President Barack Obama owes Canadian Prime Minister a case of beer!

According to the AP:

Obama made the friendly wager with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper before Sunday’s U.S.-Canada gold medal game. Canada beat the United States 3-2 on Sidney Crosby’s overtime goal.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama had a case of Yuengling, a Pennsylvania regional brew, riding on the game. Harper wagered 24 bottles of Molson. The beer battle pitted Canada’s oldest brewery against the oldest beer maker in the United States. Molson Canada is now a subsidiary of Molson Coors Brewing Co., a marriage of Molson and Denver-based Coors.

There was no word on where the cross-border exchange would occur.

USOC faces backlash after shock of failed bid

Whether the U.S. Olympic Committee deserves all, some or only a little of the blame for Chicago's embarrassing first-round ouster from the voting for the 2016 Olympics, the federation's home office in Colorado Springs will not be a happy place the next few months.

The International Olympic Committee sent a message to the USOC with Friday's humiliation, one that Swiss IOC member Denis Oswald called "a defeat for the USOC, not for Chicago."

Some of the biggest issues that have been hurting the USOC's efforts for years, both on Olympic and geopolitical levels: the Salt Lake City bid scandal and the over-commercialized Atlanta Games, the Iraq war and America's role in the tanking global economy. Via.

*Previously: Chicago 2016 bid officially submitted

Michelle Obama speaks about youth and the importance of the Olympics.

(First Lady Michelle Obama during a break in her one-on-one meetings with International Olympic
Committee members in Copenhagen, Denmark, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009
Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

We need all of our children to be exposed to the Olympic ideals that athletes from around the world represent, particularly this time in our nation’s history, where athletics is becoming more of a fleeting opportunity. Funds dry up so it becomes harder for kids to engage in sports, to learn how to swim, to even ride a bike. When we’re seeing rates of childhood obesity increase, it is so important for us to raise up the platform of fitness and competition and fair play; to teach kids to cheer on the victors and empathize with those in defeat, but most importantly, to recognize that all the hard work that is required to do something special.


*Previously: Obama is going to Copenhagen

Obama is going to Copenhagen

Obama is going to Copenhagen after all, joining first lady Michelle Obama to support Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics.

Obama plans to leave Washington on Thursday, senior adviser Valerie Jarrett told The Associated Press on Monday, getting to Denmark in time to be part of his adopted hometown's final presentation to the International Olympic Committee.

"His physical presence just magnifies all of what he's been saying," Chicago 2016 chairman Pat Ryan said, a big smile on his face. "It just puts a huge exclamation point on the support of the bid and the support of the Olympic movement and the respect for the movement and the respect for the IOC members themselves." Via.

*Previously: President Obama Announces New White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport

"Law and Order" Depiction of Rio 2016 Vote Buying and Corruption Causes Outrage

An episode from the American television series “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” has triggered outrage from the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic bid.

The show depicts an attempt by a firm with financial interests in Rio's bid to buy a vote from a member of the Olympic Committee of Belgium. When the member agrees, she ends up murdered in New York.

Globoesporte.com in Brazil says a Rio 2016 statement condemned the “irresponsible and reckless use of the image of the Brazilian candidate, who is on the campaign to host the games."

The episode entitled “The Glory that Was” originally aired on the USA Network and NBC in the United States on June 14 without much criticism. However, when it aired in Brazil on Thursday on AXN Network, many took notice. NBC owns the rights to broadcast the Olympic Games in United States.

Rio’s Mayor Eduardo Paes called the show “ridiculous and pathetic” when he spoke to O Globo. He told the newspaper that it could even damage IOC members whose work is completely transparent in relation to the election – and he said it may hinder the U.S. application (for the 2016 Olympics) and strengthen Rio’s campaign. Chicago is also bidding for the 2016 Games.

Law and Order – CI is in its eighth season after becoming a spin-off of the popular Law and Order franchise. The show stars renowned actor Jeff Goldblum and Julianne Nicholson whose characters team up to solve the crime.

The USA Network Website synopsis of the episode describes “the dark politics behind the Olympic Site Selection Committee” and how the show’s murder victim “was the vote he needed on the Olympic Site Selection Committee that would throw the Olympics to Rio.”

The IOC has worked hard over the past decade to clean up its image after the highly publicized vote buying scandal in 1998. The site selection process has been re-engineered and the IOC assures that bribery is a thing of the past. Although the Law and Order show is fictional, it could awaken bitter memories at a crucial and sensitive time of the 2016 Olympic bid.

