Rio 2016 Olympics, a year to go: mascots, medal hopes, sewers and soaring costs

On 5 August next year, the Maracanã will host the Olympics’ opening ceremony. But not everything in Rio de Janeiro is ready …A tag that can both inspire and weigh heavy on the shoulders of athletes: just as Michael Johnson (Atlanta 1996) Cathy Freeman (Sydney 2000) and Jessica Ennis (London 2012) rose to the occasion, it proved too much for the Greek sprinter Kostas Kenteris at Athens 2004 and the Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang four years later in Beijing. Continue reading...

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'The Olympics are dead': Why should anyone want to be a host city?

With Boston’s bid collapsing due to lack of support, it seems now more than ever the Olympics exist solely for cities looking to make a political statementThe reason Boston’s residents didn’t want to be Athens is the same reason the residents of Oslo or Krakow or Stockholm don’t want to be Athens. Hosting an Olympics is a corporate sinkhole sucking billions of dollars and a city’s future into a bottomless abyss of excess.The internet is clogged with slide shows of empty, broken, useless stadiums built in the euphoria of an coming Olympics or World Cup then abandoned soon after, allowed to fill with weeds, rodents and other signs of human escape. Is there a better sign of Greece’s collapse than a pile of useless sports facilities crumbling since the torch went out in the summer of 2004? What use did Athens have for a baseball stadium anyway? It’s crumbling among the weeds just like the field hockey venue, the canoeing center and the training pool green with algae. Continue reading...

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London's Olympic legacy three years on: is the city really getting what it needed?

London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is shaping up and once again inviting the multitudes in - but is it helping to provide the kind of legacy the people of east London were promised?Some of the starkest images from the financial fall of Greece have been of its 2004 Olympic Games buildings: abandoned stadiums and peeling paint telling tales of broken promises and soured dreams. Whatever else might be said about London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park three years after the 2012 Olympics, it is no tumbleweed vista. The broader issue, though, is whether it is helping to provide the kind of legacy the people of east London were promised.Certainly the Olympic Park itself – all 560 acres of it – is shaping up, filling out and once again inviting the multitudes in. The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) – formed shortly before the Games as the planning authority for the park and its environs – claims that, since it started to reopen two years ago, the park has had more than 4m visits. Neale Coleman, LLDC board chairman and Olympics adviser to London mayor Boris Johnson, says that these include “loads and loads of local people. It really is used by the community and it’s going to be even better for them in the future.” Continue reading...

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Fundraising Campaign For Greek Olympic Team

“An Olympic Games without founders Greece has never, ever happened – and we want to keep it that way,” award-winning sports crowdfunding platform www.pledgesports.org said, urging all fans and believers of the Olympic Games movement to financially support Greece in order to be able to join the Rio 2016 Olympics. The sports crowdfunding platform underlined the huge threat Greek athletes face ahead of the new rescue plan the Greek government recently secured: “The issuing of another bailout loan calls for huge reforms and there is a very real threat that there could be little or even no funding available from the government for Greece to train athletes for the Rio 2016 Olympics and send them to Brazil.” According to the platform, funding for accommodation, food, medical assistance and physiotherapists is usually available by federations and governing bodies, however the expenses for training and preparation of athletes in order to be competitive during the event are difficult to covered. The motto of the initiative, which will last for around 48 days, is “Get Greece to the Olympics” and all the money raised will be given to the Greek Olympic Committee.

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How The Olympics Rotted Greece

And here’s the obvious question: Should the International Olympic Committee shoulder some of the blame?

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Greek Sports Minister: Athens Olympic Games Were a Catastrophe for the Greek Economy

Greek Sports Minister Stavros Kontonis characterized the Athens Olympic Games “a bad example” in an interview to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency on the occasion of the European Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Kontonis said that the way the Olympic Games were organized and the major works in Athens were implemented was disastrous for the Greek economy and regional growth, which was never achieved in Greece during that period. He estimated that the total cost of the Athens Olympic Games reached 20 billion euros and this is something that countries in similar financial situation should be aware of. Kontonis is in Baku representing the Greek government in the opening ceremony of the 1st European Games. He will also participate in the unofficial Ministerial meeting of the 47 Council of Europe member-states on Saturday. (source: ana-mpa)

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2004 Athens Olympics Cost Greece 6.5 Billion Euros

The 2004 Athens Olympic Games cost Greece a total of 6.5 billion euros and did not affect the country’s economy, a Greek economic think tank has found. The study on the economic ...

