Foster Hope While Constantly Showing Disdain …………
by tophatal
The London Olympics are just over a week away from the ceremonial opening . An event that h will be attended by a number of dignitaries as well members of the Royal Family at Olympic Stadium , the main venue where the track and field events will be staged . For IOC President Jacques Rogge , the event comes at a time when he is under considerable pressure to suspend the invitation and participation of Syria at the games . The Arab country’s self-styled leader, and despot , President Bashir Al Assad , and his military forces have wreaked havoc upon the citizens within the country . Claims , as to the estimates of the deaths , now reach several thousand but as with so many claims , be they from human rights’ activists to the UN (United Nations) itself , no one can really be sure of the true figure . In the midst of this all , Rogge has been a major irritant with his incessant stupidity and his greatly raised anti-feminine stance as it relates to the participation of women at all levels of the Olympic Games . He has been very much like a vessel at sea , constantly changing his position as if here were being guided by the wind, and the statement attributed to him are proof of that fact . So much so , there are many who believe that he missed his true vocation in life and that it to be a politician . Instead , he presides over one of the most corrupt sports’ organizations on the planet . Perhaps only soccer’s international governing body, FIFA , under its president Joseph “ Sepp “ Blatter might be considered a more corrupt and disdainful figure than Jacques Rogge .
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Slide show .
Rogge as IOC President is no different from any of his predecessors and it is has become blatantly obvious for those who would care to observe that he feels that his institution has no need to involve itself in any political activity that where the IOC feels the wrath of the alleged country being scorned . As President of the IOC , Jacques Rogge has done little to try to change the tendencies of countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran , where females are kept at arm’s length and away in terms of representing their country on the international sporting stage. Then again , his esteemed institution has knowingly accepted millions in bribes in subverting the whole voting process for the designation for an Olympic host country and site . Let’s not fool ourselves here , but the claims that Mitt Romney came in, and cleaned up the mess that the USOC and St Lake City Olympic Organizing Committee ( scandal of solicited bribes by the organizing committee ) were a party to , was simply one more of an indication and reason why the IOC and the games themselves , remain a complete farce ! Romney may well brought into clean up the mess but in reality in the aftermath of it all , nothing has really changed .
Now as proud as I am to see the Olympic Games return to the country of my birth , I am not so sure that the spirit of the event will be truly upheld . For all of the talk about the games being an event where one can foster peace and understanding in a world where geo-political and economic forces are constantly at war with one another . These games will come at a time where we remain in a global economic crisis and the politicians within our midst , are so bereft of common sense and a modicum of intelligence . If you are looking for proof of that fact , then look no further than the constant diatribe from Presidential candidates , incumbent Barack Obama and his challenger Mitt Romney . God , is there no end to this madness ? In addition, there is still three months of campaigning to endure from these two blithering idiots and mindless numb skulls ! They’re each cut from the same cloth and inasmuch as they claim to have opposing views on a number of issues , look closely at what they stand for and simply follow “ the money trail” in terms of the political donations to their respective campaigns from the Super-PAC’s (political action committees). You would have to be a complete asshole not to realize what is going on there .
Now many of you may well be aware that the USOC in their infinite stupidity saw fit to ask famed fashion designer Ralph Lauren to design the uniforms to the US athletes for the opening ceremony (27th July) . And not wishing to dispel any further why it is this country has become so imperiled as no longer being a major manufacturer of goods that crosses all sectors of the economy . How else can you explain the fact that the uniforms designed to be worn by the athletes are made in China ? Granted , we may well live in a global economy . Nevertheless, what type of message is it , that the USOC Chairman Larry Probst is trying to send, or suggest . When he states that this “ faux-pas” (mistake) is simply a minor blip but for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi , Russia , the US athletes will be dressed in US made uniforms . Chilling stupidity , on the part of Probst and his fellow members , whose organization each year receives tens of millions of dollars in donations . With the vast majority of that money coming from the public , albeit , that there are commercial tie-ins major US corporations and Fortune 500 companies . No doubt many of you will have received the customary literature in the mail from the USOC asking for donations as well your support of Team USA . I am not so sure that a donation by me , will actually make multi-millionaire team members such as Michael Phelps , LeBron James , Carmelo Anthony , Serena and Venus Williams breathe a sigh of relief that they are London bound for the Olympic Games ! That is just me pointing what out what is patently obvious !
