London 2012 Olympic Games Preparations

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games officially refers to the Games of the 30^th Olympiad or the London 2012 Olympic Games. The Games will be held in London, England in the United Kingdom from July 27 to August 12, 2012, about two weeks before the start of the Paralympics Games on August 29 to September 9 also in London. London holds the distinction of being the first city in the world to officially host the Olympics three times, including the forthcoming 30^th Olympiad. The recent selection of London as host city was made by the 117^th Session of the International Olympic Committee in Singapore in July 2005 over Moscow, New York City, Madrid in Spain and Paris in France.

London Olympic Committee. The London Olympic Committee is tasked to manage the Games—including the Paralympics, which are competitions for physically disabled athletes—at a budget of 11.3 billion pounds sterling. The amount will be used principally for preparing for the Games that include the redevelopment of London’s different areas and venues and for the purchase of several properties, and construction of the 80,000-capacity Olympic Stadium. As of July 2011, the redevelopment of several venues where the Games are to be held, and the construction of a number of facilities are 88% complete. Preparations funding is shared by the UK Central government at 64%, National Lottery, 23%, and the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency at 13%. To help fund the entire preparations cost, the central government has entered into partnership deals with major companies categorized as worldwide, and Tiers one, two and three.

Public transport. Preparation efforts are focused on public transportation and security for more than 17,000 athletes and some 500,000 visitors from around the world. Public transport has undergone numerous improvements including, among others, the (a) Expansion of the London over-ground East London Line, (b) Upgrades to the Docklands Light Railway and the North London Line, (c) Introduction of a new “Javelin” high-speed rail service in the concept of Japan’s “bullet” trains, and (d) Construction of the 25 million pound sterling cable car across the River Thames. These are in accordance with UK’s transport plans to allow athletes to travel in less than 20 minutes to their event sites, and make the Olympic Park served by 10 separate railway lines for a combined passenger capacity of 240,000 per hour.

Security preparations. With 26 sports and 39 disciplines to be featured in the Olympics, and 20 sports and 21 disciplines in the Paralympics to be participated by thousands of world athletes and visitors, heavy security is necessary for the duration of the Games. As of December 2011, the British government announced the deployment of some 13,500 members of the Armed Forces for the Games, a number that exceeds the number sent to Afghanistan. This excludes 10,000 policemen, naval and air asset, Euro-fighter jets, surface-to-air missiles, and ships at the River Thames.

Medal prizes. Medal prizes for the winning athletes are prepared by the British Royal Mint. These consist of 4,700 medals each weighing 375-400 grams, and engraved with the sport and discipline on the rim. The front of the medal, as with the last few Olympic designs, has the engraving of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. The reverse side contains the Games logo and a ribbon that depicts the famous Thames River of London.

Famous Soccer Referees

Soccer is one of the most popular sports in terms of worldwide fame.  It has bred several international superstar players and it is home to one of the most popular sports tournaments in the world: the FIFA World Cup.  However, soccer is not only known for famous players and famous tournaments.  It is known for famous referees too.  Read on for a list of some of the world’s most famous referees and some of their major accomplishments.

Ken Aston was a soccer referee from 1936 to 1963.  In 1940, during the war, he has to stop the game he was refereeing because of too much bombings that went on.  In his autobiography, he mentions that he was the only soccer referee in world who used a helmet when working soccer matches.   His most famous, and most important, accomplishments though came in his role as Chairman of the FIFA Referee Commission.  As chairman, he was responsible for the design of the modern uniform of soccer referees.  He was the one who included the fourth arbiter into the game and he was the one who change the flag colors of the side referees to make them easier to see.  Best of all, Ken Aston was the one who was responsible for the inclusion of red and yellow cards into the game of soccer.

Pierluigi Collina is “Kojak”.  He is easily recognized as the soccer referee with the bald head.  He is regarded as one of the most famous referees of soccer.  His relationship with soccer started as a player when he played for a local team in his native Italy.  It wasn’t long though before he realized his real talent lay in being a soccer referee.  Collina first shot to stardom was when he was chosen to referee the championship match between Argentina and Nigeria in the 1996 Olympics. Other important matches that he refereed include the 1999 UEFA Champions League final and the 2004 FIFA World Cup which was a match between Germany and Brazil.  His fame as a soccer referee even reached over to video games when he was included in popular soccer video games such as FIFA 2005 and Pro Evolution Soccer 3.

