With the event a mere javelin's throw away, it's time to brush up on all things Olympic. Where better to start than Brittanica Sporting Record, which offers free access to the Encyclopaedia Britannica's entire Olympic database. The Games have come a long way in the last century. Turns out that in 1896 anybody could participate in the events and so "the resulting competition was not of the highest calibre. Several entrants were tourists who had unexpectedly stumbled upon" the affair. Read histories of each of the modern Games since 1896 and over 200 biographies of former competitors, or search the Olympic Record for past results by event, nation or athlete. The site also holds a list of sports included in the Summer Olympics, with descriptions of each one.
How does a sport make it into the Olympics, anyway? Find out at the the home of the International Olympic Committee, the umbrella organization of the Olympic Movement. The IOC provides a list of the basic criteria a sport must fulfill to be included on the program. Amongst other things, "only sports widely practised by men in at least 75 countries and on four continents, and by women in at least 40 countries and on three continents may be included." There you have it. Here we also found that "sports, disciplines or events in which performance depends essentially on mechanical propulsion are not acceptable." As if that weren't obvious. Geez.
We were wondering if the women who played sports "in at least 40 countries and on three continents" were aware of Undee Shirts, the latest wacky product to prove that you can make something from just about anything. Underwear is fun to wear, and it seems that's particularly true here: undee shirts are athletic sport tops made from men's briefs. There really isn't much more we can say about this, besides: undee shirts are athletic sport tops made from men's briefs. The fruit of someone's genius seems to be looming on the horizon, don't ya think?
We can tell you that for news of women in the upcoming Games you should visit the WomenSports Olympics site, a comprehensive resource about women participating in this summer's events. The folks at WomenSports have made it their goal to be the premier site on the web "for information on the accomplishments of female athletes". Their great Olympics coverage offers everything from team rosters to news articles, spanning events from archery to yachting, and more.
For more news, try the Atlanta Games, a service of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution which offers a combination of event coverage and local news and information, including tips for lodging, dining out, transportation, entertainment and tourism. You'll even find street-by-street details on the Torch Relay's route through town (at 9:27 a.m. they'll be taking a left on Pine Road) and seating charts for the Olympic Stadium, in case you haven't bought your tickets yet!
Yes, it's not too late to order tickets at the official 1996 Centennial Olympic Games site. Besides the latest news, you can also peruse opening and closing ceremonies information, learn how to volunteer at the Games, and order official Olympic merchandise online.
If you're still using that "older technology", NBC Sports' Centennial Olympic Games lists Olympic television broadcast schedules by date and sport. Also take part in an interactive poll, play a trivia game by email, meet members of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, and read the latest news at this official site.
Finally, a word about the Official Sponsors of these here 1996 Summer Games. There are in fact so many official sponsors that the Yahoo! category dedicated to them holds 27 sites at time of writing. Here you'll find the likes of International Paper, providers of paper and forest products, Textron, offering helicopters, Cessna aircraft, and E-Z-GO golf cars for behind the scenes support, and American Gas Online, helping to gather, fuel and maintain a fleet of up to 600 natural gas vehicles for use during the Games.
Our only disappointment is that we didn't find Wacky Packages Stickers on the list. You remember Wacky Packages? Those stickers in the '70s that added a strange twist to the brand name products we all know and love, offering Kentucky Fried Fingers, Moron Salt, Koduck Film, Free Toes and a whole slew of general goofiness. Oh well, you can't have everything; but at least you can take your (Olym)pick(s).