Beijing Welcomes Few

In a few hours, the XXIV Winter Olympic Games officially open in Beijing. 

I hope it is a great success, and suspect it will be on several fronts, though its high points will likely be drowned out by an array of tethered topics in the news.

One perplexing topic is Russia's president attending the Opening Ceremony at which his nation's athletes may only compete under the Olympic Committee (ROC) banner. 

Maybe if viewers look closely enough they'll see the testicles or spines of various IOC members (opting not to enforce doping-related bans nor acknowledge human rights issues during host nation selection) in the back pockets or VIP gift bags of Vladimir Putin and PRC President Xi Jinping. 

Of the two cities that presented final bids to the IOC, my vote was for Almaty. How cool it would have been -- very nice! -- to visit a new corner of the world, Kazakhstan. I'd like to think some of the recent protests in that nation preventable had the city been on its home stretch in Games preparation. 

I was also passionate about Munich's potential bid -- converted briefly from their failed 2018 quest -- regrettably withdrawn after close municipal votes showed lack of Bavarian public support due to soaring costs of hosting. 

Boo, Bavarians!

Even on the July 2015 day with Beijing secured the Games, my thought was, "Meh, potentially one Games to skip." Working and residing in China for a month in 2008 was enough for this lifetime, it then seemed.

But I started warming up to the 2022 Games after seeing some of the new venues, notably The Ice Ribbon speed skating oval (left) and the ski jump complex. It's also good to see the iconic Bird's Nest and Water Cube (now Ice Cube) getting more use as both structures are spectacular. The mascot Bing Dwen Dwen makes me smile, as did the abbreviated Olympic Torch Relay underway for just three days. 

It also made me grin to receive a Beijing Olympic media accreditation last month. Unfortunately, limited and over-priced seats on the small batches of international charter flights to China -- combined with my current client responsibilities and the nebulous complexities of the COVID clearances to get inside the Olympic bubble -- led me to stay put in Atlanta. Kudos and best wishes to the team from Keep The Flame Alive podcast for successfully navigating the system and making it to China!

Breathing easy without the stresses of travel, designing a new blog pin (at right) for this Olympiad proved relaxing and fun. 

And it's exciting to see several athletes getting their shot at Olympic glory. After her successful gold mining in PyeongChang, I enjoyed an opportunity to ask Mikaela Shiffrin her goals on her journey to Beijing. Can hardly wait to see her successes at her third Games. 

It will be fun to see what other surprises emerge from Beijing. Predictions: Sarah Brightman performs at the Opening or Closing (as in 2008); the final torchbearer will be a child (or group of kids) or a robot; and we'll all learn some new sports-centric vocabulary akin to "the twisties" of Tokyo. 

We can also look forward and continue counting the days to Milano-Cortina 2026!

Image credits: Beijing 2022's Instagram; AFP and EPA from this site.

"The Snakehead"

Driving home this evening, it hit me that this Saturday, 08-08-09 marks just one year since the 2008 Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony. Whew! What a year!

And during the drive home, on the NPR and WHYY program "Fresh Air With Terry Gross" (aired in Atlanta on WABE-FM) the program featured an interview with Patrick Radden Keefe, author of a new book titled "The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream."

The text is centered around an entrepreneurial woman who made millions smuggling people into the U.S. during the 1980s and 1990s. My interest was piqued while listening, and will have to check it out soon.

Meanwhile, the AFP today ran an update on the Beijing Olympic venues and how they are being put to use (or not) in the 2008 Olympic city.

I think the one-year mark is premature to nickname the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium a "white elephant." It is going to take time to determine the right mix of events to host there, but eventually these decisions will be made and the stadium will be put to good use.

For comparison, look at the 1972 Munich Olympic stadium, the architectural wonder of its time (and of all time). This time next week, I aim to tour this 37 year old stadium, which now features a rooftop walking tour, a regular mix of sport and cultural events and other gatherings (in two weeks, Madonna will perform there -- perhaps she may add Beijing to the tour schedule).


Book image via www.patrickraddenkeefe.com.

IOC Member Anita DeFrantz & Olympic Villages

Since the 1996 Olympic Games, I've crossed paths with International Olympic Committee Member Anita DeFrantz a few times: During the Atlanta Games and their "one year later" celebrations, at Olympic media events, USOC or Olympic bid functions and most recently at the LA84 XXV celebration in Los Angeles.

DeFrantz shared a few minutes to describe her part in shaping the Olympic Villages of the LA Games (see video), and some of her remarks in California relate back to her answers at an Around The Rings Newsmaker Breakfast event in Beijing last summer (also on the video) held at the McDonald's on the Olympic Green.

