Slashdot Mirror

From https://www.olympic.org/sports Archery Artistic Swimming Athletics Badminton Basketball Beach Volleyball Boxing Canoe Slalom Canoe Sprint Cycling BMX Cycling Mountain Bike Cycling Road Cycling Track Diving Equestrian/Dressage Equestrian/Eventing Equestrian/Jumping Fencing Football Golf Gymnastics Artistic Gymnastics Rhythmic Handball Hockey Judo Marathon Swimming Modern Pentathlon Rowing Rugby Sailing Shooting Swimming Table Tennis Taekwondo Tennis Trampoline Triathlon Volleyball Water Polo Weightlifting Wrestling Freestyle Wrestling Greco-Roman Winter Sports Alpine Skiing Biathlon Bobsleigh Cross Country Skiing Curling Figure skating Freestyle Skiing Ice Hockey Luge Nordic Combined Short Track Speed Skating Skeleton Ski Jumping Snowboard Speed skating

Target shooting is already an Olympic event, and that's as much a sport as video games. https://www.olympic.org/shooti...

Ever shot a firearm repeatedly? Sure, modern Olympic style shooting events use .22 that have no recoil and the firearms are built using extremely lightweight materials, but it still gets heavy after a while, and except for the prone position all Olympic style shooting is unsupported. It takes fine muscle and breathing control to keep the firearms steady. Personally though, I think Olympic shooting events need to get away from the air rifles and small calibers. I'd rather see 3 gun shooting or long-range marksmanship with a larger caliber round and iron sights.

Sport for firearms references both hunting and target shooting. The AR-15 is a fine enough rifle for use in target shooting. Heck, shooting targets is a sport in the Olympics. There's multiple events in the sport ranging from rapid fire, to target, to skeet.

https://www.olympic.org/shooti...

The IOC's olympic games aren't the only way to have sports competitions.

It's probably too late for this year, but I'd love to see some of the athletes raise money (crowdfunding?) to move their competition somewhere else, and not have anything to do with the IOC. Just hold their competition on their own.

For example, for the sports that are scheduled to take place in polluted water - raise money for those athletes to drop out of the Olympic competitions, and to move to another location with clean water. If these alternate games were not held at the same time as the IOC's Rio games, then some news organizations would cover the alternate games.

Unfortunately doing this in the next two weeks would probably break some rules, and might set up the athletes for a lawsuit, besides disappointing spectators who paid to see those sports in Rio. But if some athletes could set up alternate games in the future, then great.

Sports by definition require an element of physical exertion.

Chess (and checkers, even if only 10x10) are generally regarded as sport. Even poker might be...

Brain is part of the body and exerting it more often makes you a good sport... So to speak...

Countless science papers confirm average IQ of west African blacks is far Lower than most other racial groups.

I'm curious if any such studies have followed black children adopted by white parents vs. white children adopted by black parents. Or perhaps you're just telling a Pinocchio.

A north korean descent person will not win an Olympic Sprint Race

But once you cross the border to the south, you see Samsung, the official cell phone maker of the Olympic Games. And they're on Sprint.

French was still more lingua franca in western Europe than English, when I was a child 40 years ago. That role still echoes in the name of many international organizations, especially in sports. Check the title at http://www.fifa.com/ and the name of http://www.fia.com/ The languages at http://www.olympic.org/ and at http://www.uci.ch/ are English and French (the original ones for the Comité international olympique and Union Cycliste Internationale). And wonder why http://www.fiba.com/ is FIBA and not IBF despite the title of the page is International Basketball Association. It used to be Fédération Internationale de Basket-ball Amateur. All of them were born at a time when French (the people) were internationally as active as English speakers are now, and English speaking countries where more centered on themselves than they are now. Ultimately the language follows the power and dinamism of countries: if you have to know a language to make money, you learn it. Chinese could be the next one but it's severely handicapped by the writing system. Nobody really wants to learn by heart thousands of characters unless you're born there and have to. I expect a very bumpy transition, if it will ever happen, and a lot of resistence. A Chinese written with latin alphabet would have more chances. Given the attitude of Chinese rulers maybe I'll see them mandating a switch to latin characters, and don't dare to protest. After all they already use qwerty to write Chinese.

Olympics is for sports. Not games.

Pretty much any competitive sport is a game.

Sport is "activity involving physical exertion and skill"

Not according to the International Olympics Committee, who recognize Chess as a sport.

http://www.olympic.org/photos/...

^fucking peep sights.

Just pick an free EU stream http://www.olympic.org/sochi-b...

I do not see how this was anti-semetic in any way. The IOC did not endorse the terrorist attack. In all reports I found online, it seems they tried to remain as neutral as possible, treating the games as 'neutral territory'.

The terrorists sure didn't treat the games as neutral territory. The IOC is so neutral that they are now allowing the terrorist organization that conducted the attack to participate as a country. You don't see how this can upset the victims?

If you need a clue, the flag of Palestine looks like this.

Guns are only designed to kill things.

Wow. Somebody should tell the olympics. It seems that they are not aware of this fact.

So are you suggesting that the guns used in the Olympics were developed independently from the guns used to kill things?

Guns are only designed to kill things.

Wow. Somebody should tell the olympics. It seems that they are not aware of this fact.

Many sports have moved to using either officially issued equipment or regulations on various attributes. No wing suits in ski jumping, for example.

http://www.olympic.org/ski-jumping-equipment-and-history?tab=equipment

The International Olympic Committee, of course.

and to who? I do think the IOC is being ridiculous in at least not investigating cheating just a wee bit further.

But normally, instead of just posting online, I do try to write a note to a senator, or a company, or a school. Even the IOC IOC's Sitemap page doesn't have a "feedback" link.

Suggestions?

When Australia hosted the Olympics I remember that amongst other legislation introduced, the army was now allowed to point and fire their weapons at Australian citizens with immunity to legal ramifications. The Olympic Charter was a farce leading up to this Olympics and China has made an absolute mockery of it. I truly pity England getting the Olympic games and will be looking at the changes to their legal framework with great interest.

I would have assumed that since French is the official language of the modern olympic games, they would have used that for the alphabetical ordering of the countries...

French is one of the official languages. According to the Olympic Charter, "The official languages of the IOC are French and English." But the convention apparently is to introduce countries in alphabetical order in the language of the host country.

http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_299.pdf

THEME 16: COMMUNICATIONS
AND MEDIA SERVICES
  Concept & Communication
The Beijing communications strategy is based on
a desire to provide greater opportunities for more
people to share the excitement of the Olympic
Games.
It was confirmed to the Commission that there
will be no restrictions on media reporting and
movement of journalists up to and including
the Olympic Games.

  Now let Coke, Samsung and Lenovo know you're not going to buy their stuff while they support the Olympics and you'll start being effective.

Lenovo may not give a damn, but Samsung and Coke aren't directly tied to China's teat. It's terrible PR to be tied to repression.
 

  Now let Coke, Samsung and Lenovo know you're not going to buy their stuff while they support the Olympics and you'll start being effective.

Lenovo may not give a damn, but Samsung and Coke aren't directly tied to China's teat. It's terrible PR to be tied to repression.
 

  Now let Coke, Samsung and Lenovo know you're not going to buy their stuff while they support the Olympics and you'll start being effective.

Lenovo may not give a damn, but Samsung and Coke aren't directly tied to China's teat. It's terrible PR to be tied to repression.
 

How the fuck did this get modded insightful?

Try reading the Olympic Charter - there are principles (idealistic perhaps) that everyone connected in any way to the Olympics has to agree to: "respect for universal fundamental ethical principles" ... "Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement."

The Olympics might not always live up to the ethical standards it sets itself, but trying to reduce it to the level of a consumerist spectacle displays a breathtaking level of malicious ignorance.

The only reason to keep Netscape alive is brand recognition. Look at how many websites are still "best viewed"/"tested" or have bookmark or printing directions for only Netscape and IE, or just haven't been updated to say anything different: NOAA, part of NASA, NIH sites, govts of Utah and Minnesota, the IOC, a Consumer Reports site and college after college after college. If people keep seeing these notices, especially on government sites, there's no way they'll switch to some "other" browser, and keeping Netscape as a brand will be worthwhile. I mean, do I really have to mention AOL?

I remember that they used to do Bell Rocket Belt demos on the road. I think Keds sneakers sponsored a tour in the 60's where the Keds Rocketman(?) would fly into baseball stadiums. If that was one guy he must have had quite the frequent flyer miles.

There was also a rocket belt fly in and landing at the opening ceremonies of the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. I remember watching the behind the scenes documentary where the manager told the costumed mascots that the rocket guy would be physically hot so they shouldn't try to touch him.

There was also a young guy interviewed on the radio long ago who claimed to have a company that was going to make commuting by rocket belt routine. He said you would land on the roof of your office. I knew then that you had like 90 seconds of fuel so you had to live pretty close to work. The guy was young and slick enough that he wasn't mere wacko. He was prolly fishing to fleece investors.

Bell had a famous demo film where it looks like the Bell rocket belt pilot is flying for as long as he wanted. He flies under a bridge dipping his feet into the water. They admitted later that they stitched together dozens of short flights to make the sequence.

The Walkman logo itself looks like what you get when you fill in the circles of the International Olympic Committee logo.

Dude. Miyamoto Musashi should sue the pants off these poseurs.

Well your source is obviously unreliable. Not everything that you find in the web is true. If you click on the link below you will clearly see that the olympic rings have been used as a flag in 1920, that is way before Hitler even made is first attempt to take over germany.
http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/innovations_u k.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1920
Oh and maybe another way to check facts is using google and cross check the results.
http://www.google.com/search?q=olympic+rings
Google is your friend, you know..

They are at the Olympic freakin' games! They should be lovin it. Why can't they catch the wave of human compassion, and let those corporations have a little fun, too?

Heck, if they are so opposed to a little increased mindshare, why don't they leave? They should just do it.

They shouldn't put up with being somewhere or doing something that doesn't make them happy. They should go everywhere they want to be, not where someone tells them to be. That way, they would be able to share moments. Share Life.

What do they want? To have it their way, right away?

Jeez

The Olympic Partner Programme (TOP)

Let's get Scrabble into Beijing 2008 and gnomedex 2004.
Dork-Jocks of the world - unite!

The Olympics stuff is new, and deserves topical reporting.

Really? I thought it was pretty old, but each to their own. I'd love to see how new you think this 'language stuff' is. :-)

Now if we can get them to use all that technolgy to broadcast the shooting sports. I'm getting a little tired of watching hours of Curling or rhythmic gymnastics.

Chip H.

We're arguing about the olympics here, anyone bothered to look up the IOC's definition of a sport? Maybe it would be a lot more productive than picking each dictionary's definition, since dictionaries have to follow usage, and don't necessarily carry formal distinctions.

according to http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_122.pd f
Math and Chess could theoretically be accepted as disciplines, since events mention performance, as ranked between individuals, and discriminate against mechanical propulsion not against non-physical activity(which is good, since pistol shooting mostly involves standing still, among other Olympic Sports)

There remains the non-techie idea idea that Chess and Math are competitive disciplines, but not sports, since the laws of physics, which affect the results of all the other sports, don't affect the results of Math or Chess. Let me clarify:
If I submit a proof, and you submit a proof, the proof is correct or not correct, the wind blowing over our heads will not affect it, your weight will not affect it, your physical state will have the barest influence possible on the proof you present.

Now this just may be a prejudice, but most sports involve bettering your body, and any mental improvement in coincidental, while Math and Chess improve your mind, and any body improvement is either coincidental, or of little impact to the practice of the discipline.

Since Math and Chess have so little in common with sports, we need to classify them as something other than sports. I propose Mental Disciplines.

We can certainly lobby for Mental Disciplines to be included in some future Olympics, but let's keep things clear until we do.

Remember when you were a kid and there was stuff named [something] Olympics (no not Special Olympics)
Then they came and sued everyone to make them rename their organizations...
Ah, simpler times, back when I used to watch WWF.

Guns are /designed/ to kill.

Not necessarily. Several of mine are /designed/ to punch holes in paper at long range with phenomenal accuracy; chambered for .22 rimfire, they lack the power to be even remotely effective for killing anything larger than, say, a rabbit; furthermore, their construction (polished, carefully crafted wooden stocks, and polished, blued barrels) make them poorly suited for hunting purposes, which, as we've already established, is the only way they'd be effective in killing; these guns are /designed/ for target shooting (which, last I checked, is an Olympic sport; given that today is Superbowl Sunday, I think it bears reminder that (American) football isn't). I have shotguns of similar construction, very beautiful pieces of steel and walnut that would quickly rust or be damaged if taken hunting under less-than-ideal conditions (i.e. most hunting trips); they make great trap and skeet guns, though (which are also Olympic sports). Ditto with pistols; I've shot some that, while originally designed for military use (Colt 1911-framed .45 automatics), are so heavily modified that they are wholly unsuitable for carry; large scopes, extremely light triggers, added weight, and the like. Fine pistols for competition shooting, though. Guess what? Olympic sport (note: that link takes you to the list of Olympic shooting sports).

So no, I don't have to admit that guns are designed to kill. Some are, yes, but in reality, all guns are designed merely to deliver one or more projectiles to a target located some variable distance away in a predictable manner, and deliver energy to that target. How much energy and the choice of target are the questions; the amount of energy is determined by the designer when he writes the specifications (and also the shooter, when he chooses the caliber), and the choice of target is entirely up to the shooter. Blades are designed to separate one object into two or more; I haven't heard people call for knife or axe control laws, though.

I could tell you that guns kill people and animals, and that's what they're designed for.

No. Guns are tools designed to throw a projectile(s) accurately to the point you aim at. If your target is people or animals, the projectile may cause fatal wounds. It's only a consequence from your action.

Many guns are used to punch holes on paper. If you don't believe me check this site.

Perhaps 20,000 people in any given year die to "gun violence," ...

If act of suicide is considered "violence," then 30,000 is more accurate. But excluding suicide and accidental deaths, the number will decrease below 20,000, close to 10,000 in recent years. About 50% of gun deaths are due to suicide. Can you blame guns for 15,000-20,000/year of suicidal deaths?

Guns are tools. In your justice, you can blame a Makita saw for cutting your finger off. Sorry, I don't believe it.

Uh, people....

That's the IOC Medical Congress, not the Congress of the United States.

Go here to learn more.

They don't pass laws or do anything else that is going to ever affect your personal life. All they do write rules about drugs and medical practice for the IOC .

The Anti-Doping rules are their doing, and they make changes to them all the time.

Look at it this way. There are several different sports already competing for the word "football" (and most of them are not soccer!) It is quite confusing to try and also call soccer "football".

In contrast, there is only one soccer, so why not call it that?

In Italy, the game is known as "calcio". In Argentina they call it "pellota", AFAIK. In the US/Canada it is called "soccer". Fine, different countries, different names. Internationally, however, the game is known as football. It has been like this for much more than a century.

It is olympic sport and the name they use is, of course, football, not soccer:

The Olympic Committee

Get in touch with the Athens Olympic Committee or the company doing the IT for the next few games, SchlumbergerSema. The pay may not be great and you'll probably work your ass off while you're there, but you'll meet more people from all over the world than you could ever imagine. If you do it right, it's easy to set yourself up to work for future Olympics as well. After Athens, the next games are in Turin, Italy (2006) and Beijing, China (2008). I worked in IT for the Salt Lake games and I wouldn't trade that experience for the world. In fact, had I not decided to stay in the states to finish my CS degree, I would have moved on myself.

would like to see the IOC take over. They are an .org and they love controversies!!!

As for why the IOC is protecting their clients (the stations that buy rights) check out the income they get,
BROADCAST RIGHTS FACTS AND FIGURES 738 million for Salt Lake, 1.3 billion for Sydney, and projected 832 million for Torino with 1.5 billion for Athens

Hmm.

The IOC bans websites from using or showing video clips, the story hits Slashdot and now free-speach advocates are getting crazy shouting that it's an infrigment of their Nature-given right to watch an event which is, by the way, international.

You know what happens next - kids with video capture cards start recording every bit of Olympic activity they can, "DivX ;-)" it and send it out on Napster and Gnutella. Oh, and don't forget those that will create hexadecimal dumps of the movies' content in text and print those on t-shirt with "The IOC can suck my dI0Ck" on the back.

C'mon, it' s pretty obvious that the IOC has learned a less on from the De-CSS episode and is seeking to improve the rating for a pretty much dying event.

I can see it already: thousands of kiddies all watching Curling just to see what the fuss is all about.

Not bad, IOC. Not bad.

[Check out this other Jesus-powered IOC]

Greg

OK, so here's some IOC US Members Addresses.
If you're displeased enough to actually write
a physical letter, and able to be articulate,
maybe you should use these. Please folks, don't
turn the flame level up high unless you do it
subtly. And nothing so immature as hacking or
death threats, please.

Oh. International slashdot readership. Haven't forgotten you, but I can't duplicate the whole list. Find it here.
---------------------------------
James L. Easton

7855 Haskell Avenue, Suite 202
Van Nuys CA 91406-1999
USA
---------------------------------
Anita L. DeFrantz
c/ o Amateur Athletic Foundation
2141 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles California 90018
United States of America.
---------------------------------
Robert Ctvrtlik is a US IOC rep, but
doesn't have an address listed.

First, let me say that I don't agree with the IOC position. I feel that their restrictions on the athletes are unfair, and their fears unfounded. However, before we all start accusing them of being evil, it may help to know where all that money is going. According to the IOC, less than 7% of revenue is used for operating costs. The rest of the money goes to cover the organization of the games(OCOG), the NOC, which helps fund the training equipment for athletes...especially in countries that can't afford it, and sport organizations. So, before we jump on the IOC for being evil, wouldn't it help to know where that money actually goes?

First, let me say that I don't agree with the IOC position. I feel that their restrictions on the athletes are unfair, and their fears unfounded. However, before we all start accusing them of being evil, it may help to know where all that money is going. According to the IOC, less than 7% of revenue is used for operating costs. The rest of the money goes to cover the organization of the games(OCOG), the NOC, which helps fund the training equipment for athletes...especially in countries that can't afford it, and sport organizations. So, before we jump on the IOC for being evil, wouldn't it help to know where that money actually goes?

"This is clearly wrong. We are going to continue going after these cybersquatters for three main reasons," Mr. Pound added. "One, we don't want people making profit from Olympic trademarks that does not get returned to the athletes in some way. Two, we don't want consumers duped into purchasing items they think are Olympic-related when they are not. Three, we need to protect the values of the Olympic Movement against uses out there that are clearly illicit."