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written by Mogoka Shtim , August 11, 2008

Magnificent opening for the games, the bar has been set high.

Disorganization of the delegation from Gabon
written by wuod aketch , August 11, 2008

I watched a tv report on one of the smallest delegations of these games, guess from which continent they hailed? Africa of course and precisely from Gabon. One of the athletes, a lady judoka arrived at the games 3 kg overweight. She had to shed these extra Kgs in order to enter the competition. After fasting, she went to do her match and lasted less than 2 minutes on the tatami. The coach, when interviewed explained that they started preparing very late for these games due to lack of funds. I almost smashed the TV set with fury. Gabon is an oil rich country and knowing the price of the baril (120 dollars) you wonder where this country is spending the millions it earns from this black gold.
Omar Bongo is said to be given a cent in his personal account every time a baril is sold to France.
One of the Taekwondo athletes in the Gabonese delegation had not arrived from Korea due to lack of plane ticket. His coach with no athlete to train, was idling at the Olympic village in Beijing. The third athlete had just gone to buy, today, the shoes she needed for her competition tomorrow because the money meant for the equipment had just arrived. It is said that the most important in Olympics is to participate but respecting the host by bringing in well prepared athletes is a minimum of respect.
I hope that this type of disorganization due to corruption will not be the fate of the Kenyan team.

Let us give a huge support for our athletes in Beijing. To the athletes : Please make us hear the national anthem beam from those mega speakers installed in the bird's nest in Beijing!!! I will be with my small Kenyan flag in front of my tv set and I hope to make a tour d'honneur with the flag in my sitting room as our athletes do the same in Beijing.

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written by mkosakabila , August 11, 2008

Calm down. It's only the olympics, no need for violent behavior even in your house. The olympic games has its owners, sponsors, suppliers, OWNERS etc...including contestants well versed in sophisticated doping techniques that will go virtually undetected. Until next year.

I'd be more interested in protest. I hear the Beijing government assigned protest zones. Hope there's a lively use of those to match all the energy dissipated in the bird cage.

mkosakabila
written by wuod aketch , August 12, 2008

You are missing something. I do not understand the mkosakabila painting you are wearing. I have come to believe that you are a die hard shooter of anybody who says something negative on any politician from central province. Go enjoy supporting the Othaya man and his Muthaiga buddies while I marvel at the performance and show staged by the Japanese women volleyball team, Phelps...
By the way, doping at the Olympics has lesser consequences on a country's well being than rigging elections, being corrupt and selling a country's jewels.
It is the same open corruption affecting the Gabonese team that I am denouncing in my previous post.
For your info, doping alone does not make an athlete win.

Just CALM DOWN
written by mkosakabila , August 12, 2008

Ah, corruption, that's why you wanted to smash your TV. How could i possibly have missed that.

But such...lack of control. Quite reminiscent of what your favorite bumpkin and others in the movement accomplished earlier this year, no? Just a little difference of scale, eh?

Other allegations are completely below the belt. But where's the surprise? Shame on you.

More on corruption - another corrupt delegation from Africa
written by wuod aketch , August 14, 2008

Joseph kabila recently gave each Congolese athlete a premium of $ 4,000 USD through their accompanying officials. Unfortunately 5 days after the presidential gesture, athletes had not yet had a single penny in their pockets.
Cases of misappropriation of premiums reserved for athletes are legion. In Beijing, the Congolese delegation is composed of some thirty officials while the DRC has only aligned five athletes who are involved in 4 disciplines!

Link to the original article here: La tension est vive au sein de la délégation congolaise aux J.O. : la prime présidentielle aux athlètes volatilisée http://www.digitalcongo.net/article/52979

In addition to the lack of preparation, the embezzling of athletes' premiums, have always been the causes of the failures of sports in Africa.

The hit anthem in the bird's nest today was our national anthem
written by wuod aketch , August 18, 2008

The hit anthem in the bird's nest in Beijing today was the Kenyan one. How I danced to the double victory of the two Eldoret Express and to the 3000 men steeple chase.
The only deception I had was when I realized that the flag the Muindi in Mombasa sold me was too small to run about with in my sitting room. I got to buy a bigger one before the next competitions.