Runaway Prices Threaten The Games Future

Is it all smoke and mirrors? The IOC is seeking to ensure that there are fewer empty seats at the 2012 London Games.

Interesting.

You could see a large number of empty seats during athletic events in Beijing. Organizers even resulted to having volunteers occupy the seats. The IOC is not sure why or how this occurred and are investigating the matter.

We’ll wait on that results of that investigation. In the mean time, what happened? Exuberant hotel prices and bad publicity dampened tourism-that is what happened.

Standard hotel prices in Beijing were going for $700 a night, to then learn just weeks before the games that a high demand did not materialize at the Beijing Games. And at the last minute hotels dropped prices but well beyond the realistic possibility of fans booking an international trip at the last moment.

So what about the fans?

Sure the Olympics have not been cheap in decades but during an economic crisis that officially started in December 2007 - those prices are hubris - smacking of being out of touch with current circumstances.

The lack of foot traffic at their Olympic exhibit was one major reason cited by Johnson & Johnson as a reason for dropping as a major corporate sponsor.

To be fair, the hotel prices have surged in Olympic host cities and prices are set by the independent owners and operators of the respective hotels. However, the slow economic down and the lackluster performance is the opportunity for the IOC to reign in hotel operators of host cities during the bidding process.

Massively inflated prices and lower than expected turn out ultimately diminishes the appeal Games and organizers had better get them under control if they want to save their golden goose.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.

Can Anyone Top Lolo Jones?

If there is a race for the most classy athlete in track and field, Lolo would probably win? Her explanation to the millions watching on the spur of the moment after hitting the ninth hurdle out of ten was incredible.

Let's just say, Lolo made some new fans.

By Jay Hicks.

Usain Bolt Should Be Thanked, Not Criticized

Steve McGill at Hurdlesfirst.com wrote a great piece about the ridiculous criticism of Usain Bolt’s exuberance and excitement that he displayed in making Olympic history and realizing his dreams.

McGill wrote:

“Costas [Bob] spent a whole week kissing Michael Phelps’ butt, then when something other-worldly happens on the track, the first thing he does is find something critical to discuss. “

“Personally, I had no problem with Bolt’s celebration. Bolt is a breath of fresh air in a sport filled with a whole lot of pollution. He’s funny, he’s gregarious, he’s playful, and he gets down to business when it’s time to get down to business. What more could you want? And your boy Ato Boldon (shown on left) had the chance to school Costas on his ignorance, but instead, he agreed with him. You mean to tell me that someone who trained with Maurice Greene, Jon Drummond, and Larry Wade would agree that Usain Bolt needs to tone it down? Please tell me I’m dreaming, because this can’t be happening.”

Originally, I thought that somehow I had missed something. They don’t get the fact that Usain Bolt single-handily resuscitated the premiere event at the Olympic Games from the dark alleys and back into the mainstream.

Track is cool again.

IOC President Jean Rogge suggested that Bolt “showboated” too much. "I think he should show more respect for his competitors and shake hands, give a tap on the shoulder to the other ones immediately after the finish, and not make gestures like the one he made in the 100 meters," Rogge said in an interview. He also said of Bolt's actions that "you just don't do that."

Those sentiments are stuck in the past and smack of being out of touch. Let the 22-year-old Olympic champion have his day in the sun.

As far as I can tell, Bolt is well liked by the world and by his competitors. The NBC cameras revealed a light-hearted man who joked with his countrymen and competitors a like. There was not a statement of issue from any competing athlete on the matter.

Rogge ‘s criticisms are wrongly aimed at an athlete who brought excitement to the Olympic Games. Maybe the Belgian bureaucrat should have spent more attention focusing on the Chinese age scandal that unfolded right in front of the world‘s eyes. That is the kind of issue that really does chip away at the credibility of the games.

The IOC and folks at NBC should sending Bolt flowers and singing his praises for putting down three world record performances that the world is still talking about and that delivered better than anticipated television ratings.

The aforementioned parties should remain silent on the matter of showboating and just cash their bonus checks at the bank.

