3 Wire Sports / USC
Alan Abrahamson is a founder and columnist of 3 Wire Sports, a blog about the Olympics and international sports, and is a lecturer in sports writing at the USC Annenberg School of Journalism. Abrahamson, a former staff writer for NBC Sports, has served as chief columnist for for NBC Olympics and Universal Sports.
A clash of agendas on Olympics and doping Swimmer Michael Phelps -- America's multiple Olympic gold-medal winner — testified before Congress today. Saying he's reluctant to voice his opinions but that he feels the need to speak out about the testing and regulating of doping, Phelps told the committee "I can't tell you how frustrating it is to watch athletes break through barriers in unrealistic time frames, knowing what I had to go through. All athletes should be held to the same standards which need to be enforced with consistency and independence." Alan Abrahamson, founding writer of 3 Wire Sports , covering the Olympics and the culture of sports, offers some thoughts.
U.S. Olympic Trials The opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics is exactly three weeks away. And despite everything we’ve been hearing about shoddy construction and incomplete venues, street crime, strikes, pollution, the Zika virus, athletes are getting ready and the show will go on. In recent weeks American swimmers, gymnasts, and track and field athletes have been competing in Olympic trials for a coveted spot on the U.S. team.
Will Rio be Ready? Four weeks until Brazil lights its Olympic cauldron in Rio, and the country is in a shambles. A month ago Rio’s state government declared a “State of Calamity” to access extra funding to pay for the Games. Almost all venues are still under construction. In April, a newly built bike path along Rio’s seashore collapsed, killing two people, on the same day that the Olympic torch was lit in Greece. Drug traffickers are involved in territorial disputes in at least 20 Rio neighborhoods, a crime wave is sweeping the city and body parts recently washed up on the beach where the volleyball competitions will be held. And we haven’t even gotten to the mosquito-born Zika epidemic or Russian athletes banned because of a doping scandal.
Can Russia Tackle Doping in Time for Rio? One week ago, the World Anti-Doping Agency reported that Russian officials conspired to cover up systematic, state sponsored doping of track and field athletes. The International Association of Athletic Federations quickly followed up with a provisional suspension . Today, the Anti-Doping Agency's chief investigator, Canada's Dick Pound, said Russia might be able to clean up for next summer's Games in Rio. Alan Abrahamson is founder and columnist for 3-Wire Sports , a blog about the Olympic Movement and international sports. Mariya Savinova et Ekaterina Poistogova take the Gold and Bronze in the 800 meter race at the 2012 Olympics Photo: Citizen 59
Russian Doping Scandal Today's headline in a Russian sports magazine asks, "Are they taking Rio away from us? It's a reference to yesterday's report about Russia's systematic doping of world-class athletes and calls for banning Russians from next summer's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin says there's "no evidence” and that the charges "appear rather unfounded." Alan Abrahamson is a veteran reporter on the Olympic movement and the founder and columnist of the blog 3 Wire Sports . Mariya Savinova et Ekaterina Poistogova take the Gold and Bronze in the 800 meter race at the 2012 Olympics Photo: Citizen 59
LA Goes for the Gold Again Los Angeles has a lot going for it as the potential host of the 2024 Summer Games. The city hosted the Games back in 1984 and there are stadiums already built for another summer games event. US Olympic officials say there is plenty of local support in the city’s bid to host the Games. But is the fact that taxpayers will be stuck with unexpected costs causing the Olympic flame to dim?
International Sports and Human Rights In the blazing desert of Qatar, 1000 workers from India and Nepal have died while building infrastructure for the World Cup to be held in 2022. FIFA, which stages the World Cup, is being called to account by human rights groups still angry at the International Olympic Committee over denial of gay rights by Russia. Should host countries be required to raise their standards before it's decided where world-class events will be held? We hear about an increasingly heated controversy in international sports.
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?
Power and Amnesty in Putin's Russia Today brought the release of the two remaining members of the punk protest band Pussy Riot from Russian prison. President Vladimir Putin pardoned them as part of a mass amnesty of thousands of political activists, including Greenpeace protesters the Arctic 30 and oil oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky. It all comes just six weeks before the start of the Sochi Olympics. Are the pardons a move to counter international criticism of Russia's record on human rights, or is Putin responding to larger forces? As Russia celebrates the 20th anniversary of its constitution, we hear how the international community's uproar over LGBT rights is playing out in the Russian media and on the ground, and what the current sparring over the Olympics bodes for US-Russian relations.
Power and Amnesty in Putin's Russia Today brought the release of the two remaining members of the punk protest band Pussy Riot from Russian prison. President Vladimir Putin pardoned them as part of a mass amnesty of thousands of political activists, including Greenpeace protesters the Arctic 30 and oil oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky. It all comes just six weeks before the start of the Sochi Olympics. Are the pardons a move to counter international criticism of Russia's record on human rights, or is Putin responding to larger forces? As Russia celebrates the 20th anniversary of its constitution, we hear how the international community's uproar over LGBT rights is playing out in the Russian media and on the ground, and what the current sparring over the Olympics bodes for US-Russian relations.
IOC's Wrestling Call Sparks Outrage The sport — some call it the art — of wrestling goes back to the ancient Greeks. It's in the Book of Genesis. But, despite the origins of the Olympics, wrestling won't be part of the next international games. Wrestling fans and traditionalists are outraged at the International Olympic Committee . But Alan Abrahamson says they don't understand the workings of the modern IOC. He's founder and columnist for 3 Wire Sports , a blog about the Olympic movement and international athletics.
Competition: In the Olympic Games and in the Media As world-class athletes go for the gold , NBC television goes for the audience. But those formerly passive viewers now have a voice, and it's a loud one. On Twitter and Facebook, on blog after blog, NBC has been excoriated since the opening ceremonies: for commentary, dramatizations and especially tape delays. Instead of destroying the old business model, are the New Media reinforcing it? Photo: USA gymnasts celebrate on the podium after winning the gold medal in the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Team final on Day 4
Competition: In the Olympic Games and in the Media As world-class athletes go for the gold, NBC television is going for the audience. But those formerly passive viewers now have a voice -- and it's a loud one. On Twitter and Facebook, on blog after blog, NBC has been excoriated since the opening ceremonies: for commentary, dramatizations and especially tape delays. At the same time, prime time viewing is off the charts. We hear from the tweeter who was famously shut down and from inside NBC strategy sessions.
The London Olympics Begin The US women’s team has won its first soccer game, but the official opening of the London Olympic Games won’t be until Friday. The world is beginning to focus on London as the Torch has been carried through the streets of the city. Celebrities and politicians are turning up, including Mitt Romney, who caused a minor stir with these comments about security preparations. Romney backpedaled a bit later. He’s visiting London as part of his presidential campaign, and as the man who saved the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
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.
Rio Wins 2016 Olympic Games As with the Academy Awards, first came the set-up of contenders, followed by the opening of the envelope. Then, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge announced that the 2016 Summer Olympic Games would be held in… Rio de Janeiro . Brazil's victory marks the first time in history that the games have been awarded to the South American continent. Rio bested Madrid , Tokyo and Chicago . Shockingly, the Windy City was the first to be eliminated, despite a personal pitch from President Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle. What happened? Did public opinion polls against the games sink the Chicago bid? Is this a blow to the President, who was criticized for making the trip in the first place?
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
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.
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.