2014 Winter Olympics

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TheSunIsRising

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Pops Freshenmeyer said:
Dmitry Kozak, the deputy prime minister responsible for the Olympic preparations, seemed to reflect the view held among many Russian officials that some Western visitors are deliberately trying to sabotage Sochi's big debut out of bias against Russia. "We have surveillance video from the hotels that shows people turn on the shower, direct the nozzle at the wall and then leave the room for the whole day," he said. An aide then pulled a reporter away before Mr. Kozak could be questioned further on surveillance in hotel rooms. "We're doing a tour of the media center," the aide said.
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Link: Russian Officials Fire Back at Olympic Critics - WSJ.com
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Erin Andrews must be happy she took the Fox job instead of the NBC Sports one
 
ACamp1900

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So has anyone dipped the flag before?? If not, then why is this just now a story?
 
palinurus

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irishog77 said:
I think the Sochi Olympics will be an utter disaster-- the $51 Billion is widely believed to be a conservative estimate; the weather in Sochi isn't conducive to any winter games; security will be a zoo.

That being said, I don't care all that much about the winter games...particularly since so many more "events" have been added. It's like any activity that people do in winter months is now an Olympic event. [I realize this occurs in the summer games too, but to a lesser extent]. What I care even less about though is the hotel conditions of the media. For probably about 95% of them, it is a working vacation anyway, with emphasis added to the vacation segment. We're talking about a profession where many of them actually attend the events they are covering based on the food buffet available to them. We're also talking about a profession that, instead of reporting news (you know, kinda their JOB), CREATES news. Are the athletes' rooms, bathrooms, eating circumstances that bad? No. Fuck you, media.
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"Quick!!! Give me 500 words on the double luge!!"
 
palinurus

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ACamp1900 said:
So has anyone dipped the flag before?? If not, then why is this just now a story?
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America's refusal to dip the flag has complicated Olympic history

Most teams briefly lower colors as they pass host nation's leaders at opening ceremony. But despite what some see as blatant nationalism, the U.S. does not, and the century-old saga is a curious one.

July 22, 2012|By David Wharton

LONDON -- The last few days before the 2010 Vancouver Olympics swirled past in a flurry for Mark Grimmette.

The luger from Michigan had been chosen to carry the American flag at the opening ceremony and wondered about protocol. Instructions came at him from all sides.


Line up here. Walk there. Maintain an even pace.

And one more thing.

"I had a lot of people tell me," he recalls, "you're not supposed to dip the flag."

Most Olympic teams briefly lower their colors as a sign of respect when they march past the box where the host nation's leaders are seated. The U.S. does not.

When the Americans pick a flag bearer for the 2012 London Olympics this week, he or she almost certainly will be advised to uphold a tradition that dates back more than a century.

According to popular legend, shotputter Ralph Rose set the tone at the 1908 Summer Games — also held in London — when he supposedly proclaimed: "This flag dips for no earthly king."

To the rest of the world, it seemed like blatant nationalism. The truth of the matter, and the history of America's refusal to dip, is far more complicated than that.

As a professor at Penn State, Mark Dyreson has devoted a good portion of his academic career to studying the Olympics. He has written two historical papers on flag etiquette at the parade of nations.

"It sort of becomes a folk tale," he said, "a nice romantic mythology."

Piecing together the fragments of this yarn a century later has not been easy. No one knows for sure why Rose broke from the accepted practice of dipping in 1908, but Dyreson has his suspicions.

During that era, Irish athletes bridled at having to compete under Britain's flag. Dyreson believes Rose, an Irish American, might have been pressured by other Irish Americans on the U.S. team to make a show of protest before King Edward VII.

If so, this gesture was largely misunderstood.

"Around the world, there was a lot of criticism," Dyreson said. "It was considered a sign of ugly Americanism."

The professor can find no evidence that Rose, well-known teammate Martin Sheridan or any other U.S. athlete uttered the "no earthly king" comment. He also points out that it took awhile for the non-dipping tradition to take hold.

Americans lowered their flag for King Gustav V at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. They showed no such respect at Antwerp in 1920 — but those Games were held shortly after World War I, at a time when nationalism ran high and many of the athletes were still enlisted in the military.

The saga grew even more curious after that.

Patrick McDonald — the same flag bearer who held the colors high in Antwerp — surprised everyone by dipping at the 1924 Paris Olympics. Four years later, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, looking to position himself for a political career, oversaw the American team and demanded that it follow military regulations.

That meant no dip.

Once again, other countries took offense. According to Dyreson, some in the American media were similarly critical.

"MacArthur was imposing the military standard," the professor said. "There were people who did not like him at all."

The tradition continued to flip-flop for another decade until history intervened.

In 1936, both the Summer and Winter Olympics were held in Germany. With Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in control, there was talk of a U.S. boycott.

