Worst Olympics Ever
 

Ive just been thinking about the coming Olympic Games and ive just got the feeling that this Olympics is going to be the 'worst ever'.

not sure why i feel like this. Maybe it's the Tibet issue, maybe its the potential for it being a very dirty Games, maybe its the general human rights issues, maybe its the pollution and congestion, or the potential for a total collapse in infrastructure, mabe its the media block out by the government... its probably a bit of everything...im still gathering my thoughts

this really does have the potential to be a big belly flop. i really do hope its not, but its doesnt seem like an olympics that has the usual buzz attached to it.

i remember living ins Sydney before and remember seeing the buzz and hype as well as the feedback from people all over the world that i met. Beijing doesnt have this feel. is political isolation to do with it?


does anyone else feel this way? what are your thoughts?

I have a friend who is intimately involved in bringing the Games to Chicago in 2016. He's working on the environmental committee trying to make the Games green. At this point, they think that they can make it either carbon neutral or potentially carbon negative (removing more carbon than they use).

Beijing isn't going to be like that.

I was in Beijing in 2000, just before they were awarded the games (a few weeks before Syndey, actually). I remember thinking that the endurance athletes were going to hate it. I sincerely think that we could see some serious health problems in the marathon, some potentially deadly. Even with some of the air pollution cleaned up, it is still going to be as bad or worse than Athens, which was horrible.

Friends, for the 5 days I was in Beijing, the sky was orange in the middle of the day. People who see my pictures ask what happened to the camera.

Politics will not be an issue. The government simply won't allow it to be. Foreigners who come in with the idea to protest (low class, IMO) are going to be quietly escorted back to the airport and sent home. Chinese nationals know better.

I get an ominous feeling about this olympics as well. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.
I'm still pissed that Toronto didn't get it :(

Worst Ever.... hello

1972 Munich Olympics (11 killed)... hands down then the 1996 Atlanta Olympics (2 killed 111 injured)

Should have been in Toronto. The entire games could have been handled within one arena - from sailing to track. It was a sham to give it to Beijing. But then the pain of living 6 km from the games site would have been similar to Boston's Big Dig.

It will be interesting to see from a logistical/tourist perspective. I suspect that the athletes will ascend to the challenges, while the journalists will harp on the lack of freedoms.

Oh c'mon folks, why can't you be optimistic like the people in this video?




They're China's biggest stars, btw.

hmm true.. but what i was really getting at..

in terms of general flow, organisation, drugs, public transport, getting around, traffic, pollution, political interference...

these are all issues for the beijing olympic commitee.
i read somewhere last week that the olympic committee will stop the marathon if the race is run where there is more than 1hr of bad air.

to their credit the chinese government are trying to cut down the smog as much as possible, but really, its like closing the gates after the horse has bolted. this should have been resolved more than 2 or 3 years ago.

the chinese govt has introduced a system where if your car registration plate is an even number you can drive on a particular day, and if its an odd number you have have particular days.. weird i know.. but lets see how this works.

i remember sydney olympics being the best traffic flow sydney ever had. most people were given time off work to volunteer, most of those people got free public transport, and hence less cars on the rd. i remember driving from nth sydney where i worked through the centre of the CBD through suburbia to where i lived in 35 every day, where it usually took an hour at best during normal days.


i personally dont think that china deserved the olympics because they have so many question marks on a lot of issues. they missed out narrowly on sydney, and the greek games were automatically alloted to greece, so i think that it was 'chinas turn' regardless of how its run. giving it to a developing country for the sake of giving it isnt exactly the right thing to do.

Dubai would make for an interesting host. If it went off without a hitch, it would put to rest my concerns about "terrorism" leaking into the UAE.

Wouldn't Berlin in 1936 be tops in that respect?

Anyway, I think Beijing will be fine. China seems to be doing a good job - the BBC has been doing daily monitoring of pollution levels and they have, based on their reports, taken a big drop as the Chinese have stopped virtually all construction/heavy industry in the area and have taken 50% of the cars off the road.

They have also been testing their athletes incessantly in training - and if anyone is positive, they are off the team. The last thing China wants is to have a Chinese athlete test positive during the games and embarass the country.

On other levels, 1980 and 1984 were bad due to the boycotts - every medal has an asterisk next to it.

1972 obviously has its own issues, as mentioned.

Personally, I hated 2000 in Australia - every freaking event was on at 2 AM. At least the Chinese have the sense to time shift everything so that North American and European TV (who pay the lion's share of the rights) will get to watch more in prime time.

Yeah I totally agree with your assessment of the situation... just trying to give a shout out to those olympics where we lost innocent people not the actual olympics being a bad production. I also agree with the poster who indicated Toronto would have been good. Dubai (yet another poster) would be interesting given the money that's there as well as how the leader is "into" flaunting his wealth via technological/engioneering feats. The terrorism issue would be quite concerning though.

Dubai wouldn't work in the summer. Sorry, but sitting in the stands for hours at a time would be bad enough for the spectators. There's a reason that desert cities hold athletic competitions at night. And you couldn't do it all indoors.

2014 would be perfect. As I understand, BC is hosting the 2010s.

Are you talking Winter Games now? Because if you are, get the fuck out of this thread with that weak-ass shit.

The organization of Winter vs. Summer is about 1 to 4. There are more sports, more spectators and more of pretty much everything - except snow and ice.

There aren't even Athletics WC in 2014. Or 2010 for that matter.

I would agree with you on all counts except for the sweet game of hockey.

I thought about putting a caveat in for hockey but decided against it because I thought it would detract from the overall message. But I do conceed that hockey would actually fit with a lot of Summer Games, although I don't see it ever moving.

:expressionless:

Are the winter games Olympics? Yes. Besides, I doubt Dubai would want the Summer Olympics anyway. The city is still under construction and would need a lot of infrastructure to support that size of an event. The Winter Olympics might just be perfect.

I'm pretty stoked about 2010 because it's an Olympic I can actually go see without spending a fortune. Besides...female figure ice skating!!!!!


/threadjack

Are the Winger Games Olympics? Are McNuggets chicken? Yeah, technically....

Will, in the context we're talking here, the Winter Games barely register. There are one quarter of the events. Half of them happen indoors. The logistics are simply different. So, again, get the fuck out of this thread if you're going to talk about Winter Games.

