DEBORAH CROMBIE: How is it time for the Olympics again?
Even though the Olympics switched to alternating the Winter and Summer Games in 1994 with the Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway (although the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France were held only two years before Lillehammer) I had too many years of expecting the Olympics to roll around every four years, and my brain still hasn't managed to reset itself. (Moving the 2020 Summer Games to 2021 didn't help!) I do like the two-year system, however. Winter and Summer Games in the same year were a bit of an overload--two years seems just long enough to get excited again.
But, yes, it is time for the (testing your Roman numeral skills here) XXXIII Olympic Games, and in Paris to boot!
Although I live in a non-sports-watching household (I have to force my husband to watch the Superbowl) I love watching the Olympics. Favorite sports are (of course) gymnastics, rowing, equestrian, track, swimming, and diving, but I find I will watch just about anything once I am into the Olympic groove. (Rugby yesterday, although I really have no idea what's going on.) (Oops, maybe I shouldn't admit my ignorance since I write British novels...)
This will be the 3rd time in the history of the Games that Paris has hosted the Olympics.
But I suspect things are considerably more complicated now than they were in 1900 or 1924. The logistics of these games are amazing! Did you know there are over 10,000 athletes?? There will be 329 events across 39 sports. (Breakdancing, anyone? I'm up for it!)
There is a 3,500 seat restuarant. How will that even work? Where did they put all the visitors?
And, of course, there are the Opening Ceremonies, which will for the first time in the history of Games be held outside of a stadium. Instead, the Parade of Nations will take place on the River Seine. (Not talking about sewage, not talking about sewage...If the mayor can swim in it...)
Tomorrow night I'll be settled in front of the big screen TV with my popcorn, ready for the spectacle. How about you?
Bonus question: Who has been to the Games? I'd love to have made the 2012 Olympics in London, but couldn't swing it. But here are the 23 rowers from Leander Club chosen as part of this year's team GB rowing contingent. (Sorry, team USA, but you know who I'm rooting for on this one.)
Bonus question 2: Pay attention to the uniforms. Julia will have a pop quiz for you next week!
Bonus question 3: Favorite Olympic moment? Mine might have to be the from the 2012 Opening Ceremonies in London (although it makes me a little teary now.)
We do watch some of the events. . . opening ceremonies, gymnastics at the summer games; figure skating at the winter games . . . .
ReplyDeleteWe went once [I had no idea how extremely difficult it was to get tickets and I'd promised the girls we would go; long story short, when I finally got off "hold" on the phone, I said I'd take any tickets they had for women's gymnastics] . . . and so, favorite moment, we were there the night the women won their gold medal at the 1996 games in Atlanta . . . .
That must have been amazing, Joan! And what wonderful memories for your daughters, too.
DeleteIt was truly amazing, Karen . . . one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences you never forget . . .
Deleteto this day, the girls still talk about going to the Olympics and seeing the gymnastics "in person" . . . .
WOW!
DeleteHow completely fabulous for you all!!!
DeleteNormally, I'd be sitting down in front of the TV to watch all the Olympics all the time. (Except the opening and closing ceremonies. Never have had the patience for those.) However, this time, I'm not sure how much I will watch. The first week, I'll be watching lots. I'll even have it on during the day and check some of the action while I'm working from home. But the second week, I'm going to visit a friend, so we'll see how much of the Olympics we watch together. I'm going to guess not much. But I do have Peacock (where they will be streaming), and I'll probably record some of the events (much watch my diving!) to watch over the next month once I'm home again.
ReplyDeleteAs to going, I'm hoping to go see something, probably diving, when they are in LA in four years. Right down the road, I have to try, right?
DeleteWhen China hosted the opening ceremonies were specTACular. Otherwise I'm with you that it's a part to miss.
DeleteI don't have cable TV, so I will catch the sports highlights on the news.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I am a bigger fan of Winter Olympics than Summer Olympics.
Huh, that's interesting! We should do a whole post about that!
DeleteYou do not need cable to watch the Olympics! It is broadcast on regular television channels.
