Beat that VANOC!

One has to imagine that John Furlong and the rest of the Vancouver 2010 crowd are feeling a little queasy right now. Having to follow the show that Beijing just put on is not an enviable task. It was jaw dropping. And it cost a mere $300 million.

For those who are planning to watch the rebroadcast tonight, I won’t play spoiler. But a few random thoughts from those who were sitting front row.

How the participants and athletes didn’t melt is a mystery. On an already sweltering night 91,000 bodies in the Bird’s Nest made the heat ungodly.

Best dressed: Samoa.You must respect the sarong and flowered shirt combo.

Worst dressed: Ukraine’s Ikea sales staff look. Runner up: Estonia’s Crayola crayon hued blazers.

And a special shout out to the athletes of Burundi, who marched barefoot. And the courageous Temalangeni Dlamini, who carried the flag of Swaziland in spiked heels.

Finally, pity poor Yao Ming. Everybody,including his own teammates want a photo with him. And he’s got nowhere to hide.