If you want to talk about infrastructure, realize that you've got to have the ability to have top-notch facilities for every single sport in a Games. All the skiing events would kill Dubai pretty much immediately. Not that they don't ski there (I don't feel like finding the thread we had on that last year), but to do the luge, bobsled, Alpine skiing, cross country skiing on 20k loops, it's pretty much assinine to think that they could build ALL that in time for 2014, which were already awarded to Sochi, Russia, by the way. And I'm sure our Canadian friends are already excited about Vancouver in 2010.

So, let's stop with the silly suggestions about Winter Games. They barely register in terms of complexity when compared to Summer Games, especially given the sheer number of different venues needed comparatively.

McDonalds uses all white meat now. They changed in 2003.
It's still the Olympics. They still get medals just like the Summer. Maybe we can ask some people that ski, play ice hockey and luge if they think that Winter Olympic Competitors should be taken seriously.
If this is supposed to be funny, you may want to give it less bite.
You're saying it asinine to think that Dubai could build a lot in a matter of a few years?
http://www.nikkish.net/jeff/blogpics...roadtrip02.jpg

Honestly, I think it's because the world hate China and the Chinese. It's sad really.

LA is very polluted but we held the Olympics. Mexico City is very polluted but they held the Olympics.

Dlish, if it's human rights you're worried about, not many countries are immune. Certainly not Dubai. I would take China over Dubai. Dubai is way polluted too. The Tibet issue is for another thread. Australia had some controversy over the aborigines too I remember. Sarajevo is not exactly the model for a modern democracy and human rights haven but they still held the Olympics. Moscow, Seoul, Tokyo, even my beloved US - all these countries have questionable politics and human rights abuses. But none receive the level of criticism, hate, vitriol and invective that China has.

The media has come out guns blazing against China since day 1.

Well, if you're going to lawyer me, I'm going to lawyer you right back.

Where did I say that I don't take the Winter Olympics seriously? Given the fact that I can say with a realitively good amount of certainty that I personally know more Olympians than just about anyone else on this board (one works here, one used to work for me at the fencing company, two guys I ran against in high school, one that works with my best friend and 3 other random ones) and that I used to train at a very high level, I think that I probably have a better idea of what it takes to get to the Olympics and what it meanst to be there. I take Winter Olympians very seriously and have the upmost respect for the effort it takes to get to the pinnacle of their sport.

But we're not talking about Olympians, are we? We're talking about Games. Those are two exclusive things. Winter Games take place in smaller venues with smaller crowds watching fewer sports. The logistics are simply different. Add that to the fact that the Winter Games are a comparatively recent invention (1932) and were really just an offshoot of the Summer Games, and you start to realize that the Winter Games are just a way to keep interest levels up for the main event of the Summer Games (at least in the modern era of 1960 onwards). So again, this thread is about logistics of the games and how those logistics (or their failures) will affect the Beijing Games. The simple fact of the matter is that the logistics of the Winter Games are simply not comparable.

So again, take your weak-ass arguments about the Winter Games out of here. They don't belong.

I'm saying that it's assinine to think that they could create the new technologies needed and apply them in the manner you don't really appreciate in a matter of 10 years, which is how long it is until the next unawarded Games. So when you talk about the 2014 Games being awarded to Dubai, you really show that you have no idea what you're talking about. Considering that the major skiing events would almost certainly have to be held indoors in buildings several miles long but wide enough to hold the courses plus room for spectators - just assuming that they built them on nearby mountains - the energy consumption to keep them cold enough for the snow and ice would be enough to keep the Committee from even seriously considering Dubai for a Winter Games. So again, Will, you have no idea what you're really talking about here or you haven't thought it through. I'll leave you to decide which.
-----Added 24/7/2008 at 03 : 11 : 52-----
[I don't necessarily think that you're wrong, but I do know for a fact that it's not nearly that simple. When the expected favorite in the marathon - Haile Gebressalsie of Ethopia - declines an invitation because of health concerns with the heat and smog, I think that you need to stop and think about how polluted it actually is.

While these are true, they're both small red herrings. Mexico City is polluted, but in 1968, the level of pollution wasn't nearly to the level that it is now. Going into those Games, there were air quality concerns, but they were much more along the lines of "holy shit, we're up high! Is there enough oxygen?" than about pollution.

Also, LA was smart enough to hold their last Games as close to the water as possible. Anyone who's spent time there knows that the closer you get to the water on most days the better the quality. That said, there were definitely health concerns about the pollution going into the '84 Games, the same as there are now. Having visited both cities in the past 8 years, I can tell you that Beijing most definitely has the worse air quality.

I'll just say that no country that's ever hosted the Games - Summer or Winter - is unassailable on the human rights question. That said, I firmly believe that the Games are about sport, not politics, and that politics should be left at home for the 2 weeks of the Games. They are a measure of human effort and the pinnacles of human physical accomplishment.

hmm.. i live right round the corner from those buildings... good choice Will

I just thought id let you know that dubai is intending on hosting the 2020 games. there is 'Sports City' being built at the moment where they intend t host many events there, its wont be the main event stadium, but a huge development which has already started and is intedned to take another 5 years at least. ive already bought an apartment there overlooking ernie els golf course. i think it would be worthwhile looking up sports city before you write if off.

as for seasons, well although its not technicallynot summer from oct-march, it may well be summer for any other country. i dont see a hiccup whenit comes to these things. sydney had its olympics in september, which wasnt summer, so i guess dubai could dothe same.

as for ski slopes..yeah you;re right jazz. we have a ski slope in the biggest shopping mall outside the USA. ive been there numerous times, but the run is only about 300m long. its fun for a few hours but then you get totally bored with it. its also very environmentally UNfriendly. they are intending on building some huge ski land in 'dubailand' - disneylands equivilant. watchout USA.

as for the terrorism question. out of the mid east id choose the UAE as the safest place. not cos i live here, but because its security services and intelligence services do their jobs well. i cant say ive seen any weapons of any kind whatsoever. when i was in yemen a few months back i saw enough weapons to last a lifetime. as for fundamentalism in the UAE, the emirates are actually quite liberal and the governments regulate the mosques. and while it borders saudi, it has no connections with the branch of islam that saudi preaches. the UAE is also US friendly as well as Iraq and Iran friendly. so i doubt that it would be involved in any war with either of them. yes they are pro arab, but definately not anti american.

