One good reason why the current games are better than the other games is the fact that the hosting country of the games, China, has won more gold medals than the other countries participating in these Olympic Games. With the current gold medal count at 45, for China, they are red-hot, as the United States, who have a total gold medal count of 26, attempts to catch up to them.

Another reason why the Beijing Olympic Games are better than the other games is the fact that the current games are getting more publicity than the previous summer Games. The top story for the U.S. team is the story of swimmer Michael Phelps winning a record-setting eight gold medals in a single Olympic Games. The record was previously held by fellow U.S. swimmer, Mark Spitz, who won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

Another good reason why these Olympic Games are better than the last, is there is the "steroids" factor in the games. With a past couple of years; professional athletes, like former Olympian, Marion Jones and other former Olympians and pro athletes, have created a media frenzy about this issue and have lead many people to wonder if these Olympic Games are tainted and if so; how much tainted are they, in terms of the authenticity of the level of competition in the Games.

Another reason why these games are more interesting than the Athens Olympic Games is due to the fact that the games are being held in a communist country, which, also, has caused a lot of media attention. This is the first time that the Olympic Games is being held in a communist country and so far, China has been on its best behavior, in terms of its treatment toward its own athletes and the athletes from other countries.

And the last good reason why the Beijing Olympic Games are more interesting than the Athens Olympic Games is the opening ceremonies and the event venues are better than the Athens Olympic Games. In terms of the opening ceremonies’ style, decoration, format, and overall presentation; it is by far the best opening ceremonies for an Olympic Games, in a long time; maybe the best opening ceremonies ever!

Simply put; the Beijing Olympic Games are far more interesting than the Athens Olympic Games, due to the increased media attention and to the high quality of athletes, competing in these Games.

“Wanted” Summary

The XXIII Olympics Games were held in Los Angeles.

Photo credit:  Wikipedia

Los Angeles was selected to hold the 1984 Olympics simply because it was the only city to put in a bid to do so. There was no vote and no decision to be made. The selection was made in may 1978 and it thought that the reason why no other city wanted to host the games was because the 1976 games in Montreal had run massively over budget. The Americans had led a boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow because of Soviet interference in Afghanistan. This triggered retaliation and the Russians boycotted Los Angeles. The games are supposed to be completely free of politics but this clearly had not been the case.

1988

The XXIV Olympic Games : Seoul, South Korea.

Photo credit:  Wikipedia

Seoul was selected over the Japanese city of Nagoya, to host the XXIV Olympiad. It was only the second time that an City had hosted the games. (Tokyo was the host in 1964). 160 nations took part and there was a total of 8391 athletes. Fortunately, the Seoul Games did not suffer from political boycotts as the two preceding Games had.

1992

The XXV Olympiad: Barcelona, Spain.

Photo credit:  Wikipedia

The 1992 XXV Olympiad was held in Barcelona, Spain. This was the year that South Africa was allowed to participate in the games again. It had previously been excluded because of its apartheid policy and this was the first time in 28 years that South African athlete had joined in the games. The music associated with these games was 'Barcelona' written by Freddie Mercury and 'Amigos Pare Siempre' written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black and sung by Sarah Brightman.

1996

The XXVI Olympiad in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

197 nations took part in the Olympiad and 80,000 people celebrated 16 days of Olympic Games in the stadium in Atlanta and the finale was a display of music and lights a giant conga line of athletes snaking its way around the arena. As soon as the games ended this fabulous stadium had its track removed and was downsized to seat just 50,000 in preparation for its recycled role as the home of the Atlanta Braves baseball team.

2000

The XXVII Olympiad in Sydney, Australia.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

A record 199 nations were represented at the Sydney Olympics of 2000. The only missing International Olympic Committee member was Afghanistan which was suspended because of the Taliban prohibition of any kind of sport. North and South Korea entered as one nation under a specially designed flag.

2004

The XXVIII Olympiad in Athens, Greece.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

The lighting of the flame for the 28^th Olympiad in Athens was arranged like a pagan ceremony with dancers. It was certainly different from anything we have seen before at opening ceremonies. 10,625 athletes from 201 countries competed in these games. This was the first time since 1896 that all member countries of the International Olympic Committee were represented. It was also the first time the games had been hosted in the country where they originated since 1896.

