Let's go surfing! Here are a few websites (not all Olympic related) that I enjoy and read on a regular basis.
www.thebigproject.co.uk/news---one thing I really miss from not being in the UK is going down to the corner newsstand and getting my copies of The Times (London), Daily Mail, Daily Mirror and News of the World. Here I can read them all online.
www.findmadeline.co.uk---no explanation needed.
www.aroundtherings.com---please visit my friends Ed and Sheila Hula who run this excellent website. If you want up-to-the-minute Olympic news, this is the ONLY website you will ever need. (After you finish with ATR, come see me for Olympic commentary and opinion.) There is also a link on how you can subscribe to the electronic edition and daily email updates.
www.pageant.com---another friend of mine runs this site. If you have a friend that competes or is intersted in the pageant world, direct them to Pageant News Bureau.
www.themoscowtimes.com---Web site of my favorite English-language Russian newspaper. It's too expensive to subscribe to the paper version but this is the next best thing to read it online.
www.moscow2001.olympic.org---where it all started. If you look in the archive photographs, you might see me hunched over a computer! There is an audio link to the President's news conference on the site also.
www.blackpoolonline.co.uk---Blackpool Gazette newspaper. My mother-in-law lives near there and my early married life was spent there. Not as tacky as some people think the place is.
Well, there are just a few of the sites I enjoy to visit, some in my off time.
Be good and see you Monday!!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
One person who's doing it right
I have a confession to make...back in 1996, when Atlanta was taking it on the chin for how it was running the Olympics, Richard Pound was one of the most vocal critics. One day, I told my boss that "someday if I am face to face with him, I am going to give him a piece of my mind!" Seven years later, he and I and his wife were having a most pleasant conversation in the lobby of the Prague Hilton. I had to (silently!) smile at the irony. To say back in 1996 I wasn't exactly enamoured of him was an understatement.
But in the years that followed, something happened. He said in an interview that he took reflection of himself and realised that some of the caustic comments he had made over the years probably didn't win him any friends, and broke bridges in the process. He made a subsequent comment about "mending fences"---and he did just that.
Not very many people in the Olympic world make such a dramatic transformation. His principled stance on doping, and ridding the Games of cheats, which ended up in several IOC officials resigning their positions most likely cost him the IOC presidency in 2001. When he was named to Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential in 2005, he made a comment that "in the old program, you had to hold up the liquor store five times instead of four before you got caught." When other people were decrying how bad doping was, Richard actually and actively set out to do something about it.
His term as the head of WADA ends in December. I hope he considers another try for the IOC presidency---because I sincerely believe there needs to be change, and that change can only happen from the top, and he's the man to do it.
Anyone who can stand alone and call out the drug cheats is a good guy, in my book.
But in the years that followed, something happened. He said in an interview that he took reflection of himself and realised that some of the caustic comments he had made over the years probably didn't win him any friends, and broke bridges in the process. He made a subsequent comment about "mending fences"---and he did just that.
Not very many people in the Olympic world make such a dramatic transformation. His principled stance on doping, and ridding the Games of cheats, which ended up in several IOC officials resigning their positions most likely cost him the IOC presidency in 2001. When he was named to Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential in 2005, he made a comment that "in the old program, you had to hold up the liquor store five times instead of four before you got caught." When other people were decrying how bad doping was, Richard actually and actively set out to do something about it.
His term as the head of WADA ends in December. I hope he considers another try for the IOC presidency---because I sincerely believe there needs to be change, and that change can only happen from the top, and he's the man to do it.
Anyone who can stand alone and call out the drug cheats is a good guy, in my book.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Para-normal?
I've heard grumbling from time to time over the years about the Paralympics from various sectors of the Olympic community: organising committees, broadcasters, volunteers, law enforcement. I talked to one bid committee member who told me they should have the option of hosting-or-not-hosting the Paralympics as they see fit. Costs were mentioned most as a factor. I heard volunteers in Atlanta who were turned down for "real" Olympic volunteer jobs being steered to the Para side. I recall in the application that I signed for 1996, that I understood that this was a Paralympics volunteer application also. Broadcasters say there's not enough interest to justify the cost. Law enforcement says the security concerns aren't as great as the regular Olympic Games. Who's right?
Everyone is...up to a point. I've heard talk from certain sectors saying that they would go ahead with a Summer Games bid if they didn't have to take on the Paralympics also. I've always felt that it should be up to the various Organising Committees if they wanted to take on this task.
I've always maintained that the Games for disabled sport should stand on their own and not piggyback the big event. I'll go one step further---and say it is discriminatory to disabled athletes to steer them away from the regular Olympic Games, and I am very surprised that a disabled athlete hasn't sued the pants off the IOC in this regard.
Some people will say it's a safety issue---you don't want an amputee competing with the likes of an able-bodied athlete who just won gold in his last event. I say it's a lack of opportunity issue and I really don't see the reason why athletes should be separated like this, if the IOC truly wants to equalize sport.
Give the athletes a CHOICE in how they compete---and the organising committees that same courtesy.
It will be a win-win on both sides of the medal stand.
Everyone is...up to a point. I've heard talk from certain sectors saying that they would go ahead with a Summer Games bid if they didn't have to take on the Paralympics also. I've always felt that it should be up to the various Organising Committees if they wanted to take on this task.
I've always maintained that the Games for disabled sport should stand on their own and not piggyback the big event. I'll go one step further---and say it is discriminatory to disabled athletes to steer them away from the regular Olympic Games, and I am very surprised that a disabled athlete hasn't sued the pants off the IOC in this regard.
Some people will say it's a safety issue---you don't want an amputee competing with the likes of an able-bodied athlete who just won gold in his last event. I say it's a lack of opportunity issue and I really don't see the reason why athletes should be separated like this, if the IOC truly wants to equalize sport.
Give the athletes a CHOICE in how they compete---and the organising committees that same courtesy.
It will be a win-win on both sides of the medal stand.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Picking your ad battles---carefully
Over the next year, you are going to hear a lot about so-called "ambush marketing", "protection of trademarks", and related issues. The IOC is to the point of being obsessive about protecting their advertising dollars, especially for the so-called "top tier" sponsors (such as Coke.)
You've probably heard about the butcher that had a display of sausages in the shape of the Olympic rings. Faster than you can say gold-in-the-100-meters-goes-to, the IOC swooped down and demanded gramps take the display down. His excuse was to show support for the US bid in 2016. Not kosher, said the IOC, and threatened a lawsuit if he didn't comply.
I recall during 1996, there was a famous case here. A local restaurant had a huge billboard near Dobbins AFB that advertised "gold, silver and bronze" lunch specials. No mention of the Olympics or any Olympic-related marks whatsoever. You can guess the rest---down it came, several days later.
I think the most outrageous thing I have heard was the harassment of a local liquor store in Atlanta. I used to live in the neighborhood and the Olympic Package Store in the Brookhaven area had operated for years with no problem. Nary a word was said about the name of the business. But when officials were surveying the route of the men's and women's marathon, (that route directly passed the liquor store), the IOC went nuts.
I'd think it's safe to say the customers of Olympic Package wern't thinking of the Games when they went in on Friday's after work to get their supplies for the weekend. The store had been in the community for as long as I have been in Atlanta, (and that's a long time.) But they were forced to change their sign so it read Olympik to avoid a potential lawsuit from the IOC.
But the grandaddy of them all was in 1992 with Michael Jordan. Remember the Dream Team? And the huge billboard in downtown Barcelona that everyone loved? Everyone that is except the IOC.
At the time Nike was one of Jordan's sponsors. Big problem---it wasn't an IOC sponsor and said to him that if he won any medal, he was going to have to cover up his logos. Biiiggg mistake. Really big mistake. You don't tell the biggest sports star in the world what to do.
Fine, MJ said...I will just tell a few of my fellow teammates and I think it would be no problem at all if we just stayed home. As the whole focus of the Games that year and the big ad push here in the States was around the Dream Team and the possible gold they were bringing home, the IOC found out it bit off more than they could chew with Big Mike and backed down.
I am not denying that the sponsors that have paid lots of money have interests to protect. But in this area, I think the IOC needs to be more careful in how it chooses it's battles. Going after the corner liquor store versus someone producing unauthorised merchandise with the Olympic rings---it's a no-brainer as to who is the bigger threat. It got so bad in Atlanta that spectators were being denied entrance to events and/or given masking tape to cover up logos on what they were wearing.
The IOC needs to be more sensible and pick it's issues carefully. Too much money and time is being wasted on petty stuff and in the meantime, the big ones are getting away. But going after the local mom-and-pop retail joint only creates more distrust, and besides, it doesn't do the image of the IOC any good, in fact, in the case of the sausage man, it made them look downright petty.
And if the IOC was more careful, that's an opportunity for them---paved in gold.
You've probably heard about the butcher that had a display of sausages in the shape of the Olympic rings. Faster than you can say gold-in-the-100-meters-goes-to, the IOC swooped down and demanded gramps take the display down. His excuse was to show support for the US bid in 2016. Not kosher, said the IOC, and threatened a lawsuit if he didn't comply.
I recall during 1996, there was a famous case here. A local restaurant had a huge billboard near Dobbins AFB that advertised "gold, silver and bronze" lunch specials. No mention of the Olympics or any Olympic-related marks whatsoever. You can guess the rest---down it came, several days later.
I think the most outrageous thing I have heard was the harassment of a local liquor store in Atlanta. I used to live in the neighborhood and the Olympic Package Store in the Brookhaven area had operated for years with no problem. Nary a word was said about the name of the business. But when officials were surveying the route of the men's and women's marathon, (that route directly passed the liquor store), the IOC went nuts.