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Study by Greek economic think tank finds 2004 Athens Olympics cost Greece $7.5 billion

by  Associated Press Greek think tank: 2004 Athens Games cost Greece $7.5 billion Associated Press - 15 January 2015 14:10-05:00 ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The 2004 Athens Olympics cost Greece a total of 6.5 billion euros ($7.5 billion) and didn't significantly affect the debt-heavy country's finances, a Greek economic think tank has found. A study on the economic impact of the games by the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research says the Athens Olympics had a positive effect on domestic economic activity and employment. But it noted that Greece failed to fully exploit that boost. The study published on Thursday was commissioned and financed by former organizing committee chief Gianna Angelopoulos. It estimated that some 2.9 billion euros ($3.3 billion) returned to the state coffers in the form of taxes and social security contributions. Half of the total outlay, which excludes Olympics-linked projects such as a new Athens airport and subway, was spent on sports venues. News Topics: Sports, 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Summer Olympic games, Olympic games, Think tanks, Economy, Political organizations, Events, Government and politics, Business People, Places and Companies: Greece, Athens, Western Europe, Europe Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Tom aims to have Immingham feeling very Olympic on trip to Greece!

OLYMPIC DREAM: Tom Horton, who is organising a trip to Greece for 15 Oasis Academy Immingham students, to promote the Olympic Games.

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FIBA EuroBasket 2015: The Draw

Croatia, Slovenia, Skopje, Georgia and Holland are the teams Greece has been drawn to battle against in the FIBA Eurobasket tournament taking place in September 2015. The two-time champions of Europe (1987, 2005) will play all their group-stage games in the city of Zagreb, a place that brings back bitter-sweet memories from 1989, as Nikos Galis, Panagiotis Giannakis and the rest of the defending champions back then, were defeated in the final from hosts Yugoslavia. The FIBA committee staged the 2015 Eurobasket draw in Disneyland. This will be first time in history a basketball tournament will take place in four different countries. Initially, Ukraine were the baptized hosts but in consideration of the players’ and fans’ safety due to the heated Russian-Ukrainian relations, the competition was handed over to France, Croatia, Germany and Latvia. It will begin on September 5th, 2015 and ran till the day of the final which will take place in the city of Lille in France, at the multifunctional soccer stadium Stade Pierre-Mauroy which will turn into a basketball arena for the sake of the tournament. The two finalists will automatically qualify to the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games, while teams that finish 3rd-6th will participate in the pre-olympic tournament with the aim of “purchasing” the rest of the tickets. Greece will play all its group stage games at the Arena Zagreb, a sports hall with a capacity of 15.000 09/05 Skopje – Greece 09/06 Greece – Croatia 09/08 Georgia – Greece 09/09 Greece – Slovenia 09/10 Greece – Netherlands

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Unpaid volunteers worth millions to Olympic Games and Rio de Janeiro 2016 organizers