2008

The XXVIV Olympiad in Beijing, China.

Photo credit: Wikipedia Creative Commons

This amazing display of organization and spectacle was an a wonderful achievement for China. The opening ceremony with the athlete 'flying' up to light the Olympic flame was one of the most memorable yet. The televised firework display at the opening ceremony was breathtaking but later revealed to have been computer generated. 205 countries competed in the games and the only one missing from the IOC was Brunei. China had the largest team with 639 athletes, with USA coming close behind with 596. Several countries sent only one athlete each.

The Munich Massacre

 

Image Source

Two of the Israeli hostages talked to German negotiators

In allusion to post-war Germany, the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich was dubbed as the “Happy Games”, ironically it had turned out to be one of the most infamous Games in history. Delegation from Israel was taken hostage when terrorists from the Palestinian group known as Black September barged into the Olympic village, killing two right on site. When the ordeal transpired after 18 hours, a German police officer and the 11 Israeli hostages were gone. The games was momentarily suspended for a day but continued the next day.

1980 Summer Olympics Boycott

Despite of the Olympics being free from political interventions, the United States boycotted the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics on grounds of Russia's invasion of Afghanistan. The historic boycott was well-supported that numerous other countries across the continents joined the United States' sentiment. Some of them though, allowed their athletes to compete own their own without using their country's respective flags. They used the Olympics flag instead. In 1984, the Union of Soviet and its allies such as Cuba and East Germany returned the favor by boycotting the next Olympics in Los Angeles, United States.

Ben Johnson

Image Source

Ben Johnson (center) during the 1988 Summer Olympics

Born in Jamaica but later moved to Canada where he joined the country's track and field team in all international competitions. A highly competitive sprinter, he won two bronze medals for Canada at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States. He seemed to improve with age as he later won world championships, beating Carl Lewis, the legendary American sprinter who kept beating him in many previous competitions. Lewis later successfully recaptured the world championship after beating Johnson and boldly predicted that the 100-m dash gold medal in the coming 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul will never go to the later. Instead, Johnson won the gold, boasting that he could have run faster had he not raised his arms in celebration when he cross the finish line. Fans all over the world were convinced of Johnson's supremacy. But three days later, his blood was found positive of Furazabol, a performance-enhancing drug strictly against the roles of the Games. Consequently, he was stripped of his medals and world records he had previously held, making him an athletic superstar in recent memory to have fallen in disgrace.

East German Doping Program

East Germany kept on improving in their athletic performances which was dramatically concluded at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada. East Germans received a total of 40 gold medals, more than twice of their winnings at the previous 1972 Olympics in Munich. People were less skeptical for they were a country of 17 million people after all. But all foul odors came out in 2000 when the former East German chief of sports program-Manfred Ewald - was found guilty of “intentional bodily harm of athletes” by doping some of their athletes with anabolic steroid that consequently altered their sexuality-under the reign of Ewald, East Germany amassed an incredible 160 gold medals in which some of those can now be refuted to be fraudulent.

Adolf Hitler

Despite of being aware of the Olympics' independence of world politics, Adolf Hitler exploited the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin by being vocal about his insubstantial claim on the superiority of the Aryan race who were believed to be the ascendants of the Germans, thus their dominance over any other race in the world. However, in a 45-minute performance, an unknown grandson of a black slave, Jesse Owens embarrassed Hitler by doing a gold-winning and world record-setting performance in track and field. He won three gold medals for the United States. Hitler refused to shake hands with him at the medal podium.

Each Olympiad is highlighted by the outstanding performance of an athlete in a certain event. Here's a list of outstanding athletes from each Olympic Games from 1896 to 2004.

Michael Phelps

In the 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens, Greece, swimmer Michael Phelps of the United States won 8 Olympic medals: a gold medal each in -100 meter butterfly, 200 meter butterfly, 200 meter individual medley, 400 meter individual medley, 4x200 meter freestyle relay, and 4x100 meter medley relay; and 2 bronze medals; one each in 200 meter freestyle and 4x100 meter freestyle relay.

Ian Thorpe

Nicknamed the “”Thorpedo” Ian Thorpe won 3 gold medals in swimming during the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. He won 5 gold Olympic medals all in all (3 in Sydney Olympics and 2 in Athens), the most won by an Australian.