I'd think it's safe to say the customers of Olympic Package wern't thinking of the Games when they went in on Friday's after work to get their supplies for the weekend. The store had been in the community for as long as I have been in Atlanta, (and that's a long time.) But they were forced to change their sign so it read Olympik to avoid a potential lawsuit from the IOC.
But the grandaddy of them all was in 1992 with Michael Jordan. Remember the Dream Team? And the huge billboard in downtown Barcelona that everyone loved? Everyone that is except the IOC.
At the time Nike was one of Jordan's sponsors. Big problem---it wasn't an IOC sponsor and said to him that if he won any medal, he was going to have to cover up his logos. Biiiggg mistake. Really big mistake. You don't tell the biggest sports star in the world what to do.
Fine, MJ said...I will just tell a few of my fellow teammates and I think it would be no problem at all if we just stayed home. As the whole focus of the Games that year and the big ad push here in the States was around the Dream Team and the possible gold they were bringing home, the IOC found out it bit off more than they could chew with Big Mike and backed down.
I am not denying that the sponsors that have paid lots of money have interests to protect. But in this area, I think the IOC needs to be more careful in how it chooses it's battles. Going after the corner liquor store versus someone producing unauthorised merchandise with the Olympic rings---it's a no-brainer as to who is the bigger threat. It got so bad in Atlanta that spectators were being denied entrance to events and/or given masking tape to cover up logos on what they were wearing.
The IOC needs to be more sensible and pick it's issues carefully. Too much money and time is being wasted on petty stuff and in the meantime, the big ones are getting away. But going after the local mom-and-pop retail joint only creates more distrust, and besides, it doesn't do the image of the IOC any good, in fact, in the case of the sausage man, it made them look downright petty.
And if the IOC was more careful, that's an opportunity for them---paved in gold.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Busted!
The DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) made headlines today when it was announced that at the culmination of an 18-month probe, which involved nine other countries and busted 56 drug labs that netted $11 1/2 million dollars of steroids and a database of thousands of customers, some of which may be athletes headed to the Olympics. Or I should say were.
The feds that ran Operation Raw Deal have said not-so-fast...they are just now processing evidence and have told everyone to sit tight for awhile.
The DEA is focusing on China. Before this became a huge PR gaffe for them, they shut down one lab. But I bet there are many more where that came from.
There was a publication from the IOC that I saw that should be required reading in every junior high, high school and college locker room. It was in regards to steriods and had very graphic photo evidence as to what could happen over a period of time. It wasn't pretty.
I once asked Dick Pound, the outgoing President of WADA (and a nice guy, to boot)what his solution was. He told me "forget the high schools, and colleges---we need to reach kids in elementary school who are just starting out playing organised sports." Wow, that was a real eye opener for me. The gist of the conversation was by the time you got to high school and/or college, it was pretty much a lost cause. He told me (at the time) that MLB and it's players's association was giving him major grief over trying to get investigations targeted towards baseball. The player's union is very protective of those guys and still to this day continues to stall any meaningful investigation. It is estimated that 10 percent of guys on any major league team are using. But WHY take the risk?
Back in 2001, I was having a casual conversation during a break at the 112th IOC Session in Moscow. I said to a friend that the one thing I missed being away from home is my baseball---at the time, internet access was difficult and major daily newspapers from the US took 1-3 days to arrive. The conversation drifted a bit until he dropped this bombshell: "well, you know about Barry Bonds..."
I said, well, I do know he plays for the Giants. It progressed further and he said, "you know he's using." I thought at the time-there is no way, that someone would put a big-money contract on the line, all for the risk of a few points in their average. Was I ever surprised, three years later, when the first allegations surfaced. I didn't ask my contact how he found out.
My late husband asked me about how I felt missing out on the Bonds story. I said that I didn't know that much about the "ins and outs" of baseball, but if the story was true, it was going to make someone's career. And two guys who worked for the SF Chronicle did just that. And the issues raised by the Bonds story are still reverberating to this day.
There is a PSA by Partnership for a Drug-Free America airing here in the US that shows the statue of Discobolos (the Discus Thrower) and it is slowly cracking. Arms then fall off, then the head goes. The announcer says "there is something else steroids do to a guy's body." I've often wondered if such commercials are really effective, since by the time you get to the age where you can compete internationally or professionally, if you are using, it probably has been for a few years and there is some evidence that shows these steroids can be just as addictive as some of the street-level drugs out there.
I hope the DEA doesn't wimp out and releases the names (if there are any athletes listed) from the database. More important, prosecute the users, lock up the dealers, in other words, get tough with those that insist on this form of cheating.
Because it's coming to your neighborhood and your kids if we don't.
The feds that ran Operation Raw Deal have said not-so-fast...they are just now processing evidence and have told everyone to sit tight for awhile.
The DEA is focusing on China. Before this became a huge PR gaffe for them, they shut down one lab. But I bet there are many more where that came from.
There was a publication from the IOC that I saw that should be required reading in every junior high, high school and college locker room. It was in regards to steriods and had very graphic photo evidence as to what could happen over a period of time. It wasn't pretty.
I once asked Dick Pound, the outgoing President of WADA (and a nice guy, to boot)what his solution was. He told me "forget the high schools, and colleges---we need to reach kids in elementary school who are just starting out playing organised sports." Wow, that was a real eye opener for me. The gist of the conversation was by the time you got to high school and/or college, it was pretty much a lost cause. He told me (at the time) that MLB and it's players's association was giving him major grief over trying to get investigations targeted towards baseball. The player's union is very protective of those guys and still to this day continues to stall any meaningful investigation. It is estimated that 10 percent of guys on any major league team are using. But WHY take the risk?
Back in 2001, I was having a casual conversation during a break at the 112th IOC Session in Moscow. I said to a friend that the one thing I missed being away from home is my baseball---at the time, internet access was difficult and major daily newspapers from the US took 1-3 days to arrive. The conversation drifted a bit until he dropped this bombshell: "well, you know about Barry Bonds..."
I said, well, I do know he plays for the Giants. It progressed further and he said, "you know he's using." I thought at the time-there is no way, that someone would put a big-money contract on the line, all for the risk of a few points in their average. Was I ever surprised, three years later, when the first allegations surfaced. I didn't ask my contact how he found out.
My late husband asked me about how I felt missing out on the Bonds story. I said that I didn't know that much about the "ins and outs" of baseball, but if the story was true, it was going to make someone's career. And two guys who worked for the SF Chronicle did just that. And the issues raised by the Bonds story are still reverberating to this day.
There is a PSA by Partnership for a Drug-Free America airing here in the US that shows the statue of Discobolos (the Discus Thrower) and it is slowly cracking. Arms then fall off, then the head goes. The announcer says "there is something else steroids do to a guy's body." I've often wondered if such commercials are really effective, since by the time you get to the age where you can compete internationally or professionally, if you are using, it probably has been for a few years and there is some evidence that shows these steroids can be just as addictive as some of the street-level drugs out there.
I hope the DEA doesn't wimp out and releases the names (if there are any athletes listed) from the database. More important, prosecute the users, lock up the dealers, in other words, get tough with those that insist on this form of cheating.
Because it's coming to your neighborhood and your kids if we don't.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Taiwan to Mainland: Take This Torch and Shove It
The latest dust-up between China and Taiwan has ended with a decision for the Olympic torch relay skipping Taiwan completely. There is lots of he said/she said-type blame coming from all sides: both countries involved, the IOC, and various press commentators. Everyone is rushing to the defense of the Mainland, but nary a word is sticking up for Taiwan's President, Chen Shui-bian and his principled stance for setting the terms upon which he will allow the torch to pass thru his country.
Some people are saying that since China is hosting the Games, they should set the rules and Taiwan be dammed. Others have taken a more moderate stance by saying both sides should give a bit. But think about it for a sec: imagine living in a country where there is almost the daily threat of missles pointed at you, and warships in the Taiwan Strait poised for a takeover of your democratic form of government country. A friend of mine used to work for their national radio station, The Voice of Free China. She said that was the reality of daily life there.
I don't think this would have ever happened if the IOC had done the right thing years ago, and recognised Taiwan as a sovereign nation and treated it as such. Then, you wouldn't even have this talk now about where the torch would be going once it got into that part of the world.
But it's too easy for the IOC to kowtow to the big-time Chinese money, but at some point, something has got to give.
I just hope it won't be Taiwan's independence and sense of self. That would be the real tragedy---we can't afford to have that country fall, as has Hong Kong and Macau over the past several years.
Bravo to the Taiwan president for sticking to his principles---and boo to China for being the bully---again.
I just wish I wasn't the only person saying this.
Some people are saying that since China is hosting the Games, they should set the rules and Taiwan be dammed. Others have taken a more moderate stance by saying both sides should give a bit. But think about it for a sec: imagine living in a country where there is almost the daily threat of missles pointed at you, and warships in the Taiwan Strait poised for a takeover of your democratic form of government country. A friend of mine used to work for their national radio station, The Voice of Free China. She said that was the reality of daily life there.
I don't think this would have ever happened if the IOC had done the right thing years ago, and recognised Taiwan as a sovereign nation and treated it as such. Then, you wouldn't even have this talk now about where the torch would be going once it got into that part of the world.
But it's too easy for the IOC to kowtow to the big-time Chinese money, but at some point, something has got to give.
I just hope it won't be Taiwan's independence and sense of self. That would be the real tragedy---we can't afford to have that country fall, as has Hong Kong and Macau over the past several years.
