flickering pictures

You likely know that just before the Beijing Olympics, Russia invaded the neighbouring Republic of Georgia. The move earned widespread international condemnation, and the resulting war of words with the West has been making headlines for weeks.

You may not know that last July the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the 2014 Winter […]

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If you’re sick of all those tired old “greatest Olympic moments” round-ups, check out Neatorama’s collection of five truly bizarre moments in Olympic history, including a British ski jumper with Coke-bottle glasses who had never seen a ski jump, two Kenyan cross-county-skiiers who had never seen skis, and a German track star who was […]

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The New York Times has put together a nifty interactive timeline-map highlighting how many medals each country has won in every Summer Olympics since 1896. You can click on a year to see the medal counts from a given Olympiad by country, and view the results by geographic distribution (as above) or as a […]

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The CBC reports that the International Olympic Committee has blocked Iraq from participating in the Beijing Olympics two weeks from now because “the country’s government dismissed officials in favour of its own appointees, who weren’t recognized by the IOC.”
A similar ban was imposed in May — and then repealed — by FIFA, soccer’s governing body, […]

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The Washington Post reports that protests over Tibet may lead the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to cancel the worldwide torch relay ahead of the Games. As torchbearers jogged through streets in London and Paris, they were met with everything from boos and jeers to pro-Tibet activists who chose a more direct approach, managing to […]

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