China's Coming Out Party

The preview show has been watched and digested.
Now it's time to belly up to our television sets for the big feast.
With an unprecedented number of broadcast hours (both on the tube and online available), Canadians will be served during the Beijing Olympics like never before. This is a buffet table that is literally endless. And yes, you're encouraged to go back for seconds.
Many familiar faces and voices are back for another Games go round for the CBC, which has been 'Canada's Olympic Network' since Atlanta 1996. But, for a variety of reasons, a few favourites won't be with us in China.
Brian Williams, the Olympic host with the most, has taken has act over to TSN, where he'll resume keeping us up to date on the time (of course) and so many other things at Vancouver 2010. Terry Leibel, the forgotten, underrated off-prime host for a number of Games, has retired from the Olympic ring.
Sadly, there will be no Don Wittman, the authoritative track and field voice who passed away earlier this year. And we were reminded once again tonight of his call of Donovan Bailey's 100-metre triumph in Atlanta in 1996 that is sure to live with us for generations to come.
CBC introduced us to its new host crew during its Beijing Games preview tonight. Ron MacLean steps into Williams' former role for Olympic Prime (6 p.m.-midnight), then will pass the torch to Ian Hanomansing, who'll front Pacific Prime (midnight-3 a.m.). You'll wake up to Scott Russell and Diana Swain on Olympic Morning (6 a.m.-noon).
Hanomansing and Swain, you'll note, come from news backgrounds. But so do many of the media throng sent by media outlets around the globe to chronicle the story of these historic Games.
More than anything, these Olympics are about China. And while its athletes are expected to harvest bushels full of medals -- it won't be a shock if they lead the gold total when all is said and done -- the story here is about more than Chinese athletes.
Human rights, Tibet, the ghastly level of pollution ... all will be well-chronicled before the flame is extinguished on Aug. 24. It is, as CBC National's Peter Mansbridge pointed out tonight, a rare opportunity to explore and discover so much about an oft-reclusive nation (at 1.3 billion, the world's most populous) that built the Great Wall of China for a reason so many centuries ago. But one that is barrelling into the 21st century at breakneck speed.
"China is a mystery," MacLean said earlier tonight in launching CBC's coverage. "In the next 17 days, we'll unlock this mystery."
How much will we learn. Soon enough, to be sure, we shall see.