08:45 am
Controlympics: Winners (#1 of 4)
Most of you already have forgotten all about the Olympics, but here at Undip, we already have London 2012 fever! After all, who doesn’t want to see Jimmy Page balance his guitar on top of his walker while some eighteen-year-old in go-go boots mangles Whole Lotta Love?
Oh wait — that already happened.
All kidding aside, I’d like to share a few final thoughts on what arguably were the most discussed — and controversial — Olympics since Berlin 1936. First, let’s take a look at the winners.
1. The Chinese government. Like it or not, the ChiComs pulled it off. It was, in many ways, a spectacular show. Despite some problems, embarrassments, and even a few unscripted moments, the Olympics that Hu Jintao and company wanted were the Olympics they got. And most of the world bought their message hook, line, and sinker.
2. Usain Bolt. The Jamaican sprinter not only captured three golds, but he managed to make Jacques Rogge cranky. That alone made it a good Olympics. Bolt looked particularly good when, a day after Rogge whined about his “antics,” a Cuban taekwondo athlete kicked an athlete in the face — and Bolt donated $50,000 of his prize money to earthquake relief as a “thank you to the Chinese people.”
3. Michael Phelps (and his mom). Put it this way: the Intertubes are still buzzing about the 100m fly. Debbie Phelps will be the unexpected breakout star of the Olympics.
4. Clean air. Does it matter whether the Chinese got lucky (rain at just the right moments) or actually knew what they were doing? In the end, the pollution became a non-story. And athletes who acted like it mattered — the American cyclists showing up in masks, the Ethiopian marathoner who passed on competing — looked foolish.
5. Lopez Lomong. The Sudanese lost boy turned American flag bearer may not have won his race, but he had a gold medal moment. Kudos as well to the American athletes who chose him for the job.
Loading ...