By Jay Hicks.

Beijing Olympic Games Close With A Bang

-USA Didn’t Fair Badly At All On The Track.

Winning an Olympic gold amounts to catching lightning in a bottle. Elusive. Precious. Difficult. No matter how great an athlete, in order to win an Olympic medal of any kind, everything must go perfectly.

If an injury develops, such as the case for hurdler Terrence Trammell, or if like Lolo Jones you clip a hurdle, then it’s done. There is nothing you can do if the recovery time is not enough for Tyson Gay to be 100%. Or, if your body is not feeling at its best, as was the case with Sanya Richards, then the favorite comes out with a bronze.

For the world, Usain Bolt walked away as the new megastar of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games—mainly because most countries care more about track than swimming. The precocious Jamaican cleaned up in the 100, 200, and 400-meter relay in world record time in all three events, along with the successes of his countrymen.

The outing for Team USA on the track was not quite as bad as the media would lead one to believe.

Sure the U.S. men and women botched hands-offs in the 4x100 meter relays. That almost certainly would have added to the medal count.

However, Team USA had an extremely good showing. Maybe, head coach Bubba Thornton saying, "This is probably the strongest team we've ever sent to the Olympic Games," was an overstatement, but never the less, the US had great successes in Beijing.

Here’s a quick look at the facts.

USA Track & Field earned 23 medals. Of that seven gold, nine silver, seven bronze. That is just one gold and two total medals fewer than Athens, which had been the best U.S. performance since 1992.

Bryan Clay is the world’s greatest all-around athlete after dominating the decathlon, LaShawn Merritt scored an upset in the 400, Stephanie Brown Trafton unexpectedly won the first U.S. discus gold medal in nearly a century, Angelo Taylor led a U.S. sweep of the 400-meter hurdles, and Sanya Richards ran a legendary anchor leg to win gold for Team USA.

By any account that is pretty good stuff.

Yeah, USA Track & Field as an agency is in dire need of improvement, but that does not in any way diminish the U.S. athletes and their performances while representing this country.

Maybe the slight by NBC in television coverage, the disastrous relays results, and the less than desired results on the track will light a fire for change with USA Track & Field executive management.

The international landscape of track & field has been changing for at least the last decade, and much like USA Basketball, the Olympic selection process for track needs some minor modifications. I think some of the performance issues related issues were due to dead legs or fatigue in Beijing.

The process to provide for more recovery time after the grueling Olympic Trials must now be a priority. In order to earn a paycheck , a majority of Team USA ran in Europe at least several times after the Olympics Trials and before heading to Beijing.

The closing of the games feel as though something important is coming to the end. Something magical. Something we will have to wait another four years to see.

It's safe to say they do everything big in China. The 2008 Beijing Games displayed state-of-the art venues, a sense of history & culture, and amazing athletic performances that sometimes left you in utter disbelief.

The ball is in your court now, London.

By Jay Hicks.

Air Force 1 Closing Ceremonies By Nike

Nike seems to have thought of everything except for... signing Usain Bolt to the company. With that the closing ceremonies are about to begin at any moment now.

Nike Air Force 1 “Closing Ceremonies” is Nike's way of closing the games with a bang. It comes in a gold upper of course, along with a laser etched graphic all over the upper. The shoe as well as a special 080808 box will be released on August 25th.

By Jay Hicks.

U.S. Sets Olympic Record in 1,600-Meter Relay

-Beijing-The Team members were all smiles at the “Bird’s Nest” and why wouldn’t they be?

The winner of the 1,600-meter relay was never in doubt.

LaShawn Merritt (44.35) got the U.S. out to a comfortable lead before handing off to Angelo Taylor who blazed a 43.70 leg. On the third leg, David Neville added to the lead before Jeremy Wariner (43.16), nearly ran a 42 second anchor leg that added an exclamation point to the victory.

The team of LaShawn Merritt, the 400-meter champion, 400-meter hurdles gold medalist Angelo Taylor, David Neville bronze winner and Wariner the 2004 gold medalist and 400 silver medalist recorded a time of 2:55.39 in Saturday's final.