Arnaldo Coelho is the first non-European referee to ever officiate a FIFA World Cup Championship Match.  This Brazilian referee was able to accomplish this feat by being the lead official in the 1982 World Cup Final between West Germany and Italy.  His career as a professional referee started in 1965 and by 1968, he was already able to get himself included in the distinguished list of FIFA referees.  Throughout his career, he was selected to officiate in 7 World Cup matches including back to back selections in 1978 and 1982.  At the height of his fame, Arnaldo David Cézar Coelho was said to be the World’s highest paid soccer referee.

Said Belqola is a Moroccan referee.  He is the first African ever to referee in a FIFA World Cup Finals Match. This happened when he was chosen to be a referee in the 1998 World Cup Finals match between France and Brazil.  That same year, he also refereed in the African Nation’s Cup.  Later, the French Football Federation offered financial help to Belgola in exchange for the ball that was used in the 1998 World Cup Final.  He agreed to this proposal and donated all of the money to charities in his native country.  Said Belgola died in 1998.

Hunting: A Sport or a Hobby?

Hunting happens to be the pursuit of living creatures in the wild such as jungles, forests, and woods. Contrary to common opinion, it is not simply about running after some wildlife animals in the likes of bird, boar, deer, etc. The activity highly demands physical and mental competencies to effectively carry out hunting strategies necessary to cut the chase. Otherwise, the hunter is likely to head home empty-handed.

Wildlife animal pursuit may vary depending on the ultimate objective of the hunting activity. Hunting, in general, may serve different ends including food, recreation, trade, or even extermination. Whichever purpose it may serve, hunting activities breed on common ground. That is capturing wildlife animals at large in their natural environment.

Modern hunting, in particular, is observed for purposes of recreation. The activity, more often than not, is common to people belonging in the upper class bracket of the society. Hunting in medieval Europe, for instance, is exclusive to aristocracy by virtue of vast feudal territories. Over the years, it turned out to be a competitive pastime for aristocrats to practice their battle skills. 

Recreational hunting evolved as a sports activity. The hunting game is commonly characterized by stylish pursuit of animals. Sport hunters are groomed with horses or chariots akin to sport tournaments. Hunting on a horseback or chariot is likely employed in dangerous hunting games in pursuit of wild boars or lions. 

Sport hunters are not supposed to go into the wild empty-handed. Hunting enthusiasts are expected to carry some hunting tools specifically an air rifle along the pursuit. Hunters, in the same way, are escorted by domesticated dogs such as Golden retriever, Chesapeake retriever, and Labrador retriever. 

Whether recreational or sport hunting, regulatory rules have been imposed on hunters. Even urban legends suggest old rules and regulations pertaining to the hunting activity. Unauthorized hunters, for instance, can be held liable for hunting the King’s deer. In modern-day hunting, the practice is further regulated to prevent hunting of endangered species that may vary from one country to another. 

Back in the good old times, subsistence happens to be the ultimate end of hunting activities. Early human beings practice hunting to secure food supply for the family in form of animal meat, bone, and protein. Anthropological studies revealed old hunting weapons like arrow, atlatl, bone, spear, and rocks. 

Pre-historic culture, as a matter of fact, is testament to the old ways of life that include hunting activity. Whale hunting has been practiced three thousand years ago according to the study conducted by a Russian-American research team. The pool of researchers believes that the hunting tools illustrated in the ivory carving were used by people in the southern portion of the Chukotka Peninsula in pre-historic times. 

Men are likely born to be hunters. Hunting, along with gathering, happens to be deeply intertwined with the existence of human beings. Survival of the fittest suggests that the best hunting species shall prevail over the others left behind as preys. Perhaps that explains why Homo sapiens get their adrenaline pumping chasing after some wild animals in the jungle either for the sake of sport or hobby.

Most Prestigious Swimmers of All Time

Swimming is one of the popular sports that have produced many of the world’s all-time best athletes. Their names are almost synonymous with excellence and powerful swimming careers that have earned them prestige, worldwide fame and fans. Most of these swimmers are male who have emerged as undisputed leaders in many championships, particularly the Olympic Games. Among these prestigious swimmers include Mark Spitz,  Michael Phelps, and Aaron Peirsol of the United States, and Ian Thorpe of Australia. Some of the famous female swimming champions include Rebecca Soni of the U.S., Federica Pellegrini of Italy, Laure Manaudou of France, and Australia’s Stephanie Rice and Liesel Jones.