highthief - as for the 2am schedule that sydney had - sorry to say hightheif, but the world doesnt comprise of Nth america only. so you want a nation 3/4 of the way around the earth to arrange its timings to suit just nth americas need..what about the rest of the world? what about thinking about the athletes? surely they wouldnt like to finish events at 7am, just so that you can enjoy watching it prime time in the comfort of your armchair.

id also be upset at the lack of world records if athletes were finishing their events at crazy hours of the morning just to suit someone else...why dont we just change the working hours of the whole nation while we're at it? i mean..those damn aussies stock markets work at different times to us.. synchronise them with ours and then they're ok.

sorry for the rant, i got a little carried away..

jorge - im still gathering my thoughts on eactly what is bothering me about china. it may well be the human rights, but im sure its not just that. theres just too many things that can go wrong.

as for australia having problems with aboriginals - it was actually illegal immigrants, or 'boat people' as the media like to call them. they get processed on islands off australian national waters and transfered back home or granted asylum visas to australia.. sounds a little like a well known island that processes people off american soil if you ask me. its not right but any means though.


jazz - is haile not running the marathon???? id be devastated if he's not. he's only the best long distance runner known to mankind.. it'd be a shame that he's not competing due to a countries inability to cleanup their act so to speak.

The Olympics must go on! USA basketball has a reputation to restore.

as much as you'd like to think that the Dream Team that once ruled will rule once more.. then i think you're dreaming!

the european infiltration into the league as well as nba players going to play in european leagues will only mean that the gap will continue to be bridged. sure theres great individual talent in the nba, but egos dont win gold medals. teamwork does.

dlish - all I've heard is that Haile isn't going, but that's all from the rumor mill. I haven't seen the Ethopian competitor lists yet, so he might surprise us. I hope so too, considering that he's been my favorite track star for about 15 years.

I hope that I was clear that I think that Dubai isn't capable of hosting the Winter Games. It's possible they could do it in the summer, but I am sure that the Selection Committee wants to see them host some world-class events first. If they can get the 2015 or 2017 athletics World Championship, that would go a long way. Or a World Cup or something that's going to prove that they can handle the bigger stage. I know that there have been a few competitions there, but Dubai needs to demonstrate that they're as good as their reputation.

Interestingly, I think that Dubai's biggest negative is Chicago's biggest positive in getting the Games - the environment. The Selection Committee is very European, and they've bought into global warming bigtime. The Chicago Committee thinks that they can pull this off either as a carbon neutral event or as a carbon negative, where they sequester more carbon than they can use. They're talking about melding together some technologies (like biodeisel backup generators) to pull it off. Without that kind of technology, places like Dubai are going to have a very hard time successfully bidding for future Games.

Well, that's what China is doing in many cases. US and Euro TV rights are where the money is, so yeah I think it is fair that certain marquee events should be arranged so that the people in that part of the world can see them at a reasonable time.

From the athlete's perspective, I hate this. From the fan's perspective, I love it. It's going to suck for someone. The question is who the host decides is more important, the athletes or the viewers.

And I think that if you look at the Athens vs. Sydney vs. Beijing games, you'll see the entire gamut there. Sydney was very athlete-friendly. From all reports, Beijing won't be.

I know someone competing in the Modern Pentathlon in Beijing. I'm looking forward to hearing his report.

There is a direct link between discussing the merits of the Winter Olympics and the merits of the Olympians' activities in said Olympics. Suggesting that is "weak-ass shit" because the Winter Olympics have lass events and less spectators seems a great exaggeration or even a gross-mischaracterization. How would you feel if you were an Olympian that competed at the Winter Games and read some guy saying that the Winter Olympics were "weak-ass shit"? Even taking into account your later adding of some context, it's still offensive.
You can't really think that speaking ill of the Olympics doesn't reflect at all on the athletes. They are connected.
I don't recall making any weak-ass arguments. Maybe if you stopped using "weak-ass" and used something more descriptive?
Dubailand has Snowdome, which could theoretically house most of the Winter Olympics. And it's going to be completed this year. I am not an Olympic-phile, but I do have a fair grasp on the current and future developments in Dubai, which clearly can deal with the Winter Olympics.

More info here:
Dubai Sunny Mountain Ski Dome or Snowdome by SkiDubai.com

OK, Will. Let me show you that you've got no idea what you're talking about. Because you don't. At all.

Weak-ass-shit = your argument.
Winter Games < Summer Games logistically speaking.

The rest of that paragraph is a strawman.

You don't get it. Athletes don't organize games. We're talking organization here. The athletes are directly effected by the organization - or lack there of, as in Athens. Considering that I've heard athletes complain about the bare-walled dorms in Athens didn't compare to the luxurious housing in Sydney, and that I know that the ice cream at the Moscow Games was fantastic, I'm pretty sure that I actually know what I'm talking about. You? You wandered into a thread where you have no real knowledge of the subject and are trying to act like an expert. If you had anything worthwhile to actually say, I'd love to hear it, but so far all you've spouted is complete jibberish.

OK, sorry for calling it weak-ass. How's this: you're trying to seem like an expert on a subject that you really have no business discussing except in the basest of generalities. It's like you're a kid at the dinner table trying to interrupt the grownups.

If you think a 300M hill could be used in any way, shape or form to run an Olympic skiing event that usually runs about 4k or more, then you've proven my point that you have no idea what you're even discussing. But at least you admitted that just maybe someone in this thread might know more than you. Because I am an Olympic-phile.

Thinking that Snowdome could even begin to host most of the Winter Olympics just goes to show that you really have no grasp at all of the subject here. It's maybe suitable for the aerial skiing (I'm not sure how tall the roof is at the bottom), but that's about it. As for the rest of the Games, it's not going to work, especially once you stop to think about all that's involved.

** Host cities are required to have an outdoor stadium for the cross country skiing.

I think it's pretty safe to say that Dubai, or any nation in a hot area of the world is not going to be hosting the Winter Olympics anytime soon. I could see Dubai, or more likely, the United Arab Emirates hosting an Olympics at some point in the future. They would have to run most of there events at night which wouldn't be a bad thing considering that it would bring their events closer to Prime Time in the West.

I think will mentioned that the Olympics will be here in 2010... actually that would be the inaugural Youth Olympics. The winter Olympics will be in Vancouver in 2010.