Amy Van Dyken

Amy Van Dyken won 4 gold medals in swimming at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics making her the first American woman to win 4 gold medals in one Olympic game.

Matt Biondi

At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, Biondi became only the second swimmer (after American Mark Spitz at the 1972 games in Munich, West Germany) to earn seven medals in one Olympiad. He won five gold medals, including victories in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle races, in addition to one silver medal and one bronze medal.

Carl Lewis

Carl Lewis won 5 Olympic medals in the LA Olympiad of 1984; 4 gold medals and 1 silver medal in the track and field event. He won 10 Olympic medals including 9 golds, and 10 World Championships medals, of which 8 were gold, in a career that spanned from 1979 when he first achieved a world ranking to 1996 when he last won an Olympic title and subsequently retired.

Eric Heiden

Eric Heiden of the United States of America won gold medals in all 5 men's speed skating events, setting records in each in the 1980 Winter Olympics held in Lake Placid, New York, USA.

Nadia Comaneci

Nadia Elena Comaneci is a Romanian gymnast who was winner of five Olympic gold medals during the 1976 Montreal Olympics. She was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic gymnastic event. She is one of the best-known gymnasts in the world and, along with Olga Korbut, is credited with popularizing the sport around the world.

Mark Spitz

Mark Spitz, American swimmer was winner of seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, West Germany. At the 1972 games he won gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle races and the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly races, setting a world record in each race. He was also a member of the winning 4x100-meter freestyle, 4x200-meter freestyle, and 4x100-meter medley relay teams, each of which set a world record.

Bob Beamon

The outstanding event in the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games was African American Bob Beamon's long jump of 29 ft, 2 ½ in (8.9 m), setting a world record that stood until 1991.

Wilma Rudolph

Wilma Rudolph became the first US woman to win 3 gold medals in track and fields. The powerful sprinter emerged from the 1960 Rome Olympics as “The Tennessee Tornado,” the fastest woman on earth

Larissa Latynina

Larissa Semyonovna Latynina was a Soviet gymnast who won 4 gold medals in the 1956 Melbourne Olympiad. She was the first female athlete to won nine Olympic gold medals. She still holds the record for being awarded the most Olympic medals at 18 (nine gold medals, five silver and four bronze).

Emil Zapotek

The most remarkable performance during the 1952 Helsinki Olympics was that of Emil Zapotec of Czechoslovakia who won 5,000 meter run, 10,000 meter run and marathon all in record times. He is regarded as one of the greatest runners of the 20th Century.

Fanny Blankers-Koen

The most outstanding athlete in the 1948 London Olympics was Fanny Bankers-Koen of the Netherlands, who won 4 gold medals in track and fields events. She accomplished this as a mother of two, during a time when many disregarded women's athletics. Her background and performances earned her the nickname “the Flying Housewife.”

Jesse Owens

He won 4 gold medals and was the hero of the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. He achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the long jump, and as part of the 4x100 meter relay team.

Mildred Didrikson

The outstanding performer of the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics was the US athlete Mildred “Babe” Didrikson; she won 2 gold medals and a silver medal in track and field competition. She was named by the Guinness Book of Records, along with Lottie Dod, as the most versatile female athlete of all time. She achieved outstanding success in golf, basketball and track and field.

Sonja Henie

In the Winter Olympics of 1928, Sonja Henie of Norway won the first of her 3 successive championships in Olympic figure skating. Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies figure skater. She later entered show business, and at the height of her acting career she was one of the highest paid movie stars in Hollywood.

Paavo Nurmi and Johnny Weissmuller

Johnny Weissmuller

In the 1924 Paris Olympics, Paavo Nurmi of Finland, won 4 medals in the track and fields events and Johnny Weissmuller, a US swimmer won 3. Nurmi won a total of 12 medals in 3 successive Olympics (1920, 1924 and 1928), 9 gold medals and 3 silver medals. On the other hand, after the swimming career of Weissmuller, he became the sixth actor to portray Tarzan in films, a role he played in twelve motion pictures. Dozens of other actors have also played Tarzan, but Weissmuller is by far the best known. His character's distinctive, ululating Tarzan yell is still often used in films.