Bravo to the Taiwan president for sticking to his principles---and boo to China for being the bully---again.
I just wish I wasn't the only person saying this.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Why we SHOULD Boycott Beijing
Put simply, Tom Lantos is my hero. You can't say that about many politicians nowadays. He doesn't even represent my district, but he's about the lone voice making sense along with Dana Rohrabcher (R-CA) and Maxine Waters (D-CA) about China's hosting of the 2008 Olympics. Dana and Maxine have introduced a bill (before the August recess of Congress) calling for a boycott of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. It is a non-binding resolution, but it has garnered a lot of press lately.
Why You Should Care
It's no secret China has been in the news lately---for all the wrong reasons. Everything from products poisoning your kids to pet food killing your companion animals. The USA seems to have been a dumping ground for toxic products being made over there.
But there is another more sinister reason why we need to take the hard line on China:
They don't keep their promises...and a country that doesn't do that does NOT deserve to host the Games.
Back in 2001, before they were awarded the Olympics, Wang Wei who is the head of BOCOG, made a solemn promise to me (in response to my news conference question) and 500 other reporters at the Mezh Hotel in Moscow that if awarded the Games, they will promise press freedoms and there "would be no restrictions" on accredited media coming to China. It was a classic moment, that threw them for a loop. Either they answered the question, and incur wrath back home, or don't answer it and take a chance at the final vote. A friend of mine who was at the auxillary media center across town told me that "everything just stopped" and there was "dead silence" in his work area, and after I had sat down, he heard someone say "she's nailed it."
Little did I know how that day would reverberate around the world. I am passionate about this as I have "got the call" in the middle of the night saying a friend overseas had been severely beaten leaving her radio job, all for what she had reported in the country she was working in. This didn't happen in China, but it could have been, and concerns have been raised about China's broken promises since they were awarded the Games.
I called it "the 60 seconds that changed my life forever", and with good reason. I probably wouldn't be sitting her writing this if it wasn't for that fateful day in Moscow seven years ago. If I hadn't cared enough to "stick my neck out." If I said, "that's someone else's problem." If...if...if...it was a risk I had to take, if only to save ONE person's life and prevent someone else from getting that middle of the night phone call.
Certainly before leaving the States, people were upset. Upset enough to send anonymous emails saying that "(they) have friends who can prevent you getting on that plane to Moscow." Upset enough to call my non-published number and leave a threatening message on my answering machine. Upset enough to have an unmarked white car (with LOTS of antennas) parked in front of my apartment for hours on end. AND...chasing me and my driver on the Moscow outer ring road at speeds over 100MPH after the news conference that day was over (and my driver admonishing me to "keep (my) head down" in case shots were fired.
I never knew that day who ordered the chase on me. But I have a pretty good idea. I walked into the media center the next day to a round of applause and whispers of "that's her!" when I was walking around the hotel.
I recall in Prague how BOCOG cancelled several press conferences. I walked up to the receptionist in the media center and (innocently) asked why this was happening. She shrugged and said she didn't know--but I sure did...and a writer who was in Moscow came up to me and said he was disappointed as he "was looking forward to a rematch with you and Wang Wei." So was I.
The Moscow 1980 boycott ordered by Jimmy Carter happened in a different era and different time. The Cold War was raging, and at the time, people were saying that the athletes were being "used as pawns" in a Soviet game of cat-and-mouse over Afghanistan.
But today, the stakes are MUCH higher. Hein Verbruggen said at the press conference after China won that he "dearly hoped" that the Games would change what is happening in China, but I detected a bit of resigned hopelessness, sort of well, don't expect too much. Same here---when they stormed into Moscow, their attitude was "we're here to pick up our Olympics---and go home."
We NEED to care about what is happening over there...the only thing China understands is the almighty dollar, and I say we need to hit them where it hurts: square in the wallet. I don't want to get another middle of the night phone call saying a friend has got hurt---or worse. But I am afraid that we are going to see large-scale harassment of foreign media, the likes of which haven't happened since the Cold War.
It's a different time and different era from 1980. We need to get behind Tom, Dana and Maxine and tell them they've got it right---because BOCOG sure hasn't, and to either: hold China to their promises, (which they haven't kept, and I doubt at this late stage they will), or the RIGHT thing to do: Boycott Beijing, because that is the ONLY thing they will understand, and losing the biggest prize in sport will be a blow to their national pride, but a lesson learned in responsibility, protection of human rights, and most important, allowing media to do the job they were assigned to do.
Because friends don't let friends come home in pine boxes.
Why You Should Care
It's no secret China has been in the news lately---for all the wrong reasons. Everything from products poisoning your kids to pet food killing your companion animals. The USA seems to have been a dumping ground for toxic products being made over there.
But there is another more sinister reason why we need to take the hard line on China:
They don't keep their promises...and a country that doesn't do that does NOT deserve to host the Games.
Back in 2001, before they were awarded the Olympics, Wang Wei who is the head of BOCOG, made a solemn promise to me (in response to my news conference question) and 500 other reporters at the Mezh Hotel in Moscow that if awarded the Games, they will promise press freedoms and there "would be no restrictions" on accredited media coming to China. It was a classic moment, that threw them for a loop. Either they answered the question, and incur wrath back home, or don't answer it and take a chance at the final vote. A friend of mine who was at the auxillary media center across town told me that "everything just stopped" and there was "dead silence" in his work area, and after I had sat down, he heard someone say "she's nailed it."
Little did I know how that day would reverberate around the world. I am passionate about this as I have "got the call" in the middle of the night saying a friend overseas had been severely beaten leaving her radio job, all for what she had reported in the country she was working in. This didn't happen in China, but it could have been, and concerns have been raised about China's broken promises since they were awarded the Games.
I called it "the 60 seconds that changed my life forever", and with good reason. I probably wouldn't be sitting her writing this if it wasn't for that fateful day in Moscow seven years ago. If I hadn't cared enough to "stick my neck out." If I said, "that's someone else's problem." If...if...if...it was a risk I had to take, if only to save ONE person's life and prevent someone else from getting that middle of the night phone call.
Certainly before leaving the States, people were upset. Upset enough to send anonymous emails saying that "(they) have friends who can prevent you getting on that plane to Moscow." Upset enough to call my non-published number and leave a threatening message on my answering machine. Upset enough to have an unmarked white car (with LOTS of antennas) parked in front of my apartment for hours on end. AND...chasing me and my driver on the Moscow outer ring road at speeds over 100MPH after the news conference that day was over (and my driver admonishing me to "keep (my) head down" in case shots were fired.
I never knew that day who ordered the chase on me. But I have a pretty good idea. I walked into the media center the next day to a round of applause and whispers of "that's her!" when I was walking around the hotel.
I recall in Prague how BOCOG cancelled several press conferences. I walked up to the receptionist in the media center and (innocently) asked why this was happening. She shrugged and said she didn't know--but I sure did...and a writer who was in Moscow came up to me and said he was disappointed as he "was looking forward to a rematch with you and Wang Wei." So was I.
The Moscow 1980 boycott ordered by Jimmy Carter happened in a different era and different time. The Cold War was raging, and at the time, people were saying that the athletes were being "used as pawns" in a Soviet game of cat-and-mouse over Afghanistan.
But today, the stakes are MUCH higher. Hein Verbruggen said at the press conference after China won that he "dearly hoped" that the Games would change what is happening in China, but I detected a bit of resigned hopelessness, sort of well, don't expect too much. Same here---when they stormed into Moscow, their attitude was "we're here to pick up our Olympics---and go home."
We NEED to care about what is happening over there...the only thing China understands is the almighty dollar, and I say we need to hit them where it hurts: square in the wallet. I don't want to get another middle of the night phone call saying a friend has got hurt---or worse. But I am afraid that we are going to see large-scale harassment of foreign media, the likes of which haven't happened since the Cold War.
It's a different time and different era from 1980. We need to get behind Tom, Dana and Maxine and tell them they've got it right---because BOCOG sure hasn't, and to either: hold China to their promises, (which they haven't kept, and I doubt at this late stage they will), or the RIGHT thing to do: Boycott Beijing, because that is the ONLY thing they will understand, and losing the biggest prize in sport will be a blow to their national pride, but a lesson learned in responsibility, protection of human rights, and most important, allowing media to do the job they were assigned to do.
Because friends don't let friends come home in pine boxes.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
A Trip Back in Time-and what it taught me
It's not very often one gets to go back and visit a broadcaster that you had close ties with during a Games. I had that opportunity the last time I was in Moscow, Russia which was in November of 2002.
I used to be in Moscow at least once a year. Circumstances, such as getting married, and then taking care of my dear husband with cancer (RIP) put a stop to the travelling. One of my fondest wishes was to take Ken to Moscow, to show him the city and the people that they say are the most loyal friends in the world.
The trip wasn't really that long after "that day in July" (more about that in a later posting), but going back to the Mezh Hotel where it all happened brought back a flood of memories. I practically lived on their oh-so-good egg pasta and went back for more, and the waiter recognised me, even joked that he knew what I was going to order!
I went to my usual haunts, the Mexican bar down the street from my hotel, the Okhotny Ryad shopping mall downtown, and when life in Moscow gets too much, the Alexander Gardens, right next door to the Kremlin and Red Square, among other spots.
Right before I went back home, I stopped in to see old friends at RTR television. I wasn't sure if anyone would remember me, although I keep in touch from time-to-time with the lady who was the head of their Olympic delegation. It was a big congolmoration of various buildings, trailers and a half-finished new broadcast building that had construction stopped when the Wall fell and the funds dried up.