Jazz, you are absolutely correct. Haile Gebralesselassie did indeed drop out of the 10,000 meters (I think) and I don't blame him. I think China "sucks" because of it's environmental policies (or lack thereof). My point was that I feel there has been unusually harsh criticism towards China that is unwarranted. Of course China has faults and I tend to fall in the hating category but I try to be fair. You know, they may just pull it off though and get it all cleaned up in time. I think we have to wait and see, reserve judgment before we indict the entire country and its people. Here in the southland, the only times I see the mountains is after a rainstorm which is not often. It's scary how polluted it is here. It's also depressing how much we've regressed from all the good that Nixon did for us. It really is a shame. Beijing is very bad and I cannot believe the government doesn't see it or doesn't care.

Thanks for your post Jazz.

I think after the debacle of the 2002 World Championships and the 2004 Olympics, USA basketball finally realized that

1.) they can't rely on talent alone
2.) the world won't be intimidated like they were with the first Dream Team
3.) they can't just throw 12 guys together and expect to waltz their way to a gold medal.
4.) they need shooters

Big changes were made after those Olympics, including getting a top notch coach in Mike K, selecting players who are team oriented, guys who can shoot, and having them agree to a three-year commitment, which builds team cohesion and helps get them used to playing under FIBA rules with FIBA officiating. Team USA has a point to prove this year and I think they can deliver.

while Haile wasnt my favourite track athlete, he's up there. ive always like the nth africans, the aouitas the morcellis and the el guerroujs. Haile though would be remembered greater than all 3 though because his running was so versatile. hes won distances at major championships from 2000m all the way through to the marathon. i really do hope that he runs. i do know that ethiopia has put pressure on him at previous events, so i do hope he is training just in case he changes his mind.

as far as dubai is concerened, they are far from ready to hold the olmpics soon, 2020 may even be out of the question. there is talk that they are aiming for 2020 in the hope of getting 2024.

in saying that, they will need outside help to achieve this. i'm not sure if people realise but only about 10% of the population here is local emirati arabs. the rest are expats. so in order for dubai to organise something of this magnitude, their money is going to have to go a long way to get outside contractors to get the show on the road . at the end of the day the olympic commitee wont be looking purely at money. The key is planning and organisation. whilst dubai is relatively young in terms of being a city, it does have big ambitions, and maybe just maybe they may be ready in a few olympics time.

as for the winter olympics, i personally dont see it happening. i dont think the UAE would be interested in bidding for it. venues would turn into a white elephant and would eventually get demolished..thats the cold hard facts of dubai - if its not working or if we can build something else there, just knock it down and build something else. at the moment ski dubai - the current 300m run is more than sufficient for the city.

as for dubai holding major championships, dubai sports city is planning to hold 6 major championships from 6 sports every year



currently we have the rugby world cup every year, we have the dubai tennis championships which i attended this year - which may be ATP approved, im not sure. we had the dubai marathon that haile ran and almost broke the world record this year. sadly i missed it cos i had my birthday party the night before and couldnt wake up in time to almost see history. we have some world cricket played here. but i have to agree that dubai needs a marquis event to show what they are capable of.

as far as an environmentally friendly games, id agree that chicago does have one up on dubai. the UAE is one of the most ungreen countries in the world. they were voted amonst the most wasteful nations per capita so they really do need to figure this part out quite quickly. with the interest in 'green' these days, it would make things harder for dubai.

however, the mid east has never had an olympics before, and the US has had 84, 96 and maybe another one is 2014? so in that sense it may tip the scales away from chhe icago in order to diversify the selection.

highthief - id have to agree with jazz on the fact that it be terrible for athletes to compete at crazy hours of the mornings, whilst we sippped on our cherry sodas and have the networks make a squillionout of us. i for one would get up at anytime to make sure that i get to see the events that i want - namely the womens high jump:thumbsup: couldnt miss that for the world :thumbsup:..and the women pole vault :thumbsup:



jorge - i dont think we are indicting the chinese people. its just an overall sense that this wont be a games that is going to be quite successful. i honestly deep down hope that it is successful. id hate to look back in 20 years time and say i watched the worst olympics in history. thats a blight on everyone.

quasi - for some reason or other, and i dont know why i feel this (maybe cos im always rooting for underdogs) but im hoping the USA mens bball team get beat. i know i may sound hypocritical cos i follow the nba, but there is a lot of ego and self gloating and glorification going on in the nba. its bad enough have a few individuals, but if you get a dozen of them on a side - god forbid.

You know, for a guy that claims not to masturbate, you somehow picked the two athletics events with the hottest female athletes. Wonder why that is.... ;)

Quasi - I'm interested to see how Team USA does in the preliminaries in the next few weeks. I'm not convinced that they're capable of team play, especially since the professional game stresses individual skills so much. The European players in the league tend to share the ball much better than Americans, and on the international level sheer athleticism is no longer a guarantee for gold. They could win it, but I'm not convinced yet.

jorgelito - about 12 or 13 years ago, I lived in Riverside and spent most of my time in the Inland Empire. Trust me, as smoggy as it gets in LA, it's even worse there, except when the Santa Ana's overcome the ocean breeze.

jazz - 'masturbation is not a sport'. but for what its worth, id get up at 2am to watch alison take to that pole any day of the week.

if you can sell ice to the eskimos, or you can sell camels to the emiratis, then its quite a possibility that id be willing to rub one out for alison

http://thenastyboys.files.wordpress....pg?w=191&h=277

http://thenastyboys.files.wordpress....pg?w=191&h=277

And that, sir, is why I'm happy to call you a friend.

I'll reinstate my props to SF for actually reading my entire list back in Post #1.

Someone is suggesting the UAE could host the Winter Olympics? That's about the craziest thing I've heard in months.

the way i see it, the dream team is pinning its hopes on jason kidd.. and i say hopes because even they know that they are not guarantee for a gold medal. heck with a team so inexperienced internationally, they may miss out altogether.

i think that if that happens the USA may well go back to playing college kids in the olympics again.


FOX Sports on MSN - Olympics - Elder Kidd has game, rep to make Team USA go

Elder Kidd has game, rep to make Team USA go

LAS VEGAS - At this point, several years past his prime, Jason Kidd could be the third-best point guard on America's Olympic squad.

He's also the team's best hope for a gold medal.

The finest to play the position since Magic Johnson (sorry, Steve Nash), Kidd has lost a step. Maybe two steps, judging from the way Chris Paul broke him down in the playoffs. Then again, Paul is only 23. Kidd is 35, a veteran of 14 professional seasons.

