Will the Obama's and their "Chicago entourage" bring home the gold?
First Lady Michelle Obama is on a mission to win the bid for Chicago to be the host of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. At a round table discussion with reporters in the White House State Dining Room this past Monday, Mrs. Obama, smiling, had this to say, "It's a battle –– we're going to win –– take no prisoners!"…
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— go to most recent comments26 - Baronius
Every few years someone brings up the idea of a permanent Olympic venue in Athens. That sounds reasonable to me.
27 - Baritone
Bar,
It may be reasonable, but I think the Olympics is too big a prize for things to change.
It's true that a number of former host cities have lost money on the games. Nevertheless, hosting the Olympics is a huge plum, and it does provide a lot of work for people and some businesses manage to flourish before, during and even after the games are done.
It ain't all greatness and glory. Apparently, entire neighborhoods were destroyed and the residents displaced to accommodate the Beijing Olympics with little or no compensation. Further, it's often that a number of the venues built especially for the Olympics wither and die after the games, winding up under the wrecking ball.
Personally, I love the Olympics - both summer and winter games. Actually, what I enjoy most are the opening and closing ceremonies. I think they will have to retire the trophy, as it were, after the Beijing opening ceremonies.They were awesome. The people planning the London games have stated that they have no intention of trying to outdo China in this regard. China had resources - namely people - that Britain nor any other country I can think of outside of India perhaps, that could muster that number of people to participate in such an event. Most of the Beijing participants - some 25 to 30 thousand of them - literally spent months living and working together and rehearsing hours on end. That couldn't happen in London, here in the US or even India. I don't believe India has the kind of resources to pull that off.
All that being said, I won't be crushed if Chicago doesn't win, but from my perspective, it would be nice in that I'm just a few hours away down here in Indy, and I just might be able to actually go see f my favorite sport live. Oh wait. Curling is a winter event. Damn!
B
28 - Dr Dreadful
In that case, B-tone, just hop on a plane and mosey on up to Vancouver this winter. I mean, it's almost the US, and who knows when you'll next get the chance. The way things are going, it may not even be possible to have a Winter Olympics for much longer...
29 - Baronius
Are you trying to give Jordan a heart attack? Canada is almost the US?!?
I'd like to see some of the indoor events like boxing and swimming switched to the Winter Olympics. The winter games have always limped behind the summer ones, and now that they're off-years, the difference stands out even more.
30 - Baritone
Baronius has a good point. The Summer Olympics are a bit top heavy. Certainly, boxing, wrestling and martial arts events have no connection to a particular season. One associates swimming and diving with summer, I suppose, but as it all takes place indoors, what does it matter? Certainly, gymnastics is not seasonal.
Wouldn't it be interesting to see them run a marathon in winter, or instead of "beach" volleyball, have "snow" volleyball. Of course, they should keep the bikinis. :)
B
31 - roger nowosielski
Another point - too many venues in the summer event; there's no way you can see all you want to see. Track and field, my favorite, is a feast in and of itself.
32 - Baronius
Baritone - How about outdoor swimming in winter? Actually, I'd like to see indoor volleyball in the winter and beach in the summer, so that the best players could have time to compete in both.
Roger - Exactly. If summer is too big, and winter is too small, this doesn't take a math genius...
33 - Matthew T. Sussman
What a great sports discussion!
[looks at section]
My mistake. SHOW US THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE!!1
34 - Christine
Roger, track and field is my favorite. When I was young and a "track star"...my dream was to be in the Olympics, back when I could run a 5:40 mile and 12 minute 2 mile (pic on my website). Cross country too. Mary Decker was my idol.
Matthew, lol
35 - roger nowosielski
That's a pretty decent time, Christine. I have no idea what women do these days in a mile - must be around 4:30 or less.
Poland has a great track & field tradition. I've seen some of the stars of old - Zatopec was virtually unbeatable in anything from 5,000 meters and up. And Vladimir Kuc, a Russian long-distance world champion held world records for 5,000 and 10,000 meters. We were also great in field events, discus, javelin and hammer throws. And believe it or not, in 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Polish boxers had five golds medals. We were a powerhouse then - bigger than Russia.
