08-08-08 The Olympics: Sport or National PR?

InfraBlue wrote:

Al bote comunista con el pinche compayito!

Ditto! He (or it) is the worst.
I bet he'll be making double sense jokes (albures) to Nadia Comaneci.

But I would also love to see Derbez and Facundo get beaten with sticks, then thrown to jail and forced to eat scorpions! Not to speak of TVAzteca dumb blondes!

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For everyone wondering who the hell el Compayito is:

http://home.elp.rr.com/infrablues/compayito5lh.jpg

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http://www.cronica.com.mx/nimagenes/23/be26f45b30.jpg

I hate El Compayito sooooo much!

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As bad as Al Micheals?

Joe(noooooo)Nation

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Joe Nation wrote:

As bad as Al Micheals?

Joe(noooooo)Nation

Wikipedia says Al Michaels is a sports commentator. Perhaps he's a pain in the arse.

El Compayito is sort of a "cheerleader" sidekick with no sports knowledge whatsoever. He/it appears only in after-game shows, thank God.
Definitively worse.

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Quote:

El Compayito is sort of a "cheerleader" sidekick with no sports knowledge whatsoever.

Joe(same as Al Micheals)Nation Very Happy

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The Beijing Olympics is starting off on the wrong foot; censorship.
**********

July 29, 2008, 12:23 pm
Officials Investigate Reports of Censorship at Olympic Press Center

By Katie Thomas

Western journalists working at the Main Press Centre in Beijing say they could not access the website for Amnesty International on Tuesday, a claim that officials with the International Olympic Committee say they are investigating, according to Reuters.

The website's unavailability came a day after Amnesty International issued a harsh report criticizing China for failing to live up to promises that it would improve its human rights record ahead of the Olympics. Kevan Gosper, chairman of the I.O.C.'s Press Commission, also said he would look into reports of slow Internet access at the Centre, which by the time the Games begin on August 8 is expected to welcome 20,000 accredited journalists.

Sam Zarifi, Amnesty's Asia Pacific director, said he began hearing about the problem after he directed reporters working at the Main Press Centre to his website to view the recently released report. "It is really disappointing," he said in a telephone interview. The Chinese government's "one big, begrudging promise was that foreign media would have free access on all issues, everywhere."

Zarifi said that in addition to the Amnesty International site, he also received reports that other sites were also unavailable, including those belonging to the German news station Deutsche Welle and BBC's Chinese websites.

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I am one of the biggest fans of Olympics in the World, I usually take my vacation during these days just to watch as much competitions as I can, so every four years I'm not going to seaside or mountains, but insted I watch TV Smile

But this year fact that they banned Iraq from the Olympics upset me so much that I was close to a decision to start a private boycott and not to watch a single competition.

Luckily, they are reinstated, but it's still very unfair, because they are only allowed to send two track and field competitors, while it was too late for other five. I think this is really awful, especially for such a small countries (small in sporting matters) and countries in terrible situation like Iraq is. I think nobody would mind and nothing would change if they allowed those few athletes to compete in rowing, weight lifting and shooting and not to kill their dreams forever.
This is pure bureaucracy at its worst.

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Agree with you, Mou.

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THIS JUST IN

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Has the Olympics changed China?
Probably, the foreign students have to leave China during the Olympic Games. Also it is more difficult for foreign business men to get a visa to China during the Olympic Games
It is more difficult to get a visa to China, so the expensive hotels will hardly be full

Will you be watching any particular events?
None what so ever. I haven´t watch anything about the Olypic games since 1972 in Munich. The German TV at midnight declared all Israelis had survived and then afterwards it was all about the show must go on.

Will you be there in person?
No

Does watching the Olympics inspire you in any way?
How? And what have you done with the inspiration?

What do you hope for your particular country's athletes?
I don´t watch it but always hope that the smallest countries will get medals

What event will bring the most surprises?

Is the Olympics more about national pride or athletic success?
National pride

Does the Olympics bring the world together?
No not really - it is a question of winning

If it does, how long can the moment last
Just for a few seconds

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The IOC has now accomplished the task of making the Olympics a political issue. The world community must withdraw from this Olympic "games." It's no longer about athleticism; it's now a political issue. A boycott is the only answer.