Kidd didn't need Paul to demonstrate that the legs go first; Kidd understands that. But that's not all he understands. His aptitude for the game — for international competition, in particular — remains undiminished, perhaps even enhanced. In his advanced years, Kidd might be better suited for international ball than for the NBA.

International games run eight minutes shorter, but the play is more physical, especially at the guard position. Kidd probably feels as if he's been given a few years back. Hey, who needs legs when you can hand-check?

"I like the physical game," he said Thursday after practice. "For me that definitely is an advantage. And at my age now, 40 minutes is a little easier than 48."

Chris Paul has no beef not starting over a guy he outplayed just a couple of months ago. "It's totally different from the NBA season and the playoffs," he said.

"Big guards tend to have an advantage in this game," said Deron Williams, the third-string point. "Plus, he's Jason Kidd, one of the best point guards ever to play the game."

At 35, Kidd is also playing for his legacy. Chances are, playing for the Mavericks in the Western Conference, his shot at a championship is about done. But there's still another chance he'll go down as one of the great international players.

It's been a lousy decade for USA Basketball, but not for those teams Kidd played on. He's played five summers of international ball since 1999. And with Kidd at the point, American teams are 38-0. That would include an 8-0 run in Sydney eight years ago.

"He's the only guy on our team who's won an Olympic gold medal," notes coach Mike Krzyzewski. "His experience is very, very important to us."

Experience can be an overrated commodity, but not in this case. While the team is long on talent (American teams always are), it's short on experience, especially international experience. The average player is just under 24, a year younger than that if you factor out Kidd. Most of the guys are big scorers, their stars inevitably rising with their egos. Kidd is old and not much of a shooter. In other words, he's perfect for this crew.

"We have so many scorers," says Williams. "But he can dominate a game without taking a shot."

Kidd can be high maintenance if you're a general manager — just ask the Nets' Rod Thorn. But other players love being on the floor with him. They know he'll get you the ball where it makes you look best.

"That part never changes," said Kidd. "Get the ball to the right guys at the right time."

That's why Kobe Bryant wanted him in Los Angeles. And that's why Krzyzewski chose him to start. Kidd's presence guards against a malady — knuckleheadedness — that doomed USA Basketball in '04 in Athens and '06 in Japan.

"He has the respect of his teammates, his coaches and his opponents," said Krzyzewski. "His stature is at the highest level."

One thing this team won't fight over is the last shot.

"Whoever's open," said Kidd. "It's my decision."
-----Added 25/7/2008 at 03 : 41 : 47-----
the way i see it, the dream team is pinning its hopes on jason kidd.. and i say hopes because even they know that they are not guarantee for a gold medal. heck with a team so inexperienced internationally, they may miss out altogether.

i think that if that happens the USA may well go back to playing college kids in the olympics again.

i also read somewhere that some US athlete ( i think a female) got done for steroids. i think she was a swimmer - havent heard anything about her today. anyone know her story?


FOX Sports on MSN - Olympics - Elder Kidd has game, rep to make Team USA go

Elder Kidd has game, rep to make Team USA go

LAS VEGAS - At this point, several years past his prime, Jason Kidd could be the third-best point guard on America's Olympic squad.

He's also the team's best hope for a gold medal.

The finest to play the position since Magic Johnson (sorry, Steve Nash), Kidd has lost a step. Maybe two steps, judging from the way Chris Paul broke him down in the playoffs. Then again, Paul is only 23. Kidd is 35, a veteran of 14 professional seasons.

Kidd didn't need Paul to demonstrate that the legs go first; Kidd understands that. But that's not all he understands. His aptitude for the game — for international competition, in particular — remains undiminished, perhaps even enhanced. In his advanced years, Kidd might be better suited for international ball than for the NBA.

International games run eight minutes shorter, but the play is more physical, especially at the guard position. Kidd probably feels as if he's been given a few years back. Hey, who needs legs when you can hand-check?

"I like the physical game," he said Thursday after practice. "For me that definitely is an advantage. And at my age now, 40 minutes is a little easier than 48."

Chris Paul has no beef not starting over a guy he outplayed just a couple of months ago. "It's totally different from the NBA season and the playoffs," he said.

"Big guards tend to have an advantage in this game," said Deron Williams, the third-string point. "Plus, he's Jason Kidd, one of the best point guards ever to play the game."

At 35, Kidd is also playing for his legacy. Chances are, playing for the Mavericks in the Western Conference, his shot at a championship is about done. But there's still another chance he'll go down as one of the great international players.

It's been a lousy decade for USA Basketball, but not for those teams Kidd played on. He's played five summers of international ball since 1999. And with Kidd at the point, American teams are 38-0. That would include an 8-0 run in Sydney eight years ago.

"He's the only guy on our team who's won an Olympic gold medal," notes coach Mike Krzyzewski. "His experience is very, very important to us."

Experience can be an overrated commodity, but not in this case. While the team is long on talent (American teams always are), it's short on experience, especially international experience. The average player is just under 24, a year younger than that if you factor out Kidd. Most of the guys are big scorers, their stars inevitably rising with their egos. Kidd is old and not much of a shooter. In other words, he's perfect for this crew.

"We have so many scorers," says Williams. "But he can dominate a game without taking a shot."

Kidd can be high maintenance if you're a general manager — just ask the Nets' Rod Thorn. But other players love being on the floor with him. They know he'll get you the ball where it makes you look best.

"That part never changes," said Kidd. "Get the ball to the right guys at the right time."

That's why Kobe Bryant wanted him in Los Angeles. And that's why Krzyzewski chose him to start. Kidd's presence guards against a malady — knuckleheadedness — that doomed USA Basketball in '04 in Athens and '06 in Japan.

"He has the respect of his teammates, his coaches and his opponents," said Krzyzewski. "His stature is at the highest level."

One thing this team won't fight over is the last shot.

"Whoever's open," said Kidd. "It's my decision."

It's a tough field. Spain, Greece, Lithuania, Argentina, even Italy are all top notch. Australia is a sleeper candidate for an upset.

dlish, after seeing Jason Kidd falter for Dallas after he was traded, while watching Chris Paul pretty much drag his team through the playoffs, I'll put my stake on Paul. Kidd is good, but he's past the twilight of his career.