by  Associated Press Unpaid volunteers worth millions to Olympic Games by STEPHEN WADE, Associated Press - 25 October 2014 09:24-04:00 RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Rio needs 70,000 unpaid volunteers for the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics, and Brazilian Olympic medalist Ricardo Prado is making a pitch with a deadline for signups just three weeks away. "Without the athletes, the games can't happen," he says in a recruiting advertisement. "But without the volunteers, it's the same." The International Olympic Committee promotes volunteers as the spirit of the games, recalling a time when athletes were unpaid amateurs. They do thousands of jobs — greet fans, escort athletes and give directions around town — and many deliver specialized services. They're the smiling faces of the host nation, often praised at the opening and closing ceremonies by monarchs, presidents and prime ministers. They also save organizers at least $100 million in salaries — and possibly more. "There is a question to be asked: Is the exchange really even, or is it unequal?" said Laurence Chalip, who conducted a study for the IOC on volunteers at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Volunteers are not only unpaid, but they pay their own lodging and transportation to the host city. They get transportation to venues and meals only on the days they work, some training and uniforms to treasure. Chalip calculated their value in Sydney at $60 million, and that was for only 40,000 volunteers. A very conservative estimate suggests it would cost at least $100 million to pay Rio's 70,000 volunteers a minimum wage to work two weeks at the games. Many will work much more. Anything above the minimum wage and the bill doubles or triples. It would rise further if highly skilled volunteers, such as doctors and other medical professionals, were paid normal wages. Rio plans to use about 1,000 medical volunteers. The operating budget — the budget for simply running the games themselves — is $3 billion. Paying volunteers would boost the budget by about 3 percent. Overall, Brazil is spending about $20 billion — a mix of public and private money — to prepare the games, building sports and urban infrastructure. "The question is not so much whether we should — or should not — pay $100 million more out of an operating budget of $3 billion," Christophe Dubi, Olympic Games Executive Director, said in an interview with The Associated Press. "It is about the spirit of volunteerism." Dubi said the operating budget was tight, and paying volunteers would not be easy. "The money is really scarce and they (organizers) are looking for ways and means to save money," he said. Earlier this year the US network NBC agreed to pay the IOC $7.75 billion for the rights to six Olympics beginning in 2022, reflecting the value of the Olympic brand, built partially by volunteer labor. The IOC also has about $1 billion in the bank, a reserve for emergencies. "They (volunteers) feel it is all wonderful participating, when in fact the wonderfulness is of their own creation," said Chalip, who studies sports policy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "They feel like it's a gift, when it's actually something they are giving." Chalip said working "backstage" motivated volunteers, offering a glimpse of what most see from afar. "Some who had worked their allotted hours in Sydney were angry they couldn't keep working," he said. Dr. Arin Saha, a surgeon who volunteered at the 2012 London Olympics, termed his service "unforgettable." "I found the experience of volunteering fantastic and would have been one that I would happily have paid for," he said in an email. Every recent Olympic host has a different challenge finding volunteers. Britain and Australia had engrained cultures of volunteering. Greece and China did not. Brazil is more like China or Greece. The country lacks a volunteer-philanthropic tradition, partially because of its stark economic inequality. This means the poor can't afford to work for free. That narrows the pool, leaving the better-off to work without pay. Flavia Fontes, Rio volunteer manager, said she was recruiting from the city's slums (favelas), hoping to give the poor a chance. Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes said months ago the poor would be given "subsidies" for Olympic tickets. Surveys show they were priced out of this year's World Cup. "We really want to have a mix," Fontes told The Associated Press. "We don't really want it just to be the whites. We really want it to be a mix of what Brazil is all about." Although Brazil bills itself as a racial democracy, blacks make up the vast majority of the poor with whites of European decent in charge in business and politics. Rio hopes 300,000 will register for the 70,000 available positions. So far only 120,000 have signed up with the deadline looming on Nov. 15. Fontes declined to say she was having problems, but acknowledged Brazilians might need a "push" in a Latin country where people often act at the last minute. Non-Brazilians are expected to make up 5 percent of the final 70,000. "I think we just need to talk to more people," Fontes said. "We need to meet face-to-face with the poor community so they understand the games first, and the values. When they do, they'll want to be part of it." But only if they can afford to. ___ Stephen Wade on Twitter: http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP News Topics: Sports, 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, Volunteerism, Summer Olympic games, Olympic games, Events, Social affairs People, Places and Companies: Eduardo Paes, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Australia, Sydney, South America, Latin America and Caribbean, Oceania Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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US basketball is at the summit and could soar higher, but Coach K knows danger always lurks

by  Associated Press US basketball reigns in Spain, awaits Rio Olympics by BRIAN MAHONEY, Associated Press - 15 September 2014 12:48-04:00 MADRID (AP) — It feels like so long ago, though it's been only a decade. The U.S. was the three-time defending Olympic champion, but had become a mess of a basketball program. The Americans had embarrassed themselves at home in the 2002 world championship, and when they haphazardly put together their team for the 2004 Olympics, nobody should have been surprised if they lost. That's exactly what happened. Puerto Rico blew them out 92-73 in their opener. Now the Americans run perhaps the most stable program in the world, gold medalists at both the men's and women's, senior and junior levels. Yet Mike Krzyzewski will prepare as if their opener in Rio de Janeiro is as uncertain as the one in Athens. "I think we can lose our next game," Krzyzewski said. "I mean, that's the way we prepare because we know how good everyone is." The Americans are the best, proving that again with a 129-92 victory over Serbia on Sunday to win the Basketball World Cup. That gave the U.S. consecutive world titles to go with its back-to-back Olympic gold medals. The Americans have won with powerhouse rosters in the Olympics and beatable ones in the worlds, and they could go to Brazil with their best one yet. LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul would be welcomed back if they want a shot at a third straight Olympic gold. Kevin Durant and Kevin Love might want to return after pulling out this summer. And there are plenty of guys on this year's team who showed they will earn consideration, from tournament MVP Kyrie Irving and fellow guards James Harden, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, to forwards Anthony Davis and Kenneth Faried. And don't forget how much better Derrick Rose could be in two years after struggling during this tournament in his return after missing most of the last two seasons following two knee operations. If nobody could beat a depleted U.S. team this summer, how could anyone touch that team in 2016? "If we come back with a lack of focus," Curry said. "We can't take anything for granted. This is big-time competition, teams recharge and refuel in these two years and get ready for the Olympics. So if we — whatever group suits up and flies down to Brazil for the Olympics — if we're not prepared with the same mentality that we had here and Istanbul and London and Beijing, we're capable of being beaten. So we have to come with that same focus and energy that we did and keep this dominance going." This was supposed to be the summer where it could end. Spain had nearly beaten stronger U.S. teams in the last two Olympic gold-medal games, and this time would have home-court advantage and a roster of all the players it wanted while the Americans would settle for whoever would come. Another matchup in the gold-medal game was widely expected until France stunned the Spaniards in the quarterfinals. "Spain's a magnificent program, a magnificent team, and it just takes one bad day. One bad day. And so what we're trying to do is make sure we don't have bad days," Krzyzewski said. "And so far it's worked out." The Americans have had only one under Krzyzewski and USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo, a loss to Greece in the semifinals of the 2006 world championship, their first tournament. They have won 63 straight, counting exhibitions, and are 74-1 since Colangelo took control and revamped the program. The U.S. always had the best possible talent, even when it was losing six times between 2002 and '04. Now the Americans may also have the best leadership and infrastructure, and it's made the gap with the rest of the world seem larger than ever. There will be 11 spots open in 2016, assuming Colangelo sticks to his previous plan to save a spot for Paul George, who broke his right leg during training for this tournament. It's hard to envision any challenger to whatever team is picked, with Spain and Argentina getting old, and Serbia and Lithuania maybe a little young. Maybe France, which followed last year's European title with a bronze in Madrid even without Tony Parker, could be the team if the San Antonio Spurs point guard returns. But even after watching this team average 104.6 points and win by 33 per game, Krzyzewski will insist it's possible. "I think one of the reasons we've won is because we do have that respect. We know how good everyone is. It's beautiful basketball," he said. "We prepare like crazy and we learned from the international community. We get better." News Topics: Sports, International basketball, 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, FIBA Basketball World Cup, Men's sports, Women's sports, NBA basketball, Summer Olympic games, Men's basketball, Olympic games, Women's basketball, Basketball, Events, Professional basketball People, Places and Companies: Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Kenneth Faried, Jerry Colangelo, Tony Parker, Spain, Madrid, United States, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Western Europe, Europe, North America, South America, Latin America and Caribbean Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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International Round-Up: Five In Action