DeleteExcellent point.
DeleteANON: I don't have access to any regular TV channels!
DeleteI won't be able to watch, but if I could, it would be for gymnastics. They remind me of ballet. Like Grace I'm drawn more to the Winter Olympics, especially ice skating. Again, it makes me think of ballet.
ReplyDeleteYes, so amazing! We used to do pommel horse on the back of our couch, which drove Mom crazy...
DeleteMy granddaughter is taking gymnastics which has given me an even stronger appreciation for how hard it is and how much talent it takes to excel.
DeleteI don't tend to watch, except for the women's marathon and the soccer, but I might check in on swimming or diving or gymnastics.
ReplyDeleteFavorite moment: when Joan Benoit won the first women's Olympic marathon on a HOT day in Los Angeles in 1984. I was a runner at the time and about her size. When I would go out for a long run I would try to channel her energy, endurance, and gait.
DeleteTwo of my gym pals from that era went to trials in Olympia, WA for that race. Karen Doppes Cosgrove, who I ran my first distance run with (or at least the first few blocks--she kicked and left me far behind) came in 29th in the trials, but Julie Isphording did make the team. Unfortunately, she was injured during the marathon in LA and didn't finish. All of Cincinnati were rooting for them, though.
DeleteHow disappointing that must be, to be injured during an Olympic event!
DeleteJulie has been plagued with injuries ever since, although she's won lots of races, ex-Olympics. She has had an amazing career, though. She was a sportscaster for a local TV station, had a long-airing radio call-in show about running, and has done all sorts of other exercise-related stuff, in addition to being the PR person for a local bank. Lots of women and girls got inspired by her through the last 40 years.
DeleteI'm not much of a Summer Olympics watcher but I might just check in 'for a minute' and then get hooked. I love best hearing all of the life stories of the participants and what they and their families had to do, or struggles they overcame, just to get there.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Olympics has to be 1980 Winter in Lake Placid. It wasn't far from home but it never occurred to me to go. Instead, with three small children and what I now consider a small TV screen we watched from home. I later worked for a family in Plattsburgh and they had gone to one of the hockey games, probably it was the 'do you believe in miracles?' game because they showed me their copy of Sports Illustrated with a big crowd scene on the cover and they were front and center in that crowd. What exciting memories!
HA! Up Close and Personal--what a diabolical way to draw in viewers! I teach about that in my classes on suspense.
DeleteIt is unlikely that I'll be watching any of the Olympic coverage as it happens. I may see highlights but most of the time I'll devote to paying attention will be to read articles on the Sports Illustrated website. I'll pay attention to the swimming results because for some reason I like the swimming events though I don't know why. And I always care about the men's and women's basketball results.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't care about the uniforms. I am amused about the coverage of the crappy "cardboard anti-sex beds" in the Athlete's village I've been seeing though.
I've never been the Olympics and I am glad that I never will. The closest I might've come is when a bid for Boston to host was started but the people in charge of that bid screwed it up from DAY ONE and there was no chance it was ever going to succeed. Also, the IOC is a pretty corrupt organization so they tried to pull a fast one on Boston (and other cities in the past) but Mayor Marty Walsh (at the time) was smart and refused to sign a guarantee about cost overruns being the responsibility of the host city, which was the final nail in the coffin.
Also, with the announcement that Salt Lake City will host the 2034 games, it took all of five minutes for controversy to start about that Olympiad because the IOC made sure to include threats and a condition in the host contract that if the USADA doesn't fall in line on accepting the authority of the WADA, the IOC can take the games away. For those not paying attention, those acronym organizations are in charge of drug testing and the USADA has already called out WADA because 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for banned substances were still cleared by WADA to participate in the Paris Games. I wouldn't give you a plugged nickel for a bet on the utter lack of integrity of the IOC. I would actually be happy to see the Olympics END forever if it meant getting rid of the IOC.