I don't think they're as inexperienced as you think they are with playing on the FIBA courts. All of those bugs were worked out during the 06 World Championships. True, they only came home with a bronze, but look at the teams they rolled through before they were stopped by Greece: China, Australia, Argentina, Germany....on average, they outscored teams by 20 points. If you keep in mind that the same players who went to the World Championships in 2006 will be heading to Beijing, and think about how much they've improved individually since then, you'll realize that it's just crazy talk not to include them as a strong possibility for the gold medal.

ive never written them off..sure they are a distinct possibility for gold. that goes without saying.

but the fact that they are such a yuong side who have had limited play together does them no favours. they are a chance at gold, but they are definately a chance at flopping out. greece, argentina and spain are strong contenders for gold.

some of these stars also have egos larger than a japanese sumo wrestler, and if they are expecting things to be on a silver platter both on and off the field then they are definately in trouble.




-----Added 26/7/2008 at 01 : 14 : 38-----
looks like gebrselaissie wont be contesting the marathon after all. if the best athletes in the world of this magntude refuse to compete then the beijing olympics wont be the drawcard people expect it. apart from athletics and swimming im not that keen for much else..except the synchronised swimming maybe:rolleyes:

Is the CTA involved in this plan? They're either going to put people on the roads or move them around by CTA. I don't see how Chicago's infrastructure could handle either option. The idea of the CTA competing with Tokyo's transit system is not even at the level of a joke. The scheme to make condos and apts. out of Olympic builldings on the S. Side lakefront has to have taken a big hit with the collapsing real estate market. I'm amazed and dismayed the bid has gone this far.

Washington Park is nice and used by actual Chicagoans for their own self-organised sporting events. There are lots of runners and soccer players and little leaguers out there using it every day. I think they should get priority over a bunch of chemically enhanced beings pimping sneakers. And yes, pimping sneakers is what the post-Cold War olympics are all about. Even if it's a blow up stadium, i don't think the park is going to be the same afterwards.

I hate the Olympics for what they do to cities. Tokyo lost much more than it gained from the 1964 Olympics. Yes, that swimming pool is a cool piece of architecture, but think how much cooler Harajuku would be if there more of Harajuku. What the Americans didn't do to the Yamanote in the war, the Olympics finished off. And it didn't stop in Tokyo, either. Route 16 (of Yumin fame) was made to get people to the yachting events in Hayama, and that ruined some nice coast.

As a former resident of Yokohama & Kanagawa prefecture, i paid quite a bit in taxes for the 2002 World Cup. The world cup came and went. The stadium is still there, only there isn't much to do with it now. A few concerts and soccer games, but mostly it sits empty. Yokohama already had an Olympic soccer stadium left over from 1964!

I also go to help finance the crumbling and now largely unused Big Owe in Montreal. Aside from the big debt, Montreal also got such gems as the Mirabel airport -- make that cargo airport -- no, make that amusement park. Any argument that Big Sports benefit their locales should end with Montreal.

guyy - the CTA is involved in the plan. There is a transportation committee that has heavy CTA representation.

As for the apartments and condo's, well, the consensus is that the real estate market is a temporary thing, at least by 2016 comparison. Are you seriously saying that the real estate market will still be in the tank so much in 8 years that it will be impossible to rent the units out as apartments? Besides, lakefront real estate is pretty much immune from the burst right now.

The smog in Beijing should be relatively under control for the Olympics.

They are shutting down all factories for two weeks prior to the events. They are also removing close to 50% of cars from the roads.

Interestingly, they are also making *everyone* learn how to queue properly (every Thursday is learn to queue day) and they have made it illegal to spit on the streets (if you know anything about the Chinese it is their love hoarking up a great loogie and spitting it out).

This is the power of centralized government.

ive spent my fair share of time around the chinese community in Sydney and yeah they do like to hoark one back. it really does annoy me.

then again i do see a bit of it here in UAE with the indian sub-class. although there are hefty fines if you get caught spitting on the streets here.

charl - are there fines for not queing on thursdays?

I don't know if there are fines of they don't practice queueing... I just thought it was odd enough that they have to practice en masse.

i dont know how much of this is true, but if it is i can only imagine the chaos.

then again is the media just giving the chinese a hard time?

Funny, I have spent most of my life in America and it's always the black and Latino juvenile males that think spitting is a varsity sport. I remember in high school them telling me that spitting was cool and that the girls dig it. Let's not keep blaming things on the Chinese.

I cast no "blame" on the Chinese. I am simply making an observation.

I have lived with, worked with and shared a city with many Chinese who do not hoark up phlegm. But I have to say that the clearing the throat of phlegm and expectorating is a lot more common. These actions are not about "being cool for the ladies" they are about promoting good health.

There are many cultural differences here that I can and have adjusted to, but this is not one of them.

I certainly agree that hoarking and spitting is a disgusting habit. I don't think anyone should have to get used to it. It's just...gross. And probably unhygenic. I just wanted to point out that people from across all cultures do that. Ever watch American sports? It's a freaking spit fest. I think that's why all the juvenile males and weekend warriors spit here. To emulate that behaviour. I hate it when people spit on the courts here (LA). That's all.

P.S. - I thought it was illegal to spit in Singapore?

get it right Jorge..it IS cool to spit. chicks just love guys with phelm.

well maybe it is the latinos and blacks that started the whole spitting thing.. since the chinese are the masters of copying everything under the sun, then they must have copied the nth and sth americans in hoarking one back and giving it a good lunge... anyone seen titanic?

Nah, just different cultural norms. In China, eating with your mouth open and chomping loudly is a sign you are enjoying your food, whereas in the west it is very rude and bad mannered.

oh i know trust me i know! ive been to too many chinese restaurants with my chinese colleagues that you couldnt count for a lifetime. and yes slurping and chomping is the order of the day. at first i found it disturbing but then yohe u grow accustomed to it.

as for my comment.. it was tongue in cheek. i was taking the piss out by emphasising the prejudice that chinese copy everything...from clothes to personal actions.. never mind.. bad humour

I dunno, I think spitting may be a male juvenile phenomenon rather than an ethnic one. In the examples I use, the reason why I witness more blacks and latinos spitting is because I have more interaction with them, especially on the football field or basketball court. I see Asians spitting too on the playing fields. However, the Chinese spitting thing stands out. And it's more specifically China. I don't see it in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, or Macau to the extent that they do it in China. Not really sure why. I think it has to do with the perception that clearing out the phlegm is healthy or something.

