To Russia, With Love

Many are called; few are chosen. For each athlete who makes it to compete in the Olympics, thousands of others never have that dream realized. But if you can compete in another country's uniform, all the more chances you have of marching in the opening ceremony and possibly even snaring a medal. 

That's the unique opportunity at which American basketball player Becky Hammon is leaping. Hammon, a popular WNBA player for the San Antonio Silver Stars in the U.S. last season who was the runner-up for the league's most valuable player, became a naturalized Russian citizen last year and will be wearing the colors of Moscow in the Olympic competition this August. ESPN notes her decision is "controversial" to say the least. But it's been an intriguing journey for the 31-year-old who appears to have been snubbed by USA Basketball. She wasn't among those chosen to be among those eligible to try out for the U.S. Olympic team, so she signed on with CSKA Moscow in a deal that would allow her to compete for a spot on Russia's Olympic team. Subsequently Hammon was invited to try out for the U.S. team, "but she said contractual obligations with CSKA left her unable to attend," ESPN says. She and her agent later tried to clarify her position, but "they came away with the impression that she wasn't in serious contention to make the team. So Hammon took her Olympic dream elsewhere." 

She will be joined on the team by another American, J.R. Bucknell. "The jersey that I wear has never made me who I was. It has nothing to do with what's written on my heart," Hammon told ESPN.com. "Will I be playing for Russia? Yes. But I'm absolutely 100 percent still an American. I love our country. I love what we stand for. This is an opportunity to fulfill my dream of playing in the Olympics."

Many athletes switch uniforms, if not allegiances, either as the only way to make it to the Games, because teams lack enough qualified members, or because of any number of disputes with coaches an National Olympic Committees. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, I met with some members of China's swimming delegation which included a competitor from Turkey -- apparently giving the Chinese some needed depth. I covered World Cup skiing in Japan and interviewed Marc Ghiradelli, a consummate skier in all disciplines from Austria ... though he competed for Luxembourg over coaching disagreements. 

New List of Rules For Foreign Visitors

Don't bring in weapons or drugs. Don't light fireworks at sports venues. Don't attack referees. Don't sleep outdoors. And don't even think about protesting with a political statement. The Beijing organizers of this summer's Olympics published a list of rules this week by which foreign visitors to the Games must abide. Authorities will also bar entry to those who are mentally ill, who have sexually transmitted diseases or who are suspected of planning to seek out prostitutes. It also said that travelers with tickets to Olympic events were not guaranteed a visa, apparently giving notice that known political activists will kept out. 

Organizers expect about 500,000 visitors from foreign countries during the Games, but said in its new rulebook that China still has many areas that are off-limits to visitors. "Not all of China is currently open to foreigners, and if foreigners do not have permission they should not go into areas not opened it," Reuters quoted the organizing committee statement as saying. 

China is trying hard to ensure the Games will unfold smoothly, and that includes preventing any disruption, whether organized terrorism or single-person soapbox protests. The new rules were posted to the organizing committee's website, but curiously, only in the Chinese version. 

Olympic Scammers Rev Into High Gear

Scammers feeding off the Olympic hoopla are redoubling efforts to separate Chinese and visitors from their money through a variety of schemes ranging from clever to "Huh??" "Tricksters are setting up fake Olympic ticket websites, selling Olympic bonds that do not exist and running fraudulent Olympic-linked competitions," says China's Xinua News Agency. The dupes follow eight common patterns including "You have won!" hooks, and pitches selling Olympic tickets, which exist, and Olympic bonds, which don't, according to Reuters. One pitch, reminiscent of Nigerian email scams, comes in the form of text messages telling recipients they've won something from the Beijing Games organizers, but that they have to pay a tax first in order to claim their prize. "They spin a web of lies to tempt and deceive people, and carry out their frauds by taking advantage of victims' desire for a small gain," Xinhua said.

Another World's Fastest Human Emerges

A new face will be the center of attention at the marquee men's 100-meter race at the Beijing Olympics this summer. Jamaican Usain Bolt set a world record in that event of 9.72 seconds at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York yesterday, edging past the previous record of 9.74 set last September by longtime star Asafa Powell, also of Jamaica and who also held the previous mark of 9.77, which he attained three times. American Tyson Gay took second in 9.85. Bolt's victory, much less record, was unexpected because Bolt is a 200- and 400-meter specialist, and was thought to be saving his best for when he lines up against Powell in Jamaica's Olympic trials.

I was in the stands at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 and watched Jamaican-born Ben Johnson run his phenomenal 9.79 in the 100-meter final. The sprint for the title of World's Fastest Human is an arresting moment in sports -- not only a hundred thousand people in the stadium, but probably hundreds of millions around the world are transfixed by that spectacle on live television at every Olympics. In 1988 Johnson's speed broke a psychological barrier by going under 9.80, as the world record was 9.83. Of course, Johnson was disqualified three days later for using banned steroids. Could that rise up to haunt Bolt?

'We Are Ready'

It's interesting to take a look occasionally at how the organizers of the Beijing Olympics are stirring up the emotions for these Games. Already at least three "theme songs" have emerged to promote anticipation for the Aug. 4-24 Olympics. They're candy-pop tunes hard to get out of your head, but it's also interesting to see the video montages Chinese TV and others come up with. Here's a live performance in front of a dripping-with-lights-and-decor Gate of Heavenly Peace of "We Are Ready," a song that's been recorded, re-recorded and covered multiple times, as has "Forever Friends" posted here earlier. Organizers (and composers and choreographers) are really pulling out all the stops.

Surprise -- Hotels Still Available

Good news for travelers who want to go to Beijing during the Olympics in August but who don’t have reservations – there are still plenty of hotel rooms, all the way down to two-star hotels. Five-star hotels still have a 23% vacancy rate, and 56% of four-star hotels remain unbooked, according to Tourism Bureau Director Zhang Huigang (whom some might remember as the Chinese capital’s anti-spitting czar when he headed Beijing’s ethics office). The occupancy rates of two- and three-star hotels are even lower, possibly because of China’s stricter visa policies, as noted in previous posts.

TMI (Too Much Info) In Some Oly Tickets

In an effort to thwart any terrorist attacks or embarrassing public protests, tickets to the Beijing Olympics opening and closing ceremonies will have unrivaled security elements built right into them – including photos of the ticketholders, their passport numbers and contact details, Canadian Press reports.

Such measures at the 91,000-seat National Stadium, nicknamed “The Nest” for obvious reasons (photo), could cause long delays, according to Canpress, and that will not easily be tolerated by many of the VIPs holding tickets to the Aug. 8 opening ceremonies and Aug. 24 closing fête. The top tickets to those events list at $720 … so how are authorities going to keep track of tickets that are assigned at the last minute to important guests, or that are given or resold to others, or scalped for five times the price?

Stopping scalpers is part of the idea of course. But if a national delegation or company or simply a wealthy person impressing friends brings in a group of 10 people, how can everyone be sure they have the right high-tech entry pass? This measure is meant to stop opportunistic resellers, activists from obtaining tickets so they can unfurl pro-Tibet or other banners, and to try and keep genuine terrorist out of the opening and closing festivities. But its actual effect may be to create gads of irate rich people who hate standing in lines.