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. 

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

Help Bring Olympic History to Light on the Silver Screen in Time for 2016

Olympic movie and history buffs have an opportunity to help get a potential five-ringed gem to the silver screen in time for next year's film festival season and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Through the crowdfunding site Seed & Spark, now through March 17, anyone may contribute funds to help complete the documentary "Olympic Pride, American Prejudice" by Atlanta-based filmmaker Deborah Riley Draper, whose team seeks to bring to light the seldom-heard stories of African American Olympians who competed at the 1936 Berlin Olympiad.

For more specifics on the donation process, click the links above or scroll to the base of this post, post-haste.

Paraphrasing the film synopsis: "Olympic Pride, American Prejudice" will be a feature length documentary exploring the trials and triumphs of 18 African American athletes who represented Team USA in Germany.

Set against the strained and turbulent atmosphere of a racially divided America -- torn between boycotting Hitler’s Olympics and participating in the Third Reich’s grandest feat of propaganda -- the film follows 16 men and two women as they prepared for, traveled to, competed in and returned from Berlin.

With an Olympian-level blend of grace and dignity, these athletes represented a nation that considered them second class citizens, and their competitions took place in a nation that rolled out the red carpet in spite of an undercurrent of Aryan superiority and anti-Semitism.

I spoke with Riley Draper, who explained the idea for the film started with research of a jazz singer from Chattanooga who later was reportedly interned by the Nazis. Articles on the musician included references to African American Olympians who competed in Berlin, and as Riley Draper gained some Olympic experiences and interest during a U.S. Track & Field assignment at the 1996 Atlanta Games, the seldom-heard stories of these athletes stuck with her.

Though many know the story of Jesse Owens' feats on the track in Berlin, the other 17 black athletes'
experiences are known to comparatively few.

"I wanted to bring to light these heroes who created a precursor to the Civil Rights Movement," said Riley Draper.

Research for "Olympic Pride, American Prejudice" yielded that the 18 athletes came from across the U.S., with attendance at big colleges as a common thread among the "great student athletes" selected for Team USA. Some medaled in Berlin, though with considerably less fanfare than Owens.

Riley Draper said some of the athletes also made the cut, while more did not, for the original Olympic documentary film, Leni Riefenstahl's "Olympia." And in one case, the German filmmaker
stirred the political pot in the 1936 Cultural Olympiad by displaying images of black U.S. athletes she snapped as artsy photographs during her trip to the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.

One U.S. athlete set as part of the new film is Jack Wilson, the silver medalist in boxing. Another is Archie Williams, who won gold in the 400m race.

And in high jump, Cornelius Johnson and David Albritton earned gold and silver, respectively, while teammate Delos Thurber also made the podium for bronze (a clean sweep). As rising stars, Albritton and Owens lived parallel lives as rural Alabama natives who succeeded on the track.

I personally look forward to learning more about Johnson and all of the athletes to be profiled through “Olympic Price, American Prejudice.”

Back to the film’s synopsis: "The athletes experienced things that they were not expecting -- applause, warm welcomes, an integrated Olympic Village and the respect of their competitors. They were heroes on the world’s stage who returned home to find only short-lived glory. Their story is complicated … a vital part of history as relevant today as it was almost 80 years ago."

Riley Draper and her team plan to “utilize the wealth of newsreel material, newspaper articles, photographs, personal interviews and never-before-seen footage as well as resources from the personal archival collections of Olympians and Foundations in both the U.S. and Germany.”

She also said research to date included a wealth of detail provided by archives managed by the LA84 Foundation, the National Archives and the Avery Brundage Collection at the University of Illinois.

When I asked the extent to which the International Olympic Committee/Olympic Museum, U.S. Olympic Committee, International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) or travels to other domestic or international archives are on the filmmaker’s wish list (as part of their fundraising goals), Riley Draper said she was open to additional sources but travel to Berlin to capture in-stadium footage -- and more interviews of surviving athletes or spectators -- tops the list.

The crowdfunding site lists several types of equipment needs, expenses for everything from insurance and narration to image licensing, and travel items.

Donations of as little as $1 or in the form of Delta Air Lines SkyMiles are accepted, and donor who provide at higher levels may opt-in to pre-release perks (including an on-screen credit as a supporter). For readers who choose to contribute, please consider doing so by selecting this blog and/or blogger as the source providing referral to Seed & Spark.

Thank you for your part in bringing “Olympic Pride, American Prejudice” to the big screen. Additional information is also available via the film’s official site, 1936OlympicsMovie.com.

Images via www.1936OlympicsMovie.com

The Proof Is In The مهلبية

Many have heard "the proof is in the pudding."

For "American Sniper" fans, critics and anyone wondering the truth about the so-called "Olympic sniper from Syria" portrayed as "Mustafa" by the actor Sammy Sheik, the blog post that follows affirms the proof is in the mahalabiya (مهلبية).

