Gold
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.

London Mayor Boris Johnson waves the Olympic flag.

Bronze
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.

The Closing Ceremony in Beijing not only marked the conclusion of the 2008 Olympics but also the final Olympics that Peter Ueberroth would attend as chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee. Ueberroth’s term comes to an end this fall when he will transition into a non-voting role on the USOC’s board of directors. As the Beijing Games wrapped up, he sat down with SportsBusiness Journal staff writer Tripp Mickle to talk about the impact of the 2008 Olympics, the future of the USOC and the future of the Olympics.    Read More  >

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  >

The dust is barely settling on the Beijing Olympics, but the race for 2016 is heating up. Leaders from all four bid cities — Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo — provided some details and many talking points Saturday at a panel discussion staged by “Around The Rings,” the Olympics newsletter.    Read More  >

Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee chairman John Furlong said Friday, “We’re no longer second in line. In a few days, we’ll be first in line.”

The hosts of the 2010 Winter Olympics are feeling the uptick in interest. Communications Vice President Renee Smith-Valade said traffic to the VANOC Web site has increased fivefold since Aug. 8, when the Beijing Games began.    Read More  >

Gold
China TV rights windfall
For all the criticism the IOC has faced for bringing the Olympics to China, it's hard to ignore the payoff it will see by converting 1.3 billion people into fans of the Olympics. The net result for the bottom line is expected to be a 2,000 percent increase in TV rights fees from China, bringing CCTV's contribution to the IOC's bottom line from $18.5 million to more than $400 million.

Silver
London
Is anyone else getting excited about London 2012? The city plans to provide a glimpse of what its Games could be this Sunday with a Trafalgar Square ceremony that will feature Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, soccer star David Beckham and aquaman Michael Phelps. God save the Queen.

IOC President Jacques Rogge (right)

Bronze
IOC President Jacques Rogge
Good sportsmanship is important. No one will disagree with that. But criticizing Usain Bolt for indulging in celebratory dancing after he broke the 200-meter world record seemed a bit out of place for the head of an organization that's been largely silent when it comes to China's limits on press freedom and the right to protest during the last two weeks.

Tin
NBC's "live" graphic
For the last two weeks, NBC has said that it can't remove the "Live" graphic from its delayed West Coast broadcasts. Now comes word from the company that supplies NBC's on-air graphic that taking the "Live" graphic down can be done "at the source and during the event," USA Today reported. Sounds simple enough, so why has NBC resisted making the change?

For more than 20 years, Michael Payne played a key role in the global marketing strategy of the Olympic movement. He served as its marketing director for more than a decade before stepping down after the Athens Games in 2004 to join Formula One. He now runs his own consulting firm.

While he was in Beijing, the author of “Olympic Turnaround” sat down with SportsBusiness Journal staff writer Tripp Mickle.    Read More  >

An opening ceremony to die for. A swimmer making a splash for the ages. A nation of 1.3 billion passionate, or at least potential, fans. TV ratings that “Seinfeld” could take to the bank. Political tension as a backdrop.

Can the Olympics get any better than this?

Ever again?    Read More  >

Watch The Interview

As the director of the International Olympic Committee’s marketing commission, Norwegian Gerhard Heiberg oversees the organization’s legendary sponsor program and more than $866 million in sponsor revenues. He is a 1964 graduate of San Jose State University and has been a member of the IOC executive board since 2003. He took time to sit down with SportsBusiness Journal staff writer Tripp Mickle and contributor Jay Weiner in Beijing last week.    Read More  >

With every record that falls in the pool, Speedo seems to benefit.

Over the course of the last week, the swimsuit manufacturer has seen record traffic on its Web site, and it has sold out jersey T-shirts it makes with Michael Phelps’ name on the back. The company is scrambling to get more jerseys made as Phelps prepares to go after his seventh gold medal.    Read More  >