Rodney Mark Jones | ||
Friday, 21 November 1997 |
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I'm a computer networking
consultant working in the Washington, DC metro area. In my spare time I enjoy
learning about other cultures and languages, homebrewing, cooking, swimming,
bowling, fishing, reading and listening to music. I work out at the National
Capital YMCA and I'm considering joining
a local curling club.
I enjoy hard science-fiction but I'm also a fan of Star
Trek, Sailor Moon
and James Bond. I
love to travel and I am very fond of southern
Italy and the Caribbean, especially the US
Virgin Islands. I'll be visiting Amsterdam and Riga in the next few months
and hopefully visit Athens in the fall. I sometimes spend my freetime playing in the
Society for Creative Anachronism, an international
organization of hobbists who study and recreate the European Middle Ages and
early Rennaisance. These intrerests keep me pretty busy.
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2006 Winter Games
It looks like the competition for the 2006 Winter Games host cities is beginning to
heat up.
The Swedish Olympic Committee has denied
Ostersund's application for another shot at hosting the Winter Games.
The SOK members voted unanimously against pursuing a bid for the Winter Games of
2006 while public support is at such low levels following the bombings
associated with Stockholm's bid for the 2004 Summer Games. They also stated that
Ostersund appears to be no better prepared for this bid competition than it was for
the 1998 Winter Games, despite spending upwards of $30 million on sports venues.
Ostersund has made nine previous unsuccessful attempts to bring the Winter Games
to Sweden. But the small city in northern Sweden finished third in the race for the
1998 Winter Games and second in its attempt for the 1994 Winter Games. Still, the
town seems to be determined to host the Games and is likely to try again for in the
competition for the Winter Games of 2010.
Meanwhile, IOC President Juan Antonio Samarach has provided some encouragement to the
organizers of the Finnish bid for the 2006 Winter Games during his recent visit to
Stockholm for the meeting of the European Olympic Committees. The city of Helsinki
has built a preliminary bid in which it will host the Games in cooperation with
Lillehammer, Norway. The King of Norway has also expressed his support for the
bid. The IOC President suggested that Sweden could participate as a third partner
in the Helsinki bid. If Helsinki is successful in winning the right to host the Games
it will be the first city in Olympic history to host both the Summer Games and the
Winter Games.
Several other European cities have stated they will also be entering bids. A few of
those are also likely to be joint bids between cities in different countries.
IOC President Samarach has said he does not believe that a bid run-off, such as that
used by the IOC in the selection of the 2004 Summer Games, will be necessary for 2006.
If you haven't yet visited the
US Olympic Committee's web site, do yourself
a favor and check it out. The new site has several features to help keep fans of the
US Olympic Team informed. While you're at it, you may want to provide some financial
support to USOC and subscribe to
The Olympian magazine.
Pin trading has been a feature of the modern games since the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid. Collecting and trading pins is an inexpensive and fun hobby. Here are some links to a few pin dealers and collectors on the web: |
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I have nearly completed compiling my
National Olympic Committees contact list. It is still under construction but it will soon
be available from the Quick Pick list. The list will include both traditional
and (where available) electronic contacts for several dozen NOCs around the world.
Pin collectors may find the list useful in tracking down some hard-to-find items for
their collections. Fans can use the list to keep in touch with their favorite teams.
I support the following national governing bodies: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Copyright
© 1997 Rodney Mark Jones. All
rights reserved. Last updated by R. Mark Jones on Friday, 21 November 1997. This page is not sanctioned, nor is it endorsed in any way, by the International Olympic Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, or any other national Olympic committee, national governing body, international federation or any other organization related to the Olympic movement. Rodney Mark Jones is solely responsible for the content of this page and all opinions expressed herein. |