Forgot to include Olympic moments I watched that I loved. The first, I can't remember if I watched it on the tape delay broadcast or not but if you like the Olympics, the Miracle on Ice game has to be a top memory. Also loved Sarah Hughes winning figure skating gold. The 1992 Dream Team in basketball. Watching Usain Bolt be faster than the speed of light. My absurd crush on Russian gymnast Svetlana Khorkina a couple decades back. Dan Jansen finally winning gold after so many crushing near wins. The Magnificent Seven US women's gymnastics team. The Fierce Five gymnasts as well. I'm sure there are others too but that's off the top of my head.
DeleteYes, SO much fun!
DeleteI will definitely be watching. Not every moment, but whenever I take a break from writing, I will tune in. And I hope to catch the equestrian events (no surprise to anyone who knows me.)
ReplyDeleteI've never been to one. I don't think I could handle the crowds.
LOVE watching those!
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ReplyDeleteI’ll be watching because, Paris! John and I took the kids to Atlanta when they were teen teenagers. We didn’t have any special connection so had terrible tickets to matginal sports. It was a great adventure anyway and I know we will all remember it!
Unless the Reds are in the playoffs, we are mostly a no-sports household, too. We generally "watch" the SuperBowl, and often go to a party that day, but unless the Bengals are playing we don't get excited. And then mostly because two of my daughters are rabid fans.
ReplyDeleteI used to be more avid, though, and tuned in for certain events. But there are WAY too many "sports" included today. In 1976 I bought a great book called The Rules of the Game, that includes the rules for 180 different sports/400 events. It was great to have on hand for the Olympics, because it has events like the biathlon and pentathlon, even curling, along with all the gymnastics events. It's pretty much all out of date, though. Many changes have been made to the rules of sports in the last 50 years, and there are a lot of new events now that were not even imagined then, like breakdancing. It still shows all the basics, though, like dimensions of a soccer pitch, etc., so still handy to have.
Oh, the Queen. What a treasure.
DeleteWhen I first read "the Reds" I thought, the Jungle Reds compete athletically? Wow! Then I remembered where you live, LOL. (For non-baseball people, Karen's team is the Cincinnati Reds...)
DeleteI guess that would be confusing! LOL
DeleteWe attended Olympic events in Atlanta. White water kayaking was the family fav. My husband and son scored tix to the gold medal men's soccer game at UGA. I watch a variety of events: beach volleyball, track, rowing, swimming and diving, soccer. Gymnastics, of course. Best opening ceremony: when the Queen parachuted into the stadium.
ReplyDeleteWhite water kayaking! Who knew?!?
DeleteWe have a good Swiss in that sport, too!
DeleteHow terrific that you attached that little film with Daniel Craig and the Queen. I loved it in 2012, and I still do! I'd forgotten about Churchill's statue waving at HM. That was great! I've never been to any of the Games, but I've watched many highlights over the year on TV. This time, I'll be paying close attention to the women's pole vaulting since Switzerland's Angelica Moser has a chance at a metal. Our mountain bikers, men and women, are good, too.
ReplyDeletePole vaulting! SO terrifyingly unbelievable.
DeleteOne of my daughters briefly tried pole vaulting. Made me appreciate how insane it is. Fortunately her center of gravity is too low so she had trouble getting over the bar.
DeleteI look forward to watching pieces of the Olympics and hearing the stories. I self limit to two hours a day and love to watch smaller countries with not much win-record win "smaller" events. Go Indonesia! (I live in an area with many Indonesian immigrants)
ReplyDeleteWe can all get behind that: GO INDONESIA!
DeleteI'll have it on and watch if I remember to look. I like watching the highlights of how the athletes did. I like to see track & field and the gymnastics.
ReplyDeleteIt's so convenient now that the internet makes it easy to catch the highlights.
DeleteI'm looking forward to it, and wishing I could drop everything and watch non-stop. I will probably record the equestrian events--this is my once-every-4-years horse fix. I too will be rooting for team GB, or really any underdog with a good story. Speaking of good stories, I just found out that Tom Daley, the British diver who knits sweaters to stay relaxed, will be their olympic flag bearer. I might have to watch the opening ceremonies!
