London 2012 | Schedule, Venues, Tickets, Sports

WWE Monday Night Raw 1/9/2012 - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

2012-01-11T21:58:00.000-08:00

WWE Monday Night Raw 1/9/2012 - The Good, The Bad And The UglyChris Jericho is on a crazy tear, Kane is still doing the horror thing and what's a Funkasaurus? Check out what you missed on this week's WWE Monday Night Raw.
Whether it's because of the impending build-up toward WrestleMania, the company being willing to try new stuff as ratings take their inevitable football season dive, or just some type of rare alignment of the planets, Monday Night Raw has been pretty damn solid lately. This week, more awesome Jericho trolling, the much-anticipated arrival of Brodus Clay, three solid matches and mercifully, not a single Divas contest. In fact, pretty much the only thing I didn't like about the show was the Cena/Kane/Ryder/Eve angle...which unfortunately both started and ended the program.

To find out my thoughts on the above, the first batch of 2012 Hall of Fame inductees, and most importantly, who won the coveted Shitterson Match of the Night Award, keep reading as I run down the good, bad and downright ugly moments from this week's show. Then, make sure to tell everyone about the article on Twitter, share it on Facebook and come follow me onTwitter, where I babble about comic books, wrestling and devil music throughout the week. Oh, and for good measure, you also better call my mama.

Finally, if you haven't checked it out already, make sure to read my "Straight Shoot" column from last week: Straight Shoot: Chris Jericho Is A New Type of Heel, where I take a closer look at Jericho's return. And keep an eye out for this Thursday's column, as I look back at what might be the best match of 2011.

Looking for even more insight about last night's Raw? Check out Brandon Stroud's The Best and Worst of Raw over at our friends WithLeather.
Credit: WWE
Bad – Is Being Pro-Hate Good Motivation?
In today's world of increasingly self-aware professional wrestling, it gets harder and harder to think of decent motivations for heels, especially ones capable of getting the fans to forget that the person they're booing is just a dude pulling a paycheck. So, in a way, it's refreshing that Kane doesn't want a title, fame or even revenge - he's just stridently pro-hate, and anti-rising-above-the-same. There's even a Ron Paul joke in there somewhere if you care to find it.

An engine of senseless destruction and rage can work just fine as an antagonist as seen in pretty much every horror movie ever. But in order for the menace to come off as convincing, the villain needs to be silent, or at the very least enigmatic in what his motivations are. If Kane just emerged and attacked John Cena and/or Zack Ryder each week with limited explanation that story could be hell of compelling - the guy's a monster and he doesn't really need any motivation beyond that. But by having Kane spew out nonsensical, rambling, confusing (though well-delivered) promos each week, WWE just muddies the waters of the feud while making Kane seem like a pyromaniac therapist, which is a concept better suited for a shitty Showtime drama than pro-wrestling.
Credit: WWE
Bad – Ethnic Characters on Parade
This week, WWE crammed all it's hyper-ethnic characters (OK, most all of them - the black guys all came out later) into a single wackadoo tag team match. Ostensibly the match pitting Sheamus & Santino Marella against Wade Barrett & Jinder Mahal was set to promote the Royal Rumble, but that only barely came across in commentary and not at all in the match itself. Sheamus could have at least tried to toss everyone over the top rope at the end, or maybe even have some kind of issue with his partner, Santino.

Even worse than the time-killing nature of the contest, however, was the fact that we had to watch it instead of an actual tag team match. WWE is currently building some type of angle with Air Boom and Primo& Epico, with the Usos tag team also waiting in the ring. As much as I loved seeing Daniel Bryan get a win over Kofi Kingston tonight (more on that later), I would have preferred to see the World Heavyweight Champion beat someone else while Kingston appeared in action with his fake weed smoking tag team partner, Evan Bourne.
Credit: WWE
Good – Big Johnny
Tonight, John Laurinaitis told a worried Miz, "I'm not Little Jimmy. I'm Big Johnny." and I'm not ashamed to say that I legit LOLed. Laurinaitis is evolving into a bizarre type of authority figure heel, simultaneously cagey and bumbling. Part of what makes it all work is his off-kilter promo delivery -I can't tell if they're wacky on purpose or just because he's actually kind of confused. Either way, it's great. So great in fact, that David Otunga's coffee-slurping presence irritates me less and less.
Credit: WWE
Good – New Hall of Famers
While savvy Internet wrestling news readers have known for months about WWE's plans to induct Alberto Del Rio's uncle Mil Mascaras into the promotion's Hall of Fame, tonight marked the first time that WWE programming announced names for the Class of 2012. The first name announced on television was that of Edge, and while I personally think it might be a little too soon, especially given the fact that it's becoming a habit to induct people immediately upon retiring, only a complete maniac would argue with the merit of the actual decision. The other name was actually that of a stable, The Four Horsemen, which more than anything reminded me of how shocking it is that Arn Anderson hasn't already been inducted in the Hall of Fame.

Conspicuous by his absence, however, is a name that many fans, myself included, considered a shoe-in for this year's Hall of Fame class: the late, great "Macho Man" Randy Savage. For years, rumors have persisted about Vince McMahon's hatred of Savage, with many chalking the enmity up to a sexual relationship the wrestler had with a young Stephanie McMahon, but recent years had seen things relax enough that Savage appeared in WWE toy lines and even video games. Plus, Savage's death received a huge amount of mainstream coverage this year, and have you ever known McMahon to shy away from publicity or the opportunity to sell tickets?
Credit: WWE
Good – A Fighting Champion
WWE has a frustrating tendency with new World Champions that typically involves booking them to get the snot kicked out of them week after week until ignobly losing the title at the end of their short run. While it couldn't be considered a win over a top-level star, I was still pleased to see Daniel Bryan go over clean this week in what was one of the best Kofi Kingston matches I've seen since his too-brief feud with Randy Orton.

Even better was the interaction that the World Heavyweight Champion had with the No. 1 contender Big Show following the match. Anyone who saw him back in his Ring of Honor days knows that Daniel Bryan can be a hell of a heel, so it's exciting to see his smarmy attitude start peeking around the corners of his underdog façade. But Big Show is also awesome as a villain, especially when he has much smaller men to toss around, and his aggressive posturing toward Bryan could be seen as hinting toward a full-on turn. Hell, WWE could turn both of them heel for all I care, just as long as they keep having matches that are as entertaining as their bout on last week's SmackDown.

Matt Hardy Talks His Problems & Improving Himself

2012-01-07T17:07:00.000-08:00

Matt Hardy posted the following statement today…

"I have made more than my share of mistakes in life, but those mistakes have also made me into the person I am today. I can't change my past, so I won't ever deny it or attempt to hide it either. When someone compliments me, I greatly appreciate it. When someone insults me, it doesn't bother me because I know exactly how good I am and am confident in what I have to offer to others in my life now. No one's perfect-not me, not you, not anyone. We can all only try and be the best human being we can be. I understand my human defects and work on improving them every day. I've NEVER been so full of life and had so much excitement for every new day of life

. I've been given so much in life, it's time for me to give back. Whether you love me or despise me, God bless you all.

WWE Smackdown Results (1/6)