"Marianna, how ARE you?" came the call from outstide the security gate. I felt sorry for the poor guard, who had to be outside in sometimes less-than-ideal conditions. We walked inside, upstairs to her office and had a cup of tea.
One of the things I notced was a black-draped picture frame. It was of a young man that I remember well from 1996. Little did she (and I) know that during the time they were in Atlanta, he did not feel well. Two weeks after he came home, the fellow was dead of an undetected heart ailment.
People came in and out of her office to say hello---so many that she had to admonish every to "get back to work!" She began to show me around and we went into quite a large studio. There were benches in there, and it gave us a private time to talk.
She was worried she was too tough. I was worried I wasn't living up to her standards. I joked that I knew when she was upset, as she didn't have to say anything as evidenced by her service call one day---and the wait for 45 minutes that I had.
"You remember that day?" I said. In fact she had, and we had a good laugh over it six years later.
We talked about all sorts of things: life since the Olympics, how come I wasn't in Salt Lake City (which is another story), and plans for the future.
She then asked me "what are you going to do with all this?" I had a pretty good idea but even then one year later, I wasn't sure. There was a lull when I got back from Moscow at the end of July (another story---there is always one!), and she gave me some of the best advice I have ever recieved.
"You've got to take advantage of this", she said. "You have been given a wonderful gift and you can do some very great things, but only if you allow yourself to do so." Did she sense a bit of doubt? She is quite perceptive.
We then said our goodbyes, and she walked me out to the gate.
What she said made sense...and I hope up to this point I have taken the advice and used it responsibly. After all, she's been doing it longer than I have, although I aspire to her level of success.
I was watching a TV program about Tamara Mellon, the president of the Jimmy Choo shoe company. She was talking about the period after her divorce and the life questions she had about what was to happen afterward. She wasn't sure about buying the company and expanding the range from shoes to bags, belts and other items.
She decided to plunge in literally, "feet first." The interviewer said "what philosophy do you have for your own life?" She then responded: "face your fears, then do it anyway!"
Just like what my friend in Moscow told me, many years ago.
I used to be in Moscow at least once a year. Circumstances, such as getting married, and then taking care of my dear husband with cancer (RIP) put a stop to the travelling. One of my fondest wishes was to take Ken to Moscow, to show him the city and the people that they say are the most loyal friends in the world.
The trip wasn't really that long after "that day in July" (more about that in a later posting), but going back to the Mezh Hotel where it all happened brought back a flood of memories. I practically lived on their oh-so-good egg pasta and went back for more, and the waiter recognised me, even joked that he knew what I was going to order!
I went to my usual haunts, the Mexican bar down the street from my hotel, the Okhotny Ryad shopping mall downtown, and when life in Moscow gets too much, the Alexander Gardens, right next door to the Kremlin and Red Square, among other spots.
Right before I went back home, I stopped in to see old friends at RTR television. I wasn't sure if anyone would remember me, although I keep in touch from time-to-time with the lady who was the head of their Olympic delegation. It was a big congolmoration of various buildings, trailers and a half-finished new broadcast building that had construction stopped when the Wall fell and the funds dried up.
"Marianna, how ARE you?" came the call from outstide the security gate. I felt sorry for the poor guard, who had to be outside in sometimes less-than-ideal conditions. We walked inside, upstairs to her office and had a cup of tea.
One of the things I notced was a black-draped picture frame. It was of a young man that I remember well from 1996. Little did she (and I) know that during the time they were in Atlanta, he did not feel well. Two weeks after he came home, the fellow was dead of an undetected heart ailment.
People came in and out of her office to say hello---so many that she had to admonish every to "get back to work!" She began to show me around and we went into quite a large studio. There were benches in there, and it gave us a private time to talk.
She was worried she was too tough. I was worried I wasn't living up to her standards. I joked that I knew when she was upset, as she didn't have to say anything as evidenced by her service call one day---and the wait for 45 minutes that I had.
"You remember that day?" I said. In fact she had, and we had a good laugh over it six years later.
We talked about all sorts of things: life since the Olympics, how come I wasn't in Salt Lake City (which is another story), and plans for the future.
She then asked me "what are you going to do with all this?" I had a pretty good idea but even then one year later, I wasn't sure. There was a lull when I got back from Moscow at the end of July (another story---there is always one!), and she gave me some of the best advice I have ever recieved.
"You've got to take advantage of this", she said. "You have been given a wonderful gift and you can do some very great things, but only if you allow yourself to do so." Did she sense a bit of doubt? She is quite perceptive.
We then said our goodbyes, and she walked me out to the gate.
What she said made sense...and I hope up to this point I have taken the advice and used it responsibly. After all, she's been doing it longer than I have, although I aspire to her level of success.
I was watching a TV program about Tamara Mellon, the president of the Jimmy Choo shoe company. She was talking about the period after her divorce and the life questions she had about what was to happen afterward. She wasn't sure about buying the company and expanding the range from shoes to bags, belts and other items.
She decided to plunge in literally, "feet first." The interviewer said "what philosophy do you have for your own life?" She then responded: "face your fears, then do it anyway!"
Just like what my friend in Moscow told me, many years ago.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Stop---you're choking me!
I fondly look upon my Olympic volunteer service with cherished memories. Sure, there was some stuff I'd rather forget, but for the most part it was a great experience. My motto was "fix it right, the FIRST time." I used to joke with my boss that if a broadcaster had to call back a second time about one of my service calls, (which never happened, BTW), then they didn't want to talk to me---they probably should talk to my boss. Sure, there were jokes that the infamous Info '96 system really was the Info '92 results instead, but I think overall, most of the broadcasters were happy with the service we provided.
I found that once they got to know you and were comfortable with you in their office, they would start to tell you things. We all looked out for one another. Granted I had my favorites (who doesn't), but that never impacted the service I gave to what I called "my broadcasters downstairs." Some of them I knew from shortwave radio. Others were their colleagues from the TV side who joshed that they "were going to tell ______ about how I couldn't fix it right." I knew they were joking. But one day, my eyes got a real good education on one of those "shoot the breeze" discussions.
One frustrated guy asked me if I had seen Manolo Romero lately. For those of you who don't know, he is the person who owns ISB, which has had a chokehold on the Olympic broadcast contract for god knows how long. I replied that I hadn't, and sat down over a coffee to see what I could do to help.
Apparently this guy had a serious issue he wanted to sit down to talk to Manolo about. "We paid over $40 million dollars for the broadcast rights back to our home country, and I can't even get in to see him!" I really empathised with the situation, as I come from a service background myself, having done training at Sprint and BellSouth for a number of years.
I went downstairs and asked in the ISB office if he was around. No-we haven't seen him and were not sure when he is going to be in. Several more tries followed, all unsuccessful. Then I noticed a closed door in the corner and saw a sign that read "If the door is closed, you have no business here." Ouch. I got my answer.
I recall when the Olympic broadcast contract came up for renewal before the Salt Lake City Games. As I recall, there were 3 people who had put up bids: ISB, another group that was headed by someone from the Osmond family, and another individual, whom I can't recall offhand. I remember reading about the Osmond bid, and I thought it was quite good. In the end, the IOC decided in favor of ISB, and the rep for the Osmonds said that "we didn't stand a chance." The reasoning, the IOC said was that we "wanted to go with someone who had experience and whom were were comfortable with."
I recall in the old days that the host network of the country that had the Olympic broadcast became the so-called "host broadcaster." It was that way for years, until complaints surfaced that non-US countries were getting USA-oriented programming. The Canadians howled---although those of us living near Windsor had the luxury of tuning in to Channel 9 which is the CBC station, which was more famous for Hockey Night in Canada, and in the 1960s, Bill Kennedy Showtime, a program that showed a classic movie every afternoon, if we wanted Canadian-specific Olympic (or for that matter, sports programming.)
I've talked to broadcasters since then, and if there is one thing they would love to see is a change in the way the Olympics are broadcast and bidded out. Not all feel this way, but for those that do, those folks sure have valid reasons. Most of them are Games-time complaints about the way they are treated. I sure was witness to that when Manolo came roaring into my boss' office, pointing his finger and yelling about something. He got so loud, I had to close the door, as I was on a service call at the time.
The broadcasters deserve the best. They are paying big bucks for the transmission rights. The Osmond rep made a comment about the "rubber stamp" the IOC gave for Salt Lake City.
I would love to see more competition in this area. The IOC is just now starting to embrace the "new media" (albeit about 10 years too late), and exploring new and different ways to bring Olympic broadcast into your home. But none of that will matter, if there isn't competition for the actual broadcast contract itself.
In my opinion, it is not a valid reason that you are comfortable with someone to award them one of the most important contracts the IOC will ever sign. You want someone with a service mentality, someone that all the broadcasters are comfortable with, and in the end, everyone is happy: the IOC, the host broadcaster, and the 10,000+ accredited media who inhabit the IBC for almost two months of an Olympic year.
The next time the contract comes up for bid again, I propose: to allow companies that have a sincere interest to submit bids and for the IOC to take those bids seriously, OR go back to the old system (that worked quite well, thankyouverymuch), and in that way, everyone is happy: broadcasters, the IOC, and most importantly, your viewers. I have always maintained that if there were several companies bidding, then the actual cost to broadcast would go down, which would benefit every TV station that had Games-time broadcast rights in their home countries.
Of course the host city needs to make a profit. I am not denying them that, but there needs to be a sea-change in the way we think about Olympic broadcasting, and that change can only happen if the broadcasters themselves demand it.
Too many things are rubber-stamped in the Olympic world. The broadcast contract shouldn't be one of them.
