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Medal Stand
Gold
Bronze
Jerry Colangelo
The architect behind USA Basketball's reinvention should take a bow. In three short years, he transformed the program, working with coach Mike Krzyzewski to get notoriously selfish NBA players to create what could be considered the first national hoops team.
Silver
Bob Costas
Throughout the Olympics, he's been praised for his interview skills, but they never shined brighter than during his time with IOC President Jacques Rogge over the weekend. From Joey Cheek to human rights, he pushed the IOC leader on some of the issues that NBC neglected to tackle during the 17 days of the Games.
USA Track & Field
The U.S. team managed to top its medal count from Athens behind bright spots like men's decathlon gold and women's discus gold. But its performance will be marred by baton drops in the men's and women's 4x100-meter relays, and by barely winning the gold-medal count over Jamaica, Russia and even Kenya. Is it time for the organization to reinvent itself like USA Basketball did?
Tin
London
Was that shot from Buckingham Palace underwhelming or what? London's contribution to the Closing Ceremony in Beijing included a bland interview with Michael Phelps, an odd performance by Jimmy Page on top of a bus and a mayor who couldn't even button his jacket.2 Comments -
OUTSIDE THE RINGS
More Context Is Needed To Assess The Beijing Games
A Chinese journalist approached Saturday and asked for an opinion.
“Please assess these Olympics,” she requested, “in one sentence.”
Tough task.
But how’s this?: It was a very good Olympics, except for the senseless murder, the inexplicable arrests, the useless protest zones and the thin-skinned public spokesman. Read More > -
Hospitality Execs Give Beijing Organizers “B” Grade
Two top corporate hospitality and sports management experts said Beijing’s new airport functioned well Monday as thousands of customers and others left the Olympic city after the Closing Ceremony on Sunday night. Read More >
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Hand-Over To London Complete With Closing Ceremony
Fireworks and an appearance by international soccer star David Beckham highlighted the Closing Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.The eight-minute Olympic hand-over to 2012 Summer Games host London focused on an iconic red, double-decker bus. Modern dancers moved in and around the bus until the moment that the vehicle’s roof opened and out of it emerged a smiling Beckham. Read More >
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OUTSIDE THE RINGS
Final Thoughts As The Games Come To A Close
Before I left for Beijing, I asked people what covering the Olympics would be like. Most of them compared it to working 17 straight Super Bowls.
That sounded ridiculous to me. And my trip to Beijing actually confirmed my skepticism. The 17-straight-Super-Bowl analogy is ridiculous. Kind of. Read More > -
On The Ground: GWU Professor Lisa Delpy Neirotti
Lisa Delpy Neirotti, associate professor of tourism and sports management at George Washington University, arrived in Beijing on Aug. 4 to watch her 14th Olympic Games. She has been sharing her thoughts during the past three weeks with SBJ/SBD and today offers some reflections of her experiences from the final few days. Read More >
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2 Million People Visit Coke’s Olympic Centers In China
More than 2 million people have visited Coca-Cola’s 25 Olympic experience centers across China since the Games began, said Scott McCune, Coca-Cola’s vice president of worldwide sports, entertainment and licensing. Read More >
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Medal Stand
Gold
Usain Bolt
No male sprinter had won the 100 and 200 meters in the same Olympics since 1984, but Usain Bolt did that and more when he broke Michael Johnson's 200-meter world record. The long-limbed Jamaican (who has become a poster boy for Puma) put on a spectacular show that lent some pizzazz to an otherwise ho-hum week at the track.
Silver
NBC ad sales
Riding a tide of impressive ratings, NBC's ad sales division has sold $25 million in advertising since the Olympics began and $15 million in the past seven days. The network expects more to be sold between now and the closing ceremony on Sunday, a great sign for the network.
Bronze
The weather
The rain in Beijing put a damper on two of NBC's live programs last night, delaying the start of the women's beach volleyball game and forcing BMX racing to be rescheduled to Friday. What happened to China's ability to control the weather?
Tin
Protest zones
What's the point of creating a protest zone if you have to apply to get permission to protest there? It came to light that two Chinese women, Wu Dianyuan, 79, and Wang Xiuying, 77, made five visits to the police this month to get permission to protest inadequate compensation for their home's demolition. Now news arrives that they've been sentenced to "re-education through labor." Did China forget that the world's watching? -
Economist: ‘Beijing Will Not Follow Disastrous Path’
All cities that play host to sporting events trot out economic impact studies. It’s a way to justify huge infrastructure and facilities costs.
But these Beijing Games have had a vast and deep economic impact on Beijing and China, even if a post-Olympic “adjustment” is likely, according to a report issued today by the Beijing Olympic Economy Research Association. Read More > -
OUTSIDE THE RINGS
My Own Olympic Marathon: Eight Events In One Day
Wednesday broke sunny and sultry, a sky of bluish gray with the water a greenish gray. Olympic history was about to be made, and your correspondent was there.
By day’s end, said correspondent was virtually everywhere. The task at hand: attend as many Olympic events as possible. Goal: eight different sports. Methods of transport: official Beijing Olympic buses and human feet. Read More >