2012-01-07T17:02:00.000-08:00

WWE Smackdown Results (1/6) - Teddy Long Gives Drew McIntyre A Second Chance, Daniel Bryan's First Title DefenseWWE Smackdown Results
By Bill Pritchard for RAW2RAW
January 6th, 2012
Intercontinental Championship
Booker T vs Cody Rhodes (c)
Booker hits a shoulder block that sends Cody into the corner, and they go to lock up but Booker hits him in the stomach then whips him off the ropes and drops Cody with an elbow. Booker picks him back up and applies a headlock, but Cody fights back and hits him a few times in the corner then kicks him on the ground. Cody twists Booker's arm around and elbows him, then they try to out chop each other and Booker whips Cody off the ropes and backdrops him. Booker hits a back heel kick for two then pulls Cody in the middle and chops him, then throws him out of the ring but Cody skins the cat and flips back in the ring.
Booker sees it coming and waits until Cody turns around to clothesline him out to the floor, then Booker follows him out but Cody attacks and throws him into the barricade. Booker goes for a backslide then Cody comes back with an elbow and a top rope moonsault for a two count, then bounces off the ropes and kicks Booker in the head. He puts him in an inverted choke but Booker gets up and ducks a clothesline then hits a side slam for two and hits a spinesbuster then calls for a scissors kick. Cody gets out of the way and misses a Beautiful Disaster, then Booker connects with a scissors kick but only gets a two count. Booker goes for another scissors kick but Cody moves then ducks another kick, and jumps off the ropes and hits Beautiful Disaster to retain.
Winner - Cody Rhodes
Dustin Rhodes approaches Cody backstage and congratulates him, but Cody says there is a reason they don't talk and he knows that Dustin has nothing important to say. Cody tells his brother than he is already better than him, and pretty soon he is going to be better than their father very soon. He tells Dustin if he wants to put on his gold paint and give it one more run he can, but he will turn him from a joke to a laughing stock very quickly.
Zack Ryder is in Teddy Long's office and he says he can't be his assistant anymore since he is United States Champion and now he has to deal with Kane. He says he has someone in mind for a replacement and Drew McIntyre walks in and has Teddy backpedaling, but Zack says it's not him and points at Santino. Drew says he wants a chance but Santino says Drew was supposed to be fired last week, and they argue until Teddy says they will have a match tonight. He says Santino gets the job if he wins, and Drew might not get fired if he wins, then they leave and Aksana comes in and flirts with Teddy as we go to a commercial.
Alicia Fox is in the back asking AJ about her New Year and Daniel Bryan comes over and asks if they don't think he can beat the Big Show tonight. He says he already beat him once to win his championship, then Alicia walks away and Bryan asks how she is friends with Alicia. AJ tries to reason with him and says she was just concerned, but Bryan tells her he is going to win again, and they can go celebrate after his match then he kisses her on the forehead and walks away.
Over The Top Battle Royal
Hornswoggle vs Heath Slater
Hornswoggle kicks Slater in the leg then gets him to one knee and kicks him in the head, but Slater throws him across the ring and chokes him in the corner. Slater puts him on the top turnbuckle but Hornswoggle slaps him in the head and tries to hit a tornado DDT, but Slater tries to throw him on the apron. Hornswoggle holds on and pulls his hair to eliminate Slater, but Slater runs in and attacks him until Justin Gabriel runs out for the save and hits a 450 splash then makes sure Hornswoggle is OK.
Winner - Hornswoggle
Ted DiBiase vs Hunico (w/ Camacho)
Hunico backs Ted into the corner but Ted comes back with some punches and avoids a hurricanrana by hitting a face first slam for a two count. Hunico trips him up and snaps his arm back, then puts him in an elevated armbar but Ted makes it to his feet and counters with a Samoan Drop and a dropkick. Ted hits another dropkick and a clothesline for a two count, then goes for Dream Street but Hunico counters with a jawbreaker and ties up Ted with the Hunico Special and gets the win.
Winner - Hunico
Wade Barrett said he didn't need anyone else to come out here because he can handle a medical update on his own then tells the fans to look at how Randy Orton injured himself. They show clips of last week's Falls Count Anywhere match then Wade says the injury was a by product of the match and Orton has a herniated disc in his back. Wade says Orton's career is over, and he might try to make a comeback but he will be a shell of himself and will remain a victim of the Barrett Barrage. Wade says it's ironic that the Royal Rumble is a few weeks away, and Orton won't be able to fight in his hometown so Wade knows there is no one else standing in his way.
Sheamus makes his way out and says his uncle was like him in the fact that he talked about the good old days, but he was a normal guy who dreamed, just like Wade is dreaming of winning the Rumble. Sheamus says he is Wade's biggest threat, and he says he uncle's excuse for fantasy was that he got kicked in the head and he asks Wade his excuse for acting like an ass. Jinder Mahal interrupts them and comes to the ring and gets in Sheamus' face and slaps him, then Sheamus attacks him until Wade jumps him from behind. Wade and Jinder beat Sheamus in the corner but he comes back with some powerslams then goes for the Celtic Cross but Jinder kicks him in the stomach and Wade hits the Winds of Change and raises his arm over Sheamus before leaving. Jinder decides he isn't finished and slides back in the ring and puts Sheamus in the Camel Clutch before throwing him to the mat and leaving him laying.
Santino Marella vs Drew McIntyre
Drew shoves Santino then avoids a hiptoss but gets punched in the face a few times, then Drew sweeps Santino's legs and stomps him near the corner. Drew hits a clothesline and a snap suplex for a two count, then chokes him on the ropes until a ref calls for a break so he sets up for the Futureshock. Santino counters with a rollup for two then Drew throws him in the corner and sets him up on the top turnbuckle but Santino snaps his neck down on the post then hits the Cobra for the win.
Winner - Santino Marella
Drew finds Teddy in the back and begs with him to reconsider because Santino had to have messed with the ropes, but Teddy says he doesn't want to hear it. Teddy tells him tonight was strike two, and if he loses next week it is strike three and he is gone, then Santino comes in and does his trumpet dance while a disgusted Drew walks away.
Epico & Primo (w Rosa Mendes) vs Air Boom
Bourne avoids a backdrop and counters with a rollup then tags in Kofi and they leapfrog Epico and Kofi hits a dropkick for a two count. Primo kicks Kofi behind the referee's back then Epico makes the tag and Primo leaps over the ropes and hits a crescent kick and follows it with a slam for two. Primo puts Kofi in a headlock but he makes it to his feet and Primo whips him in the corner but Kofi hits a high cross body and struggles to tag out. He leaps and tags Bourne and he hits a leaping knee and a flying elbow, then goes up top and hits a double knee smash but Epico breaks up the pin. Rosa distracts Kofi on the floor but Bourne hits Primo and goes for up for Air Bourne, but Epico pulls his cousin out of the way and Primo slides over and makes the cover.
Winners - Epico & Primo
Matt Striker is backstage to interview Big Show and he asks how confident he is, and Show says he doesn't underestimate anyone but he is very confident. He says he knows Daniel Bryan is a good wrestler, then Bryan comes over and says he knows he is a good wrestler and someday he will be a great wrestler. Bryan says everyone throws him talent away like he didn't earn anything, but he fought for everything and he isn't a genetic freak like Show. He says if he was, he wouldn't have had to wait nine years before title reigns or have one last under a minute. Show gets pissed and puts his hand on Bryan's shoulder and asks if he is a tough guy now, then tells him he doesn't want to hurt him but this just gets Bryan pissed and he tells Show to get his hand off of him and walks away.
Natalya vs Tamina
Natalya sweeps the legs and punches Tamina a few times and screams at her and says she is messing with the wrong person, then she goes for the Sharpshooter. Tamina kicks her away then hits a cross body and a Samoan Drop then pulls Natalya in the corner and goes up top and hits a Superfly Splash for the win.
Winner - Tamina
World Heavyweight Championship
Big Show vs Daniel Bryan (c)
Big Show runs after Bryan and tries to corner him but Bryan gets away and says he is too slow, but Show catches him in the corner and slaps him in the chest. He picks up Bryan by his head and shakes him, then throws Bryan out to the floor and Bryan sits up and looks scared as we go to a break. When we return, Bryan kicks him a few times but Show throws him back outside and Show goes after him but Bryan slides back in. He hits a baseball slide then throws Show into the steps and follows it with a running dropkick from the apron. (Cont'd...)
Big Show makes it to his feet at seven and gets back in the ring, and blocks a kick from Bryan and chops him but Bryan comes right back with some kicks. Show powers out of a pin attempt and throws him in the corner but Bryan hits a middle rope dropkick and gets thrown from the ring again. Bryan tries to gather himself but Show grabs him by the head and pulls him in but Bryan snaps his head off the ropes and tries to go up top. Show counters and hits a clothesline, then Bryan runs the ropes but Show clotheslines him again and gets a two count.
Bryan counters a chokeslam attempt with a guillotine choke, then Show tries to power out of it but Bryan counters into the LeBell Lock. Show fights out of it and throws Bryan backwards, then winds up for the Knockout Punch but Bryan rolls outside and Mark Henry yells at him from commentary. Bryan yells back and says he already got knocked out, and Henry throws him to the ground and the ref calls for the disqualification. Bryan gets up and takes his title and celebrates around ringside, while Henry shakes his head and he and Show argue at ringside while Bryan runs up the ramp and kisses his title and raises his arms.
Winner (by disqualification) - Daniel Bryan

Dream WWE vs TNA Matches

2012-01-07T12:04:00.000-08:00

WWE vs TNA Ofcourse we all talk all the time about WWE vs TNA knowing it won't happen in the near future. I know it won't happen anytime but a man can dream right. I've always believed that WWE had a better product but TNA has the better wrestlers/matches. TNA stars wrestle on Fast-Forward but the product is very dry.

Matches:
Eric Young vs Santino Marella
These are the two stars that play the on-screen goofball/comedian role. They both are super over with the crowd and they both are very good in the ring which would make for entertaining television.

Kazarian vs Dolph Ziggler
I would say the only difference between these two are the hair color. They both have the same annoying high pitched voice. They both cut great promos and they both are great in the ring. I love Dolph's in ring work its so unique and violent. Kazarian has always been a very smart wrestler in my opinion. Would love to see this matchup.

Robbie E vs Zack Ryder
The two jersey shore gimmicks. Interesting to see how a soldout crowd would react to this match. They both aren't anything special in the ring but I feel Zack has Robbie E's number.

Rob Terry vs Mason Ryan
They hail from the same area. They both are freakishly huge monsters. They both are pretty green as far as wrestling but Mason Ryan has more of the look. Obviously WWE weren't too interested in Rob Terry because he had a small snint with FCW a while back. I would love to see the two young beasts go at it for entertainment purposes.

Rey Mysterio vs Amazing Red
I dont know too much about wrestling outside of TNA and WWE but I heard that these two wrestled before. Well I haven't seen it but I would absolutely love to. These two are exciting to watch and would definitely draw.

Sting vs The Undertaker
I guess this wasn't hard to predict. These two are very similar and I'm sure this match would be off the charts. Lately Sting's ringwork has been slipping but I feel the Undertaker has proven time in and time out that he still can deliver big time matches even though he's lost a couple steps as well. It's what the people wanna see.

Kurt Angle vs John Cena
I know that everyone wants to see Swagger vs Angle but I think the WWE dropped the ball on Swagger so bad that this wouldn't even be entertaining. If they kept Swagger in the hunt and in the mainevent mix then I would love to see this match. Point blank, Cena's first match was against Angle. They had mutual respect but clearly disliked eachother. They had alot of backstage heat amongst eachother but had one of the most memorable feuds ever. They worked matches as heels and even vise versa. I loved when heel Cena was feuding with face Kurt. They've crossed paths alot and to Cena even beat Angle to become number 1 contender for his first WWE Championship. They have history and alot of animosity and I wanna see them work again. I wanna see how Kurt can handle an established Cena in the ring. I wanna see how crisp Cena moves will be against the Gold-Medalist himself.