ReplyDeleteHard to see anyone. They will all be on boats in the river.
DeleteI like the track & field – I know it is boring for some except for the sprints. I also like the swimming sprints, the rowing and can sit through the diving. In team sports, it will be soccer if Canada is playing, otherwise probably not.
ReplyDeleteMy cousin and her husband will be arriving this Sunday, and he loves the Olympics. She will not allow a tv in the cottage, so I have no doubt that he will be taking up a chair in our house most of the time. He doesn’t talk – much.
Hurrumper will be in the basement filing his fingernails. He does not deign to watch sports. At least in the basement we do not have to put up with his mockery.
I am looking forward to seeing all the beautiful old venues. The Canadian news-talkers are already giving great tours of the various venues, and their old and new history and architecture. Those small stories may be to me the best part of the Olympics. I also like that the CBC does tend to follow Canada in particular, but does give a lot of space to other nations and athletes. After all, the Olympics is a celebration of sports and athleticism, and should not be tied to any country.
It does make an addition to the topics of conversation – fires, politics, heat, and now sports – what a summer!
My youngest daughter was a pole vaulter in high school and her freshman year in college, so we enjoy watching that event.
DeleteYes I will be watching the Games especially the opening and closing ceremonies, equestrian, gymnastics, swimming, soccer and rowing.
ReplyDeleteI attended the Olympics in 1972 in Munich. My heart burst with pride when Canada entered the stadium in the opening ceremony. I cried on the plane ride home when I heard about the tragedy in the athletes’ village. I I volunteered at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver at figure skating and short track speed skating.
I preferred when Roots designed the Canadian Team’s uniforms.
Oh, Dorothy...what a memory, and what a time that was. Thank you for telling us about it.
DeleteI'll catch the highlights. The day gig prevents sitting in front of the TV all day and The Hubby isn't much on watching sports at night.
ReplyDeleteNever been to the Olympics.
I need to find a schedule and figure out how I can watch. We don’t have Peacock. I want to see how the opening ceremony on the River Seine works out. I like to see all the different uniforms. I don’t like that both the USA flag bearers are professional athletes. I do like to see the torch lit. I like swimming/diving, rowing, equestrian, gymnastics. My husband likes all the volleyball because he played a lot of intramural volleyball over the years.
ReplyDeleteIt's so hilarious--I think Saturday Night LIve ruined that for me....remember?
DeleteI do remember that, Hank. I see they call it Artistic Swimming now. I just think it is fascinating how long they can hold their breath and all move together. I still remember my older sister doing it at the Country Club when I was a little girl.
DeleteMy husband will definitely watch some of many events. I'll wander in and out of the family room and catch a bit of it.
ReplyDeleteIt is difficult for me to watch sports, especially if I care about the results. I become the rabid fan you wish had stayed home. I'm one of those people who needs to know the ending or I am a madwoman. Just let me ignore it now and let me read about it tomorrow.
I agree with Jay about the corruption of the IOC. I think the UN is equally corrupt. Too many officials can be bought! It's ugly. It's political. Athletes are pawns. (Just think of what happened to our best women gymnasts for years! Years!) Still, great athletes deserve to be seen. The Olympics Games are the the way that happens.
I absolutely love that video of the Queen! What a sense of humor! And even her family didn’t know about that video in advance. She was truly one of a kind, God rest her soul.
ReplyDeleteLiving in Atlanta, I was a volunteer for the Atlanta Committee for years before the Games, answering phones and manning the reception desk. During the Games I worked in Protocol and was mainly with Fencing. I got to meet the Princess Royal and some other big wigs. The best part was that Fencing was held in part of a big conference center where many other "minor" sports were being held also. So after my shift, I could go watch any of them. It was fascinating. Also one of my good friends worked in Samaranch's office and had left over tickets a lot. One night my nephew and a young volunteer who was staying with my sister had seats in the President's Box! I did get tickets for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. As a volunteer, we got tickets for the rehearsal of the Opening Ceremony so I sent my sisters and brothers-in-law to that because my husband and I were going the next night.