During the Q&A with Around The Rings publisher Ed Hula and U.S. Olympians chief Willie Banks (a three-time Olympian and part of the Atlanta Olympic Village leadership team), DeFrantz answered questions about how each Olympic organizing committee can succeed by creating a pro-athlete environment at their Olympic Villages and venues.

Her work on the Villages for 1984 definitely remains part of the Olympic Village experience for each Games since.

Headshot photo via International Olympic Committee / Olympics.org bio for Anita DeFrantz

Dara Torres Hits Jimmy Carter (Library and Museum)

A couple of weeks back, while surfing the Atlanta Journal-Constitution event calendar, it was fun to discover that five-time Olympian Dara Torres is visiting our fair city -- specifically The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum -- to showcase her new post-Beijing-penned book "Age Is Just A Number -- Achieve Your Dreams at Any Stage in Your Life" published by Broadway Books.

If you are in town on Wednesday evening, Torres will take questions and sign copies on site during the evening event.

So far, there was only time in my calendar to read the first couple of chapters of "Age Is Just A Number," but I'm liking what was written so far.

It's been fun to get the back story on some of Torres' prep for her final races in China, especially since my own Beijing experiences at the swimming venue included spotting Torres behind-the-scenes at The Water Cube during part of the training routine -- on-table stretches with her trainer -- described on the early pages of her book:

"... My plan for the remaining two hours before my race was to have my stretchers, Anne and Steve, mash -- or massage -- me with their feet, then swim again, then have Anne and Steve stretch me, and the put on the bottom half of my racing suit, with plenty of time remaining to lie on a massage table in the team area and listen to a bunch of rockers half my age sing a song called 'Kick Some Ass.' The mashing and the stretching were critical to my performance. All the other kids in the Olympics might have thought they could do their best by just swimming a little warm-up, pinwheeling their arms a few times and diving in. But not me. I was the same age as a lot of those athletes' mothers. Michael Phelps hand started calling me 'Mom" eight years earlier. I needed every advantage."

-- Dara Torres with Elizabeth Weil

"Age Is Just A Number" Prologue

I can't wait to speak with Torres about her Olympic experiences, and later this week will be sure to post video from The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum event experience.

In the meantime, enjoy the photos and video with this post, featuring Torres "mashing and stretching" with trainers (Anne and Steve?) in the "mixed zone" of The Water Cube (an area between the main pool and training pool where credentialed Olympic Family members could meet aquatics athletes during or after competition).

High Phlying, Adored

High flying, adored
What happens now,
where do you go from here?
For someone on top of the world
The view is not exactly clear

-- Tim Rice for the "Evita"
duet titled "High Flying, Adored"

It has not been long since posting the two-part series and videos about my colleague, friend and I racing across Beijing to see Michael Phelps' historic eighth victory race at the Water Cube in China.

Methinks this week's headlines about USA Swimming's golden child may have young Mr. Phelps racing to find P.R. counsel somewhere out there (so far he seems to have savvy response to the situation).

With tonight's CNN-posted report on the latest on this "very important story," it's clear now that two big camps are set on the Phelps photo phrenzy.

On one side, you have the "he made a mistake, he's sorry, move on" group -- this side includes the initial comments of the International Olympic Committee, U.S. Olympic Committee, a couple of sponsors and others who see Phelps' transgressions as "no big deal."

On the other side, you have some law enforcement guy who seems eager to take a stand (er, a microphone), and USA Swimming contributing a verse with a short-term official reprimand. One sponsor today made known their intention to join the "Phelps blew it and needs to pay with harsh lessons" end of the spectrum (I love how the Kellogg's website still has a Phelps poster offer online -- but I have the clock running and taking bets it won't be there much longer after they read this post).

The way I see it, since Phelps' actions did not cause any physical injury to himself nor others, and since he did not drive while under the influence, then a "no harm, no foul" attitude should apply. Let it go. Move on. Etc.

Should the South Carolina law enforcement eager beaver(s) pursue this Phelps case any further?

My answer is NO! ABSOLUTELY NO!

My thought here is that there are likely much bigger crimes and "bad guys" in the region where Phelps' bong photo was snapped, and these bigger crimes -- like drunk driving, burglaries, robberies, prostitution and the like -- should be pursued rather than milking the Phelps phfiasco.


Is anyone with that Carolina sheriff or prosecutor's office trying to go after the drug DEALERS in their community?

Paraphrasing coaches of a few Olympic team events, the instruction to "keep your eye on the ball, guys" somewhat applies.

