USA Wrestling Team WILL Head for Iran

The ban has been lifted for the USA Wrestling Team and visas will be granted by Iran. At this time, the wrestling team and wrestling delegation will be allowed by the government to head to Kermanshah, Iran to compete in the World Cup. The Freestyle World Cup is scheduled for this month, February 2017. This brings back hope to wrestlers wishing to possibly compete in the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. 

Iran Reacts to Trump's Travel Ban

There were concerns about incoming athletes coming to the USA from the seven banned countries. Now, as it stands, athletes coming to the USA to compete will become an exception to the rule.

However, in the meantime, the government of Iran has issued a statement in retaliation. It will not allow USA athletes to enter Iran. The wrestling athletes were due to depart for Iran next week.

Olympic Movement Builds Bridges Not Walls

The Executive Order/Travel Ban will not affect all athletes coming to USA thanks to the United States Olympic Committee and the World Olympian Association. The USOC and WOA have worked these last few days to help pave a clear path for athletes to enter and compete in the USA even though initially they were banned.

Mayor Garcetti of Los Angeles sounds more committed than ever to host and bring the games back to L.A. The present executive order to ban travel for ninety days he says “unfairly targets refugees”.  No doubt The Refugee Team that competed in Rio de Janeiro, who won the hearts of all, will grow larger.

Once a city becomes an 'Olympic Host City' it morphs into a magical place where the joy of the Opening Ceremony and the spirit of the olympic flame unites the smiles of the world.  A host city becomes a place that brings togetherness peacefully...people from all countries and now

...people without countries. 

The Olympic movement has traditionally built bridges

...not walls.

Travel Ban Hinders Hopes for Los Angeles 2024

PyeongChang 2018, Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022 and...Los Angeles 2024?

No doubt Trump's Travel Ban has caused great concern this week for one of the candidate cities for 2024 Olympics, Los Angeles. The International Olympic Committee does not comment on the politics of sovereign countries, however I believe there is a possibility, because of the travel ban, that LA could possibly be removed from the list of candidates.

I think of Korea in 2018 and am reminded of the "World Harmony" theme of 1988. What fun co-ambassadors will bring to us all in Tokyo 2020 with Anime favorites Naruto, Luffy, Shin Chan, Pretty Cure, Sailor Moon, and Astroboy. No doubt in 2022 Beijing will delight us all with another awesome opening ceremony with a theme similar to 2008, "One World, One Dream". But with a travel ban no dreaming for our Californians am afraid to say, no LA 2024. 

California...beautiful California...where Walt Disney and many others have "opened their golden gates" and helped to make many peaceful happy dreams come true for people all over the world.

"Gold Zone" Awesome Olympic Highlights

Live! Screen split in 4 ways, excellent coverage of the highlights of EACH DAY!

Tune in to GOLD ZONE.  

Don't miss this NOW.

NBColympics.com app!!

The Day Before Rio's Opening Ceremony 2016, My Prediction

Quite simply,
I believe that
the highlight
of these
Olympic games
will be
the
spirited
passionate
enthusiasm
of the people of Brazil.

The Olympic Movement a "Ray of Sunshine"

For Avery Brundage, former head of the IOC for 20 years, the Olympic movement was a "ray of sunshine through clouds of racial animosity, religious bigotry and political chicanery". "Here at the Olympics, there is no injustice of caste, of race, of family or of wealth."

As for me, after living in Saigon in the mid sixties during the war and having wonderful friends that were killed there, the Olympics gave me hope for peace everywhere. The Mexico Olympics of 1968 demonstrated that all cultures could come together in peace. People of the world were smiling, chatting, laughing, and singing together. The Olympic flame lifted up this heart of mine and the spark and its glow is imbedded...it has never left me. So did the magic of all the flags of the world flying together. So did the music of those grand mariachis.

At the Opening Ceremony so many birds of peace were freed, after the Closing Ceremony the field became a massive celebration of all cultures mixing together...the world was dancing as one.

Yah Mr. Brundage, I agree.

The Olympics are a ray of sunshine.                                              

Ancient Olympics and Emperor Theodosius

The Games were part of history as far back 776 BC!  An olive wreath was given to the winner of the ancient games.  Additional games and prizes were added over hundreds of years. Prizes became quite grand, so grand that by 393 AD bribery and corruption caused Emperor Theodosius to ban the games! 

Frank Shorter Remembers Munich 1972

This morning, stopped everything to listen to NPR's interview of Frank Shorter, Olympic runner, speak about his experience of living in the Olympic Village in 1972.

He gazed in wonder, as I did, at the strange visual of first, one man, then two men with black covered faces (probably black socks with holes cut out) who held rifles on the small patio inside the Olympic Village. This patio was very close to the public walkway that almost everyone used to enter the Olympic Stadium. Frank was inside the village. I was outside the village on my way to the stadium. I walked slowly then stopped as only a few others did. Most folks kept walking. Like Frank, I had never seen anything like this before.  This might have been one of the first, or among the first terrorist attacks.  Frank was an easy target and I was. Did we or most of the people outside or inside the Olympic Village on this beautiful morning know what was going on inside? Not at all.

Most of you now know the sad story that unfolded that day and evening. So sad for the Israeli Team, for Germany, for the future Olympics and for most of the world.

Many of you do not know that when the terrorists entered the Olympic Village and climbed over the fence late the night before or very early that morning, they blended in with the team members from other countries who were out late partying.  Even the nice guys on other teams helped lift their duffle bags over the fence, of course not realizing what was inside those bags. (Yes the same kind of stuff that was symbolically placed in a huge pile, and made into a man made mountain, part of the Olympic Park. Buried guns, tanks and ammunition from WWII but covered with greenery symbolized "no more war")

Oh My Rio

Will be posting often during these Olympic weeks and will weave in

1)  Reflections of my exciting life in Rio during the 1970's

2)  Slices of synthesizing news with my experience at 12 Olympic Games

3)  News items and human interest stories as Rio 2016 unfolds.