The eating thing is just cultural. I think it always will be. There was this Vietnamese guy at work who would burp loudly and proudly after lunch in the office. It was ... odd. But then again, tons of dudes burp loudly and proudly all the time, albeit at the pub etc. I think the only way to get "accustomed" to it is to join in. Most Chinese restaurants are noisy enough in general that I don't notice too much.

Should I just change the title of this thread to "Is Spitting Racist?" or can we get back to actually discussing the Games?

Back on topic, there are a bunch of athletes considering wearing breathing masks during the Opening Ceremonies. As I understand it, the OC are the complete purview of the host committee, with the exception of the athletes. The Chinese are certainly going to take mask-wearing seriously. Thoughts on what would happen if a participant is allowed to wear a mask by his country?

well theres one aussie swimmer by the name of grant hackett. not too sure how well known he is in the states, but hes won the 1500m swim for the past 2 olympic games, maybe three and a swag of other medals at world championships etc.

he has already said that we will do whatever it takes to not get sick including wearing breathing mask in the street as well as on the plane.

when ive seen news reels and they do takes on people in chinese cities and i see many with masks on. so why is it an insult if you wear it at the opening ceremony as opposed to every day living? i say let the truth be told.

then again if you think you're going to be sick becuase you are out in the open, then you shouldnt be at the opening ceremony

I think health comes first. If you need to wear a mask wear a mask. I think the Aussies are distributing them to their team in their Olympic Kits. Lots of athletes are staying outside of China (Korea, Japan) to wait for the last possible minute before arriving in Beijing.

I feel like the Chinese government is in denial. They had years to take care of their pollution problems. There's no ideology here - just look outside. But instead, they waited until the last possible minute and it's still no guarantee. In some ways I hope for epic failure, not to humiliate the Chinese people but to hopefully get the government to see that they need better long term planning and not smoke and mirrors. I realize this is supposed to be their coming out party but I feel like it's been in bad faith. But that could be disastrous and counterproductive too. A success, while nice, could just reinforce the government's tactics and policies.

There's an outside chance that the skies could clear in time too. But I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

And no, spitting is not racist, it's just gross.

I'd say the worst ever was 1968. 1968 saw a global uprsing of students and dissident elements. The Mexican government decided that it needed to end the local protests before the Olympics. The result was the Tlatelolco massacre. Hundreds were killed or disappeared. But hey, unlike 1972 it was AmericaApproved, so i suppose it really can't be that bad, right?

As for 1936, Hitler and Leni Riefenstahl more or less created the modern Olympics. The fascists were first to discover the political uses of Big Sport, but the Cold War Olympics were more or less the same thing.

Welp, 7 members of the Russian team, including the women's 1500M world champ, just got busted for doping along with a Jamaican athlete.

Wonder how many more busts we'll see prior to the Games ...

I think it's way too early to declare the Olympics a bust before it has even begun. There's lots of compelling stories out there, such as Phelps' quest for 8 golds, the US men's basketball team trying to redeem themselves from their crap-tastic '04 showing, and China trying to overtake the US in medal count. We need to wait until the Olympics are over before we jump to conclusions about it.

not that ı have much tıme to reply to thıs..

but the olympıc games arent just about the US winning anything or beating anyone...its not all about me me me.

Many from the Canadian Olympic team are staying here for the fresher air, the great sports facilities and the fact that it's in the same time zone. There's going to be a party to wish them luck... many that are not competing until later in the games are going to be here until well after the opening ceremonies.

it is, according to NBC Universal. ;)

The Games start in four days, and one of the headlines on today's online NYTimes was in regards to the air quality, with these pictures:

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...cs/smog533.jpg
Caption: On Monday Beijing’s air-pollution index rose above the World Health Organization recommended maximum for the first time in four days.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...ics/air190.jpg
Caption: The Bird’s Nest stadium in smog on Monday, top, and under clear skies on Saturday.


Yuck! I feel badly for the athletes competing in these Games, if pollution levels stay where they are or repeatedly cycle back to this point throughout competition. It's definitely going to put a crimp in things.

forget about the pollution... 4 days out and we have a security threat...

16 policemen killed in attack in China


-----Added 4/8/2008 at 03 : 14 : 31-----
forget about the pollution... 4 days out and we have a security threat...

16 policemen killed in attack in China

Forget about the athletes, what about the poor people who live in that smog 24/7/365? Yuck!

That cannot be healthy by any measure.

dlish, China's has had terrorist threats for years but no one from the international arena really took them seriously. At least it's "only" Chinese people who died. Wait for a Tibetan or white person to get killed. Then the shit will hit the fan.

And we're up and running! Missed the opening ceremonies due to work but heard they were pretty spectacular.

went ahead without a glitch except for the final guy over running the flying carpet at the end.

neatly done.

i do hope they go well and without any glitches. i just dont see the worlds' media being as understanding though.

I gotta say... that opening ceremony was pretty damn impressive. the chinese really know how to put on a show!

I was in awe with the opening sequence of those flashing table/drum things. It's like they intentionally touched on the "sweat shop" aspect, and turned it into something to be proud of. Still made me feel weird, though.

The running guy and fireworks finale was awesome, though. This is the culture that gave us gunpowder, so I'm glad they didn't disappoint.

As for the rest of the games, I know China is going to do it's best to look good for the next 2 weeks, but I'm afraid of somebody over-reacting during a protest and stirring up some crazy shite. I'm also interested to see if the smog is really going to be a factor.

I was very impressed by the opening ceremony.

I know China is trying hard as can be to put on a great face for the Olympics, and so far they seem to be doing it. We'll see what the deal is with the stabbing that went on of the volleyball player's family, though. You know that's going to be under a microscope.

I hope politics doesn't overshadow the Olympics. It's great that this makes people really look at what's going on in China, good and bad, but I'd like everything to go smoothly for all the athletes.

On the first day, we have the father in law of the US Men's Volleyball Coach stabbed to death at a tourist attraction. The mother is in serious condition.

I really hope Kobe Bryant makes it out of there alive.

As spectacular and passionate as China is striving for these Olympics to be, this is a big giant powder keg.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/oly_china_american_killed

Don't over react. Kobe Bryant is quite possibly the most popular athlete in China. Plus he has plenty of security; mostly to keep his fans at bay.

regardless, Lakers wont make the finals next year..with him or without him.

id like to see him come out alive..so i can see the dream team come back with another bronze.

