No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms.

• 84 medals will be given over a period of 17 days.
• 2,600 athletes and 2,500 officials from 82 National Olympic Committees will be housed in 3 Olympic Villages: Torino, Bardonecchia and Sestriere.
• Seven sports will be presented: Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Curling, Ice Hockey, Luge, Skating, Skiing
• Eight competition sites: Bardonecchia, Pinerolo, Pragelato, Cesana-Pariol, Cesana-San Sicario, Sauze d'Oulx, Sestriere, Torino, joined by 2 training centres at: Claviere and Torre Pellice
• 650 judges and referees will participate in the Games.
• 10,000 journalists and media operators are expected to cover the Games.

I think the biggest difference in these Games would be the design of the medals. I think it is very ingenious what they did. Here is the thought process behind the design (taken from the International Olympic Committee website):

The Piazza
The medal concept was worked upon by Ottaviani International and the TOROC graphic team, headed by Dario Quatrini. The medal is round with an empty space at the centre, representing the Italian piazza. The medal will be wrapped up in its ribbon, which, unlike in previous Games, will not be sewn to its top. The front of the medal will include the graphic elements of the Games, while the back of the medal will feature the pictogram of the sports discipline in which the medal was won. To highlight the three-dimensional characteristics of the medal, its surface has been carefully made using full and empty spaces, with shiny and satiny textures.

Italian History
Quatrini, who created the design for the medals, incorporated views, ideas and models from Italian history and its tradition of forms and manufacturing: rings, ancient coins and ornaments. The solution of the circle with the space at the centre links all the basic themes and motifs of the Turin Games and embodies the leitmotiv of Torino 2006 – the piazza. The medal is also round like the Olympic rings or a symbolic victory ring and, with its open space at its centre, it reveals the place where the heart beats, the symbol of life itself. The medal is only complete, however, when it is hanging geometrically from the athlete’s neck, lying on his chest, circling and revealing the area near his heart and focusing attention on the athlete’s vital energy and human emotions.

What is also interesting to me is how they group snowboarding with skiing. Sure they both involve sliding down a hill with something attached to your feet. But they are two very different sports. It is my opinion that this should be changed.

I hope you all enjoy watching these Games. May there be no protests on judging, no athletes testing positive for drug use, and any of the other distractions that take away from what these Games really are. A way for the world to be united for a minimum of 16 days