TresSugar

IOC to Come Up With Better Guidelines For Ambiguous Sex

TresSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0700

The treatment of 18-year-old champion runner Caster Semenya by the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) left me scratching my head. How could officials publicly call into question Caster's sex, knowing the profoundly personal nature of the matter? Their actions were so degrading that Caster was rumored to be in hiding after the tests reportedly revealed that she was intersex. Well here's one way to understand how officials could take such an irresponsible approach: international bodies that govern competitive sports lack appropriate guidelines for dealing with ambiguous sex cases.

Hoping to address this problem, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will gather medical experts at an international conference charged with creating guidelines for such cases. It might be a difficult task, but at least they can look at Caster's case as an example of what not to do.

This meeting will be held during the World Conference on Hormonal and Genetic Basis of Sexual Differentiation Disorders, and IOC officials say that there should be a focus on the privacy of competitors whose sex has been called into question. Let's hope so.

Chicago Dropped From 2016 Olympic Race, Rio Wins!

TresSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:35:43 -0700

Update: Rio de Janeiro has been awarded the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. This is the first time a country in South America will host the Olympics! The delegation from Brazil jumped and cheered in celebration when the IOC made the announcement.

The IOC unexpectedly decided to drop Chicago from contention for the 2016 Olympics in the first round of voting. It had been expected that the final vote would come down to Chicago and Rio de Janeiro. Tokyo was dropped in the second round, and Madrid and Rio are still in the running as the vote continues. President Obama, Michelle Obama, and Oprah had traveled to Copenhagen to make a passionate pitch for their hometown, but in the end, it wasn't enough.

Front Page: Barack and Michelle Go For the Gold in Denmark

TresSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:00:45 -0700

Michelle Obama promises "take no prisoners" when she and Barack go to Denmark Thursday with hopes of nabbing the 2016 Olympics for Chicago. - CNN
The US plans to economically isolate Iran if the country does not allow international inspectors in to examine its nuclear program. - Washington Post
At least 240 people have died in the Philippines as a result of severe flooding. - Wall Street Journal
An overreach by Roman Polanski's lawyer may have been behind the director's arrest. - NY Daily News
Predictably, abortion is complicating the healthcare debate. - New York Times
Things are looking good for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, after she won re-election over the weekend. - New York Times

Pole Dancers Reach For Olympic Gold

TresSugar — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:00:58 -0700

From the stripper pole to the Olympic podium? Proponents of "pole fitness" want more respect, and perhaps a gold medal would help. In an interview with Marie Claire, dance instructor Collette Kakuk, cofounder of the Pole Fitness Association, makes a case for pole dancing as an Olympic sport.

Poles aren't just for strippers anymore. There are stripping-based fitness classes, sport poles, and even national pole-dancing competitions. The moves require no small amount of strength, flexibility, control, and balance. Kakuk argues:

But if you look at rhythmic gymnastics and figure skating, so many of the movements are similar to what we do on the pole. We have to shatter the taboo. The pole is just another fitness apparatus, like a vertical balance beam.

I don't doubt that you have to be incredibly fit to pole dance. But I can't help but think the pole dancers might be a bit overeager for Olympic glory. As Kakuk points out, "we need to unify the sport. We don't even have common names for our moves." Well, at least they have a readymade soundtrack!

Iraq Banned From Olympics: Government Broke IOC Rule

LibertySugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:14 -0700

Iraq has been banned from participating in the Beijing Olympics because the government replaced the country's Olympic committee originally elected in 2004. The Olympic Charter states that all nations must have committees free from political influence. Now, Iraq's seven qualifying athletes - two rowers, two sprinters, an archer, a weightlifter, and a judo competitor - cannot fulfill their Olympic dreams because of their government's quarrel with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The dispute began in May when Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government disbanded the Iraqi Olympic Committee, maintaining that the members were corrupt and won their spots through phony elections. The action broke IOC rules, and prompted the banning. Following the decision, the general secretary of the current Iraqi Olympic Committee said, "it is a blow to Iraq and its international reputation, its athletes, and its youth."

Although Iraq faces problems much more urgent than exclusion from the Olympics, watching fellow citizens compete with the rest of the world could have raised Iraqis' spirits and potentially inspired further reconciliation. Should the Olympics make an exception for Iraq, or stick by its standard of not mixing politics with sports?

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Does Your Olympic Knowledge Deserve a Gold Medal?

LibertySugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:00:47 -0700

The Olympic Games have been going on since 776 BC! That's a whoooole lot of time for trivia. Did you know that when you put together the names of this year's five Olympic mascots - Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni - they say "Welcome to Beijing?" Go for the gold, and test your knowledge of Olympic history.

