacity. ~ Turnaround by Mitt Romney, p.xiii-xiv Aug 25, 2004

Thank you, Canada! Good luck to all the athletes. BEST of luck to the Americans! USA! USA! USA!

Television coverage of the excitement in Vancouver begins tonight, February 12, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and Pacific Standard Time on NBC. For Vancouver, British Columbia, the opening ceremony will actually begin at 6 p.m. PST.

Additional Info:

Online Olympic Coverage here. (Avoid NBC’s delayed coverage and choose events you wish to watch/ignore.)

2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games Medal Event Schedule here.

Olympic results, Team USA, athlete profiles, video, photos, schedules, etc. here.

Official Vancouver 2010 website.

Official Olympic website.

Official Vancouver 2010 mascots sea bear Miga, young sasquatch Quatchi, and Paralymic mascot Sumi.

30 Athletes Banned for Doping – Vancouver 2010 Olympics

Olympic luger from Georgia dies after crash in Vancouver just hours before the Opening Ceremony. (Very sorry to hear about this. Condolences to the victim’s family and the Georgian team. Prayers for all involved.)