Cm Punk vs AJ Styles
This would be the most exciting match on any card hands down. Cm Punk should be the face of this company as well as Styles is the face of TNA. This would be one of the greatest matches ever.

Jeff Jarrett vs Triple H
I always wondered what kind of star Jeff Jarrett could've been if Triple H wasn't playing backstage politics. I'm not sure if Triple H ever stepped on Jarrett's toes but they always reminded me of eachother back in the day. The founder of TNA vs the Successor of McMahon.

Ezekiel Jackson vs Samoa Joe
These two animals would put on a hellava match. Very physical which is what we ask for.

Kofi Kingston vs The pope
I would have to say this is a race thing. I think they are the most exciting African American wrestlers today. I definitely feel they are both future World Champions is they are booked right. Pope was the most exciting wrestler in TNA. Had the fans on his wing and got pinfall victories over all of the top stars. He was in the title picture and they dropped him. If they would've gave him a title run instead of Jeff Hardy then we wouldn't have to watch 90-second ppv mainevents.
As far as Kofi. He;s the next big thing but the WWE traps him in this stupid gimmick. What more can he do. The crowd gets louder and louder everytime he comes out as if they are begging Vince to push this guy. He deserves it.
I would love to see the two most under-used wrestlers from both companies go head to head.

Randy Orton vs Ken Anderson
BACKSTAGE POLITICS AT ITS FINEST. WOuld love to see these two go head to head considering how Orton got Kennedy fired from the WWE. They both are established stars and can draw huge. This would rock.

The MCMG & Beer Money vs Daniel Bryan, John Morrison, Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel
This match would be huge if handled right.

Kane vs Abyss
Do I need to Explain? lol

The Beautiful People vs Lay-Cool
I think all four of them have been very immature regarding their situation. Beautiful People need to realize that the wrestling business has recycled and stole many gimmicks. SHut up and deal with it. Lay-Cool mainly Layla needs to shut the hell up and dont respond adn consider it as paying homage to the original beautiful people.

Brutus Magnus, Desmond Wolfe & Doug Williams vs Sheamus, Drew McCintyre & Wade Barrett
This is what you call a show-stealer. This would draw huge.

Edge & Christian vs The Hardy's vs The Dudleys
ONE MORE TIME IN A TLC

The Miz vs RVD
Just a card filler. When people question the Miz's in ring ability, he always delivers. RVD is amazing as well.

Vince McMahon W/Bret Hart vs Hulk Hogan W/Bischoff...Special Guest Referee - Steve Austin in a FULL ROSTER LUMBERJACK MATCH
The Mainevent of the night. This is the biggest dream match. The two would face off for control of both companies. No in all seriousness this is the pinacle of wrestling right here. Vince created the Hogan character. They played politics on eachother for years until Hogan turn his back a second time on McMahon. This would be epic. Stone Cold as the ref with Bret Hart on Vince side. Bischoff prissy self on Hulk's side. Wouldn't be much of a wrestling match but seeing those two in the samering would deliver. Steve Austin hates Hogan. Bret Hart hates both Hogan and Eazy-E. AWWW MAN IF DREAMS CAME TRUE lol.

Thanks guys and leave your opinion. Tell me some of yout dream matches and we can have a friendly debate. God Bless. Check out some of my youtube links.

Why do MMA fans love to hate on WWE?

2012-01-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

MMA Vs WWE Fanson Raw2Raw Blog. It felt equal parts strange and obligatory, when the MMA world suffered a momentary conniption fit at the news that Chael Sonnen will have current WWE champion CM Punk escort him to the cage later this month during the UFC’s second live network television broadcast.

Strange, because on the surface it’s such a non-story: Minor celebrity walks attention-seeking MMA fighter to the Octagon for high-profile bout. Big deal. Makes sense.

Don't miss a moment of the latest MMA coverage from around the world. Follow us on Twitter and stay informed.

Moses Robinson/Getty ImagesReacting negatively to CM Punk is obligatory, because that's how MMA fans react to pro wrestlers.

After all, Punk (real name: Phil Brooks) is a noted MMA enthusiast and Sonnen’s Jan. 28 title eliminator against Mark Munoz will go down in the WWE star’s hometown of Chicago, where he enjoys enormous popularity. If involving Brooks in such a shoestring way brings a few more eyeballs to the UFC’s next show on Fox and by extension to Sonnen, then it’s pretty easy to see why both fight company and fighter would want him there.

However, the uproar the news caused among some fans also seemed totally fitting -- and, honestly, a little tired at this point -- since hating professional wrestling remains one of the American MMA community’s favorite pastimes.

In truth, this kind of celebrity intrusion is actually commonplace in our sport and Brooks’ part in Sonnen’s entrance would be a complete nonissue, were he anything other than a pro wrestler.

Nobody cared when actor Kevin James cornered Jason Miller during his bout at the TUF 14 finale in December. Few even blink anymore when a 39-year-old Shaquille O’Neal routinely implies he wants to fight in the Octagon. One of MMA’s most beloved and most respected analysts is a stand-up comedian and former sitcom actor, yet many fans have come to take Joe Rogan’s word as gospel.

But professional wrestling’s current “it” performer plans to walk from the locker room with an MMA fighter? My, how typically controversial.

Cliff Welch/Icon SMI The world didn't exactly stand still when Brock Lesnar joined the UFC ranks.

If the well-documented online consensus is anything to go on, most MMA fans either despise pro wrestling’s “fakeness” or care so little about “sports entertainment” that they feel compelled to remind the rest of us about it every single time the topic comes up. As everyone knows, the best way to prove you don’t care about something is to take the time to type out a message about it and then hit “Post” in order to share that indifference with the world.

Exactly why some MMA fans harbor such disdain for pro wrestling, and why they delight so much in shouting it to the world is another matter entirely. Certainly, there is a fair amount of crossover between the two fan bases. A good chunk of current MMA fans were likely once pro wrestling fans and perhaps now they’re embarrassed about it -- though I’m not sure why.

Additionally, many fans keep MMA close to their hearts and have come to feel protective of it after years of defending it against mainstream ignorance. Those people would now be loath to see MMA lumped in with anything the larger population considers “fake.” On the other hand, it’s been so long since pro wrestling held itself up as anything resembling unscripted competition that it’s hard to see how the two would ever be confused, or how wrestling could be any kind of impediment to MMA’s growing popularity. Certainly the biggest threats to MMA's continued march toward acceptance come from within, not from WWE.

In any case, none of that fully explains the intensity of the dislike, which at this point occasionally borders on neurosis. It's weird, it’s ugly and most everybody would probably be better off if we could all agree that the world is big enough for both real fighting and the scripted variety.

By now we should know that the sky will not fall if the occasional pro wrestler like Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley or Dave Bautista tries his hand at MMA. Nor will the world come to a screeching halt if a professional wrestler wants to lead an MMA fighter to the cage later this month.

So long as Brooks stays on the outside of the chain link, his presence will likely do more good than harm.

2012 Summer Olympics | London 2012

2012-01-06T17:56:00.000-08:00

2012 Olympics" redirects here. For the Winter Youth Olympics, see 2012 Winter Youth Olympics.

"London 2012" redirects here. For the Paralympic Games, see 2012 Summer Paralympics.

Games of the XXX Olympiad
This is the clear version of the official logo. There are four official base colours, and another version for the 2012 Summer Paralympics. For more details, see section "Logo" below.
Host city	London, England, United Kingdom
Nations participating	144 (qualified) 204 (estimated)
Athletes participating	10,500 (estimated)
Events	302 in 26 sports
Opening ceremony	27 July
Closing ceremony	12 August
Stadium	Olympic Stadium

[hide] 2012 Summer Olympics
Bid process Bid details Announcements and developments Venues Torch Relay Paralympics Mascots Medal table (medalists) Opening ceremony (flag bearers) Closing ceremony
IOC • BOA • LOCOG

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad or "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012.^[1] London will become the first city to officially host the modern Olympic Games three times,^[2]^[3] having previously done so in 1908 and in 1948.^[4]^[5]
London was selected as the host city on 6 July 2005 during the 117th IOC Session in Singapore, defeating Moscow, New York City, Madrid and Paris after four rounds of voting.^[6] The successful bid was headed by former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe.
The Olympics prompted a redevelopment of many of the areas of London in which the games are to be held – particularly themed towards sustainability.^[7] While the budgetary considerations have generated some criticism,^[8]^[9] the Games will make use of many venues which were already in place before the bid, including Wembley Stadium, Wembley Arena, Wimbledon All England Club, Lord's Cricket Ground, The O2 Arena, Earls Court Exhibition Centre, Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, and the Excel Centre.

[hide]

1 Bidding process
2 Development and preparation
- 2.1 Since the 2005 bid
- 2.2 Venues and infrastructure
- 2.3 Public transport
- 2.4 Financing
- 2.5 Partners
- 2.6 Ticketing
- 2.7 Countdown
- 2.8 Hospitality
- 2.9 Scheduling issues
- 2.10 Security
- 2.11 Logo
- 2.12 Mascots
- 2.13 Handover ceremony
- 2.14 Year to go
- 2.15 Medals
- 2.16 Test events
3 The Games
- 3.1 Participating nations
- 3.2 Sports
4 Calendar
5 Broadcasting
6 Olympic flag
7 Eco-policy
8 Tourism and the 2012 Games
9 Cultural Olympiad
10 Marketing
- 10.1 Stamps
- 10.2 Merchandise
11 Criticism of IOC's policy with athletes
12 See also
13 References
14 External links

Bidding process

Main article: Bids for the 2012 Summer Olympics

A London 2012 Olympics banner at The Monument in London.