The time was good enough to establish a new Olympic record, in an event that the U.S have dominated. The previous record of 2:55.74 was set by Americans Andrew Valmon, Quincy Watts, Michael Johnson and Steve Lewis in 1992 at the Seoul Games. The U.S. continues a tradition of owning this event, having now won the 1,600-meter relay at the last seven straight Olympic Games.

Olympian Kerron Clement and former Baylor standout Reggie Witherspoon ran in the qualifying heats and also share in the Olympic gold.

That is not a bad way at all to close out the track and field events at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

By Jay Hicks.

Sanya Richards Leads U.S. Women to 1,600-Meter Relay Victory

Relays performances often times tell you a great deal about an athlete. The biggest factor in running is not statistics or splits--it's heart.

Sanya Richards showed major heart when she got the stick seven meters behind Anastasia Kapachinskaya of Russia and quickly made up that ground in leading Team USA to victory.

The relay is the first gold medal for Richards and Allyson Felix at these games.

Mary Winberg (51.0), Allyson Felix (48.55), Monique Henderson (50.06), and Sanya Richards (48.93) brought home the gold in 3:18.55. It should also be noted that Natasha Hastings ran in the qualifying heat and will share in the gold medal victory.

By Jay Hicks.

Bryan Clay Wins Decathalon, Becomes World's Greatest Athlete

-Beijing - The prestigious title of "World's Greatest All Around Athlete" belongs to Bryan Clay.

In past years, the event had star power. Remember the likes of Bruce Jenner, Jim Thorpe, Rafer Johnson, and Dan O'Brien becoming household names after winning the ten event competition? Bringing back gold almost guaranteed being featured on the front of the Wheaties box.

Well that is no longer the case.

NBC bypassed showing a major portion of the decathalon competition in order to air the BMX competition. Oh, how the sport and event have fallen from that pedastal.

So what that means is that millions of Americans saw very little of Clay's impressive performance. He brought the title of "World's Greatest Athlete" back to the U.S., something that has eluded Team USA since Dan O'Brien's victory in 1996.

Clay put forth one of the most dominant performances of a generation. The U.S. Olympic Trials champion led from the first event and opened up an insurmountable lead, while never relinquishing the top sport during the grueling two-day competition.

The 2004 Olympic silver medalist and 2005 world champion, Clay finished with 8,791 points, including a solid 1,500 meter race to close out the competition.

“I hope the Wheaties box and all those types of things happen,” Clay said. “I’d love for this to be a spark for the decathlon and bring it back to the forefront of track and field.”

Bryan Clay is king now,” said Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic, the world record holder and 2007 world champion who finished sixth, “and I was before. It was just about me giving him the crown for the next four years.”

By Jay Hicks.

Bolt Strikes For Third Gold Medal in 400M Relay

Is this the best team performance ever, for a nation of 1.8 million?

-Beijing-The good times kept rolling on Friday for Usain Bolt and the Jamaican national team. Bolt ran a lightening fast third leg that helped to crush the World Record previously held by the United States. The U.S. had poor hand offs and did not make the final.

The Jamaica squad was made up of Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, Bolt and Asafa Powell. Jamaica recorded 37.10, which improved on the record of 37.40 set by the U.S. relay team at the 1992 Olympics.

By Jay Hicks.

Bungled Handoffs Derail U.S. Relay Hopes

-Beijing - It was the worst thirty minutes of the Olympic Games for Team USA. The rain probably didn't help matters much and neither did the limited practice time typically committed to relay handoffs before the Olympics.

Somebody needs to find Tyson Gay and give him a hug. His Olympic Games were officially labeled a nightmare for the 2007 World Champion at 100 and 200-meters. Doc Patton's handoff to Tyson Gay on the anchor leg ended up bouncing around the track.

The bobbled exchanged between Torri Edwards to anchor leg Lauryn Williams was met the same result. Williams picked up the baton and finished the race, but it didn't count. Both U.S. teams were disqualified from their respective races.

