Stephen Colbert takes podium at Vancouver Games

Stephen Colbert has gold-medal star power.

And the pugnacious political pundit drew applause and attention as loud and as frantic as anything recently witnessed, this side of a Canadian men’s hockey game, in a taped episode of The Colbert Report from the Winter Games, which aired Monday night.

"We’re here in Canada or as I call it, Europe with toilets," Colbert joked.

In the first of a weeklong series of programs from Vancouver, Colbert interviewed U.S. snowboarder Shaun White and later is to welcome Canadian crooner Michael Buble, as well as NBC sportscaster Bob Costas.

"They only have two weeks, how are they going to fit in 2010 games?" Colbert deadpanned as he began his show.

"It’s 11:30 at night and the sun is still shining. They wonder why they don’t have any snow here."

The programs were taped last Wednesday and Thursday with America’s favourite faux-conservative comedian taking to an outdoor waterfront stage to the delight of hundreds of spectators and Olympic revellers.

Behind Colbert were a pair of hockey sticks and a large poster of the cable comedian carrying an Olympic torch and riding an eagle.

Very Colbert. Very red, white and blue.

The political pundit began with a broadcast legal analyst – "My brother Ed" – debating whether the Comedy Central late-night show could mention the Olympics or even display an image of the Olympic rings, in a skit aimed at the International Olympic Committee’s legendary copyright powers.

Colbert promised to "get up close and personal with a dead moose," and took a shot at last Friday night’s Games’ opening ceremony, which "all went off without a hitch, expect for one hitch."

Colbert called Canada "a strange name," and unveiled an "English-to-English" dictionary which armed him with the knowledge that what Americans call patriotism, Canadians refer to as "loving Canada."

In his first segment, Colbert presented a profile on the riding of Vancouver South. "It doesn’t snow there," he said.

He would later undertake another of his patented irreverent interviews, this time with Vancouver South Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh, who debated the merits of a state-run health-care system and Dosanjh’s Indian heritage.

He ended the show holding a fake beaver and declaring to a chorus of cheers from his audience that it didn’t matter if they were Canadian, European or Asian: the one thing that was important is that "You’re not American."

While in Vancouver, Colbert who started a campaign to raise money for U.S. speedskaters, attended several speedskating events, including one last Wednesday in which American Shani Davis zipped to gold in the men’s 1,000 metres. He wore a red jacket with the words Assistant Sports Psychologist emblazoned on the back.

In November, Colbert accused Canada of cheating at the Olympics. He noted criticism from Britain and the United States that suggested Canadian Olympic officials weren’t allowing luge and speedskating athletes from outside Canada use Vancouver’s Olympic tracks in the months leading up to the Games.

"Those syrup-suckers won’t let us practise at their Olympic venues," he said. "This is the most unsportsmanlike conduct by Canadians since it was discovered Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay is a moose."

Colbert lobbied for Canada to grant access to the U.S. team and called Canadians "Saskatchewhiners."

Colbert also calls Canadians "ice-holes" and even "un-Canadian.

"This time, they want to win. That’s very unpolite."

The Comedy Central late-night political pied piper even made the cover of Sports Illustrated late last year, wearing an Olympic speedskating uniform. The tribute was paid for Colbert’s devotion to the American speedskating squad, for whom Colbert followers and fans – known as Colbert Nation – became a primary sponsor, after a Dutch bank abandoned the team when it filed for bankruptcy.

With files from Vancouver Sun