The Americans eventually decided to participate, but officials announced their team would not lower the flag to Hitler at either Games. According to media reports, neither did Bulgaria, Iceland or India.

"In Berlin, the tradition gets codified for the USOC — it's not just the athletes doing it, now there's an official policy," Dyreson said. "After 1936, we never dip again."

Kayaker Cliff Meidl can remember being told not to dip before the opening ceremony at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Women's basketball star Dawn Staley heard the same instruction when she served as flag bearer at the 2004 Athens Games.

"You've got to keep the flag straight up no matter what," she said. "Straight, straight, straight."

Neither athlete recalls being told why.

The issue has been raised a number of times since the 1936 Berlin Games. The late Avery Brundage, who ruled over the U.S. Olympic movement and the International Olympic Committee for decades, had previously tried to settle the matter by suggesting Americans carry a special Olympic banner that might be dipped. When that failed, he continued to search for — but never found — a solution.

In 1968, hammer thrower Harold Connolly mentioned that, if elected flag bearer, he might break U.S. tradition at the Mexico Olympics. Dyreson wrote that the USOC took steps to make sure he was not chosen.

Bill Koch, the free-spirited cross-country skier, made a similar threat before the 1992 Albertville Games.

"We're the strongest nation on Earth," Koch said. "We want to be good world citizens. I think we could do better. A dip demonstrates a little humility."

But the Americans had not even dipped for President Reagan at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. And, by that time, the Soviet Union and other nations also had stopped dipping.

So when the 1992 opening ceremony came around, Koch held the flag steady before French President Francois Mitterrand.

"The press from other nations — they still prod the Americans about this every four years," Dyreson said. "People around the world still see it as arrogance."

With so many years gone by, a one-time protest has become the standard for reasons that no one seems to recall.

Whomever the current team chooses as flag bearer in London will be sure not to dip, Dyreson said, and the tradition will continue.

"The U.S. basically does what it wants when it comes to the Olympics," he said. "I don't see anything changing."
 
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ACamp1900

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Ha, this group of ass clowns... from Obama, to Putin and Cameron on through any other head of state are not gods... There is more than just 'American arrogance' at play here.
 
greyhammer90

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Damn that kid just single handedly killed our chance in team skate.
 
pumpdog20

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Dip the flag, screw that. Arrogant Americanism, yep and I apologize for none of it.

As far as the winter olympics, man it is boring. I love hockey, and the last games, it was awesome. Other than that, no thanks. I used to really love the summer games, then they tried to get rid of wrestling.
 
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this thing has train wreck written all over it

some of those pix and tweets are comedy gold

interesting to see all the westerners whining and complaining. maybe they will all finally realize up close and personal just how good they have it in the west.

we so often take for granted the little things like hotels having lobbys, doors having door handles, manholes having manhole covers, and taking a shits in private
 
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Turned the TV in the middle of the Skaters Figure Pairs in time to see a fine performance by the pair from Bieberland. Then came the Russians. Oh My! The Russians made the fine Canadien pair look like amateur night by comparison. Powerful and elegant.
 
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ND NYC

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ok...i'll admit it:

i never miss the womens figure skating individual finals at a winter games

#nohomo
 
ACamp1900

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Michelle Kwan made a man of me back in the day...

Kind of like the Romanian gymnast Lavinia Miloșovici Back in the 90s... My gawd
 
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irishog77

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ACamp1900 said:
Michelle Kwan made a man of me back in the day...

Kind of like the Romanian gymnast Melinia Melosovic sp? Back in the 90s... My gawd
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Don't remember her.

I tuned in for like literally 5 minutes tonight-- saw some hot ass Norwegian chick on the snowboard (last name something like Nordstrom; look her up), and then Costas bring in 2 journalists to talk about Putin and homosexuality. Click.
 
irishog77

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ACamp1900 said:
Michelle Kwan made a man of me back in the day...

Kind of like the Romanian gymnast Lavinia Miloșovici Back in the 90s... My gawd
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Dude-- you're fired!


Milosovici.gif
 
NDWorld247

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ACamp1900 said:
Michelle Kwan made a man of me back in the day...

Kind of like the Romanian gymnast Lavinia Miloșovici Back in the 90s... My gawd
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The Magnificent Seven did it for me in '96, specifically Dominique Moceanu. Thirteen year old NDWorld found his first true love during the Atlanta games.
 
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NDWorld247 said:
The Magnificent Seven did it for me in '96, specifically Dominique Moceanu. Thirteen year old NDWorld found his first true love during the Atlanta games.
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Damn did I love Moceanu. I was living in ATL at the time and my family and I went to many events, including those ladies and some baseball. I'll never forget walking around Centennial Park the day before the bombing, something impossible to forget....
 
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