36 - Jet Gardner
If I read one more asshole try to claim Obama wasn't born in the US I'm gonna hurl.
Just how fucking stupid has this country become?
37 - roger nowosielski
In fact, the entire US Olympic team was in Warsaw track and field meet before Melbourne Olympics and what a show it was - Poland may have lost but not by much - people like Lee Evans, O'Brien, Al Querter, Raphael Johnson, not to mention US basketball team starring Bill Russell.
38 - roger nowosielski
Hurl a hammer or a javelin, Jet. And pierce them straight through the heart.
39 - roger nowosielski
I was right:
"Doina Melinte of Romania . . . setting a record of 4 minutes 17.13 seconds in the women's mile."
October 1, 2009 NYT.
40 - roger nowosielski
I don't think Stan (STM) was old enough to have seen Melbourne Olympics.
41 - Christine
Roger, wow, Doina Melinte would be running laps around my mile!
42 - Christine
well maybe only 1.5 laps?
43 - roger nowosielski
That is embarrassing, ain't it?
44 - Christine
Yeah, but for most people it would be around 10 laps!
45 - roger nowosielski
Tell you the truth, Christine, I never got below 5:30 by I was already past my prime.
Mile wasn't really my distance - anyway, you have to train in it to become good.
I was better at long distances - did plenty of interval training - and decent at sprints, but not under 11 seconds per 100 meters. Lousy.
My uncle though was 14.8 100 meter hurdles - decent time for 1939 Olympics.
46 - roger nowosielski
Sorry, Christine - that news bulletin was from 1990. Mentions Peter Elliott, long gone.
47 - roger nowosielski
This is up to date: stats on both men and women.
48 - Arch Conservative
To the average American the Olympics pales in comparison to the importance of things like finding a job, being able to pay for their healthcare, saving for retirement, etc etc
Having a near trillion dollar stimulus turn out to be a bust, trying to foist capo and tax on America and failing, running his mouth on the Democrats life saving health care plan and then seeing over half the population oppose it, failing to close Gitmo by the timeline he set........this presidency is turning out to be a pathetic joke.
It amazes me when I ear the moonbats talk about how much he has accomplished. Aside from calling Kanye West a jackass he hasn't done jack shit right.
Now he's grandstanding on the Olympics as he tries to pay back all the crooked Chicagoans who helped him get to where he is today.
Who gives a fuck about the Olympics. They can have them on the moon if they want. I'd trade the travelling circus to Rio or any other city any day for some real and productive leadership on the domestic issues we're currently facing.
49 - Jordan Richardson
To the average American, bacon is a vegetable.
50 - Baronius
Well, if it's a decoration on top of a burger, it's got to be a vegetable. Just like lettuce, tomato, or cheese. Don't you Canadians know anything?
51 - Christine
LOL, about bacon! Very bad for you by the way.
52 - Christine
Associated Press -- Chicago Eliminated from 2016 Olympic Bid
53 - Dr Dreadful
Tokyo also. It's between Rio and Madrid.
54 - Christine
Tokyo out too!
55 - Dr Dreadful
Arch, from what I've observed the average American would rather have a 756" super wide screen thermonuclear-powered plasma TV that can also make popcorn and do yard work than save for anything, including retirement and healthcare.
56 - Dr Dreadful
My bacon garden is coming on a treat. The rashers are ripening nicely, and looking lovely in among the leaves as they start to take on their fall colors.
I think my cheese trees have aphids, though. Bugger.
57 - Christine
Thanks Dr. D, you are on top of the story too...do you think it will be Rio?
58 - Dr Dreadful
I suspect it will, and that Madrid is going to be pissed - having been unsuccessful with yet another bid.
Rio (supposedly) will have a lot of infrastructure already in place since Brazil is hosting the 2014 World Cup. That fact may count against it, though - can the country really host both of the world's two largest sporting events within a two-year period? Sure, it's been done before - by Mexico, Germany and the USA - but still...
Madrid has already built most of the venues and has superb infrastructure, but will the IOC really be willing to host two straight Games in Europe?
Ah well, we'll know in about half an hour.
59 - Christine
Obama's didn't even bring home the "BRONZE"!!!
60 - Dr Dreadful
I'm astonished - as many people in Copenhagen seem to have been as well - that Chicago was eliminated first. It seems that perhaps the IOC delegates share my reservations about the US hosting the Games so often.
61 - Dr Dreadful
The BBC says the winning city has been chosen and will be announced at about 1650 GMT (1250 Eastern, 0950 Pacific).
62 - Baronius
I didn't have a problem with the President going to Copenhagen, and I still don't. Some people were saying that he would only go if it were a done deal, and that going to Copenhagen and coming back without an Olympics would be a loss of face. I think that the fall of Afghanistan or a nuclear Iran constitutes a loss of face; not getting the Olympics is a minor disappointment.
63 - Dr Dreadful
I agree, Herr Baron. The new Japanese prime minister is also at the ceremony, as is the King of Spain and President Lula. If anything, I think loss of face in this instance is going to be a bigger deal for the Japanese than any of the other leaders.
64 - Dr Dreadful
Thinking about it, I'm actually not all that surprised that Chicago was shown the door. There's a lot of politics involved, and memories are long.
The last two occasions the United States hosted an Olympics left a sour taste in the mouth for many people. There was the way the US approached the Atlanta Games as an American glory-fest rather than an international sporting celebration; and of course the whole bribery scandal surrounding the selection of Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Games.
65 - Christine
IOC LIVE FEED
66 - Dr Dreadful
Your link crashed my browser, Christine.
Not your fault, of course, but I think I'll stick with the good old BBC!
:-)
67 - Christine
Sorry..that one is BNO news. Who are they?
68 - Christine
Rio!!!!!!
69 - Dr Dreadful
It's Rio!
70 - zingzing
doc: "There was the way the US approached the Atlanta Games as an American glory-fest rather than an international sporting celebration"
jeeeeeeez. first of all, what are you talking about. maybe CORPORATE america... but to say that "the US" did anything of the sort is just ridiculous.
that said, the olympics IS an american glory-fest. the story is usually who's going to come in 2nd place. and if you remember it as some falsified america ra-ra thing, you don't remember what happened there at all.
no offense, but go stick your stinky cheese up your european ass. lala. we'll poop all our medals on your lawn if you're not careful
71 - Dr Dreadful
First of all, zing, I'm just saying that was the perception. It seemed to a lot of people that there was an overwhelming blast of jingoistic brouhaha which got worse the more medals the US won. Then, when somebody else won something, it was, "Huh, Vladimir won gold in the backstroke. He's not American. Does not compute. Meh. Next!"
Second of all, enjoy it while it lasts. The Chinese beat you out in Beijing and they'll probably do even better in London.
72 - Christine
"The Audacity of Arrogance"!
73 - zingzing
well, the chinese lost by 10 medals, but i'll give you the golds... (and at the next olympics, i'm none too worried about the chinese. maybe the next summer games, but we'll see how they do when they aren't the host nation.)
and the olympics is always jingoistic. it's an international competition. maybe it shouldn't be on certain levels, but it is (and in many ways that's the way it should be).
"Then, when somebody else won something, it was, "Huh, Vladimir won gold in the backstroke. He's not American. Does not compute. Meh. Next!""
malarkey.
74 - zingzing
christine, every nation sent a very high ranking official. kings, prime ministers, presidents. if you want to make this into some sort of anti-obama thing, go ahead, but you know who isn't hosting the 2016 olympics? the usa.
and your smirking doesn't change that fact.
75 - zingzing
"The Audacity of Schadenfreude, pt 2: When Schadenfreude is Self-reflexive"!