TURIN, ITALY—The popularity of her sport in Canada notwithstanding, it is difficult to imagine Canadian women's curling skip Shannon Kleibrink being accosted in public by fans in her home country on a regular basis.

For at least one night in Turin, however, it was a different story. Kleibrink and her teammates, fresh off a bronze-medal victory over Norway, were greeted by a group of screaming, flag-waving fans assembled at the security barrier as the team van arrived at the rear entrance to the medal plaza.

The Olympics, it seems, can have that effect on people.

The team signed autographs and handed out bracelets until a manager called them away for the medal ceremony, undeterred by the fact that the enthusiastic fans did not necessarily know who they were. "Women's curling, bronze," Kleibrink said cheerily, signing the flag in front of her.

The curlers were not the only ones for whom the games brought newfound popularity. Prior to his 1,500-meter gold medal in Turin, Italian speed skater Enrico Fabris pointed out that he was frequently swamped with requests for autographs and photos when traveling in Nordic countries but could walk the streets of most Italian cities in relative obscurity.

Turin residents are hoping their city will enjoy a similar boost in exposure from the games.

"We hope (the Olympics) will help people to know about Turin," said Cecilia Valentini, a native of the city. Valentini said she hoped the games would help shed Turin's reputation as a polluted industrial center and open the door for tourism to play a larger role in the city's economy.

Still, in a common dilemma for Olympic host cities, some residents were unsure what would become of specialized fixtures such as the bobsled tracks and multiple indoor ice arenas erected for the games.

"It will be interesting to see what they do with them afterwards," said resident Simone Bordet, who said he saw the pool in which he learned to swim and paths on which he used to run filled in and paved over to make way for the Olympic structures. "Italians don't really use an ice rink."

But in the final weekend of the games, such questions were put on hold in favor of the revelry that swept the city. Groups of Swedes broke into song outside the hockey rink following a 7-3 victory over the Czech Republic by their men's team, which would go on to take the gold. Italian flags flew from every available window and balcony. Even Canadian hockey fans, chagrined at an early exit by their men's squad, got in on the action and could be spotted in bars shouting "Viva Italia! Viva Torino!"

On the eve of the closing ceremonies, Turin held what is known in Italian as a "white night," during which shops and restaurants stayed open for an all-night party throughout the city. Thousands of fans gathered in and around the central plaza to watch the medal presentations and to sing national anthems. Music was constant and loud, accompanied by dancing in the streets. Many wore the flags of their respective countries draped across their backs.

From U.S. sources, the bulk of the news seemed to be about how NBC was drawing abysmal ratings for the games, about Bode Miller's most recent flop, or about the spat between Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick.

In Turin, however, there was plenty of good news for the curling and non-curling fans alike.

Only at the Olympics, perhaps, does that ring true.