Olympics

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  • Johncarloszirinwebexv2

    Part 2: John Carlos, 1968 U.S. Olympic Medalist, On the Response to His Iconic Black Power Salute

    October 12, 2011 | Blog Post

    In part two of our interview with 1968 Olympic medalist and international civil rights icon, John Carlos, he talks about the shocked response of the audience in the stadium when he raised his fist in the now iconic Black Power salute, and much more. [includes rush transcript]

  • Fist_carlos_button

    John Carlos, 1968 Olympic U.S. Medalist, on the Revolutionary Sports Moment that Changed the World

    October 12, 2011 | Story

    Almost half a century after his famous raised-fist salute at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, John Carlos has authored a new memoir with sportswriter Dave Zirin, "The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment that Changed the World." Olympic medal winners in the 200 meter race, John Carlos and Tommie Smith raised their fists in the Black Power salute during the national anthem at the Olympic prize ceremony as a protest against racism in the United States. Seen around the world, the Black Power salute on the Olympic medal stand sparked controversy and an eventual career fallout. "I wasn’t there for the race. I was there to actually make a statement," Carlos says. "I was ashamed of America for America’s deeds, what they were doing in history, as well as what they were doing at that particular time." [includes rush transcript]

  • Mate-olympic-democracynow

    In the Shadow of the Olympic Flame: A Report from the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, the Poorest Neighborhood in Canada

    March 02, 2010 | Story

    The 2010 Winter Olympics have wrapped up in Vancouver, Canada. The Olympic flame has been doused, and a return to normalcy has begun for a city thrust onto the world stage. Democracy Now! producer Aaron Maté traveled to Vancouver to look at an issue lost in the two-week spectacle, the struggles of a low-income community in the Olympics’ shadow. [includes rush transcript]

  • Oly-demo

    Olympic Resistance: Indigenous Groups, Anti-Poverty Activists, and Civil Liberties Advocates Protest 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver

    February 15, 2010 | Story

    Our Olympic coverage begins today in the streets of Vancouver, where some say a historic convergence is taking place. Indigenous groups, anti-poverty activists and civil liberties advocates are some of the voices being heard in protests against the Olympic presence. Franklin Lopez of the Vancouver’s Media Co-op has been following the Olympic protests. He filed this report. [includes rush transcript]

  • Oly-open

    Vancouver Community Activist Am Johal Condemns Use of Public Money to Subsidize International Olympic Committee at Expense of Basic City Services

    February 15, 2010 | Story

    The Olympic Games last only two weeks, but their legacy will be felt in Vancouver for years to come. The price tag for taxpayers is estimated at around $6 billion, including around $1 billion in "security" costs. Last week, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge praised Vancouver organizers, calling the Vancouver model "a blueprint for future games." To talk about what that blueprint could mean for Vancouver, as well as future host cities, we go now to Vancouver, where we are joined by Am Johal, chair of the Impact on Communities Coalition, a watchdog group around the Vancouver Olympics founded in 2001. [includes rush transcript]

  • Vancouver2010

    Vancouver Activists Greet Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony with People’s Summit, Protest

    February 12, 2010 | Story

    The 2010 Winter Olympic Games are opening today in Vancouver. Large-scale protests are planned over the weekend. The Olympic Resistance Network has organized a people’s summit to coincide with the Games’ opening ceremonies. Franklin Lopez of the Vancouver Media Co-op filed this report. [includes rush transcript]

  • Goodman_web

    Amy Goodman Detained at Canadian Border, Questioned about Speech...and 2010 Olympics

    November 30, 2009 | Story

    While traveling to Vancouver, Canada, to speak at the Vancouver Public Library at a benefit for community radio stations, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and her two colleagues were detained by Canadian authorities. Amy was questioned extensively about the speech she intended to give, their car was gone through by armed border guards, and their papers and laptop computers were scoured. The armed interrogators were particularly interested in whether she would be speaking about the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. [includes rush transcript]

  • Chicago2016-web

    Sportswriter Dave Zirin on Obama’s Olympic Error

    October 02, 2009 | Story

    As President Obama lobbies the International Olympic Committee to choose Chicago for the site of the 2016 Summer Olympics, Dave Zirin looks at why Chicago may not want to be the host city. Zirin argues Olympic Games have economically hurt cities in the past. And he writes, "To greater or lesser degrees, the Olympics bring gentrification, graft and police violence wherever they nest." [includes rush transcript]

  • Cameraweb

    Naomi Klein and Christian Parenti on How Beijing Olympics Highlight Globalization of Police State, Inequality

    August 15, 2008 | Story

    The equipment and integrated security systems used to detain Olympic protesters will remain long after the Olympics, to be used, many fear, on China’s own population. And some of the biggest beneficiaries of this surveillance boom are US hedge funds and corporations, including Cisco, General Electric and Google. We speak to journalists Naomi Klein and Christian Parenti, both of whom have recently reported from China. [includes rush transcript]

  • Helenziaweb

    Chinese American Writer & Activist Helen Zia on the Olympic Games, the Role of Protest and President Bush’s Visit to Beijing

    August 12, 2008 | Story

    In a piece called "Why I Will Carry the Olympic Torch," Helen Zia wrote earlier this year, "A peaceful and better world is possible through friendly engagement and mutual understanding, not violent confrontation and polarization. It’s an Olympic message, a possible dream that our global civilization and everyone who is a part of it can aspire to — and for which I am proud to carry a torch." [includes rush transcript]