GOLD to most Canadians, who according to a poll are pretty grown up and grounded when it comes to caring about how many Canadians win medals. "The majority of Canadians polled in that survey said a safe, on-budget and problem-free Games would be the top three factors they'd use to judge whether the Olympics were a success," according to The Canadian Press.

GOLD to Don Ritter's "Vested" at the CODE 1 art exhibition at Great Northern Way campus, part of the Cultural Olympiad. While there's much to see at the CODE 1 show (and not too crowded!), there's something deliciously ironic about the opportunity Ritter's given us to put on the vest of a suicide bomber and participate in the destruction of various global landmarks. This just a few blocks away from the athlete's village and the centre of a $1 billion security exercise. So you know, the work asks us to examine our complicity in destruction, our thirst for news and fiction that involve mayhem. And what does it have to say about the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili -- and its replay by some broadcasters and on YouTube -- on day one of the Olympic circus?

GOLD to Les Cowboys Fringants for their spirit-lifting performance at Place de la Francophonie yesterday night. The folksy-yet-edgy Québécois band blasted the crowd out of its post-hockey-loss stupor, with singer Karl Tremblay crowd surfing and Marie-Annick Lépine wearing the horsehair off her violin's bow. It's doubtful that VANOC officials have taken much note of the band's lyrics -- including anti-corporate, anti-poverty and anti-apathy messaging -- but the French-speaking attendees were surely able to revel in the irony. 

GOLD to the Canadian Olympic Committee for mathematical aptitude. Having, we guess, run their computer modeled projections, they have decided now to disown the podium.

GOLD to the Onion's photographer for capturing the decisive moment: Canadian bobsled team forgets bobsled!

SILVER to the various Russian folksingers outside the Sotchi 2014 pavilion. We are told braving the line's not worth it, but you were.

SILVER to Mike Babcock for clearly having read yesterday's People's Podium (along with every other media outlet in Vancouver, and thousands of tweets and Facebook messages) and deciding to start Roberto Luongo. Truthfully, Babcock played it brilliantly. He had no choice but to go with the championship-tested Brodeur until Brodeur played himself out of a job. Now Babcock can absolve himself of all responsibility if Luongo plays the way he did against Chicago in the play-offs last year.

BRONZE for a strong effort in the highly competitive sport of bitchily describing Olympian attire: "Delobel wore a pink-trimmed choker, a strapless merry widow, and a pair of frilly pink kickpants that she was extraordinarily intent on airing out. All in all, she resembled a Pigalle strumpet out of a Postimpressionist painting, thus leaving us to conclude that Schoenfelder, in his newsboy cap and pink cravat, was her procurer." That was Slate's Troy Patterson, assessing the outfits of the French ice dancing team Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder.

FACEPLANT to Russian ice dancers who, while losing the facepaint, are still performing in aboriginal-themed ice costumes, even after international criticism.

FACEPLANT to U.S. Snowboarder Scotty Lago, forced to leave the Olympics after photos emerged of him in a bar celebrating in 'racy' style with a woman on her knees. Then again, she deserves some responsibility for Lago's downfall. If she'd just asked for an autograph on her forehead, one presumes, he'd still be here. Then again, as we study the photos intently, he appears to be zipped, and the two of them seem to be just having a laugh. If so, make that a faceplant for the U.S. officials who sent the boarder dude home early for having too much sexy fun.

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