Unsolicited Suggestions for New Olympic Traditions

A letter dated May 25, 2024, went out via U.S. Mail addressed to Maison Olympique in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

Here's a slightly redacted version, posted to see what may resonate. 

Reader feedback via the comments at the base of the post will be greatly appreciated. 

To: Thomas Bach, International Olympic Committee President

From: Nicholas Wolaver, Editor of Olympic Rings And Other Things

RE: Unsolicited Suggestions for an Olympic Opening Ceremony Tradition

President Bach: Greetings from Atlanta. Though your schedule and priorities perhaps enabled the memories to slip, we met on two occasions during and between Olympiads, first at the Coca-Cola Pin Trading area of Russia House in Sochi (at a ceremonial Winter Games pin exchange) then again at Rockefeller Center when the IOC and Intel announced their worldwide partnership in 2017.

At this latter meeting you were kind enough to offer encouragement for a longtime research project through a lifetime membership of International Society of Olympic Historians. 

As a witness to the IOC's and your progress, both through media coverage and from conversations with two of our mutual acquaintances, I am aware of your general desire to pass the torch to future successors with the IOC on solid footing and some fresh or refreshed traditions. With this IOC presidential legacy in mind, I am writing to suggest an idea for the Opening Ceremonies that could establish a new tradition while solving a longtime challenge.

The challenge is finding a way to memorialize Olympic Family members who were lost due to tragedy, war or upheaval, or natural causes. With varying degrees of success, the IOC and Olympic host city organizers created one-time fixes, such as moments of silence for the Munich '72 families or those who perished in the London bombings only hours after that city won the 2012 Olympic bid. 

Though it is possible and likely others suggested similar ideas, what follows is my version of a solution: Create a permanent "in memoriam" segment during the Olympic opening ceremony combined with a toast to Olympians past, present and future. 

Here are details in support of this suggestion:

• The Grammy Awards, Academy Awards, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and other global ceremonies each including "in tribute" or "in memoriam" segments of their live broadcasts. The popular segments are intentionally brief with highlights spanning the past year of losses for the organization's membership, award winners and influencers. Through a highlight reel during the opening ceremony, the Olympic Family could pay tribute to a partial list of Olympians or contributors lost since the most recent previous Olympiad and/or icons for all time. 

• As with the Grammy, Oscar and other events, the highlights need not be comprehensive as an expanded version of the "in memoriam" tradition could live online, in social media or elsewhere, inspiring conversations and tributes to those lost (with a broader audience beyond the opening ceremony telecast viewers).

• 
  Various cultures worldwide celebrate those who were lost with a memorial toast at special celebrations. In my native USA, a family Thanksgiving holiday meal may include a toast in remembrance to those lost during the previous year followed by a toast to everyone's health or victory in a struggle.

• The IOC's version of a toast could mark a transition in the opening ceremony just after the athlete and official oaths but before the arrival of the torchbearers to light the cauldron.

• Possible remarks from a designated/invited VIP presenter could speak with a traditional toast: "Please join the world in a moment of silence as we reflect on Olympic Family members lost along the journey to tonight's celebration" (after 15 seconds of silence, roll tribute footage compiled to include nods to Munich '72 and other Olympic Family members with memorial music).

• 
  Historic Olympic toasts include modern Olympic founder Pierre de Coubertin offering a toast on 23 June 1894, the final night of the first Olympic Congress in Paris: "I lift my glass to the Olympic idea, which has traversed the mists of the ages like an all-powerful ray of sunshine and returned to illuminate ... a dream of joyous hope."

• Whether viewed in the stadium or on live streaming or televised broadcasts with official host TV networks, the globally universal themes of "good luck" or "to your health" -- as assembled in the world's languages listed [below] just after my signature of this letter -- could appear upon the screen, inspiring audiences at hope to make their own toasts to goodwill. Through translation of the phrases pasted below, you will find commonality or overlap with Faster, Higher, Stronger, Together.

• With Worldwide partners AB InBev and Coca-Cola, all could ceremonially "raise a beverage" for the toast.

• With a seemingly endless parade of increasingly tragic world events from the pandemic to armed conflict, natural disasters to the misdeeds of doping, the toast/memorial segment could support the underlying message of "we're all in this together" and "we're more alike than we may realize" or "we're all human."