This makes back-to-back Olympic Games that the women have dropped the baton. These results are a continuation of past errors that beg for a look at restructuring the Olympic team process.

USA Track and Fields needs to take a page out of the USA Basketball book because the current Olympic system dates back to the Cold War era and fails to represent the best that the country is capable of delivering.

By Jay Hicks.

Merritt Wins Big Over Wariner In U.S. 400 Sweep

Merritt Upset Wariner's Effort to Win Gold

-Beijing-LaShawn Merritt did something that many weren't sure he could pull off. He upset defending Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner.

As I have written, in the past it has been Wariner the runner putting up the race of his life to win big in August. This time it was a brilliant race by Merritt at the perfect time that drew the world's attention.

Only four runners, have bested the 43.75 that Merritt blazed in the finals. Wariner came off the turn in the lead but faded big time down the stretch finishing second in 44.70.

David Neville clocked 44.80 seconds and secured Team U.S.A. the bronze.

By Jay Hicks.

Mr. August – Jeremy Wariner Saves His Best For Late Summer

The Texan is the favorite to win gold tomorrow.

The jury is in, Jeremy Wariner is officially the man to beat tomorrow. The former Baylor standout knows how to win the big races and now the long awaited 400-meters showdown is finally here.

Wariner should be called “Mr. August,” for delivering clutch performances when it counts. In 2004, Wariner won took the NCAA title, indoors and outdoors, won the Olympic Trials, and then grabbed the Olympic Games. Since then he has won every honor, title, and achievement except that of the world record held by Michael Johnson.

So what about Wariner makes him so special?

Well for starters it is his mission and vocation in life to run the one lap race. On top of that, he has an analytical mind, and is a strong race strategist. Lastly his work ethic is unparalled. Wariner's drive keeps him hungry to continue training hard. His confidence is supreme because he knows that he has put in the work in practice.

Wariner could have ducked Merritt until the Olympic Trials but did not.

To put things in perspective, here is a small list highlighting some of Wariner's big races and fast times. Just keep in mind that last year in Osaka, he reeled in LaShawn Merritt to win the world title in the fastest race he has ever run.

• 2004: Olympics – 44.00 – Personal Record – August 23
• 2005: Helsinki WC – 43.93 – Personal Record - August 12
• 2006: Rome – 43.62 – July 14 -(non- World Champion year)
• 2007: Osaka WC – 43.45 – Personal Record – August 31

However this time around, expect Wariner's new rival LaShawn Merritt to put himself in a better position, so it will be a battle of will in the final 80 meters of the race between the two great 400-meter runners.

Prerace Jitters Predictions:

Jeremy Wariner: 43.35 – Personal Record
LaShawn Merritt: 43.80 – Personal Record

By Jay Hicks.

Usain Bolt Wins 200M Gold In World Record Time

Usain Bolt delivered another jaw dropping moment to add to his 100-meter gold.

-Beijing-Michael Phelps may be the darling of NBC but Usain Bolt is a rising international superstar that demands your attention.

Usain Bolt has put his signature stamp on the 2008 Beijing Games and the 200-meter world record performance established him in history amongst the greatest sprinters to ever lace up spikes such as Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson, and Lee Evans.

Bolt's time of 19.30 eclipsed Michael Johnson's 12 year-old world record by .02. The 6 foot, 5 inch sprinting phenom is the first sprinter to set two world records at an Olympic Games.

Bolt has answered all questions about what his 200m race would look like if he ran from the start.

The sport was in dire need of story that blows away the cloudy issues of doping and scandal. The precocious Jamaican is a rare, brilliant sprinter that combines a long stride with blinding foot turn over and a passion for racing to deliver mind blowing results.

"Incredible," Michael Johnson said. "He got an incredible start. Guys of 6-5 should not be able to start like that. It's that long, massive stride. He's eating up so much more track than others. He came in focused, knowing he would likely win the gold and he's got the record."

Shawn Crawford took silver, and Walter Dix was awarded bronze after teammate Wallace Spearmon and Churandy Martina were both disqualified for running out of their respective lanes.

