Blogging Athens

I had a cool idea a few days ago. Wouldn't it be fun to follow the Olympics through the blogs of the athletes who are there competing? There must be dozens. Hundreds even.

So I spent an hour or so with my friends at Google, and I quickly discovered that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has essentially banned blogging from within the Olympic Village. (Is the IOC trying to help maintain my OIC?) Anyway, the IOC, in its infinite self-importance, feels that any reporting of Olympic events -- even via a humble blog -- constitutes a form of media. If an individual wanted to buy blogging rights, the same way NBC purchased the television rights, he or she could blog away. To date, the blogging rights are still available.

There is some good news, though. There are two brave souls who are brazenly flouting the IOC's ban. United States swimmer Scott Goldblatt, who recently helped the mens 4x200 meter freestyle relay team qualify for the finals, where they would win the gold medal, has kept his blog active throughout the games, giving readers insight into an athlete's daily life in the Olympic Village.

Another perspective can be found at Stuart Hughes's site, a blog run by a BBC reporter in Athens to cover the games. He posts on expected topics, like the shame of the two Greek athletes dismissed from the games, and finds interesting stories that aren't always told on NBC, like that of the three athletes sent to Athens to represent the tiny nation of Kiribati. Check out both these sites -- there's good stuff there.