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July 31, 2004

Olympic Dream - Official Olympic Song

"The Athens Olympics now has its own official song.

"Olympic Dream" has been composed by Croatian pianist Maksim Maravitsa. The music video for the official song is being shot in Bucharest.

Maravitsa is a pianist renowned for his modern interpretations of classical music. His compositions are aimed at attracting young audiences to classical music, and communicating with them in new ways. His first album in fact became one of the fastest-selling classical recordings ever to be released in Croatia.

"Olympic Dreams" features on 'Harmony', one of the three official Olympic Games albums.

The three albums were launched in Athens this week, and include an official Greek music album, an official pop music album, with 'Harmony', the games' official classical music album.
"

Read more at NDTV.com - Croatian pianist composes Olympic song.

Posted by Darren at 05:41 PM | Comments (2)

Kazakhstan's Boxers to eat Horse Meat and Mare's Milk in Athens

"Kazakhstan are pinning their hopes of Olympic boxing gold on traditional nomadic fare and will ship horse meat and mare's milk to Athens to boost their fighters' stamina.

Kazakh boxing team coach Yermakhan Ibraimov, who won gold as a light-middleweight in Sydney in 2000, confessed plain yet energizing nomadic food had been the key to his own success."

Read more at Trust in Mare's Milk.

Posted by Darren at 05:31 PM | Comments (2)

Dvorak In Doubt for Athens

Czech decathlete Tomas Dvorak could be forced to withdraw from the Olympics due to an Achilles tendon problem.

The former world record holder took bronze in the Atlanta Games in 1996 and was sixth in Sydney four years ago.

"It's hurting. I need time to treat it and that's something I don't have a lot of," Dvorak told Czech newspaper Sport.

Read more at Dvorak doubt for Athens.

Posted by Darren at 05:28 PM | Comments (0)

Olympic Insurance

"For the first time, the International Olympic Committee takes out a multimillion-dollar policy to hedge against cancellation at the 2004 Olympic Summer Games in Athens. The move ushers in a new era for the IOC, which intends to insure Games until 2010.

The decision to return this year's Olympic Games to its birthplace, Athens, has created unintended drama, as construction delays and budget overruns triggered a nightmare scenario of unfinished facilities and cancelled events. However, a renewed commitment from Greece's new government, elected in March, and frantic last-minute building work should see the Games open in Athens, as planned, on August 13 for 16 days' duration. The city is ready to play host to around 1.5 million visitors, 20,000 officials and 15,000 competitors. Their welfare will depend on 70,000 police and soldiers and the anti-terrorism measures drawn up with input from NATO and Israel's intelligence service, Mossad.

Threat of terrorist attack has boosted the security budget to almost $1.2 billion, more than three times the amount allocated for the 2000 Games in Sydney. The Athens Games represent "a spectacular concentration of global terror risk," in the words of the London-based political risk analysts and forecasters Exclusive Analysis Ltd."

Read more at Risk and Insurance : Vaulting Olympic Risk:

Posted by Darren at 05:27 PM | Comments (0)

Are the US Men's Basketball Team Beatable?

"The world is closing the gap on the U.S., making this year's Olympic team vulnerable.

When USA Basketball consented to sending professionals to the Olympics in 1992, the idea was to showcase the NBA elite and remind the world that America had no equal as a hoops superpower.

But in the decade since that Dream Team blew out opponents by ridiculous margins and brought the NBA unprecedented global exposure, the United States has seen its dominance gradually diminish. So much so that for the first time entering a Summer Games, it's no slam dunk that Team USA will capture the gold medal next month in Athens.

"I have that fear right now," said U.S. assistant coach and North Carolina head coach Roy Williams, when asked about the possibility of losing at the Olympics.

As the American team concludes its first week of practice today with a 1 p.m. exhibition game against Puerto Rico at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, head coach Larry Brown and his staff keep reminding their players that the USA's days of invincibility are over."

Read more at America the beatable?

Posted by Darren at 05:22 PM | Comments (0)

Blaine Wilson's last shot at an Olympic Medal

"Blaine Wilson, a gymnast who's about to turn 30 and is only months past a serious injury, is headed to his last chance for an Olympic medal.

At an age when injuries have taken their toll on most gymnasts, Wilson is working out twice a day at the Ohio State gymnastics facility near campus. But he's battling back from an injury that could have ended his career.

While performing his still rings routine at the American Cup on Feb. 28, Wilson tore his left biceps muscle off the bone. The injury normally requires six to seven months of recovery time."

Read more at Gymnast heads to third Olympics for last shot at medal.