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Front Page: Hurricane Dolly Hits Texas, China to Allow Protests, Iran Says No Concessions

CitizenSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:56:59 -0700

Hurricane Dolly Hits Texas:
Hurricane Dolly arrived on the Gulf Coast early Wednesday with heavy rain and winds ramping up before the center of the storm hits towns on the Texas-Mexico border later today. The hurricane will bring up to 15 inches of rain, threatening local levees that gave way 41 years ago in Hurricane Beulah. The National Hurricane Center said Dolly could approach Category 2 strength when it makes landfall today.

China to Allow Protests:
China has announced that protests will be allowed in three specific city parks during the upcoming Olympics. To protest, one has to apply for permission from the city government and police, and stay within the parks. The director of the Beijing committee said the parks are "close to the city proper and the Olympic venues," but didn't know how the application process would work "at this time."
Iran Says No Concessions:
The president of Iran says the country will not back down in its nuclear activities. The US, UN, and EU have instructed Iran to give an answer on the issue within two weeks or face sanctions. President Ahmadinejad responded in a televised speech, "the Iranian people are steadfast [they] will not retreat one iota in the face of oppressing powers."

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Olympics Emergency Air Plan: Is Wearing a Mask an Insult?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:00:26 -0700

Traffic restrictions started in Beijing over the weekend in a frantic effort to try and improve the city's air quality before the start of the Games. By only allowing vehicles with odd-numbered license plates into the city on alternating days with evens, officials hope the halving of traffic will take 60 percent of the city's 3.3 million cars off the roads and reduce emissions by two-thirds.

Though the atmospheric throat-clearing is all about getting gussied up for company, locals are loving the effect. One mom said, "it's great - today there are far fewer cars on the road and the air quality is so nice. This is good for the children." With 1,000 new cars hitting Beijing streets every day the measures are herculean in one of the world's most congested cities.

Not limited to cars, construction and factories have also been quashed, making it clear that the bid for cleaner air is wholly temporary - once the rings come down, it's business as usual. For now, an extra 4 million people are expected to smush their way onto public transportation - claustrophobes, stay out of China.

Though the plan seems to be helping a little, all of this effort still might not be enough - and the stars of the show, the athletes, are grappling with a crisis of manners over performance. To see how, read more.

The US Olympic Committee is distributing an ultrasecret, high-tech mask to all of its 600 Olympians, sparking questions of propriety. If athletes strap on the masks, especially to high-profile events like the opening ceremonies, they are saying to their hosts, "you stink."

Though the Chinese themselves have used masks to protect their lungs, do the athletes have an obligation to suck it up and suffer, to avoid broadcasting to all that the air in China, ahem, sucks? The British team also has a mask - and theirs can be worn during competition, which of course brings up all kinds of fairness questions.

Manners aside, I'm struck by the larger implication that a giant country exists on our planet where the air isn't fit to breathe. And if the world was a restaurant, just because you pick the nonsmoking section, doesn't mean you won't leave smelling like a rat.

Should athletes wear the masks to make a broader ecological point? Will keeping silent do more harm in the long-run, than good?

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Where I'm Clicking Now: BBC Sport's Olympic Map

LibertySugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:30:27 -0700

The 2008 Summer Olympics don't begin for another 21 days, but anticipation and intrigue are already heating up. What to do if you can't make it to the Games in person?

BBC Sport has created an interactive map of Beijing that lets you in on all the excitement by allowing you to peruse the 37 Olympic venues and local landmarks (like the Forbidden City and Tienanmen Square). It also showcases articles from journalists on BBC Sport's Olympics blog and Twitter updates from BBC Sports' journalists in China. Right now the site is more of a preview of the Olympic village, but once the games begin it will offer a timely account of what's happening.

If you hover over any icon a pop-up window will appear with more information and pictures of what the site looks like from the ground. Need more Olympic data? NBC also has a fancy site with a countdown, blogs, profiles and eventually, results.

We're pretty excited for the Olympics around here, whether because of or despite the controversy - and here's a trivia question that popped up while we were checking out this map: we all know rhythmic gymnastics with its crazy ribbons and balls routines - but what do they call the other kind of gymnastics? You know, the flipping around kind? You can find the answer on the map if you don't already know - TeamSugar exercise ball gift on your profile page to the first person who answers correctly in the comments! Perfect 10.0!

Olympics Countdown Begins With a Flurry of Preparations

CitizenSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:15:10 -0700

The Olympics have revived China's second largest city. Today Beijing glitters with high-profile, modernist buildings, the world's largest airport terminal, and a new National Theater - one of the few cultural monuments built in China in the last 30 years. Now less than 30 days before 8-8-08, spectacular antiterrorism drills are underway and finishing touches are being made. Take a peek behind the curtains and see what China's up to - the Segways are just the beginning.

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