Mario & Sonic Rio 2016 Olympics Arcade Game

A while back Nintendo and Sega announced the next edition in the popular Mario vs. Sonic Olympics franchise. They also announced that the game would make it into arcades in Japan and now we have the first look at the machines themselves. Looks like a lot of fun! We're looking forward to playing the Wii U version next year!

Tokyo 2020 Unveils Official Logos

Here they are!

I kinda like it. In my book... it's not as big of a misstep as London 2012, but not as big of a home run as Vancouver 2010.

What do you think?

Los Angeles 2024 Bid Logo!

Love it!! Let's hope LA can win the USOC selection process and the official bid itself!!

Nike 2014 U.S. Olympic UniformsRevealed

U.S. Snowboarding unveils Sochi 2014 Olympic uniforms

Greg Dacyshyn, Chief Creative Officer at Burton Snowboards, said the following through a press release...

“We’re really proud that the 2014 uniform builds on Burton’s legacy of creating fun, unconventional designs that stray from the formal, traditional look of most uniforms. The vintage quilt and flag print of the jacket combined with the corduroy pants give the uniform a ‘heirloom hippie’ vibe that lines up with snowboarding’s laid-back culture while paying respect to America’s longstanding creative heritage. It will stand out in Sochi for sure.”

Mario & Sonic 2014 Bundle Price Confirmed!

The bundle, which comes with the full game and a blue Wii Remote Plus, will retail for $59.99. That's only $10 more than the game by itself! It'd be nice if the remote was customized with art from the game, but it's a great dean nonetheless.

PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Emblem Unveiled

Ralph Lauren 2014 U.S. Olympic Uniforms Revealed

With 100 days to go until the 2014 Winter Game in Sochi the Ralph Lauren 2014 U.S. Olympic uniforms were revealed on the Today Show this morning. I like the classic look!

Abandoned Olympic Venues

An abandoned bobsled track in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina) used in the 1984 Olympics. 

Over on the Huffington Post there is an incredible collection of photographs of abandon Olympic venues.

You can find the original article and more photographs here:
http://goo.gl/jrd5ZI

The images are haunting. Some of the venues pictured were used as recently as the summer games in 2008. It's disappointing that these venues are built and just abandoned. I really do hope the IOC does more to ensure that host countries don't over build in the future.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games - Commercial

New details about Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games

Nintendo announced today some new details about the upcoming Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. The game will be released for the Wii U on November 15th in the US. The game will feature online multiplayer for the first time and take advantage of the Wii Motion Plus controller. Additionally they will be selling a version of the game that will have blue Wii Motion Plus controller included. I'm looking forward to this release! The original Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Vancouver 2010) was my favorite game in the series. I really hope they bring back the "Olympic Village" aspect from that game.

Additionally, the official site for the game is up and running. There is not much there at the moment, but I'm sure that will change soon. I've included a screen capture of it below...

Lastly, Nintendo also debuted a new trailer for the game today. It looks like it may include a sneak peek at the opening cinematic. It also breaks down some of the new features from this iteration of this game. Nintendo has prohibited embedding of the trailer, but you can view it on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/TWnmi0JL5h0

Tokyo Selected as 2020 Summer Games Host City!

I can not be more happy with the announcement today that Tokyo will be the host city for the 2020 Summer Olympics! I have been pulling for Japan to win this since the get go. Happy to see it happen and I'm looking forward to seeing more come from them over the coming years.

Washington, D.C. Pursuing 2024 Olympic Games Bid

Washington, D.C. has put together an exploratory committee to potentially seek a 2024 Olympic Games bid. I would love to see the summer games back here in the States. You can find out more info at their Official Site and their Facebook Page.

Vintage 1996 Atlanta Coca-Cola Ad

I was going through so old junk of mine from my parents house a a few weeks back and I ran across a stack of Disney Adventures magazines that I read as a kid. While flipping through a few of them I spotted this Coke AD for the1996 Sumer Olympics in Atlanta. Just thought I share. 

A better look at the Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games boxart!

Is this the final Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games boxart?

It's a small pic, but it looks like it could be legit. I'm sure we'll find out soon!

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games -- "July Trailer"

Logo, Artwork, and Details on the Sochi 2014 Mario & Sonic Game for the Wii U from E3 2013!

The image above contains what looks like the official logo for the game.

Here are some details directly from Nintendo & Sega out of E3 today:

Mario and Sonic go for the gold!Join Mario and Sonic and the rest of your favorite characters as they team up and compete in events at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.FEATURES:• Experience realistic events from the Winter Games, including curling, skiing, figure skating pairs and snowboard slopestyle, which will make its Olympic Games debut inSochi, Russia.• In addition to these realistic events, the game also includes Dream Events set in the worlds of Sonic and Mario that let players perform dynamic moves not possible in real life. For example, experience the adrenaline rush of Winter Sports Champion Race, a mixed event that combines skiing, snowboarding, skating and bobsleigh in a single race.• The Wii U GamePad controller and the first use of Wii Remote Plus functionality in the series offers greater depth of control and intuitive game play that immerses players in each event.Platform: Wii UGenre: SportsPlayers: 1 – 4Rating: RP (Rating Pending)Launch Date: November 2013Developer: SEGASuggested Retail Price: TBA

Below is even more artwork and screenshots of the game in action. I'm really looking forward to this one!

Gremlins Olympics Poster?

I spotted this online and had to share. It seems WB tried to ride the wave of publicity surrounding the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in 1984 to promote their film Gremlins. How is this possible you ask?! It says "Summer Games" on the poster not Olympic Games. That torch he is holding though is pretty spot on to the official one used. Seems like a rare find indeed!
via.

Sochi Unveils Winter 2014 Olympic Medals

I like them!! Here are some details from the Sochi Organizing Committee...

The presentation of the medals took place in St Petersburg, Russia, in the presence of International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission Chairman Jean-Claude Killy and Sochi 2014 President Dmitry Chernyshenko. The event followed the approval earlier in the day of the medals by the IOC’s Executive Board. 

The Sochi 2014 Olympic medals are truly unique and feature Sochi 2014’s “Patchwork Quilt” – a mosaic of national designs from the various cultures and ethnicities of the Russian Federation. The medals depict the landscape of Sochi, with the sun’s golden rays reflecting through a prism of snowy mountain tops onto the sandy beaches of the Black Sea coast. Made by skilled craftsmen from a combination of metal and polycarbonate, the medals have a sense of lightness and distinctive beauty, which will make it all the more special for the lucky athletes that get to take one home from the Games next year. 

The medals also contain a number of unique details. For example, the front of the medals features the Olympic rings, while the reverse contains the name of the competition in English and the logo of the Sochi Games, with the official name of the Games engraved in Russian, English and French on the rim. The Olympic medals will weigh between 460 and 531 grams depending on the metal used – gold, silver or bronze - and will be 10mm think and 100mm in diameter. In total, about 1,300 medals will be manufactured for the Sochi 2014 Games.