As for CNN, I would like to see them stop reporting celebrity drivel and START reporting on real news items like the Bush-initiated $592 million U.S. Embassy (my nickname for it: the "abomination") that I suspect is one of the true reasons our nation cannot pull out of the Republic of Iraq (would you pull up stakes after investing $592 million in a new building -- the same price as a decent Olympic Stadium or the same price as thousands of improved schools and hospitals stateside?).

But don't get me started.

And as for Phelps, I look forward to the potential of a "natural high" that may come from witnessing him swimming again at London 2012.

Coke Is It!

For one of my early posts, the topic of The Coca-Cola Company and its longstanding support of the Olympic Movement was briefly detailed. In the months since that post, several new Coca-Cola Olympic experiences came into view both in Beijing and stateside.

It came as no surprise, Coke's pavilion on the Olympic Green was magnificent. Luck and timing took me to the site on three occasions during the Games.

First, our crew for B.C. Canada Pavilion visited Coke Olympic Central with the Premier of British Columbia (a VIP guest early during the Games). This afforded a few of us the opportunity to pose with a Beijing Olympic Torch at a photo- or postcard-ready window looking out to the Bird's Nest.

A few nights later, en route to retrieve photos taken on site (a generous gift for visitors to that makeshift photo-opp-spot), I ran into several Atlanta-based reporters in China to cover the Games, including Jennifer Brett from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and a crew from WXIA-TV, Atlanta's NBC affiliate. They were wrapping up reports from a Coke-hosted evening media event at which I learned about a special film project of Coca-Cola.

I was also slated to visit the Coke pavilion -- which will become a new World of Coca-Cola Museum for China (like the original in Atlanta) -- for a media event involving VIP Olympic Family members chosen for a special award presented to them by Coca-Cola (unfortunately, my arrival was late due to taxi snafu, but the venue staff gave me a refreshing beverage in spite of my tardiness). Of all the grand pavilions on the Olympic Green, the Coca-Cola experience was in the tops list (right up there with GE and Johnson & Johnson, two clients of the p.r. firm where I work).

Back in Atlanta a few weeks ago, The Coca-Cola Company's senior manager of marketing communications, Petro, shared the stage with other Olympic sponsor representatives at the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Georgia Chapter luncheon on Olympic P.R. His presentation filled in a few blanks on how Coca-Cola executed some of their highly visible Olympic activities -- such as the Torch Relay and pin trading centers -- before and during the Beijing experience. We learned the company brought several employees to Beijing, and in spite of many challenges they apparently generated gazillions of media "hits" that were 96 percent positive. I was glad to learn of their commitment to the Games extended to at least 2020.

Coke also hosted a recent photo opp at the Atlanta World of Coca-Cola destination during which IOC Member and pole vaulting gold medalist Sergey Bubka joined Coke's archivist to install an official Beijing Torch into their vast collection of Olympic memorabilia (thanks, Petro, for the photo with this post).

All this Coke Olympic activity serves as a reminder of one of my earliest exposures to the public relations industry.

During the summer of 1993, while volunteering at the U.S. Olympic Festival in San Antonio, Texas, I spent two of the hottest summer weeks ever as a driver on the Festival's Texas Torch Relay around the city. On our last day of the relay, the crew chief assigned the primo driving assignment -- lead car ... a convertible -- as the team hosted three VIP guests from The Coca-Cola Company who were visiting as observers of the Torch Relay process (and more specifically how media were part of this Olympic Movement public relations tradition started in 1936).

Spending the day visiting with those Coke P.R. executives in the car convinced me to take a closer look at the P.R. track at college (to that point, I was undecided between newspaper journalism and P.R. -- thanks, Joan, Carlton and the other guest whose name escapes me while typing this post). And many of the elements they observed later became part of Coke's participation in the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay from L.A. to Atlanta.

I'll be sure to keep drinking in Coke's many Olympic touch points -- can hardly wait to see what they unfold for Vancouver, London, Sochi and beyond.

Red Dawn

A wonderful surprise was in my mailbox last night. Right behind my 401K $tatement was this week's New Yorker, with their best cover art since Javier Mariscal put the Barcelona Olympic mascot, Cobi, in a convertible driving along the Pacific Coast Highway (sometime in the 1990s).

“Red Death on Wall Street” by Robert Risko is just hilarious to me. Although the upended world economy is no laughing matter, something about the cover artwork tickled me (at least to smile for a few minutes before opening that 401K envelope). Maybe it's the bleeding eye sockets in crimson ink, or the pinstripe suits. Or the clinched fists and expressions that seem to scream out, "Noooooooo!"