By the bid submission deadline of 15 July 2003, nine cities had submitted bids to host the 2012 Olympics. These cities were Havana, Istanbul, Leipzig, London, Madrid, Moscow, New York City, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.^[10]
On 18 May 2004, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as a result of a scored technical evaluation, reduced the number of cities to five: London, Madrid, Moscow, New York, and Paris.^[11]
By 19 November 2004, all five candidate cities had submitted their candidate file to the International Olympic Committee. The IOC inspection team visited the five candidate cities during February and March 2005. The Paris bid suffered two setbacks during the IOC inspection visit: a number of strikes and demonstrations coinciding with the visits and a report coming out that Guy Drut, one of the key members of the Paris bid team and IOC member, would face charges over alleged corrupt party political finances.^[12]
On 6 June 2005, the International Olympic Committee released its evaluation reports for the five candidate cities. Although these reports did not contain any scores or rankings, the evaluation report for Paris was considered the most positive, now followed closely by London which had narrowed down most of the gap observed by the initial evaluation in 2004 regarding Paris. Also New York and Madrid obtained very positive evaluation reports.^[13]
Throughout the process and up to the vote at the 117th IOC Session, Paris was widely seen as the favourite to win the nomination, particularly as this was its third bid in recent history. Originally London was seen lagging Paris by considerable margin; however, this started to improve with the appointment of Sebastian Coe as new head of London 2012 on 19 May 2004. In late August 2004, some reports started emerging predicting a London and Paris tie in the 2012 bid.^[14] In the final run-up to the 117th IOC Session, London and Paris appeared to be increasingly in a neck-and-neck race. On 1 July 2005, Jacques Rogge, when asked who the winner would be, told the assembled press: "I cannot predict it since I don't know how the IOC members will vote. But my gut feeling tells me that it will be very close. Perhaps it will come down to a difference of say ten votes, or maybe less".^[15]
On 6 July 2005, the final selection was announced at the Raffles City Convention Centre in Singapore, where the 117th IOC Session was held. Here Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair was the only leader of the five candidate cities' countries to make a personal lobby (he had also been the only one to attend the 2004 Olympics).^[16] Moscow was the first city to be eliminated, followed by New York and Madrid. The final two cities left in contention were London and Paris. At the end of the fourth round of voting, London won the right to host the 2012 Games with 54 votes, defeating Paris's 50.^[17] Various French publications blamed the Paris loss on French President Jacques Chirac's statements before the vote that "We can't trust people [the British] who have such bad food. After Finland, it's the country with the worst food."^[18] Two current members of the International Olympic Committee are from Finland. Several other news sources cited Bertrand Delanoë's complaint regarding Tony Blair's secret late night meetings with numerous (African) IOC representatives as having a more significant impact on final vote.^[19] When reporting London's win, British media covered the expectant crowds in both France and Britain (and in the other bid cities), and contrasted the jubilant reaction in London to the reaction of the crowd in Paris, where many had gathered in hope of a French win.^[20]^[21]^[22] However, the celebrations in London were overshadowed when London's transport system was attacked by terrorists less than 24 hours after the announcement.^[23]
In December 2005, it was alleged by Alex Gilady, a senior IOC official, that London had won the right to host the Olympics only because of a voting error. A London 2012 spokesman dismissed this, saying "At the end of the day, it was a secret ballot. This is the opinion of one individual. The result is what matters and we are not going to be drawn into speculation."^[24]

[hide]2012 Summer Olympics bidding results
City	NOC	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4
London	Great Britain	22	27	39	54
Paris	France	21	25	33	50
Madrid	Spain	20	32	31	—
New York City	United States	19	16	—	—
Moscow	Russia	15	—	—	—

Development and preparation

Since the 2005 bid

Main article: 2012 Summer Olympic development

The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games was created to oversee the staging of the Games after the success of the bid, and held their first board meeting on 3 October 2005.^[25] The committee, chaired by Lord Coe, is in charge of implementing and staging the games, while the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is in charge of the construction of the venues and infrastructure.^[25] In April 2006 the Olympic Delivery Authority board was established.^[26]
The Government Olympic Executive (GOE), a unit within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), is the lead Government body for coordinating the London 2012 Olympics. The GOE reports through the DCMS Permanent Secretary to the Minister for Sports and the Olympics. It focuses on oversight of the Games, cross-programme programme management and the London 2012 Olympic Legacy before and after the Games that will benefit London and the UK. The organisation is also responsible for the supervision of the £9.3 billion of public sector funding.^[27]
In August 2011, some security concerns arose surrounding the hosting of the Olympic Games in London,^[28] due to the 2011 England riots, with a few countries expressing fear over the safety of the Games,^[29] in spite of the International Olympic Committee's assurance that the riots will not affect the Games.^[30]
The IOC's Coordination Commission for the 2012 Games completed their ninth visit to London in October 2011. They concluded that London has been making excellent progress and that the 2012 games would leave a lasting legacy. The commission will make their final visit to London in March 2012.^[31] London was awarded the 2017 World Championships in Athletics in November 2011. ^[32]

Venues and infrastructure

Main article: Venues of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics

Olympic Stadium in June 2011

The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will use a mixture of new venues, existing and historic facilities, and temporary facilities, some of them in well-known locations such as Hyde Park and Horse Guards Parade. Some of the new facilities will be reused in their Olympic form, while others, will be resized or relocated.^[33]
The majority of venues have been divided into three zones within Greater London: the Olympic Zone, the River Zone and the Central Zone. In addition to these are those venues that, by necessity, are outside the boundaries of Greater London, such as the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy on the Isle of Portland in Dorset which will host the sailing events, some 125 miles (200 km) southwest of the Olympic Park. The football tournament will be staged at several grounds around the UK.^[34] Work began on the Park in December 2006 when a sports hall in Eton Manor was pulled down.^[35] The athletes' village in Portland was completed in September 2011.^[36]
In November 2004 the 500 acre Olympic Park plans were revealed.^[37] The plans for the site were passed in September 2004 by Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney and Waltham Forest.^[38] The redevelopment of the area to build the Olympic Park required compulsory purchase orders of property. The London Development Agency and the London and Continental Railways had a dispute about the orders in November 2005. The LCR accused the LDA of killing off development in the area. The LDA planned alongside the Olympic Park to buy land for the Stratford City development project, which the 180-acre site of the former Stratford Rail Lands into a mixed-use development, including 4,500 new homes, office space, hotels and shops.^[39] This resulted in 2011 with the completion of the largest urban shopping centre in Europe being operated by Westfield.^[40] By May 2006 86% of the land had been bought as businesses fought eviction, this lead to an enquiry being set up. 206 companies had to relocate by July 2007.^[41] In addition, residents who opposed the eviction tried to find way to stop it by setting up campaigns. However they had to leave as 94% of land was bought and the other 6% bought as a £9 billion regeneration project started.^[42]
However, there were some issues with the original venues due to not being challenging enough or being financially unviable. For example, the road racing at the Olympics Games was originally scheduled to take place in Regent's Park and on Hampstead Heath. Instead the Olympic road races will start and finish on The Mall in central London and head out into Surrey to the south and include loops around Box Hill.^[43] The Olympic Mountain bike event will take place at Hadleigh Farm after the event was moved from Weald Country Park,^[44] after the UCI labeled the course at the park "too easy" in July 2008^[45] It was touted that the course could be created in Wales.^[46] A location in Kent was also considered^[47]
The Olympic marathon course, which was set to finish in the Olympic stadium, was moved to the mall.^[48] The idea angered some members of the local community, stating that they had been left out of the Olympics despite it taking place in their back garden no events would take place in the boroughs. The change was made as closing Tower bridge would cause "gridlock" to London.^[49]^[50]^[51] North Greenwich Arena 2 was scrapped in a cost-cutting exercise, with Wembley Arena being used for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics events instead.^[52]^[53]^[54]^[55]

Public transport

The Olympic Javelin service

Olympic rings at St Pancras Station

London's public transport was an element of the bid which was scored poorly in the IOC's initial evaluation, however they felt that if the improvements were delivered in time for the Games then London would cope.^[56] Transport for London (TfL) carried out numerous improvements in preparation for 2012, including the expansion of the London Overground's East London Line, upgrades to the Docklands Light Railway and the North London Line,^[57] and the introduction of a new "Javelin" high-speed rail service,^[58] using the Hitachi Corporation's "bullet" trains.^[59]^[60]^[61] In September 2011 it was discovered that the platforms at Stratford International station were not at the right height for the Javelin trains. The platforms were raised with wood, which could be removed after the Games as the platforms were originally designed for Eurostar trains, and it is hoped that Eurostar will stop at the station after 2012.^[62] According to network rail an additional 4,000 train services will run during the Games, with train operators putting on longer trains during the day.^[63]
TfL also propose the construction of a £25 million cable car across the River Thames, the "Thames Gateway Cable Car", to link 2012 Olympics venues.^[64] It will cross the Thames river between Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks, carrying up to 2,500 passengers an hour 50 metres in the air. It is designed to cut journey times between the O2 arena and the ExCel exhibition centre – both of which are Olympic locations. The privately-funded system could provide a crossing every 30 seconds.^[65]
The plan is to have 80% of athletes travel less than 20 minutes to their event^[66] and to have 93% of athletes within 30 minutes of their event.^[67] The Olympic Park would be served by ten separate railway lines with a combined capacity of 240,000 passengers per hour.^[68] In addition the LOCOG planned for 90% of the venues to be served by three or more types of public transport.^[67] Two park-and-ride sites were off the M25 with a combined capacity of 12,000 cars 25 minutes away from the Olympic Park. Another park and ride site was planned in Ebbsfleet which would have capacity for 9,000 cars were spectators could board a 10 minute shuttle bus.^[67] To get spectators to Eton Dorney, four park and ride schemes were set up. Spectators would be dropped off at Windsor Racecourse with a bridge going over the Thames linking the racecourse to the rowing venue.^[69]