And like variations of this Arab world recipe, the pudding du jour is both sweet and nutty while officially condemning the creative work of Oscar-nominated "American Sniper" screenwriter Jason Hall and director Clint Eastwood.

The condemnation comes all the way from the president of the Syrian Olympic Committee, in writing and officially stamped by his staff.

On a hunch noted on this site last week, and from research completed by a fellow International
Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) member Brian Carberry and myself since seeing "American Sniper" in theatres, I took time to write a letter to the Syrian Olympic Committee to ask specific questions as to the facts surrounding their competitors -- specifically shooting athletes -- entered in the Olympics prior to the early 2000s.

In an email reply received January 25, 2015, the executive director of the Syrian Olympic Committee provided a formal response signed by Gen. Mowafak Jomaa, president of the Syrian Olympic Committee, dated 22 January 2015.

The complete email correspondence (formatted as JPEGs to suit this blog posting template and to protect privacy/emails/phone numbers for the writers) is included with this post.

But I'll take a moment to quote Gen. Jomaa here:

"... we herewith assure you that the claimed Olympic shooter in the 'American Sniper' who is named 'Mustafa' is just a fictional character since we have no Olympic shooter as you tracked and your research as well."           

Gen. Jomaa continues with some direct feedback about the creative process chosen by the Oscar-nominated screen writer Jason Hall for "American Sniper" (specifically, the invention of "Mustafa").

"... using such a hint is an attempt to ... involve sportsmen in politics and the current situation in Syria. We strongly believe that sport should be separated from politics and war."

The letter goes on to condemn Hall, Eastwood and the film's involvement of the Olympic Family:

"We reassure that none has contacted our office and this character is merely a media propaganda to distort the Olympic movement in Syria ... (a) matter that we condemn."

Now, once upon time in Atlanta, I actually ran into Clint Eastwood (as reported here) while he was in town directing another sports film (sadly, a lesser film than "American Sniper" -- for the record, I again state the latter film is excellent in this blogger's opinion).

Boy, howdy. It sure would be interesting and make my day to get Eastwood's two cents on this Syrian Olympic Committee letter (not to mention Hall's response). So I'll next be typing notes addressed to Hollywood. Does anyone have Eastwood's email address handy?

"American Sniper" publicity still via Fandango. Other images are screen grabs of actual correspondence formatted for this site by Nicholas Wolaver. These images are copyright Nicholas Wolaver and may be used only by written permission.

ISOH Symposium Set for Dec. 6

Tonight I learned briefly that the International Association of Olympic Historians (ISOH) launched on Dec. 5, 1991, in London. The same date in 1991 I believe yeilded a B- in World History class exams handed back to me at Edmond Memorial High School.

To celebrate 20 years of ISOH, the organization announced recently a symposium set for Dec. 6, 2011, at Haus Menden, St. Augustin, Germany. A brochure for the festivities states that "everyone interested in the history of the Olympic Movement is welcome to attend" with a registration fee of 70 Euros for non-members or 60 for members (students are free). For more information visit the "contacts" page a www.isoh.org and send an email to Anthony Th. Bijkerk via the site.

Olympic Filmmaker Bud Greenspan

Saddened to learn that Bud Greenspan died Dec. 25 in New York, according to published reports over the weekend.

Greenspan's series "16 Days of Glory" from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics solidified my interest in the Olympic Movement during my early teens, and it was an honor to meet Greenspan more than once, starting in 1997 at the premiere of his documentary film for the Centennial Olympic Games of Atlanta.

I was also lucky to be in the room when the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) presented Greenspan with an award on the eve of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic opening ceremony. Greenspan's health was clearly deteriorating but he was in good spirits.

The Olympic Family lost a major contributor. Fortunately, Greenspan's work will remain accessible for future generations.

Photo via AP.

Please Re-Peat This ... Four Times

If Bob Costas, Jim Lampley, the other NBC Sports anchors, or their army of Olympic researchers and interns, are online to gear up for the London 2012 Olympic commentary, I hope they'll read this post.

Because on my desk is a copy of a page-turning academic paper my good friend J. Brian Carberry got published in the most recent edition of the Journal of Olympic History.

In his report titled The Olympic 4-Peat -- A Rare Achievement, Carberry presents his case as to why the terms "Olympic Four-Peat" (changed here to match AP Style), "Olympic Three-Peat" or similar should be added to the Olympic and sports lexicon.

That definition states that to achieve the rare Olympic Four-Peat one must take home the gold medal in four consecutive Olympic competitions in the same sport/discipline. An example: Carl Lewis winning his fourth gold medal in the long jump at the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. One blogger used the term in 2004 to describe the original/first Olympic Four-Peater, Al Oerter.

(11/7/2010 correction: Oerter was not the original/first Olympic Four-Peater.)

Carberry also charts the history of past or potential Olympic Four-Peats, including 15 athletes -- five women and 10 men -- who may Olympic Four-Peat themselves into the history books AND Carberry's updated research during the Games of the XXXth Olympiad.

