MetaFilter posts tagged with Olympics

Nude hockey player cast in bronze for Vancouver Winter Olympics

joeclark — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:35:48 -0800

Hot nude bronze gay hockey action. Do you associate the Winter Olympics with middle-aged curlers in warm-up jackets, Lycra-clad former linebackers sardined into a bobsled, and sparkly figure skaters’ outfits (and whatever the girls are wearing)? Oh, you’re so last century! For Vancouver 2010, the Olympics’ first-ever Pride House for gay athletes will feature a bronze sculpture (by Edmund Haakonson) of a hockey player. It’s a dude, and he’s naked save for skates, helmet, and gloves. Of course he’s carrying a big stick.

"And so she and her friend and the wolves walk together around the base, quietly in the dark, the ice crystals floating in the air around them."

kliuless — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:01:31 -0800

Olympic Flame Burns for Icy Relay
Canada is launching its countdown to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics by boldly sending the Olympic flame farther north than it has ever gone before.

Piloting a bobsleigh while blind

joeclark — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:43:15 -0800

You’d have to be blind to drive a bobsleigh. At least if you want to finish first, second, or third nine times in seven years. Since 2001, U.S. bobsleigh pilot Steven Holcomb has dealt with a degenerative eye condition that left him with 20/500 vision. He drove a sled hurtling down an ice track anyway, often winning. Now that his vision has been restored via an experimental operation, he fuzzes over his helmet visor so it’s just like the olden days. Bobsleigh, it seems, is all about feel. During the seven years he was more or less blind, Holcomb’s sleds finished first four times, second four times, and third once (according to a PDF media guide, including results page).

Always Listen To Structural Engineers

mannequito — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:50:21 -0800

It will be the site of 12 medal finals this February, but Richmond's Olympic Oval has already won gold in one event: on October 9th, it was awarded top honors for a sports or leisure structure from the Institution of Structural Engineers, beating out Wimbledon, the Copenhagen Zoo's Elephant House, and another Olympic venue, Beijing's Birds Nest. The Richmond Oval won largely on the strength of sustainability, including a 2 hectare roof built out of salvaged lumber from the Mountain Pine Beetle infestation. Also nominated for the David Alsop Sustainability Award, the building lost to South Africa's Mapungubwe National Park Interpretive Centre but was given a special second place commendation.

With Glowing Hearts

futureproof — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:42:32 -0800

The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association has filed suit against the City of Vancouver over a recently enacted 2010 Olympic bylaw which the BCCLA claims limits free speech and is in violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Recently, a college student was approached at school by plainclothes police officers who wished to discuss her friendship with a high-profile Olympics opponent, "Five Ring Circus" author Chris Shaw. In July the city of Vancouver passed a new bylaw which temporarily amended 10 existing bylaws, repealed 3 existing Olympic bylaws and wrapped it all up into the new "2010 Winter Games By-law[pdf], to create one consolidated enactment which deals with all aspects of the Games." At the time even some in the mainstream media noticed that the bylaw could potentially be used to infringe individuals rights. This morning the BCCLA filed suit[pdf] against the City on behalf of Chris Shaw and Alissa Westergard-Thorpe of the The Olympic Resistance Network.

Cidade Maravilhosa

msali — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:03:00 -0800

Seeking to be the first Green Olympics, Brazil wins its bid to be the first ever South American nation to host the 2016 games. For your listening pleasure, two songs about Rio, an acoustic version of Cidade Maravilhosa by Caetano Veloso, and Aquele abraço by our man, Gilberto Gil.

Gay-hio!

kittyprecious — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:04:41 -0800

Cleveland Rocks! While the IOC is still preparing to elect the host city for for 2016 Olympics, the (unaffiliated) Federation of Gay Games has just announced that the 2014 Gay Games will be held on Lake Erie, with Cleveland's bid beating those of Washington, DC and Boston. The quadrennial Gay Games will be returning to the United States for the fifth time since being inaugurated in 1982. Controversy over the terms of negotiations for the 2006 Games, originally set to be held in Montreal but moved to Chicago, sparked a "schism" which led to the creation of the Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association, which administers the triennial Outgames, premiering in Montreal in 2006 in direct competition with the Gay Games. [previously-ish]

High Jump Innovator

dhruva — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:57:15 -0800

The Revolutionary "Consider, then, the Fosbury Flop, an upside-down and backward leap over a high bar, an outright—an outrageous!—perversion of acceptable methods of jumping over obstacles. An absolute departure in form and technique. It was an insult to suggest, after all these aeons, that there had been a better way to get over a barrier all along. And if there were, it ought to have come from a coach, a professor of kinesiology, a biomechanic, not an Oregon teenager of middling jumping ability."

Flo Jo and family

trillian — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:49:01 -0800

"Twenty-five years ago this month, Al Joyner won a shocking gold medal at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles … and fell in love with a lady in tights."

Michael Jordan Declares Support for Chicago Olympics

jon_hansen — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:49:01 -0800

The push for Chicago as the 2016 Olympic-host city is gearing up, and even the usually reclusive Michael Jordan has publicly declared his support. Jordan also appears in this recently released ad that features testimonials from other former Chicago Olympians such as Jackie-Joyner Kersee, Greg Louganis, and many more.

Ancient Greece

netbros — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:24:40 -0800

Explore the History of the Ancient Greek World from the Neolithic to the Classical Period. Covering important topics, such as Art and Architecture, Mythology, Wars, Culture and Society, Poetry, Olympics, History Periods, Philosophy, Playwrights, Kings and Rulers of Ancient Greece.

China's Olympic Pollution Control

homunculus — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:37:44 -0800

New Satellite Data Reveal Impact of Olympic Pollution Controls. [Via James Fallows]

English as a Shouted Language

divabat — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:10:31 -0800

"Conquer English to Make China Stronger!" is the philosophy of Li Yang, founder of the Crazy English school (and style) of language, described by some as "English as a Shouted Language" for its main method of shouting English words in public to overcome shyness. Li Yang has achieved Elvis-like popularity in China, not just through his public lectures but also through the sales of books, media, teaching materials, and a memoir titled "I am Crazy, I Succeed". Li Yang's unorthodox methods - which include encouraging students to "lose face" and cope with embarrassment on the way to success - have earned him fame and fortune, including headlining the 5th Beijing Foreign Language Festival and being the main English teacher for China's Olympic volunteers. Li Yang's secret to success: "... to have them continuously paying—that’s the conclusion I’ve reached."

Olympic Crash

vansly — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 08:18:58 -0800

A tower on the Excalibur gondola at Blackcomb Mountain north of Vancouver collapsed yesterday. Early speculation centres around the possibility of the tower filling with water and freezing. The Excalibur gondola is built by the same company who recently finished constructing the record-breaking Peak2Peak gondola. This is not the first lift incident at the resort, which is set to host alpine events for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The unbearable weight of sports politics

Surfurrus — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:54:31 -0800

Sports activism is dead? - so asks Andy Kroll in his review of Dave Zirin's new book, A People's History of Sports in the United States.

"And since the ‘80s, the money, TV time, and narcissism have only increased. Most professional athletes could care less — that is, if they even know at all — that their sponsors’ shoes and jerseys are made in squalid conditions in third world countries."

Author Zirin argues that “[w]e can pretend sports isn’t political just as well as we can pretend there is no such thing as gravity if we fall out of an airplane.” Kroll calls Michael Phelps 'corporate posterboy' and blasts the Olympic athletes.

" ... Miami Heat and USA Basketball star Dwayne Wade. On the eve of the Games, Wade said of China’s human rights problems: “I’m not even into it that much … I really don’t know what’s going on over there.”

Maybe it isn't 'apathy' -- maybe sports activism isn't completely gone in America - - could it be that it is just relegated to 'product placement'? Phelps in HUMV and military regalia in his hometown celebration. (Simultaneously, other Olympic heros are celebrated -- Jamaicans dance with their heroes.)

OMG only 18 months til the Olympics and you don't have tickets yet!

neuron — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:49:16 -0800

The 2010 Olympic Winter Games ticket requests start one week from today! It's just up the road in Vancouver, B.C.. "In just one week the Request Period for Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games tickets begins! Here is a quick look at the timeline for Phase 1 and a few tools to help you plan your once-in-a-lifetime Olympic experience: October 3-November 7, 2008: Request Period Visit vancouver2010.com to build and submit your ticket request anytime during this five-week window. November 8-November 23, 2008: Lottery Period Where ticket demand exceeds the available supply, an automated, random selection process (lottery) will ensure the fairest possible ticket distribution. By December 5: Notification period All applicants will be notified by e-mail regarding the status of their ticket request and which sessions and/or packages they may have secured. December 8-22: Priority access period Remaining tickets will be re-released on a first-come, first-served basis exclusively to those who submitted a request during the Request Period. Planning Tools (and a couple of fun extras) Vancouver2010.com contains all you need to know about Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games ticketing. The site offers an enhanced, in-depth and interactive experience for virtual visitors worldwide. Schedule and prices by day - we've posted the day-by-day schedule and included ticket prices to make your planning easier. With Glowing Hearts video - This one-minute spot features Canadians from all walks of life and all regions of the country celebrating the newly announced Vancouver 2010 motto. Vancouver 2010 video podcasts - These podcasts offer a great way to learn more about the sports of the 2010 Winter Games."

Photos of the 2008 Paralympics

GuyZero — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:37:48 -0800

Photos of the 2008 Paralympics. Sadly the Paralympics rarely garners the coverage of the Olympics, but thanks to the internet you can witch videos of the competitions at Universal Sports (though it may be region-blocked, require registration and only seems to work on Windows).

James Powderly's story of his Beijing detention

kliuless — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:11:13 -0800

An American in Beijing's Detention Facilities (via kottke)

After hours without sleep and threats against their lives and the lives of their loved ones, Powderly and the other Americans began to crack. “That’s when I started to realize that I’m really good at being a douche-baggy art star, but I’m really bad at this secret agent business,” he said.

which can be compared/contrasted with recent police action in st. paul (and of course guantanamo), but also the larger image and reality in china.

Roger Ebert to Jay Marriotti

An Infinity Of Monkeys — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:02:41 -0800

An open letter to sports columnist Jay Mariotti , who resigned from the Sun-Times and lashed out during a TV interview announcing that newspapers were dead. (via Sports Filter)

Hands On A Hard Body

fourcheesemac — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:58:46 -0800

Sex at the Olympics. "I am often asked if the Olympic village . . . is the sex-fest it is cracked up to be. My answer is always the same: too right it is." Table tennis Olympian Matthew Syed dishes the dirt. (possibly NSFW, TimesOnline).

The winner in anti-medals?

twoleftfeet — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 14:31:58 -0800

Joel Stein on a new scoring system to improve the Olympic Games.

Inside the Olympics Stadium in 360 degrees

lou — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:20:54 -0800

Beijing Olympics Stadium, about 30 minutes before the the men's 100m final. A 360-degree view (including overhead) from the stands by Finnish photographer Kari Kuukka.

Olympic logos from 1896 to present

Brandon Blatcher — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:24:21 -0800

Olympic logos from 1896 to present. Tons of trivia too.

Well, there's a surprise

chuckdarwin — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:51:03 -0800

Some of the female Chinese gymnasts are apparently under-age. It wasn't their skulls, their chins or their eyes that gave them away: it was the internet.

Swim, swim little fish, swim on...

batmonkey — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:15:31 -0800

The Pisces Effect is a statistician's find that birth sign may predict likelihood of Olympics medal victories relating to Zodiacal attributes. Past statistical studies indicate Pisceans may be bad drivers...with perhaps some fluctuation for hemisphere. One columnist feels Washington, D.C.'s problems (and potential) may be attributable to being Pisces. Maybe Pisceans [flash; auto/unstoppable sound] have more luck as horses. Previously: [post] [comments]