I will speak from some experience. I have been to six Olympic games. There is an atmosphere at each one. People have asked me in the past about which one was my favorite. I always reply with a standard answer, "my first games in Barcelona". Simply because it was the first and, secondly, because I had the chance to share it with my father.
Vancouver has been different. When in Spain, the fans were very present, but not too enthusiastic. Spain does not have a rich history of success in the games. When in Atlanta, the Americans turned out in droves. The response was very overwhelming depending on which venue you attended and how well the Americans did. For instance, we attended Badminton and the Americans had very little presence in that event. When the Americans were doing well in an event, the fans responded well. In Athens, the Greeks did not expect to do well in the medal count, so the enthusiasm was not all that great, although they were very friendly and welcoming.
In Salt Lake City, I can reflect solely from the perspective of the events we attended. We went to a Nordic event and the Americans were certainly present. They were not as enthusiastic as the crowd from some of the countries that, traditionally, do well in these events; ie: Norway. In Beijing, it seemed that the fans were there out of obligation. It was just a feeling that I had but, it seemed that they were there to fill the seats. It is much different here in Vancouver. Especially now at the end of the games and the Canadians are doing well. They are in line for the gold in Hockey matched up against the Americans in a rematch. They are going to medal in Curling in both divisions, although the women could have won their match today for the gold. The town is alive with friendly, enthusiastic fans. They are all over the place. They are filling the downtown streets with their cheers for Canada and everyone is clad in red. It is just a feeling, but it is different from any of the other experiences.
We had dinner tonight with our host, Julie. She took us downtown to a Chinese restaurant that she favors. It was a great meal and she ordered so much food that, with what we brought home, we may not need to eat meals away from the apartment for the rest of our stay. One more day and then it will be the final day of the games. We are poised for the Closing Ceremonies. We purchased tickets from someone on Craig's List and we are set to go. It will be a great end to the games.

Rick