There will be 2 new additions to the list of sports showcased in next years 2016 Summer Olympics. The 2 sports are rugby sevens, and golf. Rugby and golf actually aren’t new to the Olympics. The 2016 Summer Olympics will mark their return to the event. Fifteen-man rugby had previously been an Olympic sport, debuting […]
https://sportinglifelc.wordpress.com/2015/10/19/new-sports-in-the-olympics/
The Tokyo 2020 emblem designed by Kenjiro Sano has been all the (out)rage in recent months, for its likeness to the logo of The Theatre de Liege in Brussels. The designer was so humiliated by criticism that he asked the Olympic committee to drop the emblem, which they eventually did.
But as I had written earlier, creating the perfectly unique design is a challenge where everything is available on the internet and in reality, everything is iterative. Apparently, the 2016 Rio Olympic emblem went through the same criticism days after its launch, on January 2, 2011, according to this article.
The multi-color representation of three people linking arms and legs in a series of loops that resemble an Elton John pair of sunglasses was apparently seen as a copy of the logo of the Telluride Foundation, a non-profit based in Colorado, US with the aim of creating a sustainable and thriving community.
OK, the color schemes are similar, they both have arms linking, yes they invoke the feeling of the other, but they aren’t the same. I’d say there are more similarities between the Telluride logo and the renown painting, The Dance, by Henri Matisse. Fortunately, this French painter and sculptor is dead, and won’t be complaining about people or non-profit organizations ripping off his ideas.
All I know is that rugby will be an Olympic sport in Rio for the first time. But they’re calling Japan’s last-minute upset of South Africa at the Rugby World Cup in England as the greatest Rugby World Cup shocker ever. Here is how The Guardian saw it.
When I first looked at the emblem that was selected to market the Tokyo Games in 2020, my initial impression was that a committee had created it.
“We need to emphasize teamwork.” 
“Don’t forget Japan – how about a red circle?”
“Needs to be modern looking.”
When I look at the mascots for the Rio Olympics, which were recently unveiled, I get the sense these creations too smack of a committee’s touch. Vinicius (named after a Brazilian poet) and Tom (named after a Brazilian musician) are imaginary creatures. On the rio2016 website, there is an audio explaining what Vinicius is:
…a magical being was created – a mixture of different Brazilian animals, blessed with their many qualities: the agility of the cat, the sway of the monkeys, the grace of the birds. With his keen sense of smell, he can sniff out exciting adventures and discover the clues to solve great mysteries. His incredible hearing allows him to find the most enthusiastic fans. He can imitate the voice of any animal, increasing his powers of communication.
I can hear the words of the committee:
“It needs to be an animal – kids love animals!”
“Which one? Jaguar, parakeet, monkey?”
“All of them!”
“Don’t forget Brazilian music.”
“Bossa Nova!”
Did you ever see the Jim Carrey movie, The Majestic? Carey plays a Hollywood screenwriter in the early 1950s, and the movie opens up in just such a committee meeting – a brainstorming session with studio executives on a possible movie storyline. How many of the voices in this clip can you recognize? They are all big-time Hollywood directors. Scroll down for answers.
Personal Note: Apologies to
If it’s not one thing, it’s another.
The canoeists were most outspoken about plants that tangled with their oars and rudders
Japan continued to dominate and Tina Trstenjak won Slovenia’s first-ever world title at the World Judo Championships in Kazakhstan on Thursday.
Very grateful Usain Bolt was not injured. For those who think it’s funny, it’s worth turning on the sound to hear the Italian commentator’s “Mama mia!”
It’s not just Japan where taxi drivers are challenged by English. Brazil, which will be hosting the international sporting lovefest known as the Olympics in the summer of 2016, will also have to figure out how to communicate with the non-Portuguese speaking hordes who will descend on Rio de Janeiro next August.
It’s such an issue that a Brazilian newspaper saw fit to do an article on a company marketing a language program called “Hey Taxi”, a course designed to teach taxi drivers how to effectively communicate with foreigners in English.
The project is run by a company called Meritus Partners, and as one of the company partners explains, the Brazilian taxi driver needs help. “Since May, when I started conducting research with the cab drivers in Rio, I have learned that they have very limited understanding and awareness of their role in the hospitality sector yet they are the host of the city, the first impression of a foreign tourist.”
Fortunately, not all taxi drivers in Brazil need help. This fellow not only gets the passenger to his destination in time, he does a fantastic rendition of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean.
I’m from Jamaica, Queens. Very happy that my fellow Jamaicans – Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Usain Bolt – were crowned fastest woman and man on the planet.
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