ReplyDeleteAtlanta
Favorite moment ever was Barcelona 1992, when the Spanish paralympic archer lit the Olympic cauldron with a flaming arrow. (Although, if I remember correctly, the officials were terrified he would miss and actually ignited the flame remotely a second ahead of the arrow). Flora
ReplyDeleteI guess… I get caught up and then if I actually start watching them. It’s something I’m marginally interested in… I remember Olga Korbut doing what seemed to be impossible things, and that was amazing. And Mary Lou Retton. My favorite Olympic moment I think was in the winter’s… Torvill and Dean?
ReplyDeleteAs for breakdancing, they should’ve just changed the name to something more Olympian. Athletic dancing, or gymnastic dancing or something. :-) I mean, it’s sort of floor exercises, isn’t it? Maybe… Freeform Floor Exercise.
Opening ceremonies, I just like to look at the outfits :-) And how happy the athletes look.
I remember Torvill and Dean's routine to Bolero which became known as sex on ice.
DeleteHA! It was SO avant-garde at the time!
DeleteI love to watch gymnastics and diving... the show-offy sports. And feel sorry for the poor athletes competing in the hammer throw etc. Favorite Olympic moment, honestly? When Boston voters nixed offering up our fair city as an Olympics venue. If you've ever acually been in a city that hosted the Olympics you'll know why. Gold medal for gidlock. (And our so-called "rapid" transit system is pathetic.
ReplyDeleteSO AGREE!
DeleteI always watch Opening Ceremonies. I love the parade of athletes, seeing all the different country participants, the size of the delegations, the countries who use native clothing as their costumes. It’s inspiring to see all the countries coming together to participate in one event. I was involved in prepping for the 1984 Los Angeles summer games and got to go to lots of events, track, swimming, diving, gymnastics, equestrian and more. We all still comment on how it was a magical time in Los Angeles especially because there was no traffic!
ReplyDeleteYes, I so agree...love to seethe happy athletes and the cooperative spirit! And the sometimes wacky outfits...
DeleteDebs, I remember your Gemma and Duncan mystery including the 2012 Olympics in London with someone on the rowing team. As I recall she was also a police detective?
ReplyDeleteJust learned that there will be three hard of hearing/deaf athletes in the Olympics at Paris. One is canoeing/kayak. One is golfing. I forgot the last one.
IF the TV is working, maybe I will catch some of the Olympics or watch on social media? I saw the ballet dancers in Paris next to someone running with the Olympics torch on IG yesterday or the day before.
I don’t have cable, so I’ll probably do a combination of watching the games on YouTube and Peacock.
ReplyDeleteI hope to see gymnastics and swimming, and maybe track.
DebRo
Debs is out on an errand of mercy :-) so she'll be back later to chat! x
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Olympic moment was during the 2012 Olympics with Queen Elizabeth and Daniel Craig.
ReplyDeleteThere is a personal Olympics story, which I did not know until recently. Though I had known that my Papa’s lung collapsed while he was in the Marine Corps. I learned the rest of the story After my Papa died a few years ago. He lived longer than expected. He was a lifelong smoker. He was in the Marine Corps, training for the 1960 Olympics when one of his lungs collapsed and had immediate surgery to remove that lung. He lived the rest of his life with one lung. He thought he would be 65 when he died and he died at age 81.
Oh, my gosh...that is quite the story! What was his sport?
DeleteWhen my papa was in the Marine Corps, he was training as a runner. I do not know which Olympic sport that would be. Track? He was running when his lung collapsed. I tried to google 1960 Olympics.