Posted by Darren at 05:20 PM | Comments (0)

Japan's Baseball Team to go to Athens without Coach

"With the Olympics just two weeks away, Japan has decided to send its baseball team to Athens without its manager, media reported Saturday.

The 68-year-old Shigeo Nagashima, Japan's most famous former baseball player, had been managing the squad when he suffered a stroke that partially paralyzed the right side of his body in March. Japanese Olympic officials had said they would make a last-minute decision whether to replace Nagashima, who has since regained his ability to walk through rehabilitation.

But now Nagashima won't go because the long flight and the sweltering heat in Athens might wear him out, Kyodo News agency said, citing anonymous sources close to Nagashima."

Read more at Nagashima won't coach Japan's Olympic baseball squad.

Posted by Darren at 05:19 PM | Comments (0)

Watch Olympics Online - Video Highlights

"Viewers in the U.S. and the U.K. will be able to watch video highlights of the Athens Olympics on the Internet. Canadians will not. NBC will feature online video coverage of the Summer Olympic Games. The BBC will broadcast live coverage of the games by Internet on the BBC Sport Olympics website to U.K. viewers.

In prior Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) prohibited websites from displaying video of actual Olympic events in order to protect multimillion-dollar television broadcasting deals."

Read more Athens Olympics achieves balance between Internet and TV viewing.

Posted by Darren at 05:16 PM | Comments (12)

Will the 'Real' Olympics Please stand up?

"The Athens Olympics begin on 13 August, but thousands are gathering this weekend in an ancient Greek stadium for what they say are the true games.

Anyone can take part regardless of age or talent, as long as they run barefooted and in traditional tunics.

The stadium in Nemea in the Peloponnese was built more than 2,300 years ago.

It was excavated in the 1970s by a team of American archaeologists, who were disillusioned with the elitist nature of modern Olympics."

Read more at 'True Olympics' begin in Greece

Posted by Darren at 04:41 PM | Comments (0)

What's on Today
Here is a list of events scheduled for today, Saturday the 14th of August, 2004
Sport
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Badminton
  
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Basketball
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Boxing
  
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Cycling
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Diving
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Fencing
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Football/Soccer
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Gymnastics
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Handball
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Hockey
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Sport
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Judo
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Rowing
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Sailing
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Shooting
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Softball
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Swimming
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Table Tennis
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Volleyball
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Weightlifting
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Sport
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Posted by Regan at 03:51 PM | Comments (0)

New Drugs could Emerge in Athens

"The chemist who unmasked the steroid THG last year says similar drugs might be in circulation, and the Athens Games could spur athletes to use such performance-enhancing substances.

"The Olympics is a time when people risk it all," said Don Catlin, head of the anti-doping lab at UCLA. "I've seen for many, many years how the Olympics brings out new drugs and new techniques."

Catlin said in a conference call Wednesday "hundreds or thousands" of steroids created by drug companies in the 1960s and 1970s could be turned into performance-enhancing substances."

Terry Madden, head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, said on the conference call "there are designer steroids out there.""

Read more at Sports: Chemist: New drugs may emerge in Athens.

Posted by Darren at 03:43 PM | Comments (0)

Cool Mitts to Ease Heat in Athens

corecontrol.jpgIf you see some US and British Athletes at the the Athens walking around with gloves on its not because they are cold - quite the opposite in fact - they are hot!

"A Michigan company has developed a handheld gizmo that could help soldiers, firefighters and athletes beat the heat. The so-called CoreControl device looks a bit like a large mitten.

Researchers at AVAcore Technologies say blood passing through the hand is cooled, which then cools the whole body in just three to five minutes. It's much like the way a panting, furry animal is cooled by air passing over its tongue."

British and US Olympians will be trial the CoreControl Cooling device in Athens.

Read more at Gizmo could cool soldiers' bodies in minutes.

Also read about it at ABC News

Posted by Darren at 03:38 PM | Comments (1)

Canada Hopes Baseball Success will Spur Grassroots Participation

"To most, Canada is the Great White North, home of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, comedians Mike Myers, Jim Carrey, John Candy, and of course hockey.

Come the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Canada hopes to be better known for baseball too.

Cuba was expected to advance at the Olympic qualifier last fall, and the Cubans did. Team USA was supposed to do the same but was edged 2-1 in the quarterfinal by Mexico, eliminating the defending gold-medal winner. Canada then beat Mexico 11-1 to qualify for the Olympics in baseball for the first time.

