Paralympic torch in Vancouver

The Paralympic torch relay lit up a small pocket of Vancouver on Wednesday as it made its first stop in the host city, where fresh memories of the Winter Olympics are fuelling excitement for their sequel.It was less than two weeks ago that the Olympic flame was extinguished and locals are eager for another international sporting event that will see hundreds of athletes with disabilities competing on the slopes of Whistler and on rinks in Vancouver.Craig McCord, a Paralympic swimming coach who carried the torch during a small relay through a Vancouver park Wednesday, said he sees the pair of events as one and the same."Somebody said to me earlier, 'It's one Games, two events,'" recalled McCord, wearing his blue torchbearer uniform and special Paralympic red mittens before his leg of the relay."From what we saw during the Olympics, we're a sport-crazy nation. And I think what you're going to see is people becoming more and more aware of Paralympic sport."The relay ends on Friday when the flame ignites a cauldron in B.C. Place stadium during the opening ceremonies.