I have to say, the relay races are my favorite Summer Olympics events (both swimming and track), and so I stayed up late last night to watch the Men's 4x100 Freestyle Swimming Relay. All I can say is... WOWWWW!! It was just an insane race for so many reasons, and the ending was simply unbelievable. If you haven't seen it, you NEED to watch it.

2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games | Men's 4x100 Freestyle Relay Final

thats the greatest swimming race Ive ever seen. The American guy MUST have taken a yard off the Frenchmen from 10 yards out - unbelieavble... they had no right at all to win that race.
-----Added 11/8/2008 at 02 : 26 : 47-----
oh - and apparently Phelps gets a big payout if he wins 8 golds... if he does it, I hope he gives a slice to the old guy who swam 4th in that relay.

And the local council swimming pool in Mansfield is now being renamed the "Rebecca Addlington" swimming pool...

Perhaps for the big countries they have so much success that a gold medal doesnt mean that much... but every single British athlete who comes back home as champion of the world is going to be a hero for me.

There is some side betting going on between the Aussie Sports minister her and Great Britain counterpart, over who will be higher up the medal tally. From what I've read you guys are pouring some big money into sports funding in the lead up to London, and it seems to be paying off. A little back story:

Poms smell Aussie blood as medal haul grows - Off The Field - News - Olympics

I'd say Kate is going to be out and about in GB colours, as we are behind and most of the things we are usually good in (like the swimming) are over already.

On a side note, my Olympic highlight was yesterday - watching the Aussie girls take gold and bronze in the triathalon. Just the ending, where Emma Snowsill is draped in the flag and high-fiving everyone....before she'd even crossed the finish line and seeing the other Emma (whose name I've forgotten) stop to pick up the Aussie flag that was thrown out to her, was just fantastic.

ugh...judged events should not be olympics, or there should be more than 4 judge's scores that matter. Stupid gymanstics.

spindles, if we take it per capita, i think we'll outdo most countries.

with a population of 21 million and with a haul of 35 medals, 11 of them gold, i'd be hard pressed to find a country that'd be as competitive on a per capita count. where the hells canada? hellooooooooo

Someone tosses out this kind of BS line during each Olympics. People who don't understand the event and its scoring go on and on about how its so subjective and this team got screwed. It isn't as if judges just pull a number out of a hat based on how they felt about a performance. They quantify each form break and deduct points accordingly. It is difficult and they don't get it all right but for the most part, the rankings are correct.

I'm a huge baseball fan but I can see that subjective strike zones can kill games. Umpires can blow all sorts of other calls that have huge impacts on the game as well.

Yeah, it's funny - about the only sport without judging is the one many people don't want in the Games: golf.

Pretty much everything else, aside from straight racing (in the pool or track) will always involve humand judgment - tennis, football, basketball, baseball, gymnastics, etc.

On the radio yesterday, Adam Spencer was talking about medals divided by population divided by GDP, which I thought was quite an interesting - lets just say all the top countries disappeared :)
-----Added 19/8/2008 at 07 : 26 : 03-----
That's not really true - even in local competitions you are scored by a marker, who makes judgements during the event. Professional events have marshalls whose job it is to make calls on the (quite a thick book) rules of golf.

Hardly - officials rarely have to make calls in golf. Once every 3 or 4 rounds or so for a PGA pro - and usually, the pro already knows the call, he just brings an official in to cover his butt. The rules are very clear and the official is not judging a play in action, like in football or hockey - the calls are merely where a ball gets dropped or if an obstruction is moveable or not. The impact of an official in golf is negligble - I only recall one major screw up by an official at PGA level: When Tiger had his ball behind a boulder and asked the official if it was a moveable obstruction. The official said "if you can move it, go right ahead" - so Tiger pulled a few guys out of his huge gallery and moved the 500 pound boulder!

highthief, I'm going to chose to ignore your obvious error of omitting track and swimming. The clock is the clock is the clock.

But I generally agree about judged sports - diving, gymnastics, synchronized swimming, etc. They're difficult competitions, and the competitors are great athletes, but those aren't sport.

In honor of MP winning all the gold.


http://content.ytmnd.com/content/7/7...df2bfab444.gif

http://content.ytmnd.com/content/d/3...c873e850bd.gif

http://i33.tinypic.com/293u0bp.jpg


http://i36.tinypic.com/23qyu5z.jpg

I think you'll find I said "Pretty much everything else, aside from straight racing (in the pool or track) will always involve human judgment"

I don't think that judged sports aren't sports - that's a very narrow view to take. It's simply a different type of sport.

Darts, BTW, is another one that some want to see in the games - no judging involved, takes extreme skill, but no one wants to see darts in the games either.

i do!

on the topic of the opening post.. the worst olympics..im starting to believe i may have been wrong..


looks like the weathers cleared up..

we had phelpsie win 8 gold with 7 world records
we have usain bolt win the 100m/200m in 2 world records...

we have the redeem team on track to re-take gold again

lets see .. we have a fair bit yet to go

Seriously?

You wanna see Phil Taylor duking it out with John Part or Barney between beers? I love playing darts but I'd hate to see it at the Games.

You gotta remember dlish is an Aussie - we'd watch crab races if it was on TV ;) (and probably have side bets as well)

i'd rather watch darts than shooting (not that they show that too much). i think many americans would like to get in on that crab racing action, btw!

Veni
Vidi
Vici

Congrats to the Men's U.S. basketball team.

right on the money spin.

yeah i would.. i love darts..playing and watching. i do find it a lot more entertaining than say gymnatics with the ribbon thingi dancing on the floor - rythmic gymnastics??

windsurfing would be the ultimate sport.

camel racing would definately come 2nd.

crab racing third.

the games ended well..not as bad as i had intended. the protests died down i think...

er... were there any protests in China? I had heard you had to apply for a protest, and that was basically the government's way of skimming info about future troublemakers, and that no protests were ever approved or even staged.

From a pure sports perspective, I'd say these were one of the better olympics in terms of that. From a perspective of trying to get China to progress on its human rights, I'd say epic fail on that part. Not that the IOC really seem to care about that...

There were protests... you just didn't get to see them. And all of the protesters were deported or jailed.

I was pleasantly surprised by these Games. I still think that the Chinese got incredibly lucky with the weather, but all the logistics went off perfectly.

I was impressed by the games. China did a great job, and should be proud. There wasn't any major events or problems and it was all about the athletics.

(I just hope they liked the better air quality and make some changes to their factories and power plants)