Paavo Nurmi

The most impressive performance in the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games was by Finland with victories by Paavo Nurmi and his team mates in the long-distance running races.

Jim Thorpe

Jim Thorpe was the Star of the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games. He won both the pentathlon and the decathlon. His medals were later taken from him, however, because he had previously participated in a semi-professional sport. The decision to disqualify him was reversed in 1992, nearly 30 years after his death. He is considered one of the most versatile athletes in modern sports. He also played American football and professional baseball and basketball.

Raymond Ewry

Raymond Ewry, an American athlete won 3 gold medals in the 1900 Paris Olympics, 3 gold medals in the 1904 St. Louis Olympics and 2 gold medals in the 1908 London Olympics in the track and field events. He had won a total of 8 medals, 3 in standing high jump, 3 in standing long jump, and 2 in standing triple jump.

The 2008 Summer Olympic Games will be held in Beijing, China. Watch out who will emerge as the outstanding athlete on this Olympiad.

Olympic Games are conducted, once in four years, by a Governing Body.

They have their selection methods in place. That body has selected the next avenue for the games. And it is Beijing, Hebei province, Peoples Republic of China.

Now it is the turn of the governing bodies of Olympic games of each country to set in motion the process of selecting the best athlete to represent the country.

The onus of selection of the athletes is in the hands of the relevant authority of each country. They would do their job as they deem suitable to the given circumstances.

If they succeed, well and good. If they fail or fall short they would be given the boot and replaced, hopefully, by a better set of officials.

The words "to represent the country" is the criterion in selection. The selected athletes would represent their country just as diplomats do.

The diplomats are, generally, trained professionals.

Athletes are trained in their own discipline and certainly not in diplomacy.

Therefore, it stands to reason, the athletes be given a set of code of conduct to conduct themselves whenever and wherever they are in.

Now the criteria in selection of athletes, 'to represent the country' is not only on the prowess in the discipline, but also in the conduct, behaviour of the individual.

The media is the "watch dog" of the nation. Media should and would focus spotlight on any matter of public interest.

But if the media is barking up the wrong tree, civic minded citizenry should point in the correct direction.

That's how public opinion is counted. And the "same" yardstick should be applied in all cases.

The images of children being engaged in weaving carpets in India is nauseating to some editors. They write lengthy articles waging a war against the import of carpets from India.

Indeed they are right. That's how it should be in good governance.

A "United States" company was importing toys from China. Toys for children of all ages.

We all know, the kids while at play, tend to lick or insert small items inside their mouths.

Now the CEO of this company found out a terrible secret. The Chinese manufacturers were using unhealthy paints in the making of these toys.

Cheap paints are poisonous.

The CEO, indiscreetly opened his mouth to the press about his discovery.

He must have gloated with pride, never once thinking of the consequences. The Media went into a frenzy over the issue, and rightly so.

Rest of the world picked it up and wagged no end.

Two days later someone senior to the CEO, made an announcement : 'The whole fault is ours and not of the Chinese manufacturers'.

China put its foot down and demanded "why go public on an issue that"s detrimental to both of us'.

And billions of dollars worth of business was at stake.

The company caved in, may be with advice from the Trade and Commerce Secretary.

That's the result of "arm twisting" in the world of "trade" and is taking place, as a matter of routine, in every facet of the diplomatic world.

When all things are considered, Commerce comes first for any government and if the government fails our "high-brow" ideals will never rescue the populace from poverty.

We the "silent" majority of the citizenry, may now focus our sight on worthier mundane matters, and leave the "olympic games authority" to get on with their alloted job.

The countdown to the 2004 Olympic Games originated in Athens, Greece. In March 2004, the Olympic torch was lit. The torch-lighting ceremony was regarded as a special day because for the first time, the torch traveled throughout the five continents in the world.

At the ceremony, an actress dressed as a high priestess in a white robe lifted a blazing torch. She then passed it to the first torch-bearer, the same way it was done when Olympics were held in 776 B.C. The ceremony took place in the Temple of Hera.

Greece was the origin birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games. In Athens, the first modern Olympic Games were held successfully in 1896. However, Olympic events for females only made their first appearance in 1912.

The Olympic Games returned to their origins when Athens hosts the 28th Games in 2004.