Hungary’s Horse Hopes

“Failure is the most often heard expression in Hungary today — failure, mistake, pessimism. When even a horse is able to make a miracle from nowhere, it’s a sign of hope that we can get out from the desperate situation we are now in.”
That’s Victor Orban, leader of Hungary’s Fidesz Party, talking about Overdose, the [...]

Olympic Bid Update

News from the four finalists angling to host the 2016 Summer Olympics:

Will decaying transportation infrastructure work against Chicago?
Madrid’s security profile just improved.
Brazilian President Lula Da Silva, on behalf of Rio, is playing the “we deserve it” card. What really may be in Brazil’s favor is that the Rio Olympic budget dwarfs those of competing cities.
Tokyo [...]

Politics Invades Euro Hoops

What happens when you spice the European basketball championships with some Baltic hostilities?
First the Lithuanians threatened to walk off the court for good with two minutes to play because of suspicions about the refereeing, then the third-place Croats did walk off the medal stand and out of the arena just before their former countrymen, the [...]

Israel Soccer’s Raw Deal

After a crushing loss to Greece, it’s almost certain that Israel will once again fail to qualify for the World Cup. Israel is by no means a soccer power, but their qualifying road is harder than it should be.
For years, Israel competed within the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) because doing so made perfect geographic sense. [...]

The Obamas in Britain

While some in the blogosphere are getting the vapors over President Obama’s decision to give an IPod to the Queen, it’s worth noting that the First Lady came up big with her gift to the five-year-old son of PM Gordon Brown:
For yesterday’s return visit, the First Lady gave five-year-old John Brown a little piece of [...]

This Week in Soccer Violence

With World Cup qualifiers going on around the globe, the hooligans are out in full force. Some dispatches …
Ivory Coast vs. Malawi:
A stampede at a soccer match in the Ivory Coast killed at least 22 people and wounded 132 yesterday, authorities said. Fans at the Felix Houphouet-Boig-ny arena pushed against each other shortly before the [...]

Berlusconi and Football

Goal.com profiles Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi and the role soccer played in his rise to political power. Berlusconi purchased AC Milan in the mid 1980s, when the club was hemorrhaging money and not winning many matches. Berlusconi pumped money into the franchise, shifted to an aggressive, attacking style, and signed a number of foreign stars. [...]

The End of International Torch Relays

The IOC has taken the step (belated in my mind) of banning international torch relays leading up the Olympics:
Instead of representing a symbol of hope and inspiration, the Olympic torch became a magnet for protesters in 2008 en route to Beijing, sparking sometimes violent protests over China’s human rights record.
The only curiosity is why they [...]

Changes Ahead for British Sports

The Telegraph is running an interesting series on the decline of England’s sports infrastructure. Rod Gilmour on the causes and consequences:
Cash-strapped local authorities and private owners are selling off facilities with alarming ease. Multi-sports centres are either being turned into housing or the ‘multi’ is being tossed out and replaced by ‘well-being’ centres. Sporting provisions [...]

England’s World Cup Hopes

Their hopes to host the 2018 World Cup, that is.
They may face some opposition from Asian countries, whose perspective is voiced by Mohammed bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football Confederation:
“When it comes to England, the land of the birth of modern football everybody would love to see it played in England. England is a [...]