The more you watch Bolt run that more it becomes evident that he can run much faster and that he may reign supreme in the sport for a long time to come.

By Jay Hicks.

Heptathlete Hyleas Fountain May Get Upgraded to Silver

Can you upgrade me?

-Beijing-The IAAF sent out word that heptathlon silver medalist Lyudmila Blonska's "A" sample had come back positive for the steroid methyltestosterone.

That means that Hyleas Fountain of the U.S. will go from bronze to silver if that is confirmed by the "B'' test. Russia's Tatiana Chernova gets the bronze.

By Jay Hicks.

Sanya Richards Winds Up With Bronze

-Beijing-Coming off the turn, the race looked like it was in hand.

The finish line was in sight. She had run past her doubts, run past her health issues, and had out run past previous disappointments.

Richards is the fastest American to run the one lap race and had the fastest time in the world. But she didn't have a major championship gold.

Then with 75 meters to go Sanya Richards hamstring tightened up on her. She struggled to cross the line in third place behind the winner Christine Ohuruogu of Great Britain and Shericka Williams of Jamaica.

"My right hamstring grabbed on me, Richards said. " I just couldn't move it anymore. I tried to hold them off, and I just couldn't. I'm so disappointed because I've never had anything like that happen. I was totally out of control on the straightaway. I was all over the lane."

It has been a tough run for Richards. Last year she was diagnosed with Behcet’s disease, a rare chronic inflammation of the blood vessels throughout the body. The illness hijacked her training, sapped her energy, and caused her to miss qualifying for the World Championships.

Richards blasted out of the blocks, shot down the backstretch, and was held a commanding lead coming off the turn. Then the unthinkable occurred down the final stretch.

"I knew that gold was mine. I knew I was going to run 48 seconds. I felt so good. I was already getting elated coming off the turn because I knew how my races had been going. My hamstring just really let me down. I just feel like I've worked so hard in vain."

“Once again, just major disappointment. Every major championship I’ve been to I’ve come up short. It’s not for a want of trying. I mean, I go out there with every intention of trying to run my best race and I always come into the race very prepared. So once again to lose a championship and not just any major championship – the Olympic Games. And thinking of waiting for four more years is just way too much."

The time 49.62 was her fastest time of the season but it's probably of little solace to Richards.

By Jay Hicks.

Lolo Jones Hits Hurdle, Finishes Seventh

Lolo Jones was two hurdles away from Olympic gold.

-Beijing-Midway through the race Jones opened up daylight between she and the rest of the competitors. The question seemed to be who would take silver and bronze.

Then disaster hit.

Then Jones clipped the hurdle with her lead foot and instantly went from first to seventh place--a change your life kind of moment. In the semi-finals, Jones established her role as the elite of the field - rolling out at 12.43 - the third fastest time in Olympic history.

Dawn Harper of the U.S. won the gold medal in 12.54 seconds, Australia's Sally McLellan landed silver (12.64) and Canada's Priscilla Lopes-Schliep scooped up bronze (also 12.64).

It seemed to be destiny, but it was not to be. Owning the fastest time in the world and winning in races by wide margins. The story of Jones had the making of a American come back story. She cleared

Daughter of a single mother with three brothers and a sister, at one point lived in the basement of a church. Her father was in and out of jail during her youth. The kid who bounced from family to family. Jones worked minimum jobs to stay in the sport. The story was close to coming full circle for the 25-year-old LSU graduate.

"You hit a hurdle about twice a year where it affects your race," said Jones. "But it's kind of like a car. When you race in a car and you're going max velocity and you hit a curve, you either maintain control or you crash and burn and today I crashed and burned."

"When I crossed the line, it was very hard to pick myself back up," she said. "Today's hard." Tomorrow's going to be harder."

It was a heartbreaking race and a reminder of how difficult the sport can be. Lolo is a champion with or without a medal and after this latest disappointment she will keep moving on.

By Jay Hicks.

When Athletes Blog - David Oliver Blogs From Beijing

Lenovo sponsored Olympic blogger hits the keyboard.