Yes, we are shopping for tickets to attend the potential Olympic Four-Peats (as stated in my previous post, Carberry and I also seek tickets so we may achieve a personal Olympic Three-Peat in spectating at the women's beach volleyball final in 2012).

Following Carberry's six-page report, a 10-page chart provides excruciating yet thorough detail about Olympic Three-Peat and Olympic Four-Peat achievements in modern Olympic history (only eight Olympians achieved Olympic Four-Peats thus far -- remarkable.

Commentators should clamor to describe the one-time Olympic Five-Peat (would that also be an Olympic Pent-Peat or Olympic Pente-Peat) and the single Olympic Six-Peat (Olympic Sex-Peat?) winners in history, Hungarian fencers Pál Kovács and Aladár Gerevich, respectively. CNN.com features a nice write-up about Gerevich.

By way of this post, I am encouraging Carberry to set up his own website, Facebook page and blog to showcase and elevate the terminology he proposed should have more prominence. This way, Brian and others will be able to continue to build a case for the Olympic Four-Peat vocabulary to achieve mainstream status in sports coverage and conversation.

An online resource dedicated to this topic will permit more interactive history and discussion on this topic, and give fans a place to reference -- in real time from London 2012 -- the status of the upcoming Olympic Four-Peat contenders.

To inspire Mr. Carberry to get online and get busy, I added an "Olympic Four-Peat" statement to the Al Oerter page on Wikipedia.

(11/7/2010 update: Because this statement was incorrect, it was later edited from the Wikipedia page; I stand corrected.)

And send a copy of the article to Mr. Costas -- he needs to read it.

Photo via this site

IOC Member Dick Pound Talks About Olympics Returning to Canada

Perhaps I buried the lede in my previous post.

IOC Member Dick Pound took time to talk about the Olympics returning to his home nation Canada during an International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) event in Gastown, Vancouver today.

His comments on Calgary and the snow (or lack thereof) around Vancouver sort of made me think of that great Tears for Fears lyrics, "I wanted to be with you alone, and talk about the weather."

Tell you what, I was indeed Head Over Heels to speak with an IOC member about Vancouver's Games.

The best part is, later in the day, another International Olympic Committee member shared a few minutes, too.

International Society of Olympic Historians Presents Awards in Vancouver

Today in Vancouver's historic Gastown neighborhood, in a cozy coffee shop/basement restaurant named the Salt Tasting Room, the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) presented three awards for lifetime accomplishment in the preservation of Olympic history.

The 2009 ISOH Award was presented to author/historian Robert K. Barney, while two 2009 Vikelas Plaque (named for the first IOC president) awards were presented to Olympic Order recipient/Emmy Award winning filmmaker Bud Greenspan and former USOC press chief (and so much more) C. Robert Paul, Jr.

This was the second time I've seen Mr. Greenspan in person, and though he is much older (now 83, unfortunately unable to speak) than our first conversation -- in Atlanta in 1997 at the premiere of his Centennial Games film -- he was in good spirits and visibly appreciative of the honor. The film company he founded in the 1960s, Cappy Productions, apparently provided some consulting to VANOC for capturing footage of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

His more senior fellow honoree, Mr. Paul, shared some amazing stories, as did ISOH officer and Olympic author/NBC contributor David Wallechinsky, who introduced the pair of honorees by explaining that Mr. Paul helped a young and then-Olympic-first-timer Greenspan to secure his last-minute media credentials at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.

As a public relations practitioner, I was fascinated by Mr. Paul's additional stories from the front lines of old-school media relations on behalf of Team USA. He shared that at the Innsbruck 1976 Winter Olympics there was an "incident" (P.R.-speak for S.N.A.F.U.) when the last-place ice hockey team trashed a restaurant and they had to sneak the players out of town to avoid an international incident (over lunch we briefly talked about how their sneak-away tactics might now be foiled by instantaneous social media posts).

Also of note was how Mr. Paul invented the tradition of a U.S. Presidential phone call to gold medal winning athletes.

As the story was told, Mr. Paul planted that idea with a New York Times sports writer (Paul knew the White House press chief read The Times religiously) by convincing the reporter to include a closing paragraph about the lack of presidential attention to top Olympic performances (wouldn't you know it, the next day President Ford telephoned the day's U.S. gold medalist!).

Wallechinsky also noted that Mr. Paul was the USOC archivist when the younger historian began work on his first Olympic book, and the pair concurred that "the camaraderie is not the same as it was back then" (early 1980s) at the Team USA home office in Colorado Springs.

The biggest surprise of the event: Spotting IOC Member to Canada Dick Pound, who arrived just in time for lunch! (HELLO!!!) Pound took time to answer a couple of questions for this Olympic blog. THANK YOU, Mr. Pound! (and thank you, ISOH, for hosting a great event!)