My guess is that your team already found creative answers to the recurring challenge of commemoration. Additionally, my hope is the suggestion outlined above may express support for answers already devised or contribute a voice in the spirit of finding a solution to "the memorial problem."

I look forward to future opportunities to informally meet, compare notes on Olympic history/future, and to trade pins. Please enjoy the enclosed as an addition to your collection, with my compliments. 

Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely, 

Nicholas Wolaver, Editor

Olympic Rings And Other Things

Ceremonial Toasts In Any Language

अच्छी सेहत • Bersulang • به سلامتی • Будем! • Brindem • Будзьма! • Будьмо • ชัยโย • Chang hala • Cheers! •   乾杯 • Chin-chin • cul sec • Dô  dzô • Egészségünkre • Εβίβα • Fenékig • გაუმარჯოს! • 건배 • Gesondheid • Gëzuar • Կենացդ • Наздраве • 予焦啦 • Hölökyn kölökyn • Εις υγείαν • I sveikata • Jam e Sehat • Je via sano! • Kampay • 乾杯 • kippis • lechyd da • Le’tanachin • לחיים • Mabuhay • Mayri ora • หมดแก้ว • 請請 • На здравје • Nazdravlje • Noroc • Pohjanmaan kautta • Priekā • Proscht • proosit • Proost • Prost • بصحتك Saħħa ¡Salucita! • Salud • Salut! • Salut i peles! • Sănătate • santé • Saúde • Serefe • skool • Hirup • Skål • skál • Sláinte mhath • Tagay • "तरङ्ग • Tchim-tchim • Terviseks • Tjeers • Tjorts • Topa! • Uzdravlje • vives • Ваше здоровье! • Wasze zdrowie • 飲勝 • Yam seng • Yeghes da! • Xin-xin • За здоров'я • Živjeli • Zum wohl

Top image via Architectes.ch. Image of Phoenix rising from London 2012 Olympic cauldron by Ursula Petula Barzey via GuideLondon.org.uk. Photo of Glenn Close introducing the 2014 Oscar memorial tribute by John Shearer/Associated Press via WSJ.com. Vangelis image via this YouTube post. Coubertin wine bottle via Ebay. Last of the 2010 blogger pins photo by Nicholas Wolaver. Ceramics by Lorrie Wolaver. 

Munich Olympic History 50 Years In The Making

Fifty years ago this month, two big events shaped my lifetime of Olympic memories. 

First and foremost, my parents wrapped up their European honeymoon in Munich, and this blogger arrived on the scene at an Oklahoma City hospital nine months later. 

Second, not long after their USA flight home, the Games of the XXth Olympiad opened in the Bavarian capital, presenting one of the most memorable and talked about Summer Games, at once creating five-ringed legacies across a spectrum from international tragedy and response to best in class positive results for long-term use of Olympic-built venues. 

This short film from the IOC and Munich Tourism vividly portrays Munich at 50. 

Later this week I'll be heading to Munich for my fourth visit since 2009 (fifth if you count my "baby on board" status as mom returned stateside in 1972), and this time two big Olympic history events will unfold during the visit. 

Starting Friday, the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH.org) hosts three days of annual General Assembly meetings during which members from across Europe and around the globe will convene to discuss the organization's progress since 2021 and outlook for 2023 to Paris 2024. 

Programmed events include two formal member presentations related to study of Munich's Games, and less formally attendees have an opportunity to visit the Pinakothek der Moderne museum exhibition titled "The Olympic City of Munich" on view through early January (I hope to also peek at the adjacent exhibit "Designing for the Olympics" open through Oct. 3). 

On a more somber note, Sept. 5 marks the 50th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Israeli quarters at Munich Olympic Village address 31 Connollystrasse, steps away from the hotel where many ISOH attendees will stay. As reported by The New York Times and other news outlets, the German government will host memorial services for the anniversary with some Israeli Olympic family survivors' attendance in doubt. 

There are actually two memorial events scheduled Monday, and I applied for media credentials for both, with the first taking place at the relatively new (dedicated in 2017) memorial site just north of the Olympiapark. 