Earlier this year, the magazine also had some outstanding features on the Beijing Games, including an online audio report featuring architecture critic Paul Goldberger (fantastic!). The New Yorker also has some interesting archives from Olympic reports all the way back to London in 1948.

Phelps Phans, part one

During the first few days of the Beijing Games, tickets were really, really tough to score. Everything was officially "sold out" and even Ebay had a scarce supply (and the few tickets there had hefty prices). Well in advance of heading to China, I did invest more than $150 to experience the women's beach volleyball gold medal game (an event my good friend, Brian, and I attended at Athens in 2004).

But as I mentioned in the post for Sunday, Aug. 10 (archived here with Annie Lennox's famed Eurhythmics photo), a special ticket source entered our Olympic world at just the right place and time.

Now that all is said and done, there's no longer a need to keep it a secret.

The ticket source we (and eventually many others) found was in Novotel (the hotel where I stayed the first three nights in Beijing -- across the street from our B.C. Canada Pavilion team corporate apartment/hotel, Lee Gardens). Co-Sport had a special office there, and for the first five or six days of the Games, few people seemed to know of its existence (which helped me help more than a few friends to get some primo tickets). A colleague told me a reporter friend from Canada was trying to help the family of an Olympian who had been scammed by the online ticket fraud that made headlines, and we helped that reporter to get some tickets in that family's deserving hands.

Tickets, tickets, tickets. If I had 20 hours a day to deal in tickets, I'd be a rich man about now. But we had many official duties to tend to that first week of the Games. So I limited my purchases only to friends in need, as well as to score a few cake seats at evening events inside the magnificent Water Cube. It was a morning ritual that first week -- get up, get coffee, get breakfast (at Novotel's Western food buffet, my saviour), then get tickets -- all by 8:45.

Who knew the special ticket source would come through when it mattered most?

They sure did.

The night of August 16, my colleague/roommate Paul, and newly arriving to Beijing friend Brian, and I each closed out the evening (and Paul's last night in China) with dinner and drinks. I think Paul's expectation for the following morning (Aug. 17) was that he would pack for the flight back to Canada at a leisurely pace, do some last minute shopping, and head to the airport.

Brian's plan for Aug. 17 included an attempt to hit a few late morning events, or something along those lines. Or hit the pin trading circuit. A calm morning.

My plan: Score a ticket (one ticket) for Michael Phelps' final race. The big race. Numero Ocho -- Lucky Race Eight.

On the morning of August 17, I was up at 5:30, showered, and first in line at Co-Sport's temporary office. I read a few newspapers, drank juice and canned Nescafe coffee, and cleaned up my FlipCam and digital camera files while patiently waiting for the office to open at 8:30 a.m. Made new friends of a couple of former California cops, the first duo to join me in line (they arrived at 7:30-ish). By 8 a.m., the line was several dozen people deep and out to the hotel lobby -- the word was definitely 'out there' on the recently unknown ticket source.

The early bird gets the worm. This early bird got one-two-three -- that's THREE -- tickets to Phelps 11 a.m. race!

I don't know whether the former cops got the other (last two) tickets I left behind, because in spite of my newly emptied wallet, I was beaming and flying out of that office to get to Paul and Brian with the good news!

Back at the apartment, Paul was speechless. So much for shopping.

Brian, by phone, I think was hyperventilating. So much for pin trading.

It was SO ... ON! We were going to see the GREATEST OLYMPIAN of ALL TIME swim in his final Beijing race!

We calmly and collectively agreed to meet in the lobby of Lee Gardens for a 9:30 a.m. taxi ride to the Olympic Green. We figured this gave us time to spare -- arrive at the Water Cube security entrance around 9:50 a.m., in advance of the 10 a.m. session start time (which we later learned included Dara Torres in her final race as well).

9:15 -- Nick completes post ticket purchase shower and shave. Check.
9:20 -- Paul completes packing. Check.
9:25 -- Brian arrives from morning walk from his hotel. Check.
9:28 -- Bellman hails taxi. Check.

We are Water Cube bound! No traffic! The sun is shining! It is our LUCKY DAY!

Even the Chinese-speaking taxi driver, upon learning of our destination and seeing our tickets, made a huge "LUCKY EIGHT" figure eight on the dashboard! He was beaming. We were beside ourselves at our good fortune.

And then the radio reminded us ... women's marathon ... just started ... route ends at Bird's Nest (next door to Water Cube) ... roads are ... OPEN! We were sailing toward our destination. Traffic never was so easy. We toasted our good fortune with a round of Nescafe canned coffee. TO THE WATER CUBE!

