Olympics Topics

Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to Olympics

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  • Para-olympics_2012-2

    Disabled Athlete, Advocate Eli Wolff on the Overlooked Dynamism & Diversity of the Paralympic Games

    Despite being a major sporting event, the largest Paralympics in history barely made headlines over the past week despite attracting 4,200 athletes from 164 countries and selling out stadiums for every session before it even began. The U.S. host broadcaster, NBC, decided to air only four hour-long highlights packages on its sports channel, compared to its wall-to-wall coverage of the Olympics. The Paralymics were initiated by a group of British...
    Sep 10, 2012 | Story
  • Olympics-sarah_attar-1

    From Saudis to Soccer, Women Make Strides at Summer Olympics, But Are They Pawns of Backward IOC?

    One of the many records broken during the 2012 Olympic Summer Games was the number of female athletes participating from the conservative Islamic nations of Qatar, Brunei and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia only allowed the women to compete after the International Olympic Committee, or IOC, threatened to bar the whole team unless women were included. The controversy over the Saudi athletes is just one of the many ways in which women athletes and gender...
    Aug 10, 2012 | Story
  • Bike_protest

    Olympic Goodwill Image Belied by Arrests, Censorship and Corporate Ties Behind London Games

    While NBC has been airing wall-to-wall coverage of Olympic Games in London, little attention has been paid to what has taken place behind the scenes and just outside Olympic Park. London police arrested 182 people Friday for taking part in the monthly Critical Mass bike ride during the Olympics’ opening ceremony. Meanwhile, public outcry is growing after thousands of fans were told the Games were sold out, but prime seats reserved largely...
    Jul 31, 2012 | Story
  • Wayne-romney

    Key Figures in Salt Lake Olympic Bribery Scandal Now Backing Romney's Presidential Campaign

    On the campaign trail, Republican candidate Mitt Romney often touts his stewardship of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Utah, which he took over following a massive bribery scandal. In a series of new articles, longtime investigative reporter Wayne Barrett reveals Romney may have violated the new ethics rules he put in place. Today, Romney continues to accept campaign contributions from many key figures tied to the bribery scandal. Barrett, a...
    Jul 31, 2012 | Story
  • Olympicsecurity

    Lockdown in London: Professor, Ex-U.S. Athlete Jules Boykoff on Olympic Censorship & Militarization

    Britain has launched its biggest peacetime security operation ever ahead of the opening of the Summer Olympics. Nearly 20,000 armed forces personnel are now providing security — almost double the number of British troops currently serving in Afghanistan. The Olympic Games are estimated to cost British taxpayers a staggering $17 billion. At the same time, Brits near the Olympic Park have been subjected to sweeping censorship laws enacted...
    Jul 26, 2012 | Story
  • Johncarloszirinwebexv2

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

    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]
    Oct 12, 2011 | Web Exclusive
  • Fist_carlos_button

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

    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...
    Oct 12, 2011 | Story
  • Mate-olympic-democracynow

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

    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]
    Mar 02, 2010 | Story
  • Oly-demo

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

    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]
    Feb 15, 2010 | Story
  • Oly-open

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

    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,...
    Feb 15, 2010 | Story