Vancouver 2010, part 1 of 2

Today is Day 8 of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver Canada, almost the halfway mark, and it's time to have a look at the activities in British Columbia. Over 100 medals have been awarded so far, with the United States, Germany, Norway and Canada leading the medal race. This year's event has been nicknamed by some as the Glitch Games, with more than its share of problems, from a malfunctioning cauldron on opening night to weather problems and course troubles. VANOC officials said they were working on the issues they could control, and were optimistic as athletes continued to deliver amazing performances in the many venues around Vancouver. Collected here are some photos from Days 1-8, with more to follow in another entry (now posted: Part 2) . (45 photos total)

Megan Sweeney of The United States descends the track during the Luge Women's Singles on day 5 of the 2010 Winter Olympics at Whistler Sliding Centre on February 16, 2010 in Whistler, Canada. (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Slovakia's Anastazia Kuzmina competes in the Women's Biathlon 10 km pursuit at Whistler Olympic Park on February 16, 2010 during the Vancouver Winter Olympics. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images) #

A snowboarder performs during the Snowboard Halfpipe training session at Cypress Mountain north of Vancouver on February 16, 2010. (MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images) #

Alex Ovechkin of Russia skates before their men's hockey game against Latvia at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 16, 2010. (REUTERS/Hans Deryk) #

China's Qingshuang Yue shouts instructions during a match against Great Britain during round robin session 2 of women's curling at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) #

Taihei Kato of Japan jumps during the Nordic Combined Men's Individual NH on day 3 of the 2010 Winter Olympics at Whistler Olympic Park Ski Jumping Stadium on February 14, 2010. (Al Bello/Getty Images) #

Russia's Artem Borodulin performs in the men's 2010 Winter Olympics figure skating free program at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, on February 18, 2010. (VINCENZO PINTO/AFP/Getty Images) #

A person photographs the Olympic cauldron from behind a chain-link fence that keeps the public away on February 17, 2010. Following a series of complaints that the flame was inaccessible to the public, Olympic officials moved the barrier closer to the cauldron and cut a hole in the fence to allow an more unobstructed view. (REUTERS/Gary Hershorn) #

Martina Sablikova of Czech Republic rounds a turn in the Speed Skating Ladies' 3,000m on day 3 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Richmond Olympic Oval on February 14, 2010. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) #

Haavard Vad Petersson of the Norwegian curling team gets set to deliver the stone during practice at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) #

Pilot Simone Bertazzo from the Italian team, creates a snow cloud as he brakes heavily during the first training heat of the Men's Two-Man Bobsleigh at the Whistler Sliding Center on Blackcomb Mountain on February 17, 2010. (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) #

China's Song Chaoqing fires her rifle in the women's 7.5km Sprint Biathlon at the Whistler Olympic Park on February 13, 2010 (JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images) #

Scott Niedermayer (left) and Martin Brodeur (right) of Canada look on as Switzerland scores a goal during the ice hockey men's preliminary game between Switzerland and Canada on day 7 of the 2010 Winter Olympics at Canada Hockey Place on February 18, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) #

Poland's Kamil Stoch makes a jump attempt during an official practice session for the Men's large hill individual ski jumping in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky) #

South Korea's Lee In-Bok competes in the men's Biathlon 10 km Sprint at Whistler Olympic Park Biathlon Stadium on February 14, 2010 during the Vancouver Winter Olympics. (FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images) #

A Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer watches over proceedings at the Medal Ceremony on day 3 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Whistler Medals Plaza on February 14, 2010. (Clive Rose/Getty Images) #

Britt Janyk of Canada passes a flag during the Alpine Skiing Ladies Downhill on day 6 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Whistler Creekside on February 17, 2010. (Clive Rose/Getty Images) #

Britain's Chemmy Alcott crashes after crossing the finish line in the women's Alpine Skiing Downhill race on February 17, 2010. (REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach) #

Swiss skier Dominique Gisin leaves the course in pain after crashing heavily during the Women's downhill event on February 17, 2010 at the Whistler Creekside Alpine skiing venue of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images) #

Lindsey Vonn of the United States raises her arm and shouts after completing her gold-medal-winning run in the Alpine Skiing Ladies Downhill on day 6 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at Whistler Creekside on February 17, 2010 in Whistler, Canada. (Clive Mason/Getty Images) #

USA's gold medallist Lindsey Vonn poses for photographers in the finish area during the Women's downhill event on February 17, 2010. (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images) #

(L-R) Nick Baumgartner of United States, David Speiser of Germany, Robert Fagan of Canada and Paul-Henri De Le Rue of France compete in heat seven of the 1/8 Final during the Men's Snowboard Cross Finals at Cypress Snowboard & Ski-Cross Stadium on February 15, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) #

Ren Hui of China races in the women's 1,000 meter speed skating race at the Richmond Olympic Oval on February 18, 2010. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez (CANADA) #

(L-R) Lee Jung-Su of South Korea leads Pieter Gysel of Belgium, Takahiro Fujimoto of Japan and J.R. Celski of the United States in the Short Track Speed Skating Men's 1,000 meter on day 6 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics on February 17, 2010. (Alex Livesey/Getty Images) #

USA's Chad Hedrick (left) greets South Korea's Mo Tae-Bum after their Men's 1,000 meter Speedskating race at the Richmond Olympic Oval in Richmond, on February 17, 2010. (DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty Images) #

Liudmila Kalinchik of Belarus collapses on the finish line during the women's biathlon 15 km individual race at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) #

Team Switzerland prepare before their ice hockey men's preliminary game against USA on day 5 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics on February 16, 2010. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) #

USA's Mirai Nagasu trains during a figure skating practice at the Trout Lake centre at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Mark Baker) #

A course worker spreads salt on the halfpipe course to harden the surface before the women's halfpipe competition on Cypress Mountain at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 18, 2010. (REUTERS/Mike Blake) #

Simona Meiler of Switzerland bleeds after a crash during the women's Snowboard cross qualifications at Cypress Mountain on February 16, 2010. (MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images) #

Shaun White of the United States competes in the men's snowboarding halfpipe qualifiers on Cypress Mountain on February 17, 2010. (REUTERS/Todd Korol) #

Shaun White of the USA launches from the course in the men's halfpipe final at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky) #

Shaun White of the USA, gold medalist in the the men's snowboard halfpipe competition, embraces his mother Cathy White among a cheering crowd, right after winning the competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics on Feb. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) #

Amy Williams of Great Britain and Northern Ireland eyes the track ahead in the women's skeleton run 2 on day 7 of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics on February 18, 2010. (Clive Mason/Getty Images) #

Russia's Alexander Tretyakov hits the padding at the end of the track after his second heat in the men's skeleton event at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics on February 18, 2010. (REUTERS/Jim Young) #

United States skip Debbie McCormick releases the stone during the women's curling round robin game between Japan and the United States on day 5 of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics on February 16, 2010. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) #

Pierre Ochs of France performs an acrobatic jump during the qualifications of the Men's Moguls Freestyle Skiing event, on February 14, 2010 at Cypress Mountain venue in Vancouver, Canada. (MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images) #

Kazakstan's Nikolay Chebotko races in the men's Nordic Cross Country individual sprint qualification at Whistler Olympic Park on February 17, 2010. (FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images) #

Frank Rommel of Germany rounds a corner during the men's skeleton competition in Whistler, British Columbia, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan) #

Erin Hamlin of the United States prepares her visor during the Luge Women's Singles on day 4 of the 2010 Winter Olympics on February 15, 2010. (Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images) #

China's Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao perform their pairs free program during the figure skating competition at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics on Feb. 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev) #

Russia's Nikita Kriukov and Alexander Panzhinskiy (right) stretch to cross the finish line first in the men's individual sprint classic cross-country final at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics on February 17, 2010. Kriukov won the gold medal ahead of compatriot Panzhinskiy who took silver and Norway's Petter Northug who took bronze. (REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth (CANADA) #

Evan Lysacek of the United States performs in the men's 2010 Winter Olympics figure skating short program at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver on February 16, 2010. (DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty Images) #

German Alpine skiing Gold medalist Maria Riesch poses with her medal for the women's Super Combined at the German House in Whistler, British Columbia on February 18, 2010. (MICHAEL KAPPELER/AFP/Getty Images) #

Switzerland's Simon Ammann makes an attempt during an official practice session of the Men's large hill individual ski jump in Whistler, British Columbia on Feb. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) #

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