There was heartbreak for Mavrias in Greece u21's final qualifying game for the European Championship, despite Greece beating rivals Poland 3-1.

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Greece deny Poland but miss out themselves

Greece were denied a UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-off place in heartbreaking fashion despite eliminating Poland with an impressive win. At kick-off, Greece were fourth in Group 7 but knew victory by 3-1 or better would give them top spot if ...

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Has Greece forgotten its Olympic legacy?

Ten years after hosting the Olympic Games, Greece is in the spotlight again. While some believe the capital Athens benefitted from the Games, images from Hellinikon seem to tell another side to the story. In contrast to the splendour seen in 2004, today ...

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Athens Olympic site in ruins 10 years on from 2004 Games

While economists agree it would be unfair to blame Greece's meltdown on the 17-day Games, the post-Olympic era is seen as a decade of lost ...

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Abandoned Athens Olympic 2004 venues, 10 years on in pictures

On 13 August 2004, the Olympic Games came home to Greece for the XXVIII Olympiad at an estimated cost of approximately 9bn. A decade after the sporting extravaganza, many of its once-gleaming Olympic venues now lie abandoned. For many Greeks who swelled with pride at the time, the Games are now a source of anger as the country struggles through a six-year depression, record unemployment, homelessness and poverty, with many questioning how the nation has benefited from the multi-billion-dollar event Continue reading...

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The Remains Of Athens' Olympic Games

This week marks the 10th anniversary of the 2004 Summer Olympics, a reminder for Greece , a nation $465 billion in debt today, of its less austere days.

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Greece suffers the curse of Olympic hosts

Derelict stands at the Olympic Baseball Stadium at the Helliniko Olympic complex in Athens, Greece on July 31, 2014. Picture: MILOS ...

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What The Abandoned Venues From The Athens Olympics Look Like 10 Years Later

REUTERS/Yorgos KarahalisTen years later, the 2004 Athens Olympics is a cautionary tale. Greece spent an estimated $11 billion on the games, Reuters reports. They built all the expensive, highly specific buildings you need to host the Olympics — a village, a media center, an Olympic stadium, a canoe/kayak slalom center, etc. — and went 97% over budget in the process. When the athletes went home at the end of August 2004, organizers learned a cruel lesson — Athens has absolutely no use for a canoe/kayak slalom center. Many of these stadiums have become white elephants. The Olympic Village is empty and the venues for softball, beach volleyball, and kayaking are all overrun with weeds. With the IOC now struggling to find countries with enough money to waste on the Olympics, 2004 might be viewed as the last Olympics of an era when democratic nations saw the games as a worthwhile investment.The beach volleyball center, where weeds are growing through the sand. 7,000 people watched Misty May and Kerri Walsh win gold here in 2004. The practice courts outside the stadium are also overgrown. See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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