Is it surprising that the 2004 Athens Paralympic games aren't covered by anyone? It's sort of a non-event, which is sad, considering the amazing efforts disabled athletes have to make to participate in sports. But here are a few blogs covering the Paralympic games, ending Sept. 28. Est-ce surprenant que les Jeux Paralympiques d'Athènes ne soient couverts par personne? C'est une espèce de non-événement, ce qui est triste compte-tenu des efforts que doivent fournir des athlètes handicappés pour participer à quelque sport que ce soit. Mais voici quelques blogues qui couvrent les Jeux Paralympiques, qui se terminent le 28 septembre.

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"Approximately 4,000 athletes from 143 nations will travel to Greece to show the world what they are capable of achieving - representing their countries in 19 Paralympic sports" announces the International Paralympic Committee. More news on the BBC website.

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During the Olympics, Google posted a different doodle each day. Here are all 14 of them:

Aug. 29 - The end of the 2004 Athens Olympics - Google

Here is the updated list, as of Aug. 28, of 2004 Olympic blogs in alphabetical order... 27, 28, 29, 33, 38, 39, 40, 46, 52, 53, 55, 58, 59, 63, 64, 67, 71, 75, 79, 81, 82, 85, 86, 91 and counting! Voici la liste mise à jour, en date du 28 août, des blogues olympiques en ordre alphabétique... Pour l'instant, il y en a 27, 28, 29, 33, 38, 39, 40, 46, 52, 53, 55, 58, 59, 63, 64, 67, 71, 75, 79, 81, 82, 85, 86, 91 !

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Tired of watching the same old sports? Are you yawning in front of your TV?

Prison High Jump

Olympic Judo and Chainsaw Fencing

RWB just gave a gold medal to China for human rights violations. China's repression of dissidents, including journalists and cyber-dissidents, has not let up during these games. The People's Republic of China is the world's biggest prison for the press. Twenty-seven journalists and more than 60 Internet users are detained for crimes of opinion.

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From Philippe Roy (Aug. 16 entry), an account of some troubling events in Athens, that were rarely picked-up by big news networks... * [The day before the opening ceremony] in Athens, 20 women gathered on a rooftop to stage a silent protest organized by the Play Fair at the Olympics campaign. This 'sew-in' featured 'faceless' (actually, masked) activists, operating sewing machines against the backdrop of the Acropolis. The action was staged in order to highlight the appalling working conditions experienced by hundreds of thousands of workers in the sportswear industry. * Thousands of hotel workers in Athens staged a one-day strike last week. The workers were demanding a doubling of their basic pay, which is currently 650 euros a month. According to the union, the only offer from the hotel owners amounts to an increase of less than one euro per day. * In the feverish run-up to the opening, with construction crews working round-the-clock, 13 workers were killed on the job. Some groups, including Amnesty International, place the death toll even higher. A ceremony in Athens this week honored those whose lives were lost. The rest is at Labourstart - Olympics

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From Wired, "The International Olympic Committee is barring competitors, as well as coaches, support personnel and other officials, from writing firsthand accounts for news and other websites. An exception is if an athlete has a personal website that was not set up specifically for the Games. The IOC's rationale for the restrictions is that athletes and their coaches should not serve as journalists -- and that the interests of broadcast rightsholders and accredited media come first."

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Photon Research Associates in cooperation with Skyline Software Systems, i-cubed and LeadDog Consulting have created a web-based interactive 3D 'fly-through' of Athens Greece. You can visit specific venues or follow one of the predefined routes through the city. The visual terrain data set includes DigitalGlobe 60 centimeter imagery processed by i-cubed, a 25 meter digital elevation model based on ASTER imagery from i-cubed, and vectors extracted by LeadDog.

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Sports Illustrated will shoot 100 percent digitally and employ a 100 percent all-digital, a stark contrast to the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City where only five percent of SI's photos were shot digitally and 95 percent were shot using traditional film.

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We shouldn't be surprised to read that: the Olympics are a two-week long, alcohol-fuelled fuckfest for athletes — especially those who’ve been eliminated or who’ve finished early and have nothing left to do... Go read the rest of Olympic bacchanale, it gives a whole new meaning to the Olympic dream! :-)

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No medals for the Canadian Olympic team in Athens yet... Apparently, this guy is still hoping! :-)

© Reuters via Yahoo!

You can now post a real-time Medal Table of the Top 10 medal winning countries at the Athens Olympic Games then by simply adding a small piece of code to your website. Here's what you'll get:

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Du Li, a Chinese athlete, won the women's 10 meter air rifle final in Athens, August 14, 2004.

© Yahoo

... for Martina Navratilova, who's participating in her first Olympics at 47. "It's unbelievable to have someone, excuse me Martina, at her age with such enthusiasm. It's fantastic," said US team coach Zina Garrison on Thursday. Navratilova, seated next to Garrison, burst out laughing. [...] Navratilova, here to play doubles with Lisa Raymond, says that as she gets older the pleasure of playing is what drives her on. "I play because I love the game. You play like when you were five or six, you play for fun." She missed the 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics for a variety of reasons - burn-out, contractual commitments and retirement. And she sees no contest between the Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympics. "As a worldwide sport tennis very much belongs in the Olympics," she said. I wish her all the best... and a medal!

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RealNetworks is offering free access to its Rhapsody Internet jukebox service and music playlists from more than 250 U.S. athletes.

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One day left until the opening ceremonies in Athens! Here is an ad, for Absolut vodka, entitled Absolut Athens...

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I've just created two temporary categories (until the end of September, after the end of the Paralympic Games): one in English, Olympic Games 2004 and its counterpart in French, Jeux Olympiques 2004.

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From August 3-31, the Monday through Saturday issues of The Times will be printed digitally in Athens, Greece. The entire Sunday newspaper will be flown in to Athens from the U.S. and available for sale the following Monday. The Times will be distributed throughout the city, the Olympic Village and media centers, and to major hotels by 11 a.m. local time (4 a.m. E.D.T.).

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World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) members, International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials and others think that genetic doping looms.

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Did you know that the official Olympic Games emblem was created by Michel Vermeulen, a Quebecer?

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With 9 days to go before the beginning of Athens Olympic games, here is a first list of blogs entirely devoted to the event:

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Kodak's involvement with the Games began with the first modern Olympiad in Athens in 1896. In 1924, at the Paris Games, Kodak supplied film to professional photographers for the first time. In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, Kodak introduced new technologies and innovations at the Games, including digital cameras, the Kodak Picture Maker, the Kodak Sticker Print Kiosk and many new professional and consumer films. In Athens, The Kodak Image Center, an 18,000 square-foot facility within the Main Press Center, will provide traditional film and digital photographic products and services to accredited professional photographers. Kodak will digitize 100% of the estimated 3 million images. Kodak will also provide photojournalists with on-site image-rich publishing, producing postcards and poster-sized prints of key images for display purposes. Kodak will publish daily newsletters, invitations, and daily event guides for sponsors.

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