Right now I am glued to the TV screen. No, I am not watching any sleaze fest from across the border. Rather, it are the Olympics, the grandest sporting spectacle to take over the world, one every four years. And this time, sporting gods from all across the globe have gathered in the Greek capital, Athens to vie with each other for the ultimate glory. The Games have indeed begun.
For the next two weeks, the streets of Athens will be resounding with the cheers of ole. And why not? After all the most awaited event is in town. And as is the case with such an event, with a global following of billions, Athens 2004 too will be followed throughout the four corners via the endless nodes of the Internet. And of course, for anything related to Athens 2004, you will have to log onto the Official site of the Athens Olympics http://www.athens2004.com/athens2004/.
Heavy on the graphics with pretty plenty of links to go about, this address promises to keep you in touch with all that will be happening in and around the Olympic venues. From online sale of tickets (that is if there are any left) to accommodation locators (if you are one of the lucky ones who are still travelling to Athens), this is the place to be.
Biographies of the athletes, teams, coaches as well as the horses of the equestrian events are here. Apart from information and guidance for the officials, there is a link to spectator services. Of course there are the venues, the weather information, history of the games and the, as expected, schedule and results link. Plenty of areas of access here, so just be careful and don’t wander of into the far corner of this enormous web site.
And if it is information on the Olympic movement that you are looking for, then the main site of the IOC http://www.Olympic.org is the best place to go in search of all that you are seeking. Available in two languages, English and French, this is one true treasure trove of all the Olympics bygone; to all the Games that have already been designated to be held in the coming few years. History and myth are told, separately. There are of course the highlights, complete results database and Olympic and World Records that will be there for the beating in the days to come.
Links and information leading upto to the International Sports Federations, the Olympic Studies Centre and the World Anti-Doping Agency are all just a drop down-menu here. A strong multimedia link, with its images and audio/video links are one treat to explore.
Away from the official sites, if it is the latest coverage of the Olympic games, then log onto everybody’s favourite web directory, Yahoo! Olympics http://sports.yahoo.com/oly/. The people here are providing information on all the sporting action in the Greek capital. There is a drop-down menu that will take you straight to the sport of your linking. Of course like all Pakistanis, your interest must be in Field Hockey. Let us all pray that Pakistan at least secures a place on the podium, if not the first place.
News and results will be readily available here. Other main links include News, Schedule, Results and the very important, Medal Count. Photos and Multimedia, along with links of Countries and Athletes make a complete Net browsing experience.
For a more, unofficial and a Hellenic look at the history of the Games, then log onto Olympics, http://www.fhw.gr/olympics/ancient/index.html. Part of the 2004 Hellenic Foundation World, this is a well-researched site. Through exploration of the Olympics’ pre-history, this link not only presents information for sports enthusiasts but also for history students who can delve into the importance of sports in ancient times. From ancient Olympia to Athens of 1896, a lot of history is recorded here. Interested in a 3D reconstruction of the Temple of Zeus in ancient Olympia? You can explore it all here on this site. As you can the database of the ancient Olympic victors based on each athletic event and each Olympiad.
Olympics are for everybody, as is proved by the Special Olympics programme http://www.specialolympics.org/. The programme provides year long sports training and athletic competition to more than a million people with intellectual disabilities in more than 150 countries. As the moto goes, “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt”. With these words the special people amongst us embark on a journey of self-discovery and find out that they too can compete as regular human beings. Press room, initiatives and find a location are a few links that are here. Read the news about the latest happenings in Special Olympics and future events are mapped out here so that you too can take part in the activities.
However, not everybody is for the Olympics, of any kind. And one of them is this guy called Jerome Grapel who has voiced his opposition, at times disgust, at the way the Olympics have been taken over by a few, in the article, Why I Hate Olympics http://www.postcman.info/whyihatetheolympics.htm. With a number of swings at the US media for ignoring the Olympic ideals and going only their seemingly patriotic fare, Jerome will be happy to know that he is not the only one who is not for the kind of Olympics that are being held in these times.
A very informative and factually based article is the 13 Good Reasons to Hate the Olympics http://www.creativeresistance.ca/awareness/2002-oct22-13-good-reasons-to-hate-the2000-summer-olympics-australia.htm. Produced by the Anti-Olympic Alliance (I didn’t know there was one) and reproduced here on this site, this address is almost exclusively about the financial headaches that came with the Sydney Olympics. Still, four years on, this site is as good a reminder of how valuable resources that are spent in the name of having a good Olympics, can be found else were.
Right now I am glued to the TV screen. No, I am not watching any sleaze fest from across the border. Rather, it are the Olympics, the grandest sporting spectacle to take over the world, one every four years. And this time, sporting gods from all across the globe have gathered in the Greek capital, Athens to vie with each other for the ultimate glory. The Games have indeed begun.
