Olympics International Track And Field

The video below contains mature language and is definitely not safe for work.



Throughout my blogging career, I've been enamored ... no, in awe ... of Carl Lewis' "Break It Up" video. To me, there is nothing funnier that when someone tries to be serious and go outside his/her boundaries and completely make an ass of themselves. Please, go here to see the real version of the video.

Above is why YouTube is so great. Someone took the already hilarious video and mixed in Ice Cube's opening verse on NWA's "Straight Outta Compton".

This video has been in my cap for quite a while ... but far be it from me to not share.

With the opening ceremonies to this summer's Olympics just about 40 days away, Chinese officials have declared their National Stadium complete and fully operational. The impressive structure which holds 91,000 fans will play host to both the opening and closing ceremonies as well as track and field events.

The National Stadium is nicknamed the "Bird's Nest" for its resemblance to the twigs a bird piles together to form their nests. Ground was broken on the structure in December of 2003. There was a competition to select the design of the structure and the design you see today was done by Swiss firm Herzog and de Meuron and Chinese architect Li Xinggang.

The Olympic movement is based on stacking the greatest athletes in the world against each other on the fairest of playing fields -- no steroids, no advantages. You would think the 100 meter dash would have to be among the most fair competitions going (steroids aside of course). But according to the New Scientist, advantages are given to runners on the inside track.

Sound from the starter's gun is known to take longer to reach athletes who start from the outside lanes than their competitors on the inside. Now a new study suggests that competitors nearest the gun have another advantage – the loudness of the bang shocks them into starting more quickly.

Together, these extra boosts may amount to more than a tenth of a second in some races, which is easily enough to make the difference between gold and silver.

According to the article, racing officials are aware of the discrepancy and are looking to adjust the problem in the future but do not plan to make any changes before the Olympics in Beijing in August.

The U.S. is expected to send one of their best track and field teams ever to Beijing with reigning 100 meter champion Tyson Gay a legit contender for gold.

[h/t kottke.org]

Not much more polish can be put on such a headline when Australian marsupials and amateur track and fielding are involved. The exact details of the endangering incident now coming to light, and two Western Force players, Scott Fava and Richard Brown were fined $11,000 and $5,000 respectively for their mistreatment of the adorably copper deficient quokka. The Australian goes on to describe the sentencing:

The money will be paid to the conservation foundation on Rottnest Island, where witnesses described seeing the men tormenting the quokkas, "hammer throwing" one by its tail and trapping another under a milk crate. Authority chairman Laurie O'Meara said he believed the club had dealt with the issue swiftly and effectively, and the money far exceeded what they could have expected if they had pursued the players in court.

Hammer throwing a quokka? Why? The wonders of binge drinking, of course. Fava has been enlightened by his quokka tossing and following punishment. In the face of a stiff fine and community service, he has sworn off binge drinking. Not drinking, mind you, just binge drinking.

(H/T: Deadspin)

The greatest music video of all time? No, it's not Michael Jackson's Thriller. It's this video from Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis. I've been a fan of this video for ... oh ... over three years now and I think The Fanhouse deserves to get a taste.

Oscar Pistorius, the South African sprinter who runs with the assistance of artificial legs, has been denied an opportunity to compete in Olympic trials. Pistorius had his legs amputated just below the knee shortly after birth, and runs with the assistance of devices called "Cheetah Flex Feet," artificial legs that the International Association of Athletics Federation ruled would be an artificial aid in his sprinting.

See some of Pistorius' work against other Paralympic athletes below, and know that if you're wondering if you can run this fast, the answer is no.



The guy who laughs at the Paralympic fall? Going straight to hell. Do not pass go, don't even think about asking for two hundred dollars. Hard to argue with the point here--if Pistorius were allowed to compete (and he has posted "competitive" times in races in South Africa) his admission would open up a glorious new era of Olympic athleticism: athletes severing limbs to install spring-loaded legs for the pole vault and long jump, grafting steel to their bones to ensure first punch knockouts in boxing, and finally getting an opportunity to implant a third lung for those particularly grueling triathlons.

On second thought, here...maybe Americans would actually watch the Olympics if this happened. After all, baseball enjoyed a boom in its popularity after steroids were de facto legalized in the sport. Cyborg athletes would just be the next logical step, no? Barry Bonds already practically qualifies as one, and he's about to be a national hero, pesky Federal drug laws be damned.