A London Underground train decorated to promote London's Olympic bid – this coincided with plans for investment in the city's public transport network

Concerns have been expressed at the logistics of spectators traveling to the events scheduled for outside of London. In particular, the sailing events at Portland are in an area with no direct motorway connection, and with local roads that are heavily congested by existing tourist traffic in the summer.^[70] However the Weymouth area did undergo a major upgrade on its road infrastructure. A £77 million relief road connecting Weymouth to Dorchester was built and opened in 2011.^[71]^[72] Some £16 million pounds was put aside for the rest of the improvements.^[73] Inaddtion the plans removed 5 roundabouts to ease congestion and replaced them with traffic lights^[74]^[75] But some residents were unhappy that the roundabouts were removed.^[76]
In January 2010, the South East England regional transport board criticised plans published by the Olympics Development Authority for not providing plans of a credible long term coach network saying "The ODA has been working on an extensive network of coach services... [but] the lack of reference to this work [in the plan] is both intriguing and at the same time concerning." On 15 February 2010, the ODA announced that FirstGroup was the preferred bidder for the provision of bus and coach services for the games. This will involve the provision of venue shuttle and park and ride services, services connecting peripheral park and ride sites on the M25 with the Olympic Park and Ebbsfleet, and a nationwide network of express coaches to the Olympic Park, and the Weymouth and Portland sailing venue. The services will require around 900 vehicles in total, although some will be sub-contracted.^[77]^[78]

Financing

The costs of mounting the Games are separate from those for building the venues and infrastructure, and redeveloping the land for the Olympic Park. While the Games are privately funded, the venues and Park costs are met largely by public money.
On 15 March 2007, Tessa Jowell announced to the House of Commons a budget of £5.3 billion to cover building the venues and infrastructure for the Games, at the same time announcing the wider regeneration budget for the Lower Lea Valley budget at £1.7 billion.
On top of this, she announced various other costs including an overall additional contingency fund of £2.7 billion, security and policing costs of £600 million, VAT of £800 million and elite sport and Paralympic funding of nearly £400 million. According to these figures, the total for the Games and the regeneration of the East London area, is £9.345 billion. Then Mayor Ken Livingstone pledged the Games Organising Committee would make a profit.^[79]
The costs for staging the Games (£2 billion) are funded from the private sector by a combination of sponsorship, merchandising, ticketing and broadcast rights. This budget is raised and managed by the London 2012 Organising Committee. According to Games organisers, the funding for this budget broadly breaks down as:

64% from Central Government;
23% from National Lottery
13% from the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency

On 18 August 2007, The Belfast Telegraph reported that jubilation over winning the right to stage the Olympic Games was becoming more muted as realisation dawns on the public of the enormous costs involved in creating facilities for the athletes.^[80] Grassroot sport cuts will fund the Olympics, government figures suggested on 19 August 2007.^[81]
In November 2007, Edward Leigh MP, criticised the organisers for significantly under-estimating the cost of staging the games, suggesting they had either "acted in bad faith or were incompetent".^[82]
On 10 December 2007, Tessa Jowell announced confirmation of the budget announced earlier in 2007. In June 2007, the Ministerial Funders’ Group (established to manage the allocation of contingency to the ODA within the overall budget) met and agreed a first allocation of contingency to the ODA, being £360 million out of the £500 million of initial contingency announced in March, to enable the ODA to manage early cost pressures.
Following its second meeting on 26 November 2007, the Funders’ Group has now agreed a baseline budget and scope proposed by the ODA. The total budgeted base cost to be met by the public sector funding package remains at £6.090 billion including tax and excluding general programme contingency as announced in March. This includes the allocation to the ODA of the remaining £140 million from the initial £500 million contingency announced in March.^[83]
There have, however, been concerns over how the Olympics are to be funded. In February 2008, a London Assembly culture and sport committee report expressed concerns over the funding of the games taking away money from London's sports and arts groups.^[84] There have also been complaints that funding towards the Olympics has been to the detriment of funding other areas of the UK. In Wales, there has been criticism from Plaid Cymru about the games depriving Wales of money, by using UK-wide funding rather than English funding.^[85] The Wales on Sunday newspaper claimed former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair broke his promise to not use National Lottery funding for the Olympic games.^[86]^[87]
As at December 2009, the Delivery Authority had allocated £702 million of Programme and Funders’ contingency, largely to cover the decisions to publicly fund the Village and Media Centre after it became clear private funding could not be secured on acceptable terms during the 2008 to 2010 economic crisis. According to the Government Olympic Executive and Olympic Delivery Authority risk assessments the remaining £1,270 million contingency is sufficient to manage risks to the Delivery Authority’s programme.^[88]
Also from May 2010, the Olympic budget will be cut by £27 million as part of the £6.2 billion cuts by the new Conservative-Liberal coalition government.
On 19 July 2011, Hugh Robertson, Sports & Olympic Minister,revealed that he expected the project to be delivered on time and under budget. "With one year to go to London 2012, the Games construction is 88 per cent complete and ahead of time and under budget. That is an extraordinary thing for a Government Minister to be able to say a year out from the Games."^[89]

Partners

To help fund the cost of staging the games the London Olympic organisers have agreed partnership deals with major companies. The companies have signed up into four categories; worldwide, tier one, tier two and tier three.
Worldwide partners:^[90]

Acer
Atos
Coca Cola
Dow Chemical Company
General Electric

McDonald's
Omega SA
Panasonic
Procter & Gamble
Samsung
VISA

As of 9 September 2011, 44 companies have signed up for domestic sponsorship roles.^[91]
Domestic Tier One Partners:^[90]

Adidas
BMW
BP
British Airways

British Telecom
EDF Energy
Lloyds TSB

Domestic Tier Two Supporters:^[90]

Adecco
ArcelorMittal
Cadbury
Cisco

Deloitte
Thomas Cook Group
United Parcel Service

Domestic tier three providers and suppliers:^[90]

Aggreko
Airwave Solutions
Atkins
Boston Consulting Group
CBS Outdoor
Crystal CG

Eurostar
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
G4S
GlaxoSmithKline
Gymnova
Heathrow Airport

Heineken UK
Holiday Inn
John Lewis
McCann Worldgroup
Mondo^{[disambiguation needed ]}
Nature Valley

Next
The Nielsen Company
Populous
Rapiscan Systems
Rio Tinto

Technogym
Thames Water
Ticketmaster
Trebor
Westfield Group

On 7 September 2011, the LOCOG announced that they had reached their £700 million domestic sponsorship target. They signed their 44th partner Westfield shopping centres who signed as a tier three sponsor.^[91]

Ticketing

Organisers estimate that some 8 million tickets would be available for the Olympic Games, and 1.5 million tickets for the Paralympic Games.^{[citation needed]} Ticket sign-up, in Great Britain, was launched on 22 March 2010 and the application website was opened on 15 March 2011 until 26 April 2011. Ticket prices range from £20 for many events to £2,012 for the most expensive seats at the opening ceremony. Ticket allocations for oversubscribed events was decided by a random ballot.^[92] For the first time in Olympic history the sailing events will be ticketed.^[93] The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOGOC) have admitted that further tickets, up to one million, will be released later in 2011 for events that have failed to sell out in the initial allocation.^[94] Over half the people who applied got no tickets in Great Britain. The second round of ticket sales took place over a 10 day period between the 23 June and 3 July 2011, with priority given to those who were unsuccessful in the first allocation process. At this point there were about 1.7 million tickets for football and 600,000 for other sports, including archery, hockey, football, judo, boxing and volleyball, among other sports with 1.5 million tickets priced between £20 and £50. Unfortunately due to the amount of people buying tickets and because the ticketmaster website did not update immediately, 15,000 had their application rejected, but 90% of people did get some tickets; as some events sold out in 15 minutes and by 8 am 10 sports had sold out.^[95] People who were successful in the first round of tickets were allowed to buy more during the period 8–17 July 2011. By this point 1.5 million tickets were available for football, 40,000 for Volleyball and 8,000 for freestyle wrestling on a first come first served basis. However by 10 July all the tickets for Volleyball had been sold, as 3.5 million tickets had been sold in total. Another round of tickets was promised to go on sale in 2012.^[96] To reduce traffic, ticket holders will be entitled to free use of London's public transportation network on the day of the event.^[97] It is estimated that 82% of available Olympic tickets and 63% of Paralympic tickets will be sold. LOCOG aims to raise £375–£400 million in ticket sales. There will also be free events: for example, the marathon, triathlon and road cycling.^[98] Tickets for the London Prepares series, the Olympic test events, started to go on sale in May 2011.^[99]
There was a huge demand for tickets as 20 million tickets were bought by 1.8 million people, three times the 6.6 million tickets available in the first round lot, with 95% of the applications from Great Britain. More than 50% of the sessions went to a random ballot.^[100] A consumer group questioned the point of taking money out of people's bank accounts before they knew what tickets they had successfully purchased.^[101] Barclays Bank ended up declining its customers tickets, stating that it was a unusual purchase and looked like fraud, before they and LOCOG tried to process them for a second time.^[102] Many athletes and ex-Olympians also questioned the way the tickets were sold, with Triple Olympic Champion Bradley Wiggins labeling the process a shambles.^[103] However, Lord Coe and the LOCOG insisted that the process was fair, and that there was no 'perfect' system.^[104]^[105]
In Russia people bought "Olympic vouchers" which one would have to redeem in London during July and August 2012, with people making their own accommodation and travel arrangements.^[106] In Brazil, the host of the 2016 Games, the ticket website did not work for three and a half days with people leaving disappointed as all their tickets appeared to sell out in a day, despite people having seemingly bought tickets.^[107] And the British government was asked to explain why it bought 9,000 tickets.^[108]
Free tickets were given to Military personnel and children were invited to 'win' tickets.^[109] Free tickets were also given to the survivors and families of those who died during 7 July 2005 London bombings.^[110]