Now there is no denying that once commercialism hit the ranks of the Olympics , everything in terms of the ideology and the very fact that the event was meant to be about bringing together athletes from various walks of life and around the globe to compete in the “spirit of competition” and ostensibly as amateurs. Now we have sham-amateurism being exhibited on the field of competition , while the ideals of the game’s modern day founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin have been thrown to the wayside . Corporations such as Nike Inc. , Adidas , GE , Rolex , GSK , Pfizer , Porsche , GM , Ford and Wal-Mart Inc. will see their profiles raised on the global stage , as NBC Sports will provide us with almost 400 hours of television coverage through their slate of networks , of the events for the North American television market . This might the one time NBC will actually turn a profit because beyond their coverage of Wimbledon ,the NFL and golf on the Golf Channel , the rest of their programming prime-time lineup is as rancid as the carcass of a decaying corpse !
From an earlier article within this site I wrote about what I believe to be the self-serving acts of the IOC an d specifically the United States and its continually failed foreign policy ! With that being said , as the US government leads , the rest of the Western hemisphere will follow . Not to be left out this idiocy has been the poor response from British Prime Minister David Cameron and his Foreign Secretary William Hague . The two have pretty much followed in line with Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in addressing the ongoing atrocities now taking place in Syria , simply pay the issue lip-service . Each of the aforementioned individuals knows that there is no way in hell that Syrian leader , Bashar al Assad will step down . He will have to be removed forcibly but herein lies the caveat to this all . While , China and Russia as permanent members of the UN Security Council flex their muscles , UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and his special to the Middle East Kofi Annan cower in the background like bitches , and the same can be said from the executives of the British and US government .
David Cameron has heaped a great deal of praise upon the shoulders of Sebastian Coe , Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 2012 Olympic Games . As a former world-class athlete , Coe has pretty much caught the essence of what is expected from these games . He hopes that it surpasses those of Beijing in 2008 and the events of previous games . High hopes indeed , and not insurmountable , if many of the athletes predicted to win gold do actually live up to the presumed expectations ,
The highlights I believe , will be widespread but obviously the visibility of the track and field events , swimming , soccer and the men’s and women’s basketball competitions and tennis will take center-stage . I would have mentioned cycling in terms of the road race but as the sport itself is still embroiled in an issue of its very own making , I do not believe it worth my while to give it any further mention ! It is not as if the sport’s governing body (UCI) has done enough to stamp out the misuse of prohibitive substances at all ! All this while the Tour de France is in full swing and due reach its finality within the next few days . Ah well , it has become part of the sports’ landscape , so why should the Olympic Games be any different ?
Speaking of a sport that yearns to return to the Olympic stage , how much of an ass must Bud Selig remain , and the mere fact that his intransigence and that of the MLBPA (union) led to baseball being no longer a part the Olympics ? His unwillingness to acquiesce has led to IOC determining that baseball and softball are no longer a part of this quadrennial event . Baseball’s international governing body (IFAB) is now petitioning the IOC Executive Committee , seeking either the sport’s reinstatement for the 2016 , or 2020 Olympic Games . The sport’s departure from the Summer Olympics had nothing to do with a decline in its popularity or lack of competition . It had more to do with the reluctance the MLB hierarchy , and union failure to acquiesce to the mandatory testing of the athletes and the rudimentary changes that took place within baseball’s own asinine policy and stance at the time . Not much has changed since then in spite of the commissioner’s insistence that it has . Who are we really to believe now ? And if the idiot fans believe that the World Baseball Classic makes up for the loss of baseball no longer being part the Summer Games and the exposure raised . Then , think again ! On the grander scale of things an audience of 20 million and perhaps another 100 million worldwide , simply cannot beat the exposure garnered by upwards of 300 to 500 million watching simultaneously but there appears to be idiots out there who somehow believe otherwise ! Keep on thinking along those lines because obviously they have no unfathomable idea economically what that type of exposure means .
One of the more obscure sports that will certainly garner my attention will be that of the taekwondo competition . Specifically , I am hoping to see whether or not US athlete Steve Lopez can add to his already impressive tally of Olympic medals and his international resume` . Lopez a multiple medalist at the Olympics and world championships , is perhaps one of the least known members of the US Olympic team that will be in London . But those who know of his proficiency in this event , will know that he is one of the best in the world . As a practicing martial artist , proficient in the areas of karate , taekwondo and savate` , it is my greatest wish to see Steve Lopez succeed and further add to the luster of this sport . And while Mixed martial arts for now has no desire to enter the fray and become an Olympic sort . I am pretty much certain of this fact , UFC President Dana White will be watching closely , as he seeks to gain a further foothold in a genre , the flagship UFC is the preeminent force and promoter of the sport . It is not as if boxing at these at these Olympic Games will have a great deal to offer , and that is with the advent of women being able to participate for the very first time . . Professional boxing is now on its last legs , so why not have mixed-martial-arts enter the realms of competition within the Olympic ideal ? Hell , it would certainly garner more viewers than the sport of boxing which that has been mired in ridicule and controversy well over a decade and that is not just at the professional level but also the amateur level as well . Need I say anymore on the matter . I guess not !
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Picture gallery .
What thoughts if any do you have concerning the points raised within this piece ? And which events will be of particular interest to you over the course of the Olympic Games being held in the United Kingdom ? Leave a comment as you see fit .
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Picture and slideshow details below for your perusal .
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(1) IOC President Jacques Rogge (left) speaks to LOCOG Chairman Sebastian Coe (far right) attends the’ London 2012 – One Year To Go’ ceremony in Trafalgar Square on July 27, 2011 in London, England. The one year countdown to the London 2012 Olympic games was marked with a unique ceremony in Trafalgar Square, with IOC President Jacques Rogge inviting the world’s athletes to compete in next summer’s games. Getty Images Europe / Clive Mason ….
(2) Jacques Rogge (L), President of the International Olympic Committee, and Sebastian Coe (C), Chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee, and Kelly Holmes (R) , former Olympian Champion speak during the 2008 Pierre de Coubertin Lecture presented by London 2012 at the Radisson SAS Portman Hotel on November 24, 2008 in London, England. The lecture covered advancing the Olympic Games, London 2012 and the future of de Coubertin’s Olympic Movement. Getty Images / Ryan Pierse …..
(3) US President Barack Obama is seen here with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin . The two world leaders have diametrically opposing views on how to treat Syria and the continued turmoil that has already led to the loss of 10,000 lives by conservative estimates . President Obama favors sanctions but has stopped short military intervention , although he believes humanitarian aid be given the Syrian people . Putin , on the other hand , favors the “failed diplomatic” strategy of Kofi Annan , which has seen cease-fire after cease-fire repeatedly broken by the Syrian military at the countenance of Syrian President Bashir al-Assad . One of the reasons behind Putin’s stance is the mere fact that Syria remains one of the largest purchasers of Russian armaments as well as being one of their biggest trading partners . AP Photo / Mark Harper ……
(5) Michael Phelps who hopes to add to his astonishing Olympic medal haul at the upcoming London games . AP Photo / Chris Harper ….
(6) Donald Trump poses for a photo with Taekwondo athletes Steven Lopez (L) , Diana Lopez and fencer Tim Morehouse (R) during the Team USA Road to London 100 Days Out Celebration in Times Square on April 18, 2012 in New York City. Getty Images /Jeff Zelevansky …..
(7) President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogue (R) presents USOC Chairman Larry Probst with an invitation to the 21st Winter Olympic Games during a ceremony for the one year countdown of the 2010 Olympic Games on February 12, 2009 at the Richmond Olympic Oval in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Getty Images North America / Photo by Jeff Vinnick/ Getty Images … ….
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Olympic sites for the scheduled events
Timetable of schedule & results
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