2012 London Olympics

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Opening Ceremony Begins
 Let the Games Begin 
olympics
Jul 27, 2012 6:55 PM CDT

Let the Games Begin

London hosts lavish opening ceremony

(Newser) - Britain opened its Olympics with a royal entrance like no other. London greeted the world in a celebration of Old England that was stunning, imaginative, whimsical, and dramatic. Cheeky, too, with a stand-in for Queen Elizabeth II parachuting into Olympic Stadium, accompanied by James Bond, no less. Brit director Danny...

Carl Lewis on Romney Gaffe: He Should 'Stay Home'

Olympic legend joins the crowd pummeling Romney for criticizing games

(Newser) - Mitt Romney got yet another high-profile tongue-lashing for having the effrontery to suggest that London wasn't ready for the Olympics—while in London. "Every Olympics is ready, I don't care whatever he said," nine-time US gold medalist Carl Lewis told the Independent . "I swear, sometimes...

Romney's London Trip a Winner... for Obama

Candidate makes gaffe after gaffe: Nicholas Watt

(Newser) - Mitt Romney has been doing his opponent some serious favors during his trip to London. He's managed to offend the British public with remarks about Olympic preparedness , prompting a witty comeback from David Cameron. He let slip that he'd met with the boss of MI6 . And he called...

Sudan Runner Seeks Asylum
 Sudan Runner Seeks Asylum 
Olympics
Jul 27, 2012 10:36 AM CDT

Sudan Runner Seeks Asylum

British right has made asylum an issue

(Newser) - An Olympic runner from Sudan has requested asylum at a London police station, an official tells the New York Times . The athlete's name hasn't been released, but the list of suspects isn't long; the war-torn East African nation only sent six athletes to the games. The case...

Confused Fans Turned Away in Archery Debacle
Confused Fans Turned Away in Archery Debacle
Olympics
Jul 27, 2012 9:52 AM CDT

Confused Fans Turned Away in Archery Debacle

So no one got to watch Im Dong-hyun set a new world record

(Newser) - Legally blind archer Im Dong-hyun set a world record in the first official London-based Olympic event today, but the hundreds of people who turned up to watch didn't get to see it. The event was just an initial rankings round, intended to seed teams for the full competition, and...

These Games Will Be Quite British

 These Games 
 Will Be Quite 
 British 
olympics
Jul 27, 2012 8:57 AM CDT

These Games Will Be Quite British

London 2012 will celebrate UK—without going overboard

(Newser) - Don't expect a rerun of Beijing: This year's Olympics will have a more understated character, better suited to their host country, organizers say. "What you’re going to get, generally speaking, is an image of the UK as it is, warts and all," says a promoter....

Michelle Leads Team USA in London

 Michelle Leads 
 Team USA in 
 London 
olympics
Jul 27, 2012 5:41 AM CDT

Michelle Leads Team USA in London

Will attend Olympic events, Queen's reception

(Newser) - Michelle Obama has quite the packed London weekend ahead as leader of the US Olympic delegation. First, she's breakfasting with US athletes. Afterward, she'll be joined by more than 1,000 kids for a healthy-living event. Then it's a Buckingham Palace reception with the queen, and finally...

Romney Blabs About Secret MI6 Meeting

Rather!

(Newser) - I say there, old bean, that's not quite the way it's done. Mitt Romney put his foot in his mouth again across the pond. After irking the Brits with some comments about Olympic preparations yesterday, he also "blabbed" about a meeting with the head of British intelligence...

Romney, Take 2: Olympics Will Be 'Terrific'

After tough day, Romney goes positive on London Olympics

(Newser) - After a day of gaffes in London—questioning the city's readiness for the Olympics, blabbing about his secret MI6 meeting , calling the opposition leader Ed Miliband "Mr. Leader"—Mitt Romney put on a brave face and accentuated the positive, predicting the Games would be "terrific,”...