Must preface: prior to every Olympic Games, there are issues that simply evaporate after the Opening Ceremony.  The magic of the ENERGY of the togetherness of our human family from all nations... chatting face to face, singing, dancing, playing, exchanging smiles etc...takes over!

Brexit

During London’s 2012 Olympics I sat in The Swan Pub with a group of Brits who were predicting the future and breaking away from the EU.  “Some day” they said, “Some day!”  

While they chatted with me, I remember thinking about Taiwan.  During my Summer in Taipei in 1967 so many of the people used the same phase, “Some day”,  “Some day”.  The people who had to leave mainland China had been dreaming and planning on returning and leading that country. “Some day” “Some day”.

Today’s big news that 52% of the people voted to leave the European Union rattled the world. It continues to rattle.

These unchartered waters are sad, so sad, for many, and very happy for others, including a few of my buddies from one of the oldest pubs in England, where democracy began!!

Their day has come. Their “Some day”, “Some day” is..........TODAY!

Olympic Taeqwondo

Olympic Taeqwondo, Barcelona 1992

Taeqwondo was a "demonstration sport" during the 1992 games.

It was introduced during the 1988 games in Korea. It became a

full medal sport during the games in Australia, Sydney 2000.

Olympic Hockey

Olympic Field Hockey, Barcelona 1992

Olympic Boxing

Olympic Boxing, Barcelona 1992

Olympic Basketball

Olympic Basketball, Barcelona 1992

Olympic Surfing!!!

Surfing FINALLY will become an Olympic Sport
for Tokyo 2020
(thank you sufertoday.com)

Olympic Baseball

Oympic Baseball, Barcelona 1992

Olympic Kayaking

Olympic Kayaking, Barcelona Olympics 1992

Olympic Archery

Olympic Archery, Barcelona Olympics 1992

Olympic Weightlifting

Olympic Weightlifting, Barcelona 1992

Olympic Tennis

Tennis, Olympics 1992, Barcelona 

Olympic Sailing

Sailing, 1992 Olympic Poster from Barcelona

Summertime was Summertime 2015

Summertime was summertime and living was a bit 'too' easy.  Laguna Susi Q, company came, Hawai'i trip with my daughter Marion of the University of Hawai'i, MidSummer break in SoCal and then August in Seattle for a fun family wedding and reunions with just a bit of work online.  Drove from Tacoma to Portland Oregon with my sister and her husband to hear our family history stories from an incredibly sharp 94 year old who grew up living next to our Wimberg grandparents.  Vivid memories and great story telling! Met her, Selma Voss, for the first time. Such a buzz.  Found her because of a comment I made on facebook. When my name appeared during May on a the computer screen of a man, Selma's son-in-law, in Oregon, he wrote and asked if I was from the Wimbergs of Southern NJ. Then told me about his mother-in-law who had great memories of a great family. Thanks to him we have great details of our family history.

Will be getting back in the flow of writing after a summer of jumping around the USA. In order to help jump back, I got out my old posters from 1992.  Aired them out and photographed them. This is one of many of my favorites from the The 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Barcelona, Olympics 1992

Cool jump, aye?

Olympic Watches

Had a look at the Apple watches last week.  Very spiffy, functional and fun. Such CLEVER design. Would love to have one some day.  So had to take a second look at the Olympic watches from Swatch.

Swatch watches with such clever Olympic design!

Beijing 2008 Olympic Stamp, One World One Dream

Somehow the line at the postal station inside Beijing's
Olympic Park was not long at all...so here I am folks!
(Have to say, while waiting in Olympic lines I have
totally enjoyed chatting and meeting fabulous folks.)

Ahhh presentation! This is the cover design that was
protecting the above stamps. Clever aye?
 And so goes life where FORM should follow FUNCTION!

Sydney 2000 Paralympic Stamps

Just mention Paralympics to those who stay and cheer these super athletes on
and most will "talk story" with happy and heartfelt  tears in their eyes.
Bravo to them all and bravo to the designer of these stamps!

Sydney 2000, Olympic Stamp

This Olympic stamp captures the magic of 

movementof the Olympic Flame and the Olympic Flag.

Always manages to magically move...all of us Olympic regulars!

Olympic Torch Post Cards, 1984

The Olympic Torch, everyone's favorite!

Olympic Post Cards, First Day of Issue 1983, Los Angeles 1984

I read about upcoming First Day Issue post cards in a 

small article in the newspaper during July of 1983.

During the former three Olympic Games, Mexico 68, Munich 72 and

Montreal 76, I was single, the world was my home. My son was born

while we were living in Laguna Beach in 1979 so Korea was

impossible for me to attend. My daughter was born in1981.

Loved my babies but oh how I missed the exciting games.

Then  alleluia, the Olympics came...to me in 1984!

These post cards were issued and distributed at the Long Beach

Post Office in 1983. prior to the 1984 games. All three of us made had

an adventurous day driving to Long Beach to purchase some.

They remain my favorite. Great for trading.

Love sailing, love this design!

Olympic Stamp Collecting

Stamp Collecting is very much a part of the Olympic Games.

I will be posting some of my preferred stamps. 

I was attracted to design and aesthetics. Not a

serious collector yet, after many Olympic Games, 

my collection grew, quite seriously!

After the games my parents were always excited when
mail arrived from far away places.  This one from the
Tunisia Prensa head, Mustapha Majoul 1968.