I found that once they got to know you and were comfortable with you in their office, they would start to tell you things. We all looked out for one another. Granted I had my favorites (who doesn't), but that never impacted the service I gave to what I called "my broadcasters downstairs." Some of them I knew from shortwave radio. Others were their colleagues from the TV side who joshed that they "were going to tell ______ about how I couldn't fix it right." I knew they were joking. But one day, my eyes got a real good education on one of those "shoot the breeze" discussions.
One frustrated guy asked me if I had seen Manolo Romero lately. For those of you who don't know, he is the person who owns ISB, which has had a chokehold on the Olympic broadcast contract for god knows how long. I replied that I hadn't, and sat down over a coffee to see what I could do to help.
Apparently this guy had a serious issue he wanted to sit down to talk to Manolo about. "We paid over $40 million dollars for the broadcast rights back to our home country, and I can't even get in to see him!" I really empathised with the situation, as I come from a service background myself, having done training at Sprint and BellSouth for a number of years.
I went downstairs and asked in the ISB office if he was around. No-we haven't seen him and were not sure when he is going to be in. Several more tries followed, all unsuccessful. Then I noticed a closed door in the corner and saw a sign that read "If the door is closed, you have no business here." Ouch. I got my answer.
I recall when the Olympic broadcast contract came up for renewal before the Salt Lake City Games. As I recall, there were 3 people who had put up bids: ISB, another group that was headed by someone from the Osmond family, and another individual, whom I can't recall offhand. I remember reading about the Osmond bid, and I thought it was quite good. In the end, the IOC decided in favor of ISB, and the rep for the Osmonds said that "we didn't stand a chance." The reasoning, the IOC said was that we "wanted to go with someone who had experience and whom were were comfortable with."
I recall in the old days that the host network of the country that had the Olympic broadcast became the so-called "host broadcaster." It was that way for years, until complaints surfaced that non-US countries were getting USA-oriented programming. The Canadians howled---although those of us living near Windsor had the luxury of tuning in to Channel 9 which is the CBC station, which was more famous for Hockey Night in Canada, and in the 1960s, Bill Kennedy Showtime, a program that showed a classic movie every afternoon, if we wanted Canadian-specific Olympic (or for that matter, sports programming.)
I've talked to broadcasters since then, and if there is one thing they would love to see is a change in the way the Olympics are broadcast and bidded out. Not all feel this way, but for those that do, those folks sure have valid reasons. Most of them are Games-time complaints about the way they are treated. I sure was witness to that when Manolo came roaring into my boss' office, pointing his finger and yelling about something. He got so loud, I had to close the door, as I was on a service call at the time.
The broadcasters deserve the best. They are paying big bucks for the transmission rights. The Osmond rep made a comment about the "rubber stamp" the IOC gave for Salt Lake City.
I would love to see more competition in this area. The IOC is just now starting to embrace the "new media" (albeit about 10 years too late), and exploring new and different ways to bring Olympic broadcast into your home. But none of that will matter, if there isn't competition for the actual broadcast contract itself.
In my opinion, it is not a valid reason that you are comfortable with someone to award them one of the most important contracts the IOC will ever sign. You want someone with a service mentality, someone that all the broadcasters are comfortable with, and in the end, everyone is happy: the IOC, the host broadcaster, and the 10,000+ accredited media who inhabit the IBC for almost two months of an Olympic year.
The next time the contract comes up for bid again, I propose: to allow companies that have a sincere interest to submit bids and for the IOC to take those bids seriously, OR go back to the old system (that worked quite well, thankyouverymuch), and in that way, everyone is happy: broadcasters, the IOC, and most importantly, your viewers. I have always maintained that if there were several companies bidding, then the actual cost to broadcast would go down, which would benefit every TV station that had Games-time broadcast rights in their home countries.
Of course the host city needs to make a profit. I am not denying them that, but there needs to be a sea-change in the way we think about Olympic broadcasting, and that change can only happen if the broadcasters themselves demand it.
Too many things are rubber-stamped in the Olympic world. The broadcast contract shouldn't be one of them.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Who's it gonna be?
Apologies for the very late start today---everything has been running behind, including yours truly.
Seven cities have thrown themselves into the ring for the 2016 Summer Olympics. I have heard talk that it is the most diverse group in years. No bid books or other info as of yet, but that doesn't stop me from making some initial comments, based on what I have heard so far---plus a little personal handicapping thrown in for good measure.
Baku, Azerbaijan: Could be hurt by the awarding of the 2014 Winter Games to Sochi, Russia. I doubt a former Soviet republic could secure the Summer Games so quickly after Sochi's winter run.
Chicago: Could be hurt by current US policies overseas, including immigration laws. I predict a quick exit NYC-style when the final vote goes down.
Doha, Qatar: Security issues have been raised about a possible Doha bid in the several years before they formally declared. Could be the first city out in the voting.
Madrid: Too soon after the Barcelona Olympics. I heard complaints about rude personnel from those who were there in 1992. Don't think the IOC will vote for a Games to return to Spain so quickly (quickly as in IOC terms.)
Prague: Do they have the space needed to handle the onslaught? I have been there and it is a beautiful city, but there is a severe shortage of accomodation and venues and a massive build-out might not help.
Rio: There has been clamoring for the Games to be awarded to a South American country. If they don't win the Games, they could play spoiler in voting terms for one city that is.
Tokyo: Perfect! Right time, right place and the 1964 Games are remembered fondly by many. History was made back then---and we could see it repeat in 2016. The members of the JOC I have had contact with are gracious, polite and without airs or arrogance---important!
Of course, when bid books come out, there will be more details. I don't think we will see Beijing-style drama on this vote, but with the IOC, you never know! Lots of things could happen---but whoever wins this one will have it had "right and tight" from the start.
Bring it on!
Seven cities have thrown themselves into the ring for the 2016 Summer Olympics. I have heard talk that it is the most diverse group in years. No bid books or other info as of yet, but that doesn't stop me from making some initial comments, based on what I have heard so far---plus a little personal handicapping thrown in for good measure.
Baku, Azerbaijan: Could be hurt by the awarding of the 2014 Winter Games to Sochi, Russia. I doubt a former Soviet republic could secure the Summer Games so quickly after Sochi's winter run.
Chicago: Could be hurt by current US policies overseas, including immigration laws. I predict a quick exit NYC-style when the final vote goes down.
Doha, Qatar: Security issues have been raised about a possible Doha bid in the several years before they formally declared. Could be the first city out in the voting.
Madrid: Too soon after the Barcelona Olympics. I heard complaints about rude personnel from those who were there in 1992. Don't think the IOC will vote for a Games to return to Spain so quickly (quickly as in IOC terms.)
Prague: Do they have the space needed to handle the onslaught? I have been there and it is a beautiful city, but there is a severe shortage of accomodation and venues and a massive build-out might not help.
Rio: There has been clamoring for the Games to be awarded to a South American country. If they don't win the Games, they could play spoiler in voting terms for one city that is.
Tokyo: Perfect! Right time, right place and the 1964 Games are remembered fondly by many. History was made back then---and we could see it repeat in 2016. The members of the JOC I have had contact with are gracious, polite and without airs or arrogance---important!
Of course, when bid books come out, there will be more details. I don't think we will see Beijing-style drama on this vote, but with the IOC, you never know! Lots of things could happen---but whoever wins this one will have it had "right and tight" from the start.
Bring it on!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Friday's Random Thoughts
The end of another week...we're getting some much-needed rain here, but as usual, it's never enough. I am envious of anyone with a green lawn!
Admit it...you just HAD to tune in last Sunday night to the Britney Spears train wreck.
I'll take Kid Rock over Tommy Lee in a fight any day---gotta support my hometown boy!
You know that fall is near when baseball announcers start talking about 'less than 20 games left in the regular season.'
I will NEVER complain about another mailing solicitation from AARP again....this week I got a piece of junk mail for a senior assisted living center (at MY age!)
I can't wait for the 2009 IOC Session in Denmark. It's in October, which is more manageable for weather. When we were in Moscow and Singapore, the local ambulance was rolling up almost every other day to take folks to local hospitals.
Can't wait to read the Rosie O'Donnell book "Celebrity Detox"---it sounds like a gossipy read (especially after what she said about Baba Wawa this week.)
If there is one thing I can't stand it's someone who doesn't return emails---are you listening Sam Williams, President of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce?
How about an IOC Session in the United States? (hint hint)
We're back on Monday! See you then.
Admit it...you just HAD to tune in last Sunday night to the Britney Spears train wreck.
I'll take Kid Rock over Tommy Lee in a fight any day---gotta support my hometown boy!
You know that fall is near when baseball announcers start talking about 'less than 20 games left in the regular season.'
I will NEVER complain about another mailing solicitation from AARP again....this week I got a piece of junk mail for a senior assisted living center (at MY age!)
I can't wait for the 2009 IOC Session in Denmark. It's in October, which is more manageable for weather. When we were in Moscow and Singapore, the local ambulance was rolling up almost every other day to take folks to local hospitals.
Can't wait to read the Rosie O'Donnell book "Celebrity Detox"---it sounds like a gossipy read (especially after what she said about Baba Wawa this week.)
If there is one thing I can't stand it's someone who doesn't return emails---are you listening Sam Williams, President of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce?
How about an IOC Session in the United States? (hint hint)
We're back on Monday! See you then.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The Cog in the Yog
At the Guatemala IOC Session in July, there was approval to start the Youth Olympic Games. The bewildered faces on the assembled media said it all---and most of the talk I heard afterward was negative. I really didn't see anyone championing the cause as it seemed it was just sprung upon us, without warning.
I can see one major concern on the horizon that no one has mentioned. Cities that have consistantly lost out on their Olympic bids (think Istanbul, and they are going for 2020 if what various reports saying are correct) or who are deemed by the IOC not good enough to host the "real" Olympics will be steered to the YOG instead. From what I understand, the costs are to be much less than hosting the regular Olympics and I could see in the future, the IOC requiring future bid cities to have a YOG under their belt (or a YOG bid) before moving up to the bigger prize.
OTOH, potential bid cities have ponied up in droves. It's going to be interesting to see how all this works out, as it seems there are a plethora of cities who want to host the 1st. Some of the bid cities have hosted either previous Olympics or IOC Sessions. I am just not convinced---at least not yet.
I am also concerned about very young competitors in an international environment. I'm not so sure putting someone younger than, say, 13 or 14 in such situations is conducive to mental and physical growth. One only has to look at the former East German swimmers, who today are adults and are battling a host of various medical problems and issues.
Let kids BE kids---and not try to push them into adult endeavors before they are ready, physically or emotionally.
I can see one major concern on the horizon that no one has mentioned. Cities that have consistantly lost out on their Olympic bids (think Istanbul, and they are going for 2020 if what various reports saying are correct) or who are deemed by the IOC not good enough to host the "real" Olympics will be steered to the YOG instead. From what I understand, the costs are to be much less than hosting the regular Olympics and I could see in the future, the IOC requiring future bid cities to have a YOG under their belt (or a YOG bid) before moving up to the bigger prize.
OTOH, potential bid cities have ponied up in droves. It's going to be interesting to see how all this works out, as it seems there are a plethora of cities who want to host the 1st. Some of the bid cities have hosted either previous Olympics or IOC Sessions. I am just not convinced---at least not yet.
I am also concerned about very young competitors in an international environment. I'm not so sure putting someone younger than, say, 13 or 14 in such situations is conducive to mental and physical growth. One only has to look at the former East German swimmers, who today are adults and are battling a host of various medical problems and issues.
Let kids BE kids---and not try to push them into adult endeavors before they are ready, physically or emotionally.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
What a Boor! (bad attitudes re-defined and the consequences)
I was watching the last 15 minutes of a rerun of "America's Next Top Model" tonight. It's a show I don't normally watch (who has the time for TV nowadays-I can barely squeeze in 15 minutes of CNN and I've got a pile of unread newspapers downstairs), but I was flipping channels wating for the Tigers game to start. There were 4 models left and Tyra and the judges had to select which one was going home that night. 3 of the models went on a verbal rampage against one girl, all because she wouldn't go out with them that night. One girl said she was "lazy" "has a bad attitude" "doesn't have what it takes" and various other insundry comments. In the end, it was the model with the loud mouth and bad attitude that Tyra and her team told to go home. The girl who was the target of the attacks and intimidation was generally acknowledged not to have the best photographs that night, but had a good record overall thruout the competition up to that point.
There is a lesson to be learned here. You might have the best track record, your overall work record can be good, and you might even be favored by the judges. But if it is your attitude that is not what it should be, there's a good chance you are going home. I see it all the time when I am asked to judge pageants. Someone that holds so much promise completely blows it.
That is why I was not surprised at NYC's quick exit from the 2012 Olympic voting. I talked to someone at the Prague 2003 IOC Session about what New York's chances were and he was quite blunt: "We all sympathise with what happened in NYC on 9/11 but we don't award the Games based on sympathy. And that is all they have going for them at this point."
I was in the lobby of the Raffles Plaza resting my weary feet. All of a sudden I heard some raised voices and looked up to see Mayor Bloomberg jamming his fingers into the eyes of what looked like a hotel manager. He was quite upset---and his voice got louder and louder. "You WILL do what *I* say and WHEN I say it-AM I MAKING MYSELF COMPLETELY CLEAR?" You could have heard a pin drop in the hotel---everything ground to a halt. I am not sure what the original issue was, but the outburst sure got the attention of some of the voting members of the IOC who were in the lobby waiting to go to a hosted dinner outside the hotel.
At that point, I knew New York just kissed their Olympic chances goodbye for good.
After the vote was over, I talked to one of the voting members (just to get his take and to see if my theory held correct.) He was straightforward: "If you can't handle the bid process, how in the world are you going to handle issues if we award you the Games?"
Let that be a lesson to everyone---you could be at the top of your game, but if your values of fair play and decency aren't in the right place, the Olympics have no business coming to your city.
A friend of mine used to work in the IOC Press Office. She said to me one day that "you should see some of the emails that come into our office from press people. When we see your name pop up, we don't have to worry about opening one of yours. But some people...you've been around us for awhile, and I think you know who some of these people are."
Sigh. I sure do.
There is one guy that seems to be on my case at every IOC Session. I'm one of the few people who won't jump to his tune---and he knows it and it drives him crazy. I told a friend of mine (who also writes about Olympic issues) and said to her that one day, someone is going to call this guy out and he ought to worry less about what *I* am doing and pay more attention to what he came to the Session for. It's similar to the situation with the model that I described above, in fact, I said to my friend it's like the little kid who didn't get his way on the playground, and acts out in ways that are totally unacceptable.
I've got a pretty thick skin. I am so busy at a Session that I honestly don't have to time to think about what other people are doing or saying, since I am trying to take care of my own business. I wouldn't even dream of trying to intimidate someone else. I realise I caught a lucky break in 2001---and ran with it. I had my "ducks in a row" back then and I do now. People have been willing to help along the way and I have tried to return the favor. I am very much aware the past seven years could have happened to someone else, and I am quite humbled at the opportunities that have been afforded to me.
Besides, I don't want to be the person who walks into a room and people say "oh, it's her again..." Admitted, we are all after the same stuff, we want to be first with the story that no one else gets. I've always maintained there is room for everyone---and a good attitude will take you far, not just in the Olympics, but in life.
And that's something we all can write home about!
There is a lesson to be learned here. You might have the best track record, your overall work record can be good, and you might even be favored by the judges. But if it is your attitude that is not what it should be, there's a good chance you are going home. I see it all the time when I am asked to judge pageants. Someone that holds so much promise completely blows it.
That is why I was not surprised at NYC's quick exit from the 2012 Olympic voting. I talked to someone at the Prague 2003 IOC Session about what New York's chances were and he was quite blunt: "We all sympathise with what happened in NYC on 9/11 but we don't award the Games based on sympathy. And that is all they have going for them at this point."
I was in the lobby of the Raffles Plaza resting my weary feet. All of a sudden I heard some raised voices and looked up to see Mayor Bloomberg jamming his fingers into the eyes of what looked like a hotel manager. He was quite upset---and his voice got louder and louder. "You WILL do what *I* say and WHEN I say it-AM I MAKING MYSELF COMPLETELY CLEAR?" You could have heard a pin drop in the hotel---everything ground to a halt. I am not sure what the original issue was, but the outburst sure got the attention of some of the voting members of the IOC who were in the lobby waiting to go to a hosted dinner outside the hotel.
At that point, I knew New York just kissed their Olympic chances goodbye for good.
After the vote was over, I talked to one of the voting members (just to get his take and to see if my theory held correct.) He was straightforward: "If you can't handle the bid process, how in the world are you going to handle issues if we award you the Games?"
Let that be a lesson to everyone---you could be at the top of your game, but if your values of fair play and decency aren't in the right place, the Olympics have no business coming to your city.
A friend of mine used to work in the IOC Press Office. She said to me one day that "you should see some of the emails that come into our office from press people. When we see your name pop up, we don't have to worry about opening one of yours. But some people...you've been around us for awhile, and I think you know who some of these people are."
Sigh. I sure do.
There is one guy that seems to be on my case at every IOC Session. I'm one of the few people who won't jump to his tune---and he knows it and it drives him crazy. I told a friend of mine (who also writes about Olympic issues) and said to her that one day, someone is going to call this guy out and he ought to worry less about what *I* am doing and pay more attention to what he came to the Session for. It's similar to the situation with the model that I described above, in fact, I said to my friend it's like the little kid who didn't get his way on the playground, and acts out in ways that are totally unacceptable.
I've got a pretty thick skin. I am so busy at a Session that I honestly don't have to time to think about what other people are doing or saying, since I am trying to take care of my own business. I wouldn't even dream of trying to intimidate someone else. I realise I caught a lucky break in 2001---and ran with it. I had my "ducks in a row" back then and I do now. People have been willing to help along the way and I have tried to return the favor. I am very much aware the past seven years could have happened to someone else, and I am quite humbled at the opportunities that have been afforded to me.
Besides, I don't want to be the person who walks into a room and people say "oh, it's her again..." Admitted, we are all after the same stuff, we want to be first with the story that no one else gets. I've always maintained there is room for everyone---and a good attitude will take you far, not just in the Olympics, but in life.
And that's something we all can write home about!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
The Stuff You Never Hear About (at least the stuff that never gets made public)
You see and hear a lot as a volunteer---sometimes even more than you would ever want to know. Especially if you work in the International Broadcast Center (which is where I was in 1996) or the Olympic Village, two venues that were designated as "high security" areas in Atlanta. I was fortunate to have two of the best bosses one could ask for. One guy worked at BellSouth, the other was retired from 30 years in the Navy.
You are guarenteed to run into situations that training never covered. In our particular office, we were instructed on how to handle everything from upset athletes (let them talk it out), defectors (lock them in the front office where we were, and don't let anyone else in for their safety, then notify law enforcement), to bomb calls (the form was tacked up right in front of our phone, and take the call very seriously, then notify law enforcement.)
One afternoon I got a phone call from a manager at a major European radio station. He was *very* upset with our security team and wanted to talk to someone NOW about it and said some items were taken away from him that he wanted back. Not sure what to make of this, I went downstairs to see what I could do, if anything.
I went into his office and sat down. He finished his phone call and turned to me. He said he'd come in for his daytime shift and wasn't very appreciative of the way he was treated. As I feel we in the IBC are in the service business, I asked him what items were taken and what I could do to help.
"I want my six-pack of beers back!"
Oh.
And---he was serious.
We had a rule in the IBC that no outside food or drink could be brought in. But I sensed this situation was different, due to the fact that said broadcaster got a bit verbally roughed up in the process. I said that I would see what could be done and went downstairs to talk to the security person in question. She admitted that she took the beers (it was close to 100 degress that day and I had a feeling where those beers were headed after she got off work.) I gently explained to her that I had an upset broadcaster downstairs, and I thought it was prudent that either 1: she return the booze or 2: he comes upstairs to claim the items. It was her choice.
Later on that day, I got a very appreciative call from the guy. He was enjoying a very cold brew (they had a fridge in the office) and it took the edge off what was a very rough day in his office.
Another day, I was talking to one of the maids that worked mornings. She was thisclose to quitting and I asked her why. "Have you SEEN the condition of the bathrooms in the mornings? It's nasty!" As my work schedule started at 10:30AM, I was not aware of the early-morning issues, although I got briefed by the girl who worked the night shift. But our fellow volunteer never told us *this*!
Seems the maid came in and found several used prophylatics, in both the men's and women's restrooms. 10,000 broadcasters. 2500 volunteers. You do the math. But leave me out of it!
On a more serious note, the day of Opening Ceromony challenged us the most. It was late afternoon and I was finishing up some paperwork when a woman came screaming into our office to evacuate right away. As I could see the West entrance from my office, and the looks of the people who already were leaving, I knew this was serious.
We were out for close to six hours. My boss was starting to think of sending people home, as it was getting dangerously too hot to be outside. Of all the times to be evacuated, this wasn't one of them.
We were let back in at 7PM. Later on that evening, we found out how serious it was. Apparently, a volunteer coming in for the afternoon shift found a box that looked strange. Strange it was: with a timer, wires, and what looked like dynamite attached. We later found out it was the real thing---and when I got home, seeing the bomb squad pull up to the front of the World Congress Center and how gingerly they handled everything gave me a sigh of relief. What I didn't care too much for was the spin afterward.
The next morning, I heard various stories about what happened. That it was a UPS test. Then it was a GBI training exercise. The version that was released to the public was some banal excuse.
I talked to one of the GBI guys and his eyes got real wide. "They said it was WHAT?" He shook his head. Then I got the real story, which was the same thing my boss got in a manager's meeting that afternoon.
I asked him what would have happened if...he said that NBC and CBC had contingency plans and everyone else would be sent home.
We in our office talked often about the sanitized version the public was being fed. And how us on the inside were getting the real story because we were living it every day.
That is one thing that really makes me upset---11 years later, Atlanta is still taking it on the chin about how the Games were run. Who can forget Juan Antonio Samaranch's comments at the Closing Ceromonies, a major diss, when he said that the Games were "most excellent" instead of the customary "best ever." There are some of us who worked pretty damm hard. I myself put in close to 80 hours a week for six weeks.
Next time I hear Juan Antonio shoot off his mouth about Atlanta again, I am jumping to the defense of thousands of volunteers who made the Games a success and who really cared about their service and their venues. It isn't fair to us who were there.
Let it go JAS. Or if you want to say something about Atlanta, make it a positive comment, because I know you saw many things we did RIGHT.
But then, the spin sometimes gets in the way.
You are guarenteed to run into situations that training never covered. In our particular office, we were instructed on how to handle everything from upset athletes (let them talk it out), defectors (lock them in the front office where we were, and don't let anyone else in for their safety, then notify law enforcement), to bomb calls (the form was tacked up right in front of our phone, and take the call very seriously, then notify law enforcement.)
One afternoon I got a phone call from a manager at a major European radio station. He was *very* upset with our security team and wanted to talk to someone NOW about it and said some items were taken away from him that he wanted back. Not sure what to make of this, I went downstairs to see what I could do, if anything.
I went into his office and sat down. He finished his phone call and turned to me. He said he'd come in for his daytime shift and wasn't very appreciative of the way he was treated. As I feel we in the IBC are in the service business, I asked him what items were taken and what I could do to help.
"I want my six-pack of beers back!"
Oh.
And---he was serious.
We had a rule in the IBC that no outside food or drink could be brought in. But I sensed this situation was different, due to the fact that said broadcaster got a bit verbally roughed up in the process. I said that I would see what could be done and went downstairs to talk to the security person in question. She admitted that she took the beers (it was close to 100 degress that day and I had a feeling where those beers were headed after she got off work.) I gently explained to her that I had an upset broadcaster downstairs, and I thought it was prudent that either 1: she return the booze or 2: he comes upstairs to claim the items. It was her choice.
Later on that day, I got a very appreciative call from the guy. He was enjoying a very cold brew (they had a fridge in the office) and it took the edge off what was a very rough day in his office.
Another day, I was talking to one of the maids that worked mornings. She was thisclose to quitting and I asked her why. "Have you SEEN the condition of the bathrooms in the mornings? It's nasty!" As my work schedule started at 10:30AM, I was not aware of the early-morning issues, although I got briefed by the girl who worked the night shift. But our fellow volunteer never told us *this*!
Seems the maid came in and found several used prophylatics, in both the men's and women's restrooms. 10,000 broadcasters. 2500 volunteers. You do the math. But leave me out of it!
On a more serious note, the day of Opening Ceromony challenged us the most. It was late afternoon and I was finishing up some paperwork when a woman came screaming into our office to evacuate right away. As I could see the West entrance from my office, and the looks of the people who already were leaving, I knew this was serious.
We were out for close to six hours. My boss was starting to think of sending people home, as it was getting dangerously too hot to be outside. Of all the times to be evacuated, this wasn't one of them.
We were let back in at 7PM. Later on that evening, we found out how serious it was. Apparently, a volunteer coming in for the afternoon shift found a box that looked strange. Strange it was: with a timer, wires, and what looked like dynamite attached. We later found out it was the real thing---and when I got home, seeing the bomb squad pull up to the front of the World Congress Center and how gingerly they handled everything gave me a sigh of relief. What I didn't care too much for was the spin afterward.
The next morning, I heard various stories about what happened. That it was a UPS test. Then it was a GBI training exercise. The version that was released to the public was some banal excuse.
I talked to one of the GBI guys and his eyes got real wide. "They said it was WHAT?" He shook his head. Then I got the real story, which was the same thing my boss got in a manager's meeting that afternoon.
I asked him what would have happened if...he said that NBC and CBC had contingency plans and everyone else would be sent home.
We in our office talked often about the sanitized version the public was being fed. And how us on the inside were getting the real story because we were living it every day.
That is one thing that really makes me upset---11 years later, Atlanta is still taking it on the chin about how the Games were run. Who can forget Juan Antonio Samaranch's comments at the Closing Ceromonies, a major diss, when he said that the Games were "most excellent" instead of the customary "best ever." There are some of us who worked pretty damm hard. I myself put in close to 80 hours a week for six weeks.
Next time I hear Juan Antonio shoot off his mouth about Atlanta again, I am jumping to the defense of thousands of volunteers who made the Games a success and who really cared about their service and their venues. It isn't fair to us who were there.
Let it go JAS. Or if you want to say something about Atlanta, make it a positive comment, because I know you saw many things we did RIGHT.
But then, the spin sometimes gets in the way.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Friday's Random Thoughts
Well, we made it thru another week! It's my intention to give you Friday off and send you into the weekend with some more lighter fare than the serious issues we have been discussing all week. Of course, if something major comes up, we'll talk about it here. Not all the stuff on Friday will be Olympic-related. We'll be punching in again on Monday, to start our first full time week. In the meantime, behave yourselves!
The jerk than ran onto the field at tonight's Braves game, and injured a security guard in the process should be banned from ANY MLB game for life. Absolutely ZERO tolerance. As Joe Simpson said: "that's too much beer---or too much stupidity."
Altobelli's Restaurant in Alpharetta, GA is one of the best Italian meals in town. A friend of mine who is an attorney told me about the place.
I just LOVE those Miller Beer commercials where the delivery crew roars in and takes the restaurant's supply of Miller from the cooler, for selling an $11.50 hamburger. When the guy says "You just lost your right to sell Miller!", it cracks me up every time. Ditto for the "Clean-up on aisle common sense!" ad too.
One of the places I would love to go back to someday is Singapore---if it didn't take so darn long to get there!
One of the time-savers in my kitchen are those large cans of Lysol wipes in the green container. Great for wiping off spills on the floor too.
I bought a bag of Dunkin' Donuts coffee---the key to making the coffee taste like you get in the shop is using half and half. I *quickly* found out that using skim milk doesn't cut it---ewwww!
We have a case here in Georgia (Cobb County) where a star high school athlete is being charged with a FELONY for having a Swiss Army knife in the glove box of his car. The student didn't know it was in there. Now he's about to lose possible scholarships and college admissions all because of a grandstanding school administrator who can't see the forest for the trees. School zero tolerance policies again run wild in Georgia (remember the infamous Tweety Bird keychain case?)
I wonder how many injuries we can attribute with people lifting up the September issue of VOGUE? That issue is heavier than the small dumbbells I lift at the gym!
Speaking of the gym, mine opens at 5AM. Just *who* is in there at that early hour? Certainly not me---I am fast asleep!
See you next week!
The jerk than ran onto the field at tonight's Braves game, and injured a security guard in the process should be banned from ANY MLB game for life. Absolutely ZERO tolerance. As Joe Simpson said: "that's too much beer---or too much stupidity."
Altobelli's Restaurant in Alpharetta, GA is one of the best Italian meals in town. A friend of mine who is an attorney told me about the place.
I just LOVE those Miller Beer commercials where the delivery crew roars in and takes the restaurant's supply of Miller from the cooler, for selling an $11.50 hamburger. When the guy says "You just lost your right to sell Miller!", it cracks me up every time. Ditto for the "Clean-up on aisle common sense!" ad too.
One of the places I would love to go back to someday is Singapore---if it didn't take so darn long to get there!
One of the time-savers in my kitchen are those large cans of Lysol wipes in the green container. Great for wiping off spills on the floor too.
I bought a bag of Dunkin' Donuts coffee---the key to making the coffee taste like you get in the shop is using half and half. I *quickly* found out that using skim milk doesn't cut it---ewwww!
We have a case here in Georgia (Cobb County) where a star high school athlete is being charged with a FELONY for having a Swiss Army knife in the glove box of his car. The student didn't know it was in there. Now he's about to lose possible scholarships and college admissions all because of a grandstanding school administrator who can't see the forest for the trees. School zero tolerance policies again run wild in Georgia (remember the infamous Tweety Bird keychain case?)
I wonder how many injuries we can attribute with people lifting up the September issue of VOGUE? That issue is heavier than the small dumbbells I lift at the gym!
Speaking of the gym, mine opens at 5AM. Just *who* is in there at that early hour? Certainly not me---I am fast asleep!
See you next week!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
The IOC's Roaring Silence
Do you remember what you were doing 35 years ago today? I sure do....my Mom and I were glued to the TV set (Dad was at work) watching the drama unfold in Munich. Little did I know how that day would literally hit home.
I used to have a pen pal in high school (didn't we all? It was the rage back then) who lived in a suburb of St. Louis. He wrote often about his cousin back in Israel, who was a weightlifter. This was just about the time the fitness craze was taking off for men...he often talked about how serious his cousin was about the sport, and I just figured it was another young man trying to get in shape to do his two years compulsory in the Israeli Army.
My Mom first noticed the resemblance in the photograph of one of the athletes and my pen pal. "Do you think they could be related?" she said. I responded that Friedman was a very common name and it "would be a million-to-one chance" if Ze'ev and my friend were related.
Then we all heard Jim McKay say the words that we hoped never would come:
"They're all gone."
30 days later, the number one came calling to our household.
My friend wrote me a letter and apologised for the delay, saying "all hell has broken loose" due to the fact his cousin lost his life at Furstenfeldbruck Airfield.
"MOM!"
She read the letter and we both couldn't make sense of what happened. 35 years to the day, I still can't.
In the ensuing months, he wrote about the backbiting between the German government, the broken promises of $2000 compensation (back then, that was a lot of money, now that's a mortgage payment), and the general frustration at trying to get info on what really went down that day. We both graduated, and generally lost touch over the years.
I often think about Ze'ev. What his life would have been like, had he lived. Would he have married, had kids who grew up to be athletes, would he have coached Olympic champions himself? We'll never know. By all accounts, he was an exceptional young man of 28. Started out in gymnastics, then grew too tall and muscular and switched to weightlifing. Taught both genres at the Wingate Institute near Tel Aviv. His best friend in the Olympic Village was David Berger, another young man that had shown such life promise.
I decided to wait to write this until I saw what the IOC was going to say to commemorate the 35th anniversary of this tragedy. Maybe I was naive but I really thought this time, the IOC would do the right thing and say *something.* Logging onto their website---I found nothing.
The only thing I found was on Google where a Moscow synagogue that had a commemoration service---and last night, ESPN Classic re-ran "One Day in September", the 1999 award-winning documentary about the murders. No, *slaughters*
For years, the families have been begging the IOC for some kind of recognition at the opening ceremonies of the Summer Games. Ankie Spitzer said it best: "You don't have to say they were 11 Jews or 11 Israeli's, just 11 athletes who came to Munich to compete in the spirit of the Olympics." 30 seconds is all they---and now myself---are asking for. It's not too much. But the families have been stonewalled for years. And that stonewalling comes from right inside the IOC.
At the IOC Session in Prague in 2003, I was on the receiving end of a very ugly comment by an IOC voting member in regards to this. I won't mention who or what was said---for now (because I think the families need to know before it's publicly released.) I consider myself pretty much shock proof. I went back to my hotel room at the Hilton, and cried my eyes out. My fiance was with me on that trip and was just as shocked as I was at what was said. It's a comment that has haunted me to this day.
On this 35th anniversary of one of the world's worst sport tragedies, it's time for President Rogge to step up to the plate and do the RIGHT thing---give the families the 30 seconds recognition---and the IOC will have taken a major step in resolving the issues of Munich for good.
But after today's Roaring Silence, I don't expect much. In fact, I expect what the IOC did today---which was nothing.
I used to have a pen pal in high school (didn't we all? It was the rage back then) who lived in a suburb of St. Louis. He wrote often about his cousin back in Israel, who was a weightlifter. This was just about the time the fitness craze was taking off for men...he often talked about how serious his cousin was about the sport, and I just figured it was another young man trying to get in shape to do his two years compulsory in the Israeli Army.
My Mom first noticed the resemblance in the photograph of one of the athletes and my pen pal. "Do you think they could be related?" she said. I responded that Friedman was a very common name and it "would be a million-to-one chance" if Ze'ev and my friend were related.
Then we all heard Jim McKay say the words that we hoped never would come:
"They're all gone."
30 days later, the number one came calling to our household.
My friend wrote me a letter and apologised for the delay, saying "all hell has broken loose" due to the fact his cousin lost his life at Furstenfeldbruck Airfield.
"MOM!"
She read the letter and we both couldn't make sense of what happened. 35 years to the day, I still can't.
In the ensuing months, he wrote about the backbiting between the German government, the broken promises of $2000 compensation (back then, that was a lot of money, now that's a mortgage payment), and the general frustration at trying to get info on what really went down that day. We both graduated, and generally lost touch over the years.
I often think about Ze'ev. What his life would have been like, had he lived. Would he have married, had kids who grew up to be athletes, would he have coached Olympic champions himself? We'll never know. By all accounts, he was an exceptional young man of 28. Started out in gymnastics, then grew too tall and muscular and switched to weightlifing. Taught both genres at the Wingate Institute near Tel Aviv. His best friend in the Olympic Village was David Berger, another young man that had shown such life promise.
I decided to wait to write this until I saw what the IOC was going to say to commemorate the 35th anniversary of this tragedy. Maybe I was naive but I really thought this time, the IOC would do the right thing and say *something.* Logging onto their website---I found nothing.
The only thing I found was on Google where a Moscow synagogue that had a commemoration service---and last night, ESPN Classic re-ran "One Day in September", the 1999 award-winning documentary about the murders. No, *slaughters*
For years, the families have been begging the IOC for some kind of recognition at the opening ceremonies of the Summer Games. Ankie Spitzer said it best: "You don't have to say they were 11 Jews or 11 Israeli's, just 11 athletes who came to Munich to compete in the spirit of the Olympics." 30 seconds is all they---and now myself---are asking for. It's not too much. But the families have been stonewalled for years. And that stonewalling comes from right inside the IOC.
At the IOC Session in Prague in 2003, I was on the receiving end of a very ugly comment by an IOC voting member in regards to this. I won't mention who or what was said---for now (because I think the families need to know before it's publicly released.) I consider myself pretty much shock proof. I went back to my hotel room at the Hilton, and cried my eyes out. My fiance was with me on that trip and was just as shocked as I was at what was said. It's a comment that has haunted me to this day.
On this 35th anniversary of one of the world's worst sport tragedies, it's time for President Rogge to step up to the plate and do the RIGHT thing---give the families the 30 seconds recognition---and the IOC will have taken a major step in resolving the issues of Munich for good.
But after today's Roaring Silence, I don't expect much. In fact, I expect what the IOC did today---which was nothing.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Welcome!
Games Vision---coming soon! Look for us to launch on September 6th. We're going to have a lot of fun here, discussing all aspects of the Olympic Games. I created Games Vision because what *I* wanted to read about just _wasn't being written._ Some of the blogs out there are too deferential, some blogs only focus on one aspect of the Olympic experience, and some aren't blogs but excellent sites that report straight news. Please be patient while I get the kinks worked out. Some of the subjects that will be discussed in upcoming months are:
Boorish behavior---both on the part of the bid cities and the media that cover them, and how one big city's mayor put an end to their Olympic dream with his public meltdown.
Munich's possible Winter Olympic bid---and why it's a bad idea.
Why you don't want the former president of SLOC to be your next President.
Beijing's dirty tricks---and broken promises.
...plus much more!!
Again, welcome, kick back, and enjoy your visit.
Maryanne
Boorish behavior---both on the part of the bid cities and the media that cover them, and how one big city's mayor put an end to their Olympic dream with his public meltdown.
Munich's possible Winter Olympic bid---and why it's a bad idea.
Why you don't want the former president of SLOC to be your next President.
Beijing's dirty tricks---and broken promises.
...plus much more!!
Again, welcome, kick back, and enjoy your visit.
Maryanne