Countdown

Countdown clock in Trafalgar Square

A digital clock, located in Trafalgar Square, commenced a countdown to the opening ceremony on 14 March 2011. However, less than 24 hours after it was switched on, it suffered a technical failure, and stopped—displaying "500 (days) 7 (hours) 06 (minutes) 56 (seconds)." It was quickly repaired.^[111]

Hospitality

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) appointed Prestige Ticketing Limited to operate the London 2012 Prestige Ticketing programme.^[112] The Prestige Ticketing on-site hospitality packages includes top-category tickets, fine dining and entertainment.^[113] These hospitality tickets were on sale until 15 March 2011.^[114]

Scheduling issues

Some representatives of countries which are majority Muslim have complained that the 2012 Olympic Games will take place during the month of Ramadan, which in 2012 occurs from 20 July to 19 August. During Ramadan, Muslims are to fast from sunrise to sunset, which may put Muslim athletes at a disadvanatage during the Games. Some Muslims have called for the Olympics to be rescheduled outside this period.^[115]

Security

The British government announced in December 2011 that 13,500 members of the armed forces will be in place for the Olympic games, as well as 10,000 police (who will lead the security of the Games). Naval and air assets, including ships situated in the Thames, Eurofighter jets and surface-to-air missiles, will also be deployed as part of the security operation. The cost of security has also increased from 282m to 553m pounds sterling. This will be the biggest security operation Britain has faced for decades. The figure of 13,500 armed forces personnel is more than Britain currently has deployed in Afghanistan.^[116]

Logo

There have been two London 2012 logos: one for the bidding process created by Kino Design and a second as the brand for the Games themselves. The former is a ribbon with blue, yellow, black, green, and red stripes winding through the text "LONDON 2012," making the shape of the River Thames in East London. The latter, designed by Wolff Olins, was unveiled on 4 June 2007 and cost £400,000.^[117] This new logo is a representation of the number 2012, with the Olympic Rings embedded within the zero.^[118]

The Paralympics logo (far left) and the different official colour combinations for the Wolff Olins main logo design

This will be the first time that the same essential logo is to be used for both the Olympic and Paralympic games.^[119]
The standard colours are green, magenta, orange and blue; however the logo has incorporated a variety of colours, including the Union Flag to promote the handover ceremony.^[120] The flexibility of the logo has also enabled sponsors to incorporate their corporate colours into a personalised version, such as Lloyds TSB,^[121] British Airways,^[122] and Adidas.^[123]
London 2012 has stated that the new logo is aimed at reaching young people. Sebastian Coe stated that it builds upon everything that the organising committee has said "about reaching out and engaging young people, which is where our challenge is over the next five years." One observer, a managing director of an advertising agency, noted that the logo bore a strong resemblance to the logo for the 1974–1982 children's television programme Tiswas, commenting that appealing to young people is difficult, and that they will see right through attempts to patronise them.^[124]
Early public reaction to the logo, as measured by a poll on the BBC website, was largely negative: more than 80% of votes gave the logo the lowest possible rating.^[125] Several newspapers have run their own logo competitions, displaying alternative submissions from their readers. The Sun displayed a design by a macaque monkey.^[126] It was suggested that the logo resembles the cartoon character Lisa Simpson performing fellatio^[127] and others have complained that it looks like a distorted Swastika.^[128] In February 2011, Iran complained that the logo appeared to spell out the word "Zion" and threatened to boycott the Olympics.^[129] Iran submitted its complaint to the International Olympic Committee, describing the logo as "racist", asking that it be withdrawn and the designers be "confronted". The IOC "quietly" rejected the demands, and Iran announced it would not boycott the Games.^[130]
A segment of animated footage released at the same time as the logo was reported to trigger seizures in a small number of people with photosensitive epilepsy. The charity Epilepsy Action received telephone calls from people who had had seizures after watching the sequence on TV. In response, a short segment was removed from the London 2012 website.^[131] Ken Livingstone, then London Mayor, said that the company who designed the film should not be paid for what he called a "catastrophic mistake."^[132]
A blogger at the BBC said that "London 2012's new logo has got the country talking [although] not in the manner the organisers would have hoped."^[133] One employee at a design firm described it as "well thought out" and anticipated it would "become a source of pride for London and the Games."^[134]
In October 2008, it was reported that clothing branded with the logo accounted for 20% of sales at Adidas' flagship Oxford Street store, despite occupying just 5% of floor space.^[135]

Mascots

Main article: Wenlock and Mandeville

Wenlock and Mandeville

The official mascots for the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games were unveiled on 19 May 2010;^[136] this marks the second time (after Vancouver) that both Olympic and Paralympic mascots were unveiled at the same time. Wenlock and Mandeville are animations depicting two drops of steel from a steelworks in Bolton.^[136] They are named Wenlock, after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock, which held a forerunner of the current Olympic Games, and Mandeville, after Stoke Mandeville, a village in Buckinghamshire where a forerunner to the Paralympic Games were first held.^[136] The writer Michael Morpurgo wrote the story concept to the mascots, and an animation was produced;^[137] it is intended that this will form part of an ongoing series concerning the mascots in the run-up to the Games in 2012.^[136] Two stories have been created about the mascots: Out Of A Rainbow, the story of how Wenlock and Mandeville came to be, and Adventures On A Rainbow, which features the children from Out Of A Rainbow meeting the mascots and trying out many different Olympic and Paralympic sports.^[138]

Handover ceremony

Main article: 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony

The handover ceremony marked the moment when the previous games in Beijing in 2008 handed over the Olympic Flag to the new host city of London.^[139] Mayor of London Boris Johnson received the flag from Mayor of Beijing Guo Jinlong, on behalf of London. The next section was entitled "From London, 'With a whole Lotta love."The handover ceremony featured the urban dance group ZooNation, the Royal Ballet and Candoco, a disabled dance group, all dressed as typical London commuters waiting for a bus by a zebra crossing. Whilst Olympic Champions Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and BMX World Champion Shanaze Reade; however due to Reade's broken wrist from her event Jamie Staff replaced her;^[140] cycled around the stadium. A double-decker bus drove around the stadium to music composed by Philip Sheppard eventually stopping and transforming into a privet hedge featuring famous London landmarks such as Tower Bridge, The Gherkin and the London Eye. Jimmy Page and Leona Lewis then performed the Led Zeppelin classic Whole Lotta Love and David Beckham kicked a football into the crowd of athletes accompanied by violinist Elspeth Hanson and cellist Kwesi Edman.^[141]^[142]
For the London 2012 Games, 'Take Up The Challenge' is the leading contender to be the music that will inspire a new generation of athletes. The anthem was composed by Rob Cremona, an Anglo-Maltese trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist from Woking in Surrey. Meanwhile, the handover has been celebrated in a UK-wide series of events. The BBC broadcast "The Visa London 2012 Party" on BBC One and Radio 2, the free concert on The Mall in central London had 40,000 tickets available.^[143] In nations and regions around the UK there were live screens that showed the activities from Beijing, the Closing Ceremony and then the concert itself. Local communities around the UK also hosted their own events.

Year to go

First glimpse of the medals in Trafalgar Square.