The depiction of the corrupt IOC member as a member of the Belgian Olympic Committee could add to the sensitivity of the issue; the current President of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, was also the President of the Belgian Olympic Committee.

Rio and Chicago are also competing with Tokyo and Madrid to win the right to host the 2016 Olympics. The race is considered one of the closest in history and a single vote could be the difference between success and failure.

The winner will be determined by a vote of International Olympic Committee members on October 2 in Copenhagen. The high profile event will be attended by national leaders and royalty and perhaps even United States President Barack Obama. Via.

*Previously: Rio 2016 Desktop Wallpapers

President Obama Announces New White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced the formation of the White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport.

This permanent White House office will promote the values of the Olympic Movement and encourage increased youth participation in athletics. The primary function of the Office will be to enhance awareness of the Olympic Movement through promotion of its fundamental principles at the federal level.

President Obama said, "It is an important goal of my administration to give our nation’s children every possible tool they need to grow, learn and succeed in life. A key part of this is increasing access to healthy, constructive activities like sports for our nation’s children. Too many American kids – particularly those in urban areas – have no access to organized sporting activities. Sports are an important way to instill values, judgment and teamwork in our nation’s kids, and this new office reflects our commitment to giving all our children a chance to thrive. As the International Olympic Committee moves forward with their selection process we hope that this new office can serve as a model for youth involvement worldwide."

The White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport will:

• Recommend federal policies and programs to the President to enhance opportunities and access for youth participation in sport, with particular focus on youth in urban areas
• Foster and encourage youth sporting, educational and cultural events involving Olympic values-based programs and the participation of U.S. Olympians and Paralympians

The Office will also work in coordination with appropriate executive departments and agencies, including the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, to:

• Engage in outreach to state and local government officials, nonprofit organizations and the private sector
• Coordinate federal resources, and act as liaison to, any organizing committee for an Olympic and Paralympic Games hosted in the United States
• And work closely with the United States Olympic Committee and national sport governing bodies to increase access and opportunities for youth to participate in sports.

Russia announces rearmament plan?!

BBC News reported today that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said Moscow will begin a comprehensive military rearmament from 2011. Bad news!! It sounds like we are headed for Cold War v2.0!

I've got an idea and proposal for both Obama and Medvedev... Lets get this over with quickly! Why don't we just duke it out on the ice again. We did it in 1980, and I think we can take them again! The winner gets to own the label "Worlds Biggest Superpower" and rights to some land on the moon. As a condition of the match both countries agree to stop pursuing nuclear arms. So how about it? We can even duke it out at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver... it'll be neutral ground!

Obama win boosts Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid

Via Yahoo! Sports

Barack Obama’s election as president could prove crucial in another campaign—the race for the 2016 Olympics.

Obama’s victory provides a boost to the bid from Chicago—his hometown—to bring the Summer Games back to the United States for the first time since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

“It’s very important,” Chicago bid leader Patrick Ryan told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “He’s a man who the world is looking to for leadership and I think he’s very popular not only in the U.S. but around the world.

“We share his feeling that the Olympics are an opportunity for the U.S. to reach out to the rest of the world, for building bridges of friendship. It’s certainly something he’s very committed to.”

Chicago is competing against Tokyo; Madrid, Spain; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The host will be chosen by the International Olympic Committee in Denmark on Oct. 2, 2009.

Click here to continue reading.

Video: A History of the Olympics and Politcs

From ESPN, Outside the Lines looks at the issue of politics and the Olympic games. Very interesting!

Obama makes surprise appearance at a Chicago rally promoting 2016 bid

Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., left, and others, applaud presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., during an unscheduled stop at the Chicago 2016 Olympic Rally, Friday, in Chicago.

You can watch part of the speech HERE.

From the Associated Press:
CHICAGO - Barack Obama says if Chicago is chosen to host the 2016 Olympics, he's hoping there will be a hometown president to kick off the games.

"In 2016, I'll be wrapping up my second term as president," Obama said. "So I can't think of a better way than to be marching into Washington Park ... as president of the United States and announcing to the world, 'Let the games begin!'"

The Illinois senator, spending a weekend at home after clinching the Democratic presidential nomination, made a surprise appearance at a downtown rally Friday to promote the city's bid. He drew loud cheers from the crowd and gawkers pressed up to windows from the high rise office buildings surrounding the rally.