The ORLANDO SENTINEL's David Whitley compares traffic
woes in Sydney to those of Atlanta in '96, calling Sydney's
transport system "Bus Hell." It took 4 hours and 15 minutes
for a ride which "should have taken" 20 minutes (ORLANDO
SENTINEL, 9/12)....In Boston, John Powers notes that SOCOG
execs "have a keen sense of the media's proper place at the
Games. They're housing the global press on the grounds of a
former asylum" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/12)....IOC VP Jacques Rogge
said that 80.7% of tickets to the Games have been sold,
adding that "there was enough time in the next three weeks
to exceed the record" of 82.3% (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD,
9/12)....Xerox and USA Today will collaborate on an "instant
newspaper project" at the Games, producing a daily, four-
page package of results from the previous day's games. Up
to 8,000 copies of the supplement will be printed (ROCHESTER
DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 9/12).....In response to union
protests "specifically targetting the Olympic sponsor, Nike
defended itself against allegations of poor labor practices
on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Melbourne."
Unionists chanted "A fair deal for workers -- just do it" on
the city's streets (ASIA PULSE, 9/12). U.S. Olympic soccer
players Brandi Chastain and Tiffeny Milbrett "became the
center of attention at a trade protest" in Australia.
Chastain: "They were semi-bashing Americans -- and Nike in
particular, and we're both Nike athletes." Milbrett
defended her association with Nike and traded barbs with
some of the protestors. Chastain: "Not that it wasn't
something we shouldn't fight for, but maybe it wasn't the
right time" (AP, 9/11)....Canadian Olympic water polo player
Waneek Horn-Miller, who is featured nude in a cover photo on
TIME's Canadian edition: "It's a great step for our sport
and great for all women in sport" (TORONTO STAR, 9/12).
START SPREADING THE NEWS: In N.Y., Neil MacFarquhar
writes that NYC 2012 organization will unveil its proposed
venues for the Games today, "presenting a list of almost 30
sites reaching from" NJ to Long Island and "running through
all five boroughs." MacFarquhar: "Opponents, just getting
their first look at the plans, are already grumbling about
the project's scale" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/12).