On 27 July 2011, London celebrated the one year to the start of the games with a special event in Trafalgar Square. There were other events around the city such as Lord Coe and Colin Jackson cast their feet in clay at St Pancras Station, whilst the Aquatics Centre opened, with Tom Daly marking the event with a dive from the 10 metre platform. While in Trafalgar Square Jacques Rogge invited the world to London.^[144] Prime Minister David Cameron promised that London's games would be the greatest, whilst Boris Johnson comically called for a snap Olympics. The Royal Mail announced that it would produce special stamps celebrating every gold medal won by a British athlete.^[145]

Medals

In December 2010, it was announced that the Royal Mint would produce the medals for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.^[146] The Royal Mint expected to produce around 4,700 medals for the games.^[147] The medals are 7mm thick and weigh between 375-400g. They are designed by David Watkins. Each medal will have the sport and the discipline engraved on the rim. Like the last few Olympic medal designs the front will once again have Greek goddess of victory, Nike, stepping from Parthenon. The reverse side has the Games logo, and a ribbon depicting the River Thames with a grid symbolising pulling together and radiating energy.^[145]^[148] The medals will have a purple ribbon attached to them which symbolises Royalty and protocol. The Princess Royal unveiled the design of the Olympic medals. In a poll by the Telegraph just 66% of the people who voted liked the design. Designer David Watkins said "I knew it was a take it and love it design. If not – sorry. There was no plan B."^[149]

Test events

Main article: London Prepares series

Many test events will be held throughout 2011 and 2012, either through an existing championship such as Wimbledon or as a specially created event held under the banner of London Prepares. Some events are closed to the public, others are ticketed. Basketball and BMX were the first events to be tested within the Olympic Park.^[150]

The Games

Participating nations

Athletes from 204 NOCs are expected to participate. The Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee, which had planned to continue functioning after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, had its membership withdrawn by the IOC Executive Committee at the IOC session of June 2011. However, Dutch Antillean athletes who qualify for the 2012 Olympics will be allowed to participate independently under the Olympic flag.^[151] Listed below are NOCs who have qualified at least one athlete. As of 26 November 2011, 144 nations have qualified at least one athlete.

Afghanistan^[152]
Albania^[153]
Algeria^[154]
Andorra^[155]
Angola^[156]
Antigua and Barbuda^[155]
Argentina^[157]
Armenia^[157]
Australia^[157]
Austria^[157]
Azerbaijan^[158]
Bahamas^[155]
Bahrain^[155]
Barbados^[155]
Belarus^[157]
Belgium^[159]
Bermuda^[155]
Bolivia^[155]
Bosnia and Herzegovina^[155]
Botswana^[155]
Brazil^[157]
British Virgin Islands^[155]
Bulgaria^[157]
Burundi^[155]
Cameroon^[160]
Canada^[157]
Cayman Islands^[155]
Chile^[157]
China^[157]
Colombia^[161]
Congo^[160]
DR Congo^[155]
Costa Rica^[155]
Côte d'Ivoire^[155]
Croatia^[157]
Cuba^[157]
Cyprus^[157]
Czech Republic^[157]
Denmark^[157]
Djibouti^[155]^[162]
Dominica^[155]
Dominican Republic^[157]
Ecuador^[155]
Egypt^[155]
El Salvador^[155]
Eritrea^[163]
Estonia^[155]
Ethiopia^[155]

Fiji^[155]
Finland^[157]
France^[157]
Gabon^[155]
Georgia^[157]
Germany^[157]
Ghana^[155]
Great Britain^[157] (Host)
Greece^[157]
Grenada^[155]
Guatemala^[157]
Guyana^[155]
Haiti^[155]
Hong Kong^[164]
Hungary^[157]
Iceland^[165]
India^[157]
Indonesia^[166]
Iran^[157]
Ireland^[155]
Israel^[157]
Italy^[157]
Jamaica^[155]
Japan^[157]
Jordan^[152]
Kazakhstan^[157]
Kenya^[155]
North Korea^[157]
South Korea^[157]
Kuwait^[155]
Kyrgyzstan^[152]
Latvia^[155]
Lebanon^[167]
Liberia^[155]
Libya^[155]
Lithuania^[168]
Luxembourg^[164]
Malaysia^[169]
Malta^[157]
Mexico^[157]
Moldova^[155]
Mongolia^[157]
Montenegro^[155]
Morocco^[155]
Mozambique^[155]
Namibia^[163]
Netherlands^[159]
New Zealand^[159]

Nigeria^[155]
Norway^[157]
Oman^[155]
Pakistan^[170]
Panama^[155]
Papua New Guinea^[171]
Peru^[155]
Philippines^[172]
Poland^[157]
Portugal^[157]
Puerto Rico^[155]
Qatar^[155]
Romania^[164]
Russia^[157]
Saint Kitts and Nevis^[155]
Saint Lucia^[155]
Samoa^[171]
San Marino^[157]
Saudi Arabia^[159]
Senegal^[155]
Serbia^[157]
Singapore^[164]
Slovakia^[157]
Slovenia^[164]
South Africa^[163]
Spain^[157]
Sudan^[155]
Sweden^[173]
Switzerland^[157]
Syria^[155]
Chinese Taipei^[157]
Tajikistan^[155]
Tanzania^[155]
Thailand^[157]
Trinidad and Tobago^[155]
Tunisia^[155]
Turkey^[157]
Turkmenistan^[153]
Uganda^[155]
Ukraine^[157]
United States^[157]
Uruguay^[174]
Uzbekistan^[157]
Venezuela^[175]
Vietnam^[176]
Virgin Islands^[155]
Zambia^[155]
Zimbabwe^[155]

Sports

See also: Category:2012 Summer Olympics events

The 2012 Summer Olympic programme features 26 sports and a total of 39 disciplines. The 2012 Paralympic Games programme has 20 sports and 21 disciplines. London's bid featured 28 sports, in line with other recent Summer Olympics, but the IOC voted to drop baseball and softball from the 2012 Games two days after it selected London as the host city. The IOC reinforced its decision to drop both sports during the 2006 Winter Olympics after they lost votes for reconsideration and were scheduled for the last time at Beijing in 2008.^[177] Following the decision to drop the two sports, the IOC held a vote on whether or not to replace them. The sports considered were karate, squash, golf, roller sports, and rugby sevens. Karate and squash were the two final nominees, but neither received enough votes to reach the required two-thirds majority.^[177] The IOC has given the approval for the addition of golf and rugby sevens for the 2016 games.^[178]^[179]
The International Olympic Committee executive board met on 13 August 2009 and approved the addition of women's boxing to the programme. The International Boxing Federation has proposed that 40 athletes compete in five different weight classes.^[180]
Murad Qureshi, a member of the London Assembly, is pushing for a Twenty20 cricket showcase tournament to be included in London.^[181] Twenty20 cricket did originally bid for inclusion in 2012, but was not one of the finalist sports.^[182] Netball is being drafted as a possible demonstration sport at the 2012 games. This idea was backed by then British prime minister Gordon Brown, suggesting that it would encourage more girls and young women to play sports.^[183] The IOC eliminated demonstration sports following the 1992 Summer Olympics.^[184] However, special tournaments have been run for non-Olympic sports during the games, such as the Wushu tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics.^[181] There has been speculation that the London Sevens tournament held at Twickenham as part of the IRB Sevens World Series could be put back to coincide with the Olympics.^[185]
Following the awarding of the 2012 Olympic Games to London, the government announced that special dispensation would be granted to allow the various shooting events to go ahead, as had been the case previously for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.


	Aquatics Diving (8) (details) Swimming (34) (details) Synchronized swimming (2) (details) Water polo (2) (details) Archery (4) (details) Athletics (47) (details) Badminton (5) (details) Basketball (2) (details) Boxing (13) (details) Canoeing (details) Sprint(12) Slalom(4)	Cycling (details) BMX (2) Mountain biking (2) Road (4) Track (10) Equestrian (details) Dressage (2) Eventing (2) Jumping (2) Fencing (10) (details) Field Hockey (2) (details) Football (2) (details) Gymnastics (details) Artistic Gymnastics(14) Rhythmic Gymnastics(2) Trampoline(2)	Handball (2) (details) Judo (14) (details) Modern pentathlon (2) (details) Rowing (14) (details) Sailing (10) (details) Shooting (15) (details) Table tennis (4) (details) Taekwondo (8) (details) Tennis (5) (details) Triathlon (2) (details) Volleyball (details) Volleyball (2) Beach Volleyball (2) Weightlifting (15) (details) Wrestling (details) Freestyle (11) Greco-Roman (7)

Calendar

The final official schedule was released on 15 February 2011.^[186]

Opening ceremony

●

Event competitions

Event finals

Closing ceremony

July / August	25 Wed	26 Thu	27 Fri	28 Sat	29 Sun	30 Mon	31 Tue	1 Wed	2 Thu	3 Fri	4 Sat	5 Sun	6 Mon	7 Tue	8 Wed	9 Thu	10 Fri	11 Sat	12 Sun	Events
Ceremonies			OC																CC
Archery			●	1	1	●	●	●	1	1										4
Athletics										2	5	7	5	4	4	5	6	8	1	47
Badminton				●	●	●	●	●	●	1	2	2								5
Basketball				●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	1	1	2
Boxing				●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	3	●	5	5	13
Canoeing					●	●	1	1	2				●	●	4	4	●	4		16
Cycling				1	1			2	2	2	1	1	1	3	●	●	2	1	1	18
Diving					1	1	1	1		●	●	1	●	1	●	1	●	1		8
Equestrian				●	●	●	2		●	●	●	●	1	1	2					6
Fencing				1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1								10
Field hockey					●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	1	1		2
Football	●	●		●	●		●	●		●	●		●	●		1	●	1		2
Gymnastics				●	●	1	1	1	1	1	1	3	3	4		●	●	1	1	18
Handball				●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	1	1	2
Judo				2	2	2	2	2	2	2										14
Modern pentathlon																		1	1	2
Rowing				●	●	●	●	3	3	4	4									14
Sailing					●	●	●	●	●	●	●	2	2	2	1	1	1	1		10
Shooting				2	2	1	1	1	1	2	2	1	2							15
Swimming				4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4					1	1			34
Synchronized swimming												●	●	1		●	1			2
Table tennis				●	●	●	●	1	1	●	●	●	●	1	1					4
Taekwondo															2	2	2	2		8
Tennis				●	●	●	●	●	●	●	2	3								5
Triathlon											1			1						2
Volleyball				●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	1	1	●	1	1	4
Water polo					●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	1	●		1	2
Weightlifting				1	2	2	2	2		2	1	1	1	1						15
Wrestling												2	3	2	2	2	2	3	2	18
Total events				12	14	12	15	20	18	22	25	23	18	21	17	22	16	32	15	302
Cumulative total				12	26	38	53	73	91	113	138	161	179	200	217	239	255	287	302
July / August	25 Wed	26 Thu	27 Fri	28 Sat	29 Sun	30 Mon	31 Tue	1 Wed	2 Thu	3 Fri	4 Sat	5 Sun	6 Mon	7 Tue	8 Wed	9 Thu	10 Fri	11 Sat	12 Sun	Events

Broadcasting

Main article: List of 2012 Summer Olympics broadcasters

The International Broadcast Centre in June 2011

The London 2012 Olympic Games will be the tenth Olympic Games (counting both Summer and Winter Games) where Panasonic's digital technologies will be used as the official recording format, dating since the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. The official international video will be produced and distributed from the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in London Olympic Park, in 1080/50i High-Definition (HD) format.^[187] Panasonic announced that DVCPRO HD will be the official recording format for capturing the Games. Olympic Broadcasting Services London (OBSL), the Host Broadcaster, will use P2 HD series equipment to support the broadcast of the competition. The cameras that will be used are the AG-HPX250, the company’s first P2 HD handheld camcorder with AVC-Intra recording and two new AVCCAM HD handheld camcorders, the AG-AC160 and AG-AC130, with Full HD imagers and a new, wider 21X HD zoom lens.^[188]
Continuing the IOC's commitment to providing over-the-air television coverage to as broad a worldwide audience as possible, London 2012 is scheduled to be broadcast by a number of regional broadcasters. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the home broadcaster for the Olympics and Channel 4 the home broadcaster for the Paralympics. The BBC aims to broadcast by various channels all 5,000 hours of the Olympic Games.^[189] Much of the actual broadcasting is originated by the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS). The United States television rights currently owned by NBC account for over half the rights revenue for the IOC.^{[citation needed]} Many television broadcasters granted rights to the games have bureaux and studios in London, but since at least the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, rights-holder operations are hosted in the dedicated International Broadcast Centre (IBC). London's IBC is planned to be inside the security cordon of the Olympic Park.
Social media will be important for the Games. Online technology is being developed for the London 2012 Olympics and YouTube will stream highlights of the Games to countries all over the world as part of an IOC deal.^{[citation needed]}

Olympic flag

On 26 September 2008 the Olympic and Paralympic flags were raised outside City Hall formally mark London becoming host city for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Beijing Gold medalist Christine Ohuruogu raised the Olympic flag, whilst Paralympic Champions, Helene Raynsford and Chris Holmes raised the Paralympic flag.^[190]^[191]

Eco-policy

The Olympic Park will incorporate 45 hectares of wildlife habitat, with a total of 525 bird boxes, and 150 bat boxes. Local waterways and riverbanks are to be enhanced as part of the process.^[192]
Renewable energy will also feature at the Olympics. It was originally planned to provide 20% of the energy for the Olympic Park and Village from renewable technologies; however, this may now be as little as 9%.^[193] Proposals to meet the original target included large-scale on-site wind turbines and hydroelectric generators in the River Thames. However, these plans were scrapped for safety reasons.^[194] The focus has since moved to installing solar panels on some buildings, and providing the opportunity to recover energy from waste.
Food packaging at the Olympics will be made from compostable materials – like starch and cellulose-based bioplastics – where it cannot be re-used or re-cycled. This will include fast food wrappers, sandwich boxes and drink cartons. After they have been used many of these materials will be suitable for anaerobic digestion (AD), allowing them to be made into renewable energy.^[195]

Tourism and the 2012 Games

Kate Hoey MP at the launch of Blue Badge 2012 Guided Walks

The 2012 Games park near Stratford is attracting new tourists to the area.^[196] The upgraded Greenway cycle and walking path provides an ideal viewing point for the park while the site remains closed to the public.
There are daily public walking tours^[197] running alongside the 2012 site led by qualified Blue Badge tourist guides. The guided walks – which leave from Bromley-by-Bow tube station at 11 am – are attended by over 1000 people each month. They are run by guides who are specifically trained to talk about the 2012 Games and the history and traditions of the local area.
In 2010, Blue Badge Guides led 220 visits from colleges and schools to the 2012 Games site and nearby Olympic venues. During summer they guided over 1000 new visitors and tourists a day around East London’s 2012 sites.
In 2011, a new initiative to bring tourists and visitors into the area will involve a public waterbus ‘hop-on hop-off’ route, from Limehouse Basin to waterways near the Olympic Park.^[198]

Cultural Olympiad

The Olympic Charter, the set of rules and guidelines for the organization of the Olympic Games and the governing the Olympic Movement states that

"The OCOG shall organise a programme of cultural events which must cover at least the entire period during which the Olympic Village is open."^[199]

London's Cultural Olympiad includes 500 events spread over four years and culminating in the London 2012 Festival. The cost of the events is around £40 million and funding has been provided by Arts Council England, Legacy Trust UK and the Olympic Lottery Distributor.^[200]^[201]
Those announced as being involved in the festival, which will run from 21 June to 9 September 2012, include Oscar winning actress Cate Blanchett, director Mike Leigh, musician Damon Albarn and artists including David Hockney, Lucian Freud and Rachel Whiteread.^[202]^[203]
The Cultural Olympiad has been criticised for its refusal to include Cornish language, sport and culture amongst celebrations within its South West region. University College Falmouth had put a bid in for funding from the Legacy Trust for an event, An Gwary Meur (The Great Play), combining theatre and sport, participant and audience, story-telling and physical endeavour. This was backed by a wide range of partners including the Cornish Pilot Gig Association, Cornish Wrestling Association, Cornwall Rowing Association, Cornwall Rugby Football Union, the Cornwall Cultural Partnership and the Cornish Language Partnership. The refusal of this application has been viewed as "a direct barrier to people in Cornwall celebrating their distinct Cornish identity."^[204]

Marketing

Stamps

In August 2009 the Royal Mail commissoned artists and illustrators to create 30 stamps which were released in batches of 10 during 2009 to 2011. The 30 stamps symbolise that the Games take place during the 30th Olympiad. Each stamp featured an Olympic or Paralympic sport and in addition had the London 2012 logo on each stamp.^[205] The Royal Mail had initially approched photographers to be included as well but this was abandoned as the photos would have to be of dead people as the only living person allowed to feature on stamps in the United Kingdom is the Queen.^[206] Stamps with an Olympic theme go back to the very first games in Athens 1890; when the organisers commissoned the sale of stamps in order to balance the books and construct the last four venues. When London first held the Games in 1908 no stamps were commissoned. On that occasion and for the 1912 are the only time when stamps were not issued. When London last held the Games in 1948, just four stamps were issued.^[207] On 22 July 2011 the last of the 30 stamps were released.^[208]

Merchandise

A portable shop at the VISA FIVB Beach Volleyball International.

On 21 July 2009 the LOCOG announced that Hornby Plc had won the license to develop and market a range associated with the Games. The license allowed the company to sell products across its Corgi, Hornby, Scalextric and Airfix brands. Airfix will have kits for all of the main venues,^[209] including a 1:500 scale Olympic Stadium.^[210] The centre piece of the Scalextric collection will be a cycling Velodrome set.^[209] The collection was launched by British cyclist Lizzie Armitstead in Hamleys toy store in June 2011, Hornby staggared the release of the collection with the Scalextric velodrome released in September.^[211] In March 2011 the LOCOG commissioned and published a series of traning guides.^[212] The merchandise was sold online and in five shops known as "The London 2012 Shop," in Heathrow Airport, Stansted Airport, St Pancras International Station, Paddington Station and in John Lewis on Oxford Street. In addition Addidas sold its London 2012 range in its flagship store on Oxford Street and selective Next stores sold their 2012 range.^[213] Sainsburys as Official sponsors of the Paralympics also sold merchandise within their stores.^[214]

Criticism of IOC's policy with athletes

The IOC has drawn criticism^[215]^[216] for its social media guidelines which, commentators argue, appear to infringe on athletes' right to free speech. The guidelines appear to prohibit athletes from commenting on other participants, promoting their own sponsors, or using the word "Olympic" (with certain specific exceptions) on their personal websites. Further criticism has been levelled at the IOC's creation of a website intended to allow the reporting of suspected breaches of the guidelines.

Nash Wants To Fight Warrior, 50 Cent Shouts Out HBK

2012-01-05T23:25:00.000-08:00

Nash Wants To Fight Warrior
– As noted earlier today, The Ultimate Warrior took a shot at Kevin Nash. Nash has since replied via Twitter and challenged Warrior to an MMA fight the day before WrestleMania 28 in Miami. Nash tweeted the following:
“Never realized I had a problem with Jim (Warrior). Seemed to get along fine in Scottsdale. Come on my clown, turn that frown upside down.”
“@UltimateWarrior: A true warrior never turns down a challenge. Put up a 100K. I’ll do the same. 3 rounds. mma rules. winner take all.”
“I’m talking shoot, not sports entertainment. Jim Hellwig needs to put up or shut the fuck up. Day before Mania in Miