Posted: 10//09 |
| Women's Olympic Marathon |
| |
The British sports of rugby and golf have been added to the Olympic roster for the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. I’d say that it’s about time the IOC filled the two openings left after baseball and softball were dropped in 2005.
Strange though, that golf and rugby were rejected for the London 2012 Games don’t you think? They are classic British sports. Sports that will be missing from the London 2012 Summer Games. And, as a result, the Summer Games will feature just 26 sports, instead of the usual 28.
On the bright side, many more young athletes are now going to be able to dream about being Olympians. Plus, while I believe golf is possibly one of the slowest sports in existence, watching sevens rugby is super exciting! The emphasis on ball handling and the required speed and agility of athletes in sevens rugby shifts away from the traditional focus on physical contact in fifteen-a-side rugby. After playing fifteen-a-side rugby in high school I quickly realized that the physical contact often left you in recovery mode for several days after each game! Not for me thanks!
It will be very interesting to see both of these sports in Rio 2016!
Julianne from Ludus |
Posted: 08/04/09 |
| Women's Olympic Marathon |
| |
25 years ago: A little bit of history once in a while!
It really surprised me to read that the first Women’s Marathon in Olympic Games was held for the first time in 1984, in Los Angeles! Exactly 25 years ago: 5th August 1984
It was the first marathon ever for women in the history of the Olympic Games: 50 athletes from 28 countries. Joan Benoit (USA) won with the time of 2:24:52, followed by Grete Waitz (NOR) and Rosa Mota (POR).
Video of the first Women’s Marathon in Olympic Games
More information about the Olympic Marathon.
Raffa |
Posted: 12/16/08 |
| I Can't Wait for London 2012! |
| |
I’ve done my share of traveling, but by far the most exciting trip I’ve taken was to the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. I went as a guide for Ludus, so I’m not sure if my experience differs from Olympic Spectators.
I’ve never been in an Olympic host city during, before or after the Games. So it was just an experience to feel the intensity and excitement from the residents of Beijing, China. They had been preparing for the Summer Games for seven years. The Chinese definitely put their best foot forward with special lighting and landscaping around town, their inviting hospitality, and willingness to help Olympic enthusiasts from around the world. I’m sure London in 2012 will be very similar.
My favorite experience in Beijing centers around the subway to the Bird’s Nest. Before the Olympics there were only two subway lines. In anticipation of the Summer Games the subway system expanded to eight lines. If you had a ticket to an Olympic event, you received free public transportation. As this was dubbed the “people’s” games by the Chinese government, there were a lot of locals who flocked to the subway in anticipation of their first subway ride and their first Olympic experience.
I had been riding the subway system since I first arrived in China three weeks before the Summer Games commenced. By the time Athletics events started, I had taken dozens of clients to Tiananmen Square by public bus and subway. I was a subway pro! So it was amusing for me to watch hundreds of Chinese families, yellow Olympic ticket in hand, dressed in their very best outfits trying to use the automatic ticketing machines. I would gently push my way to the front of the queue, slide my subway pass (the size and shape of a credit card) over the electronic sensor, and as I passed through the turnstile I would smile back at the families as they followed by direction.
The look of awe on the children and adult faces as the train pulled into the station with an announcement and wall of wind was almost as unforgettable as the roar of the crowd in the Bird’s Nest.
Kim |
Posted: 08/27/08 |
| Beijing Wrap Up! |
| |
Man, I can't believe the Olympics are over! What a great month in Beijing. I am glad it's all over. We had so much fun entertaining our clients during the Games.
Adam D. |
|
