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Summer Olympics |
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The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics:
Athens 2004 Edition
Completely updated, this ultimate Olympic reference includes all records, statistics and medal standings as well as results of the top eight finishers from the 1896 games in Athens to the 2000 edition in Sydney. |
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Swifter, Higher, Stronger: A Photographic History of the Summer Olympics
"Let the games begin!" is a cry that has stirred athletes and citizens from countries all over the world for more than a hundred years. In Swifter, Higher, Stronger, Sue Macy has captured a compelling and comprehensive portrait of the summer Olympics, one that spans contests and culture, pageantry and history. In five hard-to-put-down chapters, she explains the revival of the modern Olympics and how they survived boycotts, wars, and terrorism to grow into the vast media event we know today. She profiles the breakthrough athletes who became household names after hanging medal upon medal around their necks: names like Jesse Owens, Jim Thorpe, Babe Didrikson, and Jackie Joyner Kersey. She shows how the Games were always much more than mere contests of athleticism. You'll read about the Olympics as a platform for world politics, such as when Jimmy Carter led the U.S. and more than 60 other nations to sit out the 1980 Moscow Olympics as a protest to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, and when Hitler showcased his new Nazi society at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. You'll be fascinated by a host of scandals, some under the umbrellas of drug testing and gender testing. And you'll find plenty of smaller and sweeter moments, from the U.S. Olympian who gave up her place on the tae-kwon-do team to a fellow athlete who was injured during the trials, to the novice African swimmer who finished his race only through sheer determination. Macy's prose hooks you into the history and the competition. She follows the careers of two determined French sports enthusiasts-Pierre Coubertin who revived the Olympic Games, and Alice Milliat, who made sure the women weren't forgotten. Great moments in sportshistory are riveting in this retelling, from the 1896 glorious patriotic victory of Greek marathon runner, Spiridon Loues, to the controversial (and unexpected) overtime basketball match between the Americans and the Soviets in 1972.Photographs throughout capture the action: a mid-air dive, a last-second game-winning shot, medal-winners' emotions on the podium. Three featured photo galleries, "Poetry in Motion," "Olympic Superstars," and "Winning Moments," showcase the diversity, the athleticism, and the sheer joy of the Games.A comprehensive gazetteer provides at-a-glance statistical information on each Olympiad, a map of the sites, a chart of record setters, a summary of Olympic highlights by Olympiad, and a helpful guide to further resources. With a foreword by sportscaster Bob Costas, this standout volume on the history of the summer Olympics is made for every reader-from the peruser, to the browser, to the researcher-who has ever found themselves swept up in the excitement of the Games |
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Olympic Turnaround: How the Olympic Games Stepped Back from the Brink of Extinction to Become the World's Best Known Brand
Higher, faster, stronger... The Olympic motto conjures images of heroes whose achievements transcended their athletic prowess--Jesse Owens, Mark Spitz, Nadia Comanesci--but also of tragedy and disgrace--the Israeli hostages in Munich, the Salt Lake City bidding scandal, payola to influence scoring. By 1980, the modern Olympic movement was gasping for breath, bankrupt financially, politically, and culturally. But under the leadership of Juan Antonio Samaranch, and, subsequently, Jacques Rogge, the Olympics began a journey back from the brink. Michael Payne, who served as the International Olympic Committee's top marketer for over twenty years, offers unprecedented access to the people, the negotiations, and the machinations behind one of the most dramatic and colorful turnarounds in business or sports history. Through a multi-pronged strategy, the IOC managed to secure lucrative broadcasting commitments, entice well-heeled corporate sponsors, and parlay the symbolism of the Olympics into a brand for which cities around the world are willing to invest billions of dollars--with the potential for tremendous payoff. The 2008 Games in Beijing, for example, are expected to involve over 10,000 athletes from 200 countries, draw 20,000 media representatives, and generate over $4 billion in sponsorships and broadcasting rights. Packed with previously untold stories from the high-octane world where business, sports, politics, and media meet, Olympic Turnaround is a remarkable tale of organizational renewal and a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain of the world's most iconic brand. |
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Gold in the Water: The True Story of Ordinary Men and Their Extraordinary Dream of Olympic Glory
In California, a team of talented young men begin pursuing the most elusive dream in sports, the Olympic Games. The pressure steadily increases as two best friends (a mentor and his proté gé ) reach the top of the world rankings and unexpectedly find themselves direct competitors. Their teammates include an emerging star methodically plotting to retrace his father’ s path to Olympic glory, as well as a super-extraordinary athlete desperate to walk away from it all. Led by one of the most passionate coaches in sports, a brilliant and explosive strategist on a personal quest for redemption, this team of dark horses and Olympic favorites works through escalating rivalries, joyous triumphs, and heartbreaking setbacks.
Author P. H. Mullen chronicles their journey to the 2000 Olympic Games and presents one of the most powerful and moving sports books ever written. Boldly sweeping in literary power and pace, this startling book willpermanently change how you view the Olympic athlete.
It is a fascinating world of suspense and emotion where human desire for excellence rules over all, and where there are no second chances for glory. But above all, "Gold in the Water" is a triumph of the human spirit.
“ "Gold in the Water" is essentially the tale of a journey of self-awareness, self-belief and the important relationships between coaches and a band of elite swimmers.” ---"The London Times"
“ Like the best sports books, this onespends a lot of time with the athletes, letting us see them not just as performers but as people.... A superb sports book.” ---"Booklist "(starred review)
“ This is the book I wish I had written," Gold in the Water "accurately and vividly describes the emotional turmoil that precedes an Olympic Games, and it made me care about the character of the participants, not just their swimming. I couldn’ t put it down!” ---John Naber, Olympic hero, author of" Awaken the Olympian Within," and president of the U.S. Olympic Alumni |
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The Best Olympics Ever?:
Social Impacts of Sydney 2000
Despite International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samarach's proclaiming the Sydney 2000 Olympics as the "best ever, " the truth of the matter is much less one-sided. In The Best Olympics Ever? Helen Jefferson Lenskyj discloses what the Sydney 2000 Olympic industry suppressed: the real costs and impacts. |
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