International Society of Olympics Historians
President of the International Society of Olympics Historians, and commentator on the 2014 Sochi games for Westwood One and NBC radio; author of Tyrants: The World's 20 Worst Living Dictators and The Complete Book of the Olympics; founder of Allgov.com, a website dealing with US policy towards other countries
Is Rio ready for the Olympic Games? Just four days before South America's first Summer Olympic Games, there's still widespread fear that Rio is unprepared to stage a global spectacle. There's a crime spree, corruption and shoddy construction of major venues. Water contamination is a threat to the health of swimmers and sailors. And the Russian doping scandal has cast doubt on the integrity of world-class athletics. We hear what all this means for the quality of the competition, the size of the crowds and rules for staging Olympiads of the future.
Tarnished Gold: Will Russian Olympic Doping Jeopardize Rio? It's a saga that echoes the darkest intrigues of the Cold War: Dozens of Russian Olympic athletes accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs under state supervision, then faking their tests. The Russian lab director who ran the secret program has blown the whistle, and the US Justice Department has opened an investigation. Meanwhile, Olympic officials say that re-tests of doping samples from the 2008 Beijing Games could bar more than 30 athletes representing a dozen countries from this summer's games. We hear from the reporter who broke the story.
Russian Sports Doping and the Rio Olympics Russia's elite athletes are involved in alleged doping scandals in track and field — and at the last winter games in Sochi. Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko In the past few days, Russia's Minister of Sport has apologized for one doping scandal and vehemently denied another. David Wallechinsky is President of the International Society of Olympics Historians. His books include the Complete Book of the Olympics .
What's Next for LA's Olympic Bid? Los Angeles has done it twice before. Are we up for another go round? Yesterday the US Olympic Committee officially accepted Los Angeles as the US bidder for the 2024 Summer Games. LA came from behind after first losing to Boston, then roared back into contention after that city dropped out in the face of outcries over cost. Now cost is a big part of the story here. Olympics booster Mayor Garcetti will have to convince City Council that the $6 billion price tag for the games is realistic and worth it. David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympics Historians, joins us from Lausanne, Switzerland.
LA May Get Another Shot at Olympic Gold Boston was the US Olympic Committee’s first choice to host the summer games in 2024. Los Angeles was number two. Now that Boston’s dropped out, is LA ready to bid again? We hear the pros and the cons.
As the Olympics Wind Down, Is a New Cold War Heating Up? The Olympic flame is still burning brightly in Sochi. If all goes well over the weekend, Vladimir Putin will have staged the showcase he promised. But, a few hundred miles away in Ukraine, it's a different story. Despite Putin's support, President Yanukovych may be deposed by bloody violence. The big questions remaining: what will Putin do now? Has Ukraine set the stage for a new version of the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union?
Let the Games Begin The opening ceremonies aren't until tomorrow, and the flame has yet to be lit, but the first events of the Sochi Winter Olympics are already under way. American star Shaun White suffered an injury in slope-style snowboarding, but others have qualified. Team ice-dancing is under way for the first time. Yet, as the athletes take center stage, there's still tall about terror threats, the assault on gay rights, unfinished hotel rooms, stray dogs and financial corruption. Did President Obama pass up an opportunity by staying home? Will the Gold Medal for diplomacy go to Russian President Vladimir Putin?
Politics in First Place at the Sochi Olympics With just 43 days until the Winter Olympic Games begin in Sochi, Russia, the city suffers frequent power outages and a major venue lies unfinished, with corruption plaguing the whole project. On top of everything, weather forecasters are predicting an unusually warm winter. Will there be enough snow for skiers and snowboarders? Logistics aside, the run-up to these Games has been dominated by politics — international outrage over Russia's new anti-gay laws, as well as concerns about terrorism from Islamic separatists. With all of this, how will sports take center stage?
Politics in First Place at the Sochi Olympics With just 43 days until the Winter Olympic Games begin in Sochi, Russia, the city suffers frequent power outages and a major venue lies unfinished, with corruption plaguing the whole project. On top of everything, weather forecasters are predicting an unusually warm winter. Will there be enough snow for skiers and snowboarders? Logistics aside, the run-up to these Games has been dominated by politics — international outrage over Russia's new anti-gay laws, as well as concerns about terrorism from Islamic separatists. With all of this, how will sports take center stage?
Cuba: A Country for Old Men In 2008, Raul Castro took the Presidency of Cuba from his ailing brother Fidel. Prior to last week's first Communist Party Central Committee meeting in 14 years, Raul promised economic reforms and what he called "systematic rejuvenation" of Party leadership. But, "We're not seeing new blood—this is the oldest blood Cuba has." That's according to Anne Louise Bardach, writer for Newsweek and the Daily Beast and author of, Without Fidel : A Death Foretold in Miami, Havana and Washington.
Cuba: A Country for Old Men Like other dictatorships, the leaders of Cuba face a new generation impatient for less repression and economic freedom. But computers, cell phones, Facebook and Twitter are in short supply in Cuba, as is information about what's happening elsewhere in the world. In 2008, Raul Castro took the Presidency of Cuba from his ailing brother, Fidel. Prior to last week's first Communist Party Central Committee meeting in 14 years, Raul promised economic reforms and what he called csystematic rejuvenation" of Party leadership. But Fidel Castro's chosen successors are as old as he is. What do they mean by economic "modernization?" Is democracy on their radar screen? What's President Obama's view of the US embargo?
Going for the Gold: Winter Olympics Kick Off Tonight Canadians might be welcoming spring weather in British Columbia in the middle of winter, except that the 2010 Olympic Games open in Vancouver tonight -- and you need snow for that. Officials say that rain may postpone outdoor events for a few days, but otherwise the XXI Winter Games will go ahead as planned. Who's expected to shine? Will Canada finally win a gold medal while hosting the games? Are the new figure skating rules working out? How is Vancouver coping with the mammoth logistics of staging the event? What about danger in winter sports? Are the games becoming too extreme? We speak with sports writers and photographers in Vancouver. On a tragic note, as we were discussing the dangers of more extreme Olympic sports, the IOC announced that 21-year-old Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili has been killed while training.
The Beijing Olympics: Promises and Realities "Beijing Welcomes the World" is the slogan everywhere in China's capital with the Summer Olympic s scheduled to start just over a month from today. In order to get the Games, China promised it would be clean, green and accessible, but not all its commitments are being kept. Some $40 billion in US dollars have been spent on space-age venues and infrastructure, including the world's largest airport. But competitors are worried about air pollution; tight new visa requirements are keeping travelers away and media coverage may be severely restricted. We hear about those issues and ask which athletes are the ones to watch. How's the US expected to do? Are the Olympics always as much about politics as athletics?
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
The week that wouldn't quit Will next week get even weirder? (Special one-hour episode)
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.