*************

IOC admits Internet censorship deal with China

By Nick Mulvenney 1 hour, 58 minutes ago

BEIJING (Reuters) - Some International Olympic Committee officials cut a deal to let China block sensitive websites despite promises of unrestricted access, a senior IOC official admitted on Wednesday.

Persistent pollution fears and China's concerns about security in Tibet also remained problems for organizers nine days before the Games begin.

China had committed to providing media with the same freedom to report on the Games as they enjoyed at previous Olympics, but journalists have this week complained of finding access to sites deemed sensitive to its communist leadership blocked.

"I regret that it now appears BOCOG has announced that there will be limitations on website access during Games time," IOC press chief Kevan Gosper said, referring to Beijing's Olympic organizers.

"I also now understand that some IOC officials negotiated with the Chinese that some sensitive sites would be blocked on the basis they were not considered Games related," he said.

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Prime Numbers: Rings of Gold

By Brad R. Humphreys

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4368

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Fascinating, Rama. Thank you.
The I0C is a massive, corrupt, myopic, soulless corporation.

It is also, sad to say, the only world wide stage for atheletes.

Joe(on this planet anyway)Nation

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Merry Andrew wrote:

IMO, the whole Olympic Torch relay should be retired after this year. The Tibetans and their supporters demonstrated quite successfully how easy it is to co-opt such an event in order to make a political statement. The travels of The Torch became a slapstick event, covered to a fare-thee-well (quite rightly) by the news media. Running the flaming faggot through the streets of major world cities became a steeple chase, funny as all getout. And let us not forget that the so-called "tradition" of running The Torch is somewhat younger than a number of posters on A2K. It was invented by the Nazis and introduced at the Nuremberg Olympics way, way back there at about the same time I was born.

I hope they don't retire the torch relay. It was only such a farce this year because the IOC was somehow duped into giving the games to a vicious and brutal dictatorship.

As for whether the games will change China. Not in any way that actually matters.

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This olympic in Beijing is an insult to most of the Chinese in China; they are having crisis after crisis, but the government spends billions of dollars for show. Most Chinese lack water and food; the earthquake in Chengdu has left many without homes and shelter. There is an inconsistency in how they are spending monies that should go towards helping the people over the grand show of the olympics.

However, it's no different than our country, the USA, where many are struggling to pay for health care, fuel and food, but our government funds the war in Iraq at an obscene cost of 2.8 billion every week with no end in sight.

The real insult is the monies our government continues to spend in Iraq for their reconstruction while Iraq sits on over 50 billion dollars in the bank.

At least China is sponsoring a great show, while we sponsor death and mayhem with our money.

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The fact that the world sux isn't really news. :wink:

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Wilso wrote:

As for whether the games will change China. Not in any way that actually matters.

who knows. maybe it can be a sparkle that will have effect in long terms. many people believe that Olympic games in Moscow were important part in fall of communism in Europe, and liberation of many ex-Soviet countries.
it's different when you see World with your own eyes, in front of you.
Ordinary Chinese people are probably pretty isolated, now World is in their backyard.

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MyOwnUsername wrote:

many people believe that Olympic games in Moscow were important part in fall of communism in Europe, and liberation of many ex-Soviet countries.
it's different when you see World with your own eyes, in front of you.
Ordinary Chinese people are probably pretty isolated, now World is in their backyard.

Could you please abound on the effect of the Moscow games?

You do it, and I'll abound on the democratizing effect of the Mexico games.

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fbaezer wrote:

MyOwnUsername wrote:

many people believe that Olympic games in Moscow were important part in fall of communism in Europe, and liberation of many ex-Soviet countries.
it's different when you see World with your own eyes, in front of you.
Ordinary Chinese people are probably pretty isolated, now World is in their backyard.

Could you please abound on the effect of the Moscow games?

You do it, and I'll abound on the democratizing effect of the Mexico games.

COULD you...er...propound on the democraticizing effects of the Mexican Olympics?

I mean...was that pure sarcasm, or do you think these things have an effect?

I ask because the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane DID, I think, have an effect that couldn't quite be taken back...

As a different thought.

If we accept that Putin et al decided to attack Georgia during the Olympics as a tactic...has that ever happened before with an Olympics?

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08-08-08 The Olympics: Sport or National PR?

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