Because of a gap created by the time differences between Sydney, Europe and the United States, fans looking for Olympic news and results will be logging on to the Internet, making Sydney’s Olympics the biggest ever event on the Internet. According to predictions, there will be 6.5 billion hits on the official Games’ site alone.
Since Internet broadcasts of the Sydney Games have been effectively banned because Olympic broadcasting contracts prevent companies from sending video or audio signals outside of their own national or regional territory, Olympic officials will be looking out for renegade broadcasters who attempt to deliver video illegally over the internet. But this could act as an incentive to hackers who could react by sending the Games over the Internet live.
Web sites are being constantly monitored because there have been 100 threats against the Olympic Games posted on the Internet. But a report said most are said to have come from groups or individuals that pose no credible risk. Many come from groups in the world’s flashpoints such as the Middle East and Kashmir as well as from individuals in the U.S. and Australia. Intelligence officials have been compiling a dossier of threats found on Web sites over the past two years.
Sydney Olympic officials said it would cost in excess of $2 million (AU) and 368 working days to make the official Games’ web site accessible to the blind before the Opening Ceremony. SOCOG was ordered to do this August 24 by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission after a complaint by visually-impaired Bruce Maguire that the Sydney Web site was not accessible to him. If the order is not carried out, MacGuire said he might bring a class action suite against SOCOG on behalf of other Australian visually-impaired people.
Sun glasses anyone? It seems that the media working in the $25 million main press centre are finding it difficult to work by mid-afternoon, because of the glare from the sun on their computer terminals. The centre has been fitted to take advantage of as much natural light as possible. But now screening would be installed before the venue becomes fully functional, with more than 5,000 media expected to be housed in the 40,000 square metre facility.
They’re going like hot cakes. More than a third of the 7,000 tickets that were originally part of the failed Premium Ticket plan sold out within hours of going on sale Tuesday.
Maybe hot cakes are cheaper. Some people in Australia called it “outrageous” at the cost of food in Sydney during the Games. Meat pies, the snack of choice at Australian sporting events normally cost $1.20 (AUS) and will cost between $2.10 and $2.40 at the Games. A mug of beer will go for from $1.95 (AUS) to between $2.70 and $2.90, and french fries will cost $2.10 to $2.40 (AUS), up from $1.30.
What about Ken? Barbie will make an appearance at the Sydney Olympics as part of the largest merchandising programs ever held at an Olympic Games and its one of the hottest items. Barbie has been modelled on the “fuller” Australian woman and there are Barbies in every conceivable Olympic uniform – even a windup Barbie that can do the freestyle swimming motion. But the biggest selling model is a black Barbie in an Aussie-style slouch hat.
When asked if he could imagine IOC Vice-President Anita DeFrantz succeeding him when he retires next year, International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch said “she fulfills all the preconditions, she sits on the executive board, she won an Olympic medal, she is a woman. We will see”. Samaranch said he assumes there will be three, four, or five contenders. “I would never say that one is stronger than the other, but if you asked me about the profile of the new IOC president I would say I believe that the new president will be a former Olympian. But there are many of those”, he said.
Because defence lawyers representing former Salt Lake bid official Tom Welch and Dave Johnson have been making statements about their case, a federal magistrate has issued a gag order. The magistrate can levy unspecified sanctions for violations. He gave both sides a week to promise in writing they will comply. Prosecutors have, for the most part, avoided speaking to the press.
Want to buy the Snow Crystal? It’s a brooch, which features 89 diamonds totaling 3.2 carats and costs $20,000 (U.S.). It’s being sold in Salt Lake City by a company that claims to be the first company licensed by the International Olympic Committee to create and market high-end jewelry. And the Salt Lake Organizing Committee gets an undisclosed percentage from sales of all approved Games’ merchandise.
And finally, Athens, hurry up! Jacques Rogge, chairman of the IOC Coordination Committee, said Athens must speed up its preparations for the 2004 Games. He told a news conference “you can’t add pages to the calendar, time is critical, we won’t allow further delays”. The full IOC Coordination Committee will be returning to Athens November 22 to 24 to review the lessons learned from the Sydney Olympic Games experience
