August 25, 2004, Olympic Moments...
Part of the fun of the Olympics, aside from watching the world's greatest athletes at their best (and some of the world's biggest assholes judging them) are the Cinderella stories-- of athletes, of nations.
Obviously, I would guess that the overwhelming majority of the world took inspiration and more from the Iraqi soccer team, which qualified for the Olympics just a few months after their nation was reinstated to be eligible to compete, and, of course, has no home games (their country being a war zone and all).
Of course, the nation whose soccer team finally ended Iraqi dreams of Iraq's first gold medal is Paraguay, a nation that has never won an Olympic medal at all, and is now guaranteed at least a silver medal. Iraq can still cap the greatest story in sports of the young century with an upset win of Italy, which would carry a bronze medal.
Interestingly, the Israeli soccer team was in a similar position to Iraq's in the 1968 Mexico City games, qualifying for the medal round, only to play Romania to a scoreless tie, followed by a scoreless overtime. At that time, the method of deciding things was not continuous sudden death overtime until someone scored, or even the "shootout" of penalty kicks, but... a coin flip. Israel lost the toss. Israel did win its first medal at Barcelona, some 24 years later, in judo. Yesterday, for the first time in Olympic history, the nation that suffered the national tragedy of the murder of eleven of its athletes at the Munich games in 1972, has finally, finally won its first gold medal, as windsurfer Gal Friedman (IIRC, "Gal" is actually the Hebrew word for wave!) finished first in the "mistral" event (he had taken the silver at Sydney). One can only imagine the emotions of one standing on the medal platform as his nation's flag is raised and anthem played... especially for the first time in Olympic history.
Just another of the myriad stories that make the whole damned overdone, over-priced, over-hyped, over-commercialized spectacle somehow worth all the trouble...
Comments
It looks like you are enjoying your vacation, which is nice.
Posted by A Friend at August 25, 2004 12:50 PM
Now that Ping Pong is deemed to be an Olympic sport, I day dream constantly about bringing home the gold for America in the rough and tumble sport of Trivial Pursuit...or maybe Scrabble. I dunno. I'll decide before I begin training.
Posted by Steve at August 25, 2004 01:19 PM
Look to the future Steve. Trivia is the past, and everyone knows athletes can't spell. Thumbwrestling will be the next sanctioned event. Trust me on this.
Posted by Jimmy T at August 25, 2004 02:28 PM
their first gold ever is in windsurfing? that's just plain embarassing.
Posted by markg at August 25, 2004 05:32 PM
You would have preferred pocket pool?
Posted by Jimmy T at August 25, 2004 05:50 PM
Windsurfing requires brute strength, balance, the ability to read wind AND waves... I'd be proud to have medaled in that, actually. If sailing is an Olympic sport at all, windsurfing is by far the most athletic portion of it. I think Israel is as well.
If you want to talk about dick sports, I suggest you take a look at a large part of the winter Olympics.
Luge. Right.
Posted by the talking dog at August 25, 2004 06:42 PM
TD...don't forget ice dancing... :-)
Posted by alicia at August 25, 2004 09:44 PM
I'd definitely classify windsurfing (at a competitive level) as a sport. The rule for 'sport' that I promulgated at the beginning of the games goes something like this:
The athlete has to be in top physical form and the event has to be something that my father couldn't for an extended period without dropping dead.
Windsurfing just makes the cut. Ping Pong and Archery fail miserably.
Posted by Steve at August 26, 2004 12:25 PM
In midtown Manhattan, there was a movement afoot to make poker an Olympic sport; in past years, ballroom dancing (on the ice, perhaps?) Yes, the non-strenuous sport thing has gone WAY too far.
I don't know-- ping pong is a borderline situation: the players at the top level seem to be in great shape, and man, are they fast. Besides, its the only sport for which I ever won a trophy!!! Archery and shooting strike me as more problematic, though they are considered "sports", I tend to agree that the "physical" attributes of them are... questionable. Certainly, hand eye is a critical component, and doubtless years of training, but then-- so is juggling, and THAT'S not an Olympic sport...
I saw a writer suggest that "judged" sports shouldn't be at the Olympics. you know what? I agree entirely. Of course, that would eliminate most of the winter Olympics. Next question: would that be a bad thing?
Posted by the talking dog at August 26, 2004 12:37 PM