DeleteJust found out that it was the 100 meter Dash event at the Olympics
DeleteI love to watch the Olympics, Summer and Winter. This year we’re going to be moving in the middle of them and possibly changing our TV carrier (platform?) so I don’t know if we’ll be able to watch all of it. I like the swimming events (though not the diving as much since Greg Louganis hit his head; brings out my fear of heights as well as concern for the divers), track and field events, women’s water polo and gymnastics. I have lot of memories of watching the Olympics on TV (never have been in person), but don’t have a favorite memory. — Pat S
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in Paris the first week of May, I was wondering how in the world they were going to get the work finished that needed to be done by the time the Olympics started. Yes, there was work going on at a couple of sites where stadiums would be, but where were the enthusiastic signage of the event? I even had to wait and buy a few Paris Olympic 2024 souvenirs at the airport, and that was slim pickings. Wouldn’t you have though that there would already be vendors hawking merchandise. Of course, I’m used to the United States where the day before the Fourth of July, I could only find one place that still had any (a smattering) merchandise out for the 4th. Everything else was Halloween merchandise. Now, I love Halloween, but that was a shock even for me.
ReplyDeleteI will be watching the Olympics, and I enjoy the opening ceremony. It’s supposed to be on the Seine River? I gotta tell you that I was on an eight-day cruise on the river and didn’t even want to get splashed by that water. Of course, they will be on boats, but I hope nobody falls in. Maybe the miracle of the Seine will be a reality and it will be clean enough to swim in. I remember when we used to go to Lake Erie in Ohio in the summers and swim in it, and then when I was older it became too polluted to dip your toe in. They got it cleaned up, so maybe there’s hope for the Seine. On the Reds and Readers page when Rhys asked about what events we were interested in, I listed the following: “Gymnastics, swimming, rowing, basketball, volleyball, beach volleyball, artistic swimming, diving, equestrian, rugby, modern pentathlon, trampoline, rhythmic gymnastics, canoe (slalom and sprint), archery, water polo, artistic gymnastics, triathlon, and surfing.”
And, here's a link to all the sports in the Olympics, and if you click on the name, it will take you to the page for that sport with its schedules and news. https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/sports
Commander Bond escorting the Queen remains my absolute favorite Olympic moment of all time, and I thought London did an absolutely amazing job with the opening show - Kenneth Branaugh overseeing the rise of the industrial revolution? Mr. Bean? Oh, yes.
ReplyDeleteSecond excellent one because I hope it started a new, dog-friendly trend: Bejing's use of drones to create an amazing "fireworks" display without the accompanying explosions!
I tend to watch the highlights because it drives me crazy watching in real time. I love gymnastics and swimming but am probably more of a Winter Olympics enthusiast if I'm honest. Won a contest in 1984 and was awarded tickets to selected events in Los Angeles. Sat next to a Czech gymnast at a track and field event. That was fascinating. Attended a basketball game featuring the Egyptian team. Gotta admit, I never equated Egypt with basketball. The whole atmosphere was an experience in itself. To top it all off, before the games began when the Olympic torch was making its way across America, the torch bearer coming by our house was Muhammad Ali. 1984 Summer Olympics will always hold a special place in my heart. -- Victoria
ReplyDeleteLove the Olympics!!! I can’t wait! And Paris - woo hoo!!!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, tonight at trivia night, all 3 rounds were about the history of the Summer Olympics. The team I'm part of got 29 out of 30 questions right to win the night.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been to three Olympics. LA , Sydney and London. All amazing and so well run. We thought about this one but decided we are too old to be climbing stadium steps!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the 2028 olympics, when multiple sports will be here in Long Beach (including rowing, Debs!).
ReplyDeleteI plan to watch the opening ceremony as it will be unique. There is a high school student from Attleboro, MA who is competing in the swimming competition and I will be sure to put at least that one event on my agenda. I'd also love to witness the 2022 winners who have been waiting for a decision on their medal due to a Russian doping challenge where the litigation was just completed. The USA figure skating team will finally be awarded their gold medals!
ReplyDeleteThis past May, we visited Lillehammer, Norway and stayed at the Scandic Lillehammer Hotel where the dignitaries stayed for the 1994 Winter Olympics. We stood under the tower where the flame of the XVII games was lit! The ski jump itself was a work of wonder which took some effort for us to reach the top as the lift was not running! The waterfalls cascading down to the Fjord at the northern end of lake Mjosa were beautiful!