And with the Water Cube in sight, just one exit away from the 10-lane expressway, everything stopped. Well, at least every car -- including our taxi, ground to a halt.

To be continued ...

(PS: The photos with this particular post, and the video, are from Aug. 14 and Aug. 15 visits to The Cube -- Phelps photos and video to follow next post)

Baseball Cliffhanger Part Two

Before getting into the tales of Phelps, monsoon beach volleyball, the Olympic torch auction and seeing the closing ceremony for free (coming soon), first some unfinished business: resolution of the "baseball cliffhanger" post of last week.

As noted on previous entry, my colleague Paul and I were able to attend the Canada versus China baseball game early during the Olympic adventure. During the sixth inning or so, Canada was up 5-0 and we were thinking of heading back to the B.C. Canada Pavilion, so I offered my Flip Camera to Paul so he could shoot a quick flick for his kids back in Vancouver.

Paul started filming behind first base, when we heard the crack of the back (slightly audible on the video). I started hollering that the fly foul was heading our way, and uncanny luck dropped the ball two seats to Paul's left (the ball is also visible in the air for a split second of the video).

That Beijing Olympic logo-clad baseball bounced across Paul's lap and INTO MY EDELMAN COMPUTER BAG!!!

I screamed "WE GOT IT!" because I really thought we got it.

But we did not get it.

Withing milliseconds of the ball's freak arrival in by bag, dozens of Chinese baseball fans in our section dove over, under, across and into my seat! The video does not reveal the panic we all faced trying to retrieve the baseball. Dozens of arms and hands and fingers were all over that bag with a lot of Chinese people yelling and Paul and my frustration voiced as well.

In hindsight, the scene of Danny DeVito in "Romancing the Stone" (reflecting on having 'the stone' in his grasp for a few seconds) comes to mind when reflecting on the incident.

Paul and I were denied the keepsake baseball. One of our neighboring seatmates snatched it. I felt lucky that my laptop, Ziplock-bag-o-pins, and other valuables from inside the laptop case did not get snatched as well! The jumbotron displayed the new owner screaming and jumping, with Paul and I frowning in disbelief, only unable to repeat our pleas "Canada! Canada!" (I guess we thought they would feel sorry for us and give it back as visitors in their midst.)

We begged, attempted bribes of pins and cash -- a LOT of cash -- and I think even an offer of another coveted Olympic event ticket, all in vain to get the baseball back in our hands, to no avail. Fortunately the guy who grabbed it did reluctantly agree to let us pose for photos and another video with the ball.

Paul summed up the situation later in the day in response to my comparing the moment to the Cubs baseball game scene with a pop fly foul into the stands.

"That baseball coming to us was just like 'Ferris Beuller's Day Off,'" I said.

"No it wasn't, Nick ... because they freakin' caught it [in the movie]!" said Paul.

So, somewhere in China, there is a trophy case or mantle display with "the ball" that was wrestled from our possession. And I expect there is a blog entry -- in Chinese -- for its new owner somewhere out there. And all the Olympic pins in the world could not be traded for it.

Beijing Blogging Blues

Oh, man. Blogging at the Olympics is tough business.

First there are work duties, which were vast (in addition to the B.C. Canada Pavilion's second week at the Games, assignments came in from one other client pavilion as well as another client who arrived for the Closing Ceremony weekend).

Then off-the-clock there are ticketed events, unexpected opportunities, spontaneous pin trades, transportation timing and challenges, new and old friend visits and other 'distractions' with which to contend. By the time you're back at home for the night, it's time to crash and gear up for the next day's adventures (sadly, blogging is not on the brain, though there are countless stories perfect for sharing).

Excuses aside: I'm now back from Beijing, following a 23-hour commute that included four-airports/flights, four overweight suitcases ($130 fees to transport hundreds of pounds of Olympic loot), and some of the worst airline food available (the prize goes to the Tokyo McDonald's so-called bacon cheeseburger, though they do deserve props for accepting the last of my China yuan AND a few U.S. dollars as payment).

It's Friday morning and my rear end is planted at my favorite Milwaukee Hotel (the historic Ambassador Hotel near downtown and Marquette University) and their awesome Deco Caffe. I have a six-pack of 10 oz. Coca-Cola bottles and plenty of wireless and laptop battery, so the blogging about Beijing resumes now. Sorry to leave everyone for my last week in China -- the 2008 Olympics will be very tough to top, and the next few entries/topics will explain exactly why.

Here Comes The Rain Again

Breakfast at Novotel (across the street from our apartment at Lee Gardens), a first for Beijing since my first morning in town: Rain!

It poured buckets for a few minutes, and now is a steady drizzle. It's a welcome cooler morning and I'm humming one of my favorite Eurythmics tunes.

Something else cool: My first ticket to an event! Some Olympic volunteers in the hotel after breakfast were giggling about an item that was handed to them before I walked up to get a map. Some nice person had just handed them a stack of gymnastics tickets for this afternoon! Two pins and about $25 (180 yuan) later, I emerged from the hotel with a cake event ticket (these babies are selling for more than $1,000 on eBay)!

Now before everyone starts giving me hard time for scamming these local volunteers, please note I did not take them for a ride. Rather, they kindly directed me to a ticket office near the hotel and that is where the purchase took place. I gave two pins to the helpful volunteers as a Xie Xie (shay-shay = thank you), and will blog about the women's gymnastics hall later.

Man, I love the Olympics!

Condolences

We heard later in the afternoon that there was an incident involving U.S. tourists at one of Beijing's landmark tourist sites. It was only late tonight it crossed the wire that the family injured in the attack was the Bachman family of Minneapolis.

During my days at the Minnesota State University at Mankato, I held many temp jobs, including several Christmas and Valentine's Day holiday shifts at the garden center and floral superstore known as the Bachman's headquarters, located just south of downtown Minneapolis and Uptown neighborhoods. The family has a long history in Minnesota and, as I recall, the company usually is called on to decorate the White House with poinsettias from the Twin Cities (one year while temping on December break, we loaded one of the trucks bound for D.C.).

Though there was never an occasion to meet the Bachman owners personally, I always appreciated this family-owned business for bringing me into their holiday projects and team, and send sincere condolences.

It is SO --- ON!

A note to London: GOOD (freakin') LUCK!

It will be unspeakably difficult for the 2012 Summer Games city to top Beijing's mesmerizing Opening Ceremony, which just concluded locally. Unfortunately, a ticket for this blogger was not in the cards, but no worries -- the Canadians took in this Yankee and we had a fab night next to Tiananmen Square, where the stream of (SPOILER ALERT) citywide fireworks launched en route across the skyline all the way to the Bird's Nest at 8:08 on 8-8-08.

It's my understanding the entire metro Beijing area was under a blanket of fireworks by night's end (more than two dozen major sites ignited). At T-Square, the post-ceremony explosions continued outside B.C. Canada Pavilion with tens of thousands of Chinese nationals chanting "Chi-na! Chi-na!" in Mandarin and English.

I've not yet found words to describe my reactions and emotions about the Opening Ceremony presentation. It absolutely buries any past Opening, throwing out the shovel and dusting off the hands. Cheerleaders at Atlanta '96 -- huh? Flaming arrow in Barcelona '92 -- that was cute. Athens in '04 -- fah-get-a-bout-it! Tonight will be talked about in 25, 50, 100 years in the Olympic lexicon of "that's how you do Opening Ceremonies!"

I'll wait to post video so as not to spoil the show back on the East Coast (and so as not to get my Olympic credential revoked -- rules are rules!).

You are in for a treat -- savor and enjoy! The Games are ON!

Oh, Henry!

At B.C. Canada Pavilion's location aside the Beijing Planning Exhibition Center, there was a bit of buzz on Thursday. We've had a couple of false alarms about VIP arrivals, but this one turned out to be real.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger emerged from an air conditioned bus and shook hands with a few of the pavilion staff before he took a tour of the BPEC's famous floor model of the skyline of Beijing. His small entourage included his son, who tried to help facilitate a brief FlipCam interview (which the good doctor declined, unfortunately).

The FlipCam DID capture Kissinger's photo opp with the museum director and translator and an impromptu handshake with one of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Kissinger stepped out of the photo opp specifically to offer his hand to this uniformed officer). He was polite and smiled as he was presented a book of photos from his diplomatic missions to China of the early 1970s.

Had Kissinger agreed to interview, my questions would have been two or three: When he was Secretary of State for Nixon, did he ever dream of returning to China to attend an Olympic Games? Given his personal history spanning several continents, what are his favorite personal Olympic moments? And, What's better from his perspective -- winning a Nobel Prize or an Olympic Gold?

While snapping the shots of Special K in the museum, he did comment on the Bird's Nest stadium he'll apparently visit today for Opening Ceremonies. "Very good," he said.

Gotta LOVE that accent of his!

Ronnie At The Games

Though I'm a huge fan of the big documentary film that took on the Golden Arches, I also am a lifelong fan of McDonald's continued support of the Olympic Movement.

According to information sent from the Help A Reporter Out call for Olympic suggestions, Ronald & Co. started supporting the Olympic Family as early as 1968 when athletes in Grenoble, France, were homesick for burgers, fries and the like (the Illinois-based company reportedly answered the call by airlifting food to the Games).

My earliest McD & Games memories take me back to 1984 and commercials involving Sam The Olympic Eagle mascot and Ronald thick as thieves (and perhaps as thick as Grimace -- the purple and possible inspiration behind 1996 Olympic mascot, Izzy). And speaking of the 1996 Games, as a staff member in the Olympic Village my colleagues and I supped daily on McNuggets and sauce (action repeated in Sydney's Olympic Village during volunteer gig -- they had exotic curry and spice sauce for dipping down under - OY!).

In Beijing, I've visited one 24-hour Mickey D and did my best to order a happy meal ('smile meal' in Mandarin, from what I can tell) to receive a mascot Fu-Wa as the "prize" inside. Not sure whether I'll be back to collect all five mascots, but will visit the Olympic Green McDonald's pavilion opening (as work schedule permits) at which the likes of Carl Lewis and other Olympians are slated to attend.

We also scheduled our client, British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell, to share the stage at the Around The Rings/McDonald's Newsmaker Media Breakfast on August 13 (he will join VANOC to discuss the status of preparations for the 2010 Winter Games). If you're an Olympic nut like me, you need to be reading Around The Rings and the great daily content by Ed and Sheila Hula and their Atlanta-based (yet on the ground in China) team. Thanks to McD's for a great central location for their events!

Wondering whether Morgan Spurlock will attend.

Be sure to check out the website for this sponsor, on which they have an Olympic video contest (deadline to vote is August 7, so hurry up and cast your ballot).

China Syndrome

One of our esteemed colleagues at B.C. Canada Pavilion coined a phrase for the common reaction of Westerner's delicate digestive systems to authentic Asian cuisine. The "China Syndrome" is a reality I've been dealing with for about 36 hours.

Not sure whether it was the spicy chicken lunch on day three, or accidentally rinsing teeth (after brushing -- dental health is very important, especially at the Olympics) with non-potable tap water on day four, but whatever it was, I've been running to Beijing's men's rooms with more frequency than should be described on a blog! Definitely a "serious condition" much like the great film with Michael Douglas and Jane Fonda.

The food here has actually been quite good on a consistent basis. My Edelman Vancouver colleague Paul Welsh and our B.C. contact Julie took me up the road to the "night market" where we spotted some curious culinary delights I had last seen in Bangkok. Starfish anyone? How about some caterpillar larvae (skewered for your dining pleasure)? The photos and video don't convey the smells of the market, which range from strolling past Krispy Kreme and/or stepping into the meat truck in the outstanding film "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover" (high on the EWWWW meter).

Best meal hands down was takeout we ordered at the pavilion on Sunday (see photo with egg). Just the right kick of chili spices. I may have to stick with that restaurant after the China Syndrome at last subsides.

Sites and Sounds of Day One

The first two days in Beijing were absolutely amazing. Sensory overload and sheer exhaustion mixed with elation to be at the Olympic host city and to get reacquainted with friends from past Games.

After a restful night and sumptuous breakfast (including pork dumplings!) at Novotel Peace Beijing, I spent a bit of the first morning in my room getting organized (packing back in Atlanta was a bit of a late-night whirlwind). But by noon on Day One, it was time to venture out across the city with Olympic credential in hand, braving Beijing's metro system.

The city subways are the best I've ever seen (at last, a "Metro" like the one imagined from the famous and totally awesome '80s hit by Berlin (that's the band Berlin). Every station is spotless and fussed over by a small army of security, maintenance and blue-shirted Games volunteers eager to help. The nearest station to our hotel is just four stops, including one transfer, from Tiananmen Square, and I'll always remember emerging from the underground to see Mao's Tomb in person for the first time, as well as a sea of tens of thousands of tourists spending time in the square (across a 12-lane street from the tomb).

T-Square's outer border (across other highway-like surface streets) is lined with massive sycamore and evergreen trees providing much needed shade. I stumbled into the first of three Olympic stores just before spotting my new work home for the next 28 days: British Columbia Canada Pavilion, the Games destination created by Edelman client, The Province of British Columbia.