Beach Volleyball Players Get to Cover Up

Debates over female athletes' clothing roil Games

(Newser) - As the top athletes of the world go head-to-head with rivals, what are people talking about? What the female athletes are wearing. Some are removing clothing, while others are adding coverage, and still others are smoldering about battles over skirts. A female judo competitor from Saudi Arabia—which is sending...

London Mayor Bashes Romney
 London Mayor Bashes Romney 
Jul 26, 2012 5:36 PM CDT

London Mayor Bashes Romney

Olympic comments offend allies across the pond

(Newser) - Britain isn't getting over Mitt Romney's comments questioning its handling of the 2012 Olympics. London Mayor Boris Johnson, for instance, mocked the presidential candidate in front of a 60,000-strong rally today, the Huffington Post reports. "There are some people who are coming from around the world...

Saudi Woman Competing at Olympics Without Hijab

Decision will likely be controversial

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia is sending women to the Olympics for the first time—and at least one of them, a judo competitor, won’t be wearing a traditional Islamic headscarf while competing. Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shaherkani "will fight according to the principle and spirit of judo, so without a...

Mitt's Olympics Comments Rub Brits the Wrong Way

He seems to question British public's enthusiasm for Games

(Newser) - Mitt Romney kicked off his international tour with an appearance in Parliament today, where he tried to downplay London officials' North Korea flag mix-up by saying that "my experience with regards to the Olympics is it is impossible for absolutely no mistakes to occur," reports Politico . But if...

Favorite to Win Archery Gold Is Legally Blind

Target colors blend together for Im Dong-Hyun

(Newser) - Katniss Everdeen has nothing on this archer: South Korea's Im Dong-Hyun already has two Olympic golds under his belt, and he's been tapped as a favorite to win another in London, despite the fact that he's legally blind, reports the Telegraph . The 26-year-old has 20/200 vision in...

Olympian's Mission: Cut Drowning Among African-American Kids

Gold medal champ Cullen Jones hopes to reduce high numbers

(Newser) - After nearly drowning at the age of 5, Olympic swimmer Cullen Jones is using his watery brilliance to reduce the disproportionately high number of drowning deaths among African-American children. Jones won gold in 2008 and is competing in the London games, but in the off-season, he travels the nation with...

N. Korea Soccer Team Walks Off in Flag Flub

Olympic committee is very, very, very, very sorry

(Newser) - No sooner had London's Olympics kicked off than the North Korean women's soccer team took its toys and walked off today: The team refused to take the field for more than an hour for their match against Colombia after the South Korean flag was inadvertently displayed on the...

Olympian Booted From Team Over Racist Tweet

Greek triple jumper Voula Papachristou won't be traveling to London

(Newser) - One athlete's Olympic journey is over before it began. Triple jumper Voula Papachristou was expelled from Greece's Olympic team today for comments she made on Twitter mocking African immigrants and expressing support for a far-right party. The Hellenic Olympic Committee said Papachristou, who is currently in Athens, had...

News Flash: The Olympics Start Today

Soccer, archery kick off early

(Newser) - The Opening Ceremonies aren’t until Friday, but the Olympics actually start today, 400 miles away from London. Soccer and archery start early, so as not to wear out the athletes with the number of games that are required, the Detroit Free Press explains. The US women’s soccer team...

London Eye to Be Twitter-Driven 'Mood Ring'

Brit tweets will determine 'mood color' during the Olympics

(Newser) - Want to gauge the mood of Brits during the Olympics? Just check out the London Eye. The Ferris wheel will be turned into a huge "mood ring" for 30 minutes each night. The wheel will light up in different colors, depending on the nation's attitude about the day'...

How Olympics Hurt Host Cities More Than Help

3 reasons cities should avoid Games: Andrew Zimbalist

(Newser) - Cities go nuts trying to bring the Olympics home—and they may not be doing themselves any favors. Sure, if everything runs smoothly, the Games might offer a "small windfall." But the economic reality is far more complicated, writes Andrew Zimbalist at the Atlantic :
  • Private companies, not cities,
...

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