Mark Spitz. At 62 as of February 2012, Mark Spitz is a retired American swimmer. Behind him, however, is a record of seven gold medals he won at the 1972 Munich Olympics, and nine other Olympic gold, a silver and a bronze he won between 1968 and 1972. Upon his retirement at the young age of 22, he had accumulated swimming feats of five Pan-American gold, 31 American Athletic Union titles, eight National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) titles, and set 33 world records in swimming. From 1977 to 1983, he had been inducted into the Hall of Fame of the International Swimming, International Jewish Sports, United States Olympic, San Jose Sports, National Jewish Museum Sports, Long Beach City College, and the Indiana University Athletics.

Michael Phelps. Born in June 1985, Michael Phelps is truly the most successful athlete in two Olympic Games. He has won a total of 16 Olympic medals, six of which are gold and two bronze in 2004, and eight gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, surpassing the 8-medal performance made by Mark Spitz at the Munich Olympic Games. That feat earned for him the Sportsman of the Year Award given by the Sports Illustrated magazine. He has equaled the 8-medal record of any type at any single Olympics made by Soviet gymnast Alexander Dityatin at the Games in Moscow in 1980. His 5-gold feat also tied the single Olympics record of fellow American Eric Heiden also in the 1980 Games. He holds the all-time record of having the most number of individual gold Olympic medals. His total win in international swimming competitions, including the Olympics, equals 54 gold, 9 silver and 3 bronze.

Aaron Peirsol. He is a former American swimmer but only two years senior to Michael Phelps. Born in Irvine, California, he specialized in backstroke to become the world record holder in the 100-meter and 200m backstroke events. He debuted in the 2000 Summer Olympics and, at age 17, won a silver medal in the 200m backstroke. A 7-time Olympic medalist with five gold and two silver, he has a total of 36 medals—29 gold, 6 silver and a bronze, courtesy of the Olympics, and the world and Pan-American swimming competitions.

Ian Thorpe. An Australian, Ian Thorpe was born in October 1982 and was idolized by Michael Phelps in the latter’s teenage years. He has won five Olympic gold medals—the most number won by any Australian athlete. His overall performance speaks of 11 world championship gold, the second highest by any swimmer. Once the youngest ever to become male world champion, he has announced his intention to return to swimming for the 2012 London Olympics, more than five years from his retirement in November 2006.

NHL: Ice Hockey in the United States

The NHL is the National Hockey League.  It is a professional hockey league comprised of 30 teams.  7 of these teams are based in Canada while the other 27 teams are base in the United States of America.  The NHL is popularly considered as the foremost Professional League in Ice Hockey.  It is also considered as a major sports league in Canada and the United States.  The Stanley Cup is the ultimate prize in the NHL.  It is awarded to the team who wins the championship for the season.  It is also the oldest trophy in North American professional sports.  The NHL operates from its main headquarters located in New York City.

The National Hockey League was first organized in Montreal, Canada, on November 26, 1917 with only 4 teams on the roster, all of which were Canadian.  It came as an offshoot of the closure of operations of the National Hockey Association which was the organization responsible for running the hockey league since 1909. From the original 4 teams, the NHL has been able to grow to 30 franchises spanning Canada and the US through a series of relocations and continuous expansion.   A labor dispute in 2004 stalled the development of the NHL and caused the cancellation of that entire season.  This was eventually settled though and the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that came out of it is partly responsible for the record highs in television audiences, in game crowds, and major sponsorships that the league was able to experience in 2009.

Although the teams in the NHL are based in the United States and Canada, there are many players of international decent that play in the league.  The latest records show that there are 20 countries represented throughout the NHL.  Most of the players are still from Canada but those that are from the United States and European countries are steadily growing in number.

Each season of the NHL is divided into 3 sub-seasons: the exhibition season, the regular season, and the post season or the playoffs.  The exhibition season is usually played in the month September.  At this time, the NHL teams play exhibition games against teams from other leagues in Europe as tune ups for the regular season.  The regular season meanwhile is played from October to April the following year.  In this part of the season, the NHL teams play only against each other following a schedule that is defined before the regular season starts.  Each NHL team will play a total of 82 games in the regular season.  41 of these will be played in their home ice while the other 41 will be played on the opponents’ ice.  The third sub-season, the playoffs, is played from April to June.  Only the best teams are left to play in the playoffs for the Stanley Cup.  The post season is different from the regular season in that teams compete against each other in a series of 7 games.  The team that wins 4 games against the other gets to advance in the bracket to face the winner of the other series.  The team that remains after all of the series have been played is crowned the champion and is awarded the Stanley Cup.