While its major league franchises in Montreal and Toronto have been in decline, Canada has made strides in recent years in the sport. In 1995, 55 Canadians played in the minors. In 2003, that number had swelled to 114 in the minors and 92 in independent leagues. The year before, lefthanders Adam Loewen (fourth overall) and Jeff Francis (ninth) became the highest-picked Canadians in draft history."

Read more at Canada Hopes Olympic Success Spurs Grassroots.

Posted by Darren at 03:36 PM | Comments (0)

Cuba, Japan Stand Out In Euro-Centric Athens Field - Baseball

"Four years after Ben Sheets raised his arms in triumph following a shutout of Cuba that brought gold to the United States, the Olympic baseball landscape has changed dramatically.

The U.S. won its first gold since baseball became a medal sport in 2000 in Sydney. Team USA won’t be around to defend that title in Athens because it failed to qualify for the 2004 Games, to be held in Athens from Aug. 15-25. Bronze medalist Korea, which shut down its professional league for the Sydney games, also failed to qualify for Athens.

At least baseball is still around, though. Between tournaments, the sport almost got kicked off the Olympic program. Jacques Rogge took over as head of the International Olympic Committee and immediately sought to have baseball removed. While it survived and should be on the docket for 2008 in Beijing as well, a successful tournament in Athens is a must to regain momentum for the sport within the Olympic movement.

Yet it’s harder to have a successful tournament when two of the best teams in the world—two that care deeply about baseball—aren’t included."

Read more at Cuba, Japan Stand Out In Euro-Centric Athens Field.

Posted by Darren at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)

US Track Team - Could win 30 Medals

"Drug scandals have dominated the Athens build-up, but in the background a great US team has formed. Now the new generation are tipped for a 30-medal haul

Years of laughably inaccurate predictions have given rise to an American phenomenon known as the Sports Illustrated curse (which deems that those anointed for greatness in the magazine's pages are doomed to flop). Yet failure has not blunted SI's predilection for forecasting, not least when it comes to the subject of US prospects on the global stage.

So it must have been with trepidation that US track and field athletes opened the latest issue and discovered they are about to embark on an enormously successful trip to Athens, winning a total of 30 medals, including 11 golds. "This is a strong team, with 28 members who have won world or Olympic individual titles," the magazine declared by way of explanation."

Read more at Olympic success sneaks up on America.

Posted by Darren at 03:32 PM | Comments (0)

Athens Olympic Games 2004 Schedule Of Events
Sports
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Archery
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Athletics
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Badminton
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Baseball
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Basketball
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Beach Volleyball
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Boxing
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Canoe/Kayak
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Sports
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Cycling
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Diving
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Equestrian
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Fencing
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Football/Soccer
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Gymnastics
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Handball
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Hockey
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Sports
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Judo
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Modern Pentathlon
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Rowing
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Sailing
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Shooting
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Softball
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Swimming
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Sports
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Table Tennis
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Taekwondo
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Tennis
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Triathlon
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Volleyball
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Water Polo
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Weightlifting
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Wrestling
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Sports
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Posted by Regan at 02:15 PM | Comments (0)

Athens Olympics - Kids Resources

Hi there kids - are you doing a school project on the Athens Olympics? Do you just want to know more about the Athens Olympics that you are watching on the TV? We know a lot of kids are coming to this site looking for information so we thought we'd put some resources together that might help you find the sort of information you are after. If you find a helpful website we don't have in our list below please leave us a comment at the bottom of this page and tell us what you've found.

Have fun!


Athens Olympics Kids Resources

Posted by Darren at 02:07 PM | Comments (0)

US defeats New Zealand - Men's Basketball

"A young United States team routed New Zealand 94-68 in a pre-Olympic men's basketball scrimmage but US coach Larry Brown was concerned about lapses that could mean losses in Athens.

Tim Duncan scored 16 points while Amare Stoudamire and Dwayne Wade each had 14 for a National Basketball Association squad that lacked starting guard Allen Iverson, out with a finger sprain, and forward Carlos Boozer, away on business.

"We had no Al and no Carlos. I'm worried who will settle them down," Brown said. "This is kind of a setback right now. But they're energy level is up and they have done the things they have to do."

New Zealand, led by 17 points from Phil Jones, went on an 11-2 run late in the fourth quarter, which the Kiwis won 31-25, and settled for a 16-16 draw in the second only because US forward Lamar Odom made a tip-in at the buzzer."

Read mLapses haunt US Olympic squad despite rout of Kiwis.

Posted by Darren at 01:18 PM | Comments (0)

British Athletics Farewell

"Britain's athletes offered a packed south London stadium a genuinely encouraging farewell at the Norwich Union Grand Prix here last night in the kind of sultry heat they will soon be encountering in Athens.

