Olympics FanHouse

The Obama Effect On the 2016 Olympics

Posted: Nov 08, 2008 10:11PM By Sportz Assassin (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Americas, USA

Forget the economy, the war in Iraq, health care and all that other stuff. President-Elect Obama needs to focus on bringing the Olympics back to the United States.

Okay, that isn't the most important item on Barack Obama's honey-do list. However, Obama's victory over John McCain on Tuesday should have a positive effect on the games returning to America in 2016.

Chicago, the city Obama calls his hometown, is one of the frontrunners to win the bid to host the 2016 games. The Windy City is up against Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid. Obama has already pitched Chicago to the International Olympic Committee and may do so again.

Obama's victory was met with a positive response from nearly every corner of the globe. Like I said, the Olympics aren't the most pressing need right now but being able to win the bid and showcase the U.S. in this manner is huge. We have an image problem as both a player on the world stage and in the eyes of the IOC.

Chinese Officials Listed Nine US Athletes As Potential Troublemakers In Beijing

Posted: Oct 30, 2008 12:28PM By Sportz Assassin (RSS feed)
Filed Under: China, USA

4 COMMENTS

USA Today is reporting that the Chinese government listed nine United States athletes and one assistant coach as potential troublemakers during the recent Beijing Olympics. Chinese officials felt this group of people posed a threat to ignite demonstrations against the country during the Games.

The names included softball players Jennie Finch and Jessica Mendoza and soccer player Abby Wambach, who broke her leg and missed the Olympic Games. It also included two Paralympians, one athlete who wasn't a member of the 2008 softball team and a top female collegiate golfer. Golf is not an Olympic sport.

"We viewed these concerns as being entirely unjustified and unwarranted," USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel said in an e-mail Wednesday. "As such, we rejected the request to address this with our athletes or transmit the letter to them. We saw absolutely no need to burden the athletes with this."

Did You See That?

The field clears a fence during the New Season Handicap Steeplechase during the at Ludlow Racecourse on September 16, 2008 in Ludlow, England.

Emanuele Canonica of Italy helps his caddie in the rescue of a pigeon from the water around the 18th green during the first round of the Portugal Masters at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Course on October 16, 2008 in Vilamoura, Portugal.

A multiexposure image showing Britain's Andy Murray returning to Croatian Marin Cilic during a last sixteen tennis match at the Madrid Masters in Madrid on October 16, 2008. Andy Murray won 7-5, 7-6.

English football fans dressed in armours and tunics play in a friendly match against Belarus fans in Minsk on October 15, 2008 before the start of the Belarus vs. England 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier of European group 6 match.

Travis Brigley (R) of Hamburg fights with Matt Keith (L) of Ingolstadt during the DEL match between Hamburg Freezers and ERC Ingolstadt at the Color Line Arena on October 14, 2008 in Hamburg, Germany.

Russian Nikolay Davydenko returns a ball to US Robby Ginepri during a second round tennis match at the Masters in Madrid on October 15, 2008.

A golf ball which has been enveloped by the tree over many years is pictured during the pro-am for the Portugal Masters at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Course on October 15, 2008 in Vilamoura, Portugal.

Andy Murray of Great Britain plays football during his training session prior to his thrid round match tomorrow at the Madrid Masters tennis tournament at the Madrid Arena on October 15, 2008 in Madrid, Spain.

Samuel Peter from Nigeria gets a punch from Vitali Klitschko of Ukraine during their WBC heavyweight boxing world championship fight in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. Klitschko won the fight after round nine due to technical knock out.

Herbert Knosowski, AP

Japan's Kyoko Hamaguchi (lower) fights with China's Hong Yan (red) during the semi-final of the 72kg class of the Women's Wrestling World Championships in Tokyo on October 13, 2008. Hong defeated Hamaguchi and will face Bulgaria's Stanka Zlateva in the final.

Yoshikazu Tsuno, AFP/Getty Images

Here is the entire list: Softball players Finch, Mendoza, Natasha Watley, Amanda Freed, assistant softball coach Karen Johns, women's soccer player Abby Wambach, cyclist Jonathan Page, paralympic basketball player Jen Howitt, paralympic wheelchair racer Cheri Blauwet and golfer Laura Goodwin.

David Letterman Questions Usain Bolt on Premature Celebrations

Posted: Sep 26, 2008 4:58PM By Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Americas

7 COMMENTS

The world's fastest man, Jamaican gold medalist Usain Bolt, visited David Letterman last night, and Letterman asked Bolt why he didn't run hard through the finish line instead of slowing down at the end of the 100-meter dash:

"Before the finish line you're dancing and whirling around and flapping your arms in celebration," Letterman said. "Now that's not technique. That's something different from running technique, isn't it?"

Bolt tried to make a joke that he wanted to fly, but Letterman wouldn't let it go.

Olympic Gold Medalist Challenges Chad Johnson to a Race

Posted: Sep 26, 2008 12:53PM By Sportz Assassin (RSS feed)
Filed Under: USA

1 COMMENT

Above is a short video of Olympic gold medalist Mary Wineberg challenging Chad Johnson Ochocinco to a race.

Wineberg ran track at the University of Cincinnati. She ran the first leg of the women's 4 x 400 relay team that won the gold for the United States.

Chad Johnson/Ochocinco drew glares when he challenged Michael Phelps to a swimming race last month. He also ran a race against a horse at Florence, KY's Turfway Park last year.

Maybe someone should challenge Chad Johnson to being a better receiver. Through three games this season, he has caught just eight passes for 88 yards and no touchdowns.

Member of the Other Olympic Relay Team Had Gold Medal Stolen In Philadelphia

Posted: Sep 15, 2008 6:17PM By Shane Bacon (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Americas

1 COMMENT

While authorities still check to see if Tatum Bell has taken a job with the TSA, one Olympian sits waiting for his gold medal to be returned after it was snagged from his backpack.

Brendan Hansen, member of the the 4x100 medley relay with Michael Phelps, had his gold medal in his backpack in Philadelphia but after arriving in Austin, Texas, couldn't locate it.

Hansen told authorities that he knows the medal at Philadelphia International Airport, when a TSA official checked his backpack.

It's not clear whether the medal went missing in Philadelphia, Nashville or Austin. Police said they are trying to determine whether Hansen took the medal out on the plane or whether it might have been stolen.

See, this is exactly why I insist that athletes always wear the medal around their necks, like Phil Mickelson did with his first green jacket in 2004. No matter the situation, a gold medal goes with anything, even this.

Update: Looks like they found the medal. Convenient.

Carl Lewis Suggests Usain Bolt Uses Steroids: 'If You Don't Question That, You're a Fool'

Posted: Sep 13, 2008 5:50PM By Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Americas, USA

34 COMMENTS

Carl Lewis won nine gold medals in four Olympic Games and is considered by many to be the greatest track and field athlete of all time.And while Lewis is impressed with Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter who won three gold medals and set three world records in Beijing, he's also skeptical that Bolt is doing it without the benefit of performance-enhancing drugs.

Steroid Nation passes along this quote from the London Times, which apparently began with a Sports Illustrated interview Lewis conducted:

"When people ask me about Bolt I say he could be the greatest athlete of all time. But for someone to run 10.03 one year and 9.69 the next, if you don't question that in a sport that has the reputation it has right now, you're a fool. Period."

It's a shame that athletes like Ben Johnson, Marion Jones and the entire East German athletic program of the 1970s and 1980s make us feel this way, but Lewis is right: There's no proof that Bolt used steroids, but you're a fool if you don't at least acknowledge that it's possible.

USC's High-Profile Fans Are More Than Ready For Ohio State

Posted: Sep 12, 2008 9:13AM By Elie Seckbach (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Beijing, USA

0 COMMENTS

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

No. 1 ranked USC takes on Ohio State (ranked 5th) this Saturday. This is the first meeting between these two juggernauts in 18 years. In this video we visit a USC pep rally and hear from high-profile Trojans, such as former NFL stars Marcus Allen, Curtis Conway and Daylen McCutcheon. Find out what gold medal-winning Olympic swimmers Larsen Jensen and Erik Vendt have to say to the Buckeyes, and former track star Quincy Watts says he expects a blowout. Oh ... and do you know how to do the "Sanchez Dance"? Find out here.

Youtube link.

Shawn Johnson Tells Ellen: Creepy Old Men Give Her Phone Numbers, Marriage Proposals

Posted: Sep 11, 2008 9:52AM By Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: USA

0 COMMENTS

Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson visited The Ellen Degeneres Show, and it was mostly the kind of lighthearted banter that you'd expect:

But we did learn that there are some down sides to being an Olympic gold medalist.

Golden Child: Michael Phelps Is LA-LA-Loving Life

Posted: Sep 09, 2008 10:50AM By Elie Seckbach (RSS feed)
Filed Under: USA

0 COMMENTS

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

In this exclusive video, we find out what life is like for Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. During the Olympics, millions around the world were in awe when Phelps won a record eight gold medals, but these days -- thanks to hanging out with everyone from Lindsay Lohan to Demi Moore -- Michael is the one that is starstruck. We caught up to Phelps while he was in Los Angeles, and asked him a bunch of questions, including who he thinks is the greatest athlete of all time.

Youtube link.

Oscar Pistorius Wants to Be the Amputee Usain Bolt, Goes for 3 Golds at Paralympics

Posted: Sep 08, 2008 9:26PM By Michael David Smith (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Africa

0 COMMENTS

A month after Jamaica's Usain Bolt won three sprint gold medals in the Beijing Olympics, South African double amputee Oscar Pistorius is looking to do the same at the Beijing Paralympics.

Early this year Pistorius successfully challenged the International Olympic Committee's ban on runners with prosthetic legs but failed to achieve a qualifying time for the Olympics. Today he ran an 11.16-second 100-meter dash, the fastest time in the 100-meter preliminary heats at the Paralympics.

Americans Jerome Singleton, Brian Frasure and Marlon Shirley had the next-best times, but all were well behind Pistorius.

Pistorius will also run the 200 and 400 meters. Bolt won the gold medals in the 100, 200 and 4x100-meter relay.

Braylon Edwards and Michael Phelps Make a Bet on Medal Count Versus Touchdowns

Posted: Sep 06, 2008 7:00PM By Will Brinson (RSS feed)

Attempting to compare Olympic gold medals and NFL touchdowns is an apple-orange type debate. One is a four year culmination of hard work (unless you're a backstroker, then you just need to learn how to swim on your belly like everyone else) ...

Michael Phelps Is Human, Appears to Enjoy Touching the Skin of Playboy Playmates

Posted: Sep 05, 2008 2:30PM By Will Brinson (RSS feed)

If you have eight Olympic Golds, millions of dollars and you could just spend the rest of your life swimming metaphorical laps, what are you interested in? (Yes, you are Michael Phelps.) How about Playboy Playmates? Because that's something that ...

Terrell Owens: 'I Could Beat Usain Bolt If I Got a 20-Yard Head Start'

Posted: Sep 03, 2008 10:51PM By Michael David Smith (RSS feed)

On tonight's episode of Hard Knocks, the HBO show that chronicles the Dallas Cowboys, the cameras followed wide receiver Terrell Owens and a few others when they went out to dinner, and Owens was telling his fellow diners about his speed. Owens ...

Irish Sports Minister: 'Unless You're Black and African You're Not Going to Do Well in Sprint'

Posted: Sep 03, 2008 4:21PM By Michael David Smith (RSS feed)

The man at the right is Martin Cullen, Ireland's Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism. In discussing his views on how Irish Olympians can win more gold medals, Cullen expressed some interesting viewpoints about which sports Irish people can excel at ...

Asafa Powell Runs 9.72-Second 100 Meters, Fastest Non-Usain Bolt Time Ever

Posted: Sep 03, 2008 3:40PM By Michael David Smith (RSS feed)

Where was this Asafa Powell in the Olympic 100 meter finals? That was Powell blowing away the field -- a field that did not include fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt -- with a 9.72-second sprint at the IAAF Super Grand Prix event. If Powell had run that ...