VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Carry on, ladies.
Canada's top Olympic official sees no reason to worry about the women's hockey team's beer-swigging, cigar-smoking celebration of its gold-medal victory over the U.S. team.
After the players swiftly apologized, other top Olympic officials praised the Canadians and played down the party Friday, even while encouraging them to be a bit more discreet next time.
"As far as we're concerned, the matter is closed," said Michael Chambers, president of the Canadian Olympic Committee. "It was nothing more than an error of judgment committed at the exciting time of winning a gold medal. It was a spilling out of the celebration that was going on in the dressing room."
The International Olympic Committee send it would send a letter to Canadian organizers asking for more details about what happened but was careful not to characterize the response as an investigation.
Vancouver organizing chief John Furlong said it was simply a matter of "young kids who were happy."
"They had a great time," Furlong said Friday. "They let their hair down. Yes, they said they were sorry, but they're great ambassadors for hockey, and they shouldn't regret what they did for a moment."
Several players were expected to comment on their victory later Friday.