Some people can run at the highest level and others can blog. David Oliver managed to win his heat of the 110-hurdles and then sprinted to his blog to write about his experience.

Here is what the U.S. Olympic Trials champion had to say about his race, the unfortunate circumstances of Liu Xiang and Terrence Trammell's.

"Before I get to my performance, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the loss of two of the best 110 hurdlers in the history of the event, forced out by injury in the first round.

Once again, it is unfortunate how freak injuries turn what seem like invincible athletes, in to mere mortals. Terrence and Liu were both dealt that bad hand and never got a chance to fulfill their Olympic dream. It is a very hard pill to swallow for me because I believe that in order to be the best, you have to beat the best, heads up, and we will not get to see a such match up here.

The stadium was jam packed! It was very hot on the track as well, it felt like a 20 degree increase in temperature from the warm up track to the stadium. I went out and ran a clean race and won my heat in a time of 13.30, which was good enough for the top performance of the day."

Tomorrow evening David Oliver will run the quarterfinal heat tomorrow evening.

Click here to read David Oliver's full blog from the Olympic Games in Beijing.

By Jay Hicks.

Nike Dunk Trainer Low Invisible

There selection of Olympic shoes have increased this year compared to past Olympic years. The Nike arsenal of shoes features this Air Trainer Dunk Free. Only a few times has Nike used the invisible concept which features clear parts of the shoe which allow to be see through.

This shoe features a Pearl White upper, Gold flaked mid-sole and a Blue liner. The colors used are very nice, but the whole look is different, but hey to each his own.


By Jay Hicks.

Bolt Inching Towards History

Usain Bolt is the man to beat in the 200-meters. He is still riding high off of his 100-meter world record and hoping to become the first man since Carl Lewis to win the 100 and 200 double.

The men semi-finals took place in the evening after the athletes ran opening rounds in the morning.

Bolt (20.29) narrowly edged out Shawn Crawford (20.42) to win his semi-final heat. Walter Dix (20.27) worked a little harder in the final 30 meters than he probably wanted to while finishing second in his heat.

When will Wallace Spearmon start running the turn?

He poured it on down the stretch to take second in his heat with 20.39. If Spearmon doesn't improve at the first half of the race, he may very well find himself too far out of position to contend for a medal in the finals.

At this point, Dix and Bolt have run a total of six races. With that, it is unlikely that we will see Michael Johnson's world record of 19.32 fall in the finals.

Never before has Bolt come into the finals of a championship race with a full round of 100-meter runs under his belt. The best strategy to challenge Bolt in the finals is for Dix or Crawford to get out the first 30 meters like they have junk yard dogs on their tail.

It is lights out in the finals if Bolt comes off the turn with lead.

By Jay Hicks.

Wariner & Merritt Move Forward to Semi-Finals

Drum beats of athlete battle.

-Beijing-The 400-meters have not seen any surprises, yet. All three U.S. runners ran well qualifying but everyone is waiting to see the battle looming for the finals. Right now, it is the calm before the storm.

Reigning champion Jeremy Wariner advanced in 45.23 for the semi-finals along with rival LaShawn Merritt in 44.96. Both easily winning their respective heats.

Merritt is ready to battle:”It's time to go, time to showdown and throw down. I went home, got my confidence up and mentally got ready to perform. I train to win and when I do it gives me a good boost.”

The third place finisher at the U.S. Olympic Trials, David Neville who finished second in his heat in 45.22 to advance said “You know I thought I'd be able to run a little slower. I did what I had to do to make it through. For me, I'm just going out there and doing the best I can do. I'm representing the U.S. to the best of my ability."

Jeremy Wariner whose wants is the world record to fall in Beijing but goal is winning a second medal in the event said the following after the race: “We have a chance to get top three. It will take a lot of work but anything is possible.”

Anything less than a U.S. sweep of the event would amount to a colossal failure. The Prerace Jitters Predictions for the 400-meter finals are as follows:

1st: Jeremy Wariner – 43.35
2nd: LaShawn Merritt – 43.80
3rd: David Neville 44.63

By Jay Hicks.