Less than a fortnight before the Olympics get under way, and on an evening which ended with Team GB members waving a symbolic goodbye from the back of that endangered species, the London Routemaster bus, as fireworks flashed from the roof of the Jubilee Stand, several home talents offered evidence that they will rumble on to Greece as much in expectation as hope.

The most notable performers were Chris Rawlinson, Kelly Holmes, Phillips Idowu, Chris Lambert, Jade Johnson and Lee McConnell, respective winners in the 400m hurdles, 1500m, triple jump, 200m, long jump and 400m."

Read more at Rawlinson and Holmes raise medal hopes.

Posted by Darren at 01:16 PM | Comments (0)

Australian PM Back Peddles on Athens Security Statement

"JOHN Howard yesterday moved to ease diplomatic tensions with Greece over the adequacy of protection for Australia's Olympic athletes.

The Prime Minister said yesterday he did not mean "any offence to the Greek Government" in expressing concerns on Thursday over whether Australian athletes would be "fully protected" by the host nation.

His remarks were described by a Greek government spokesman as "unhelpful", coming less than two weeks before the opening of the Olympics.

The spokesman also suggested that if Australia had any further concerns about Greece's security arrangements it should raise them now."

Read more at The Australian: Howard didn't mean to offend

Posted by Darren at 01:14 PM | Comments (0)

South Korea defeats Australia - Men's Football

"Australia’s Men’s Olympic Football preparations encountered a small speed bump with a 3-1 loss against Athens-bound Korean Republic in hot and humid conditions in South Korea tonight.

It was a disappointing loss for the Australians, who had looked impressive in racking up four successive victories since coming into camp, including a win over the Japanese Olympic Team in the countdown to Athens.

Australia trialled 1-0 at half time after conceding a goal in the 16th minute to Korean Republic striker Cho Jaejin and found themselves down 3-0 before Ahmad Elrich scored a late consolation goal for the visitors."

Read more at .

Posted by Darren at 12:48 PM | Comments (0)

Austrian Sailing Team Sets Sail for Gold Medals

"Landlocked Austria's Olympic sailing team has set its sails for gold in Athens.

Roman Hagara, the champion at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in the Tornado class, said Friday he knows defending gold won't be easy, "but we're good enough to make it."

"If you have won a title, you always want to defend it," said Hagara, who will carry Austria's flag at the opening ceremony. He and teammate Hans Peter Steinacher will compete again in the Tornado class in Athens.

"The situation in Greece is not comparable to that in Sydney, because due to the new regulations, the boats are different," Hagara told The Associated Press. "But that has not changed our aim in any way. We want to win gold again.""

Read more at SI.com - Austrian sailing team aims for gold in Athens - Friday July 30, 2004 1:42PM.

Posted by Darren at 12:35 PM | Comments (0)

US Swimmers to wear Energy Patches

"Specially treated energy patches used by swimmers at the Olympic trials earlier this month will be sent to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for testing amid concerns the patches contain testosterone.

The president of the company that makes the LifeWave Energy Enhancer called the accusation ridiculous and said the patch contains only amino acids and water-based solutions.

"I can understand why coaches or athletes would have questions, because this technology is very new, very different," David Schmidt told the San Francisco Chronicle. "I think it's a very good thing for sports. It's a way for athletes to improve their performance and not endanger their health."

Officials with the anti-doping agency would not confirm they received the patches....

Six female swimmers at Stanford University wore the patches on their shoulders during the trials, held July 7-14 in Long Beach....

The patches are designed to electronically stimulate acupuncture points, inserting current into the body to help an athlete improve stamina, according to Schmidt. No substances enter the body, he said."

Read more at Treated patches on U.S. swimmers raise questions.

Posted by Darren at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)

Olympic Archery - Cut Throat Intensity

"For a sport that draws on the imagery of fantasy, few events match archery for its cut-throat intensity.

The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy is responsible for a boom in interest in the sport, but in competition there is no room for romantic delusions. Archery is about mental toughness and technical proficiency, an event where millimetres count.

At the Olympic Games, organisers have made it even tougher. In days gone by, the individual event was something of a marathon, with shooters lining up for four days of competition, accumulating as many points as possible.

Now, it is a nerve-racking contest in which the strong are pitted against the weak, where opponents are given one chance of victory or elimination.

All competitors shoot a first round of 72 arrows to earn a ranking of one to 64. From there, a knock-out competition begins where No 1 is matched against No 64, No 2 against No 63, and so on."

Read more at Arrows aimed at Athens bullseye.

Posted by Darren at 12:31 PM | Comments (0)