After a quick tour and introductions in the Pavilion (which I will describe in much more detail in a future post), it was time to head over to Edelman's Beijing office, another metro ride. By this early evening time, my eyes were a bit blurry, so in the time spent looking up at the 40-or-so level tower that houses Edelman, I completely missed the iconic new (and gargantuan -- must-see-it-to-believe it!) CCTV Tower under construction behind me (the photo taken from Edelman Beijing is a bit dark, so hoping to snap a daytime shot later -- I was speechless when seeing it for the first time, overwhelmed and also stunned at the question to self, 'How did I miss that?!').

Everyone is so friendly here! From the volunteers to colleagues, street vendors to complete strangers, Beijing is about to burst with pride and excitement. I've captured many stares and curious looks from kids, but always with a smile and usually with an attempt at conversation (starting to pick up a few catch phrases ... for the folks back at Edelman Atlanta, none of these phrases qualify for the "curse word fundraising board" - yet).

I didn't make it out of the Edelman office that first night until about 11:30 (2330 hrs), which made for an intense search for a taxi. It was wonderful to rest and start the whole thing over again yesterday. More from Day Two to come in next post.

Time Goes By ... So ... Slowly ...

Through recent conversations with media about to converge on Beijing, the general consensus is that these Games need to 'hurry up and get here already!'

Thinking about time in general made me curious about Olympic timekeeping, and a brief online search yielded this handy history of timekeeping by The Electric New Paper of Singapore. That site begat some links over to the official timekeeper of the Olympics and their fabulous new wares for 2008.

For years I've been wearing a Seiko Olympic watch circa 1992 (a gift for my 21st from the 'rents). And somewhere in my closets or desk drawer is a great Swatch 1996 timepiece featuring Annie Leibovitz photos shot just before the Atlanta Games (another gift item). No matter the timepiece, it's 'hurry up and wait' for Beijing. Almost time!

IOC to Iraq: C-U-L8R

Today's news that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) won't allow Iraq Olympians to complete in China is getting plenty of headlines. It seems that since the government of Iraq has too much of a political role with their national Olympic committee (which was dissolved in May, according to Reuters), the IOC enforced its Olympic Charter and cut any Iraqi athletes from the roster for Beijing (Chapter Four of the Charter, for those who wish to study in detail).

From my perspective, this is much ado about nothing, and here's why:

One (common?) perception about the IOC is that, like the United Nations, the 200+ nations around the world have a representative up to the IOC. But the IOC is autonomous -- it is the IOC that deploys its representatives to the nations of the world, bestowing the opportunity to complete (via the Charter). Since there is no [legitimate by IOC Olympic Charter standards] national Olympic committee (NOC) in Iraq at this time, it only makes sense that no athletes could come to Beijing from that nation (the same action took place in 2000 when Afghanistan had a government-infused NOC that also was not in step with the IOC).

It is unfortunate, and sad, for Iraq's athletes who qualified thus far for Beijing, but if there is complaining in the works, it may be best to direct these complaints to the Iraq officials (who did not respond to IOC invitations to make necessary changes), rather than the IOC, for this lost opportunity. I have to wonder whether the White House realized how the Olympic Charter works before they commented on the situation.

Rings Go Better With Coke!

For 80 years, The Coca-Cola Company has been a sponsor or supplier of the Olympics. Today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution includes a feature on Big Red's activation plans for Beijing, and even delves into their future work for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

My earliest Olympic soda memory dates back to the summer of 1984. The cross-country Olympic Torch Relay passed through my hometown of Edmond, Okla., and a few weeks later the Opening Ceremonies broadcast from L.A. was narrated by Jim McKay on ABC (with the greatest card trick of all time). And sometime that summer we discovered that Coke was marketing its Olympic participation with special 12 oz. glass bottles on which Sam The Olympic Eagle mascot was waving -- I think one of those bottles went on to become our family's "last 'original formula' bottle" until New Coke came and went away a couple of years later.

The big soda company also took Olympic pin collecting to a new plateau at the Winter Games in Calgary, Canada, in 1988, with what I understand was their first Olympic Pin Trading tent (a program replicated at most, if not all, of the Games since). They even had "Coke Olympic City" in downtown Atlanta in 1996 (now site of the new World of Check-Out-Our-120-Years-of-Advertising Museum beside the Georgia Aquarium).

I don't play favorites when it comes to soda -- most major, and sometimes regional, brands are often inside my refrigerator (at this very moment I'm drinking a delicious cola with a five-letter name that starts with "P" and sort-of rhymes with "Dizzy Gillespie" -- a client of the firm where I work) . If someone could just come up with official Olympic root beer (like this one), I'd be set.