Named the Erinnerungsort Olympia-Attentat (place of remembrance of the Olympic attack), the modest venue built into a berm in the woods provides a quiet place to reflect, read history or view a continuous loop of video details educating passersby about September 1972. 

ISOH plans a wreath-laying presentation as part of its Saturday agenda, with invited dignitaries and media -- and an array of security measures -- anticipated for the Bavarian Government-hosted formal ceremony two days later. 

The second memorial will take place at Furstenfeldbruck, now a decommissioned German air base, where nine Israeli Olympians and one German police officer, along with most of the terrorists, perished in a botched rescue during the early hours of Sept. 6. With a long chart of A-list attendees expected, it's no surprise the media background check procedures are extensive. 

Gearing up for the anniversary, earlier this summer I reread excerpts from Simon Reeve's thorough book about the Munich Massacre. A recent downsizing/cleanup project also yielded my Mankato State University journalism history class paper about the Times' cover stories from Munich in the week following the attack. And thanks to a combination of streaming services, I viewed for the first time, or rewatched, three provocative films about the massacre. 

Each movie provides thoroughly researched and recreated portrayals of Sept. 5-6, 1972, with brief summaries and where to stream summarized here:

"One Day In September" (currently free via Tubi), the 1999 Oscar winner for best documentary, includes a dramatic tour of 31 Connollystrasse with a surviving Israeli Olympic athlete who literally ran for his life to create a diversion that may have helped save other teammates. Director Kevin Macdonald also landed a rare interview with one of the only surviving Palestinian terrorists as well as the widows and surviving adult children of at least two of the Israeli team members. 

Narrated by Michael Douglas and chillingly set to music by Led Zeppelin, Charles Wright, Deep Purple, Craig Armstrong, Philip Glass and Moby, there's not a dry eye in the house at the touching end of this thorough work of nonfiction. Like Macdonald's later documentary "Whitney" there is a doozy of a tragic reveal during penultimate scenes. 

"Munich" (for rental via Prime Video and Red Box) is Steven Spielberg's Oscar-nominated and stirring drama on Israel's response to the terrorist attacks set to a Grammy-winning score by John Williams. In an unpublished review scribed for an Atlanta newspaper, I wrote in Dec. 2005 that ... 

Through 'Munich' the creator of fiction greats 'E.T.' and 'Jaws' presents his take on nonfiction events at the Summer Games in Germany during which 11 Israeli Olympians died at the hands of Black September terrorists. For those who did not see this tragedy unfold in real time, it was the decade's 9/11 -- 'Munich' is an excellent film that could get people talking around the water cooler. After opening with actual news footage, Spielberg later portrays the events of Sept. 5-6 mostly with historic accuracy and in gruesome detail unveiled through flashback dreams of an Israeli intelligence agent (Eric Bana) chosen to lead a secret hit squad to take down surviving planners of the Munich attack. 

Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush gives and outstanding performance as Bana's primary government contact as the team assassinates Black September members in Rome, Paris, Athens and other landmark cities. With each successful hit the proverb about "first digging two graves before seeking revenge" becomes more apt, and the film succeeds for inspiring questions about retribution.

"21 Hours at Munich" (currently free via Tubi) provided William Holden his other (not "Network") starring role of 1976 as the German response chief thrust onto the world stage in this made for TV movie of American Broadcasting Corporation. 

The inclusion of seldom-seen, once live ABC News footage and authentic scenes filmed in the actual spaces or vehicles of the attack/rescue attempt -- including one of the helicopters flown as part of the athlete and police airlift -- slightly make up for the regrettably dry script that attempted, but did not achieve, the drama in real life tension of three years before. Shirley Knight's supporting role as an Olympic Village staff member is also noteworthy. 

These are just three of more than a dozen films released since the attack, and more are likely to follow. 

Just today, the International Olympic Committee today issued a press release to publicize the new production titled "72 - A Gathering of Champions" (streaming free via Olympic Channel) featuring the 2022 Germany return of 10 Munich medalists including Olga Korbut and Mark Spitz as well as Kip Keino entering their fields of play for the first time in decades. 

The trailer gave me all the best Olympic chills and brought to mind another German term ... verklempt.

Image credits: First two photos by Nicholas Wolaver taken at Munich Olympiapark in July 2022; image of 31 Connollystrasse entry door and memorial via this site which credits "dpa"; Olympiapark Memorial photo via this link; image of Furstenfeldbruck on 6 Sept. 1972 via Polizeiarchiv Munchen; film posters via IMDB; Time magazine cover by Michael Grecco; 72 - A Gathering of Champions image via IOC. Photo below by Nicholas Wolaver in July 2022. 

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.

Happy Anniversary: Modern Olympics Celebrate 125 Years Since Athens Opening of April 6, 1896

Anyone who loves the Olympics has cause for celebration.

Today -- April 6, 2021 -- marks the 125th anniversary of the first Modern Olympiad.

Happy Birthday, Olympic Games! 

Or as coined by a Funk & Wagnalls editor, we've reached the five-ringed quasquicentennial.

A quick check of Olympedia reveals the premiere opening ceremony took place at Athens Panathenaic Stadium on Easter Monday of 1896, as did the sports competition yielding the first medalist of the new era, track and field competitor James Connolly of the USA. 

According to additional sources, in the months before the Games commenced 125 years ago, the limestone stadium circa 330 B.C. received an extensive refurbishment for the occasion, increasing seating capacity to over 80,000, visible in some historic footage from the celebration:

As reported by select news outlets last week, the latest stadium upgrades -- in the form of new LED lights -- were illuminated with the push of a button by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. 

I liked reading excerpts of Bach's remarks at the Hellenic Olympic Committee-hosted ceremony. In addition to thanking Greece for giving the Olympics to the world, he quoted Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the IOC, stating,

"Olympism calls for air and light for all."

It was also fun to discover that, perhaps as test run or a slight nod to Connelly -- whose parents were from Ireland -- on March 17 the stadium was bathed in emerald hues in honor of St. Patrick's Day. 

With a bit of luck, Tokyo 2020 may just turn out great!

I'm very thankful for the positive impact of the Olympics, stitched into the fabric of my upbringing and countless personal and professional milestones since my teenage years. 

Now 47, I obviously won't make it to the Games' bicentennial, but in spite of ever-evolving challenges for the IOC, the sesquicentennial in 2046 is bound to be a cause for a bigger, pandemic-free anniversary celebration than was possible in 2021. 

For those who've not yet been to Athens, standing in front of or inside the ancient stadium inspires awe. In the daylight -- as during my second visit their during a Greek holiday of 2007 -- the stone seating glows almost white. 

At dusk -- as I found one breezy summer evening during the Athens 2004 Games -- one can sit almost anywhere in the stone stands and hear the rustle of wind in the surrounding trees almost drowning out nearby traffic. A wonderful place to meditate on Olympic feats of all ages. 

Day or night the Acropolis and Parthenon loom nearby -- no wonder de Coubertin worked so hard to revive things.

Thank goodness he and countless millions kept the Olympic Movement on a mostly progressive path since. 

April 6, 2046, will mark the approach to my 73rd birthday, and I'm betting they light up the 150th celebration like a cauldron. Where will you be? I hope to see you then and there!

Image credits: 125th anniversary emblem via Shutterstock, stadium ceremony images via Xinhua and Greek City Times (also here). Olympic stamp via The Philatelic Database. 

We'll Always Have Paris

Like other five-ringed sports fans in the USA, today I woke up to the International Olympic Committee's news making it official: Tokyo 2020 will exclude overseas fans. 

After hitting snooze and a shower, two quotes came to mind. 

On the more desperate or depressed end of the spectrum, there's the classic lyrics by U2. 

Cue the iconic drum intro:

I can't believe the news today. Oh, I can't close my eyes and make it go away!

More optimistically, Rick Blaine's words on the Moroccan airport tarmac in "Casablanca" also came to mind. 

As of this post, there are just 1,223 days remaining until Paris 2024. 

For this blogger, of course it's a huge bummer that Tokyo 2020 won't be happening for most outside Japan. This Olympiad was to be one that made up for many mishaps -- some real, others perceived -- via Rio 2016. 

At the moment, London 2012 still has my vote for "best Games ever" though my first and hometown Olympics of Atlanta remain a close second and sentimental favorite of nearly 25 years, as detailed in the centerfold spread of the 2017 WHERE Guestbook. 

Amid the pandemic, it will be a remarkable feat for the Tokyo organizing committee to just get the athletes, coaches, officials and other Olympic family members assembled safely. For those who care to read it, the complete IOC statement is online, as are the words of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, with each link noting how additional updates for the Games will be shared in the weeks ahead. 

During a member event hosted by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum on Thursday, at least one former Team USA employee stated her Olympic media travel is secured though there will be a "bubble" for reporters akin to the one for athletes -- the thought of corralling journalists in this manner brings to mind notions of herding cats. 

In spite of today's news, I'm optimistic at least a handful of fans will find a backdoor entry to the Games of the XXXIInd Olympiad. For some, maybe they'll score a credential as part of a sponsor delegation or national Olympic committee gig. For others, maybe there's a family connection to Japan to be leveraged.  

For this writer, there's still a potential Olympic berth -- albeit a very long shot plus a vaccine shot -- via the Games media credential front. 

No stone will be left unturned, and I'm not yet ready to cancel my Tokyo accommodations, though it is reassuring they'll be fully refunded via Hotels.com should I eventually surrender to the inevitable. 

The Morohashi Museum of Modern Art -- a.k.a. the Salvador Dali Museum of Japan -- near Fukushima, as well as Nagoya, Mount Fuji and other destinations also remain on my travel wish list for Japan, even if an eventual visit takes place beyond 2021.

Speaking of refunds, designated Olympic ticket broker CoSport was quick to address today's official announcement, which provided some level of reassurance my ticket investment will be returned. As to when is anyone's guess -- paraphrasing another fan quoted by media, it had better be before the Opening Ceremony on July 23. 

I applaud the IOC, Tokyo 2020 and others for persevering over COVID-19 and keeping the Games on track for the athletes. It won't be the same, but then, what else is in this pandemic? Glad also to see the Olympic Torch Relay will resume in five days, which everyone may enjoy virtually.

Heavy doses of determination kept things on track for the athletes, and it will still be inspiring to witness Olympian feats this summer, no matter the room in which we are viewing. 

And don't forget: We'll always have Paris. 

Tokyo photos via Associated Press Kuchiro Sato and Clive Rose; Paris image via Olympic.org

Olympedia Enables Encyclopedism of Olympism

An array of surprises, some welcome, others not so much, continue their blitz across 2020.

On the latter front as related to the wide world of sports, the pandemic-inspired postponement of Tokyo 2020 was a tough pill to swallow.

On the former, brighter side, May 27 marked the arrival of an exceedingly thorough online tool certain to assist with countless Olympic research projects, sports journalist citations and fan searches for their favorite athletes or Olympiads.

Now available online, feast your eyes on www.Olympedia.org, a new directory of Games statistics compiled by 21 Olympism-inspired encyclopedists.

This may not be the first comprehensive assemblage of such Olympic detail (see blue and green book images sprinkled into this post), but it very well be the biggest and most accessible in digital format.

Bonus: Olympedia is free!

The group's ringleader, past International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) President Bill Mallon, described their efforts in a blog post announcing Olympedia's ready-for-prime-time debut, as well as their team name.

"The Olympedia research site contains the profiles and results of all Olympic athletes and informative descriptions about the Games, events, venues, and much more," stated Mallon. "It is the most comprehensive database about the Olympic Games and is the result of many years of work by a list of Olympic historians and statisticians called the OlyMADmen."

I wrote to Dr. Mallon with three questions inspired by his post:

• For how many years was the OlyMADmen process underway?
• How many combined man hours went into the project (an Olympian feat of research)?
• At what stage did the Olympedia team receive a blessing of IOC approval, and how much time from approval to this week's launch?

Mallon quickly responded stating his own Olympic research journey started at a library in Teaneck, N.J., while on a summer holiday with family during the summer of 1964.

Things started getting serious with the arrival of personal computers (1980s) and during the latter 1990s as he and others forged collaborations with fellow historians both stateside and abroad.

As for the team's combined time investment, "We actually estimated the amount of work in terms of man-years … because it's so hard to estimate," stated Mallon. "We came up with a number: 180."

Mallon added the OlyMADmen began a more formal collaboration with the IOC in early 2016, with permission only recently granted to open Olympedia online for anyone to use, describing the nonprofit's team members as "responsive and good to work with."

So, how may site visitors extract data or Games results they seek from Olympedia?

From the home page, it's easy to select searches by athlete, result or sports discipline and Olympiad. Simply type in a name or other query and press "GO."

Across the header of the home page, Olympedia also offers easy clicks by nation, as well as pulldown menus for IOC-centric data or statistics with subcategories such as medal counts, numerous records or athlete bio data.

Say you want to know how many athletes competed while pregnant. Olympedia not only lists them, but also shares whether the athlete knew of their pregnancy while competing.

Which athletes -- like the one who put Sean Connery out of commission for several days -- appeared in feature films?

Answer: weightlifting silver medalist Harold "Oddjob" Sakata, who is Olympedia athlete No. 57017, just 10 digits away from "Goldfinger" 007.

While on a Hollywood kick, if one wants to know the flagbearers at an Opening Ceremony -- like, say, Stephen Spielberg, Donald Sutherland or Susan Sarandon -- use the Games pulldown menu.

There are also sections for Olympic bid city votes, recipients of the Olympic Order, dozens of types of Olympian lists, torchbearers, medal counts -- many rabbit holes for exploration. I know of at least one ISOH member who will be looking for athletes or teams and team members who achieved a three-peat, four-peat or more-peat on Olympic soil.

Each search result yields not only the information one seeks but also a five-ringed fun fact under the banner "Did You Know?" which appears at the base of the screen. My favorite so far regarded six Dutch archers whose name appeared in Paris 1900 newspaper coverage as competitors in an "unknown" event.

Consider me thoroughly impressed and pleased by the news of Olympedia, the best Games-related surprise of the last three months.

Images via DepositPhotos, Illustration Source, Ottawa Citizen, UltimateActionMovies.com

Petit, Fricke, David and Notre Dame

In the hours since Notre Dame caught fire, thoughts turned to three creative people of my lifetime who took inspiration from the Parisian World Heritage Site.

The first to mind was Philippe Petit, the Frenchman who in 1971 illegally walked his high wire between the cathedral's north and south towers, a feat he more famously repeated atop the World Trade Center in New York.

Memory next took me to the author David Macaulay, whose award-winning 1973 book "Cathedral - The Story of Its Construction" and its history-telling illustrations taught me about Notre Dame's epic journey from idea to icon (80+ years, fact-checked at the library while printing tax returns).

Church footage in Ron Fricke's film "Chronos" -- a later-life inspiration to visit Notre Dame in May 2017 and again in December 2018, in daylight and after midnight, respectively -- rounded out the emerging question:

Where were Petit, Macaulay and Fricke when they heard the news today?

When the heartbreaking details arrived, I was in my car between meetings, catching the news on Facebook before the images ablaze made their way online.

Gazing at the church's ancient wood architecture nicknamed "the forest" soared in my memory.

Later in the day, news photos showed these ceilings too far above the reach of hook-and-ladder hoses.

Gut wrenching sad.

But by late Monday afternoon, hopelessness got upstaged as reassurances emerged that Notre Dame will rise again.

It's do-able -- if every visitor of the last 50 years gave just a buck to rebuild, that would raise more than a half-billion Euros or dollars. I will happily contribute time and money, encouraging others for the same.

Avec un petit couer, for the upcoming French Olympiad, the International Olympic Committee and Paris 2024 organizers could also add a Euro or two donation -- for Notre Dame restoration -- to each Games-time ticket sold. That would be good for several millions more while perhaps inspiring an overdue renaissance in Cultural Olympiads.

Maybe Petit could walk a wire across his first Olympic stadium, Macaulay could illustrate the scene and Fricke could capture the official film all in the name of restoration.

Though French Canadian, Celine Dion could sing her recent hit or her five-ringed anthem with iTunes funds saved for flying buttresses.

No matter the creatives inspired for the next Notre Dame, it will be remarkable to see a start to the cathedral's ascent out of ashes in time for the world's arrival in five years.

One hopes the new structure will start with the past and take the time needed -- even decades or another lifetime -- to rebuild it right.

Rebuild and restore -- Amen!

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver except "Cathedral" book via Houghton Mifflin Co. and Petit photo via Zalajkowane.pl. 

It Takes A Village

I'm a longtime critic of Olympic Villages. PyeongChang's Village team nailed it!

Since my first Games experience as an Atlanta Olympic Village housing coordinator/supervisor in 1996, I've looked at the housing areas with a manager's eye -- what works, what elements may remain in place as handed down from the Centennial Olympic Village, and what's new. 

South Korea's housing area featured some of each. 

Some additional context on my critiques: Later five-ringed travels afforded a day pass or two to the athlete housing areas at six Olympiads.  

More specifically, in Sydney I was a pre-Games Village volunteer (will never forget meeting Aussie hero Dawn Fraser on the bus one day after a shift). In Salt Lake I was just a visiting spectator (the director was a former Atlanta colleague), and later as an NOC guest it was fun visiting -- and critiquing -- the temporary homes of the Olympians in Beijing, Vancouver, London and Rio. 

Some Villages score on ambiance. Others on efficiency. Some exude an Olympic electricity while others get the job done with measured fun.

Visiting the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Village today, for the first time as a credentialed reporter, was an amazing experience. And the Korean village housing scored two big thumbs up from this blogger.

Here's a Olympic Village first: They have a robot! 

The PyeongChang Village near the mountain Alpensia venues sits along a river and in the foothills of a curving and wooded elevation, with about a dozen residential towers (600 rooms) close to a domed sports arena now serving thousands of meals per day as the main dining hall. 

After passing through security screening with fellow journalists and athletes from Team GB, Slovenia, Turkey and Ghana (yes, Ghana has a skeleton athlete), the Village Welcome Center opened into an international plaza decked out with flags of all 95 competing nations. 

And, yes, the North Korean flag enjoys a spot of prominence near the Olympic and South Korean banners. 

Olympic Villages consist of two main areas.

An International Zone featuring the team welcome ceremony stage, entertainment options and necessities like a post office, hair salon, general store and Olympic merchandise. 

All of the services for PyeongChang's athlete village are nestled into on giant tent (I understand the coastal village at Gangneung, with its 922 rooms, is similar).

Usually the adjacent Residential Zone forbids non-athletes from visiting, but today media got a rare chance to roam freely across a few acres of the Village, affording me photo opps in an athlete game room (i.e. billiards, pinball), lavanderia (since athletes, too, have dirty laundry) and the entry to the tower housing Team USA (the only larger nation in PyeongChang that did not deck the exterior walls with patriotic banners). 

I attended a couple of the Welcoming Ceremonies during which the host nation officially celebrates each arriving nation. 

Today's entrants included a lone alpine ski athlete and HRH Henri Grand Duke of Luxembourg, who were down for some pin trading, as well as Turkey, Australia, Thailand and India. 

According to the first of two Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) competitors met today, their competitors are/were not permitted to create a team pin. Anyone got an egg timer to see how long it takes for bootleg OAR pins to show up on the scene?

While enjoying the warmth of the retail areas, I stamped my passport with an Olympic Village post office postmark and enjoyed an introduction to an Ambassador of Morocco by IOC Member Ms. Nawal El Moutawkel, who asked me to share that her home nation will enjoy an African first: a shot at hosting a future Youth Olympic Games (she also requested a shout-out to her alma matter Iowa State University). 

Pin trading was robust both outside and in the Village. It was fun running into fellow Olympin members Bud and Sid (and his wife) trading near the security entrance. 

I arrived with about 50 pocketed pins and ran out of trading material in less than 90 minutes of trekking the Village, coming home with coveted 2018 NOC pins from Ghana, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Austria, and Mongolia, among others, and even scored a special-design IOC snow globe pin for PyeongChang ... for the win!

Most interesting conversations: short chats with arriving Team USA alpine and snowboard athletes checking in from their Seoul-to-PyeongChang bus ride. Everyone was all smiles, happy for the nomination of luge bronze medalist and four-time Olympian Erin Hamlin, who will carry the Stars and Stripes into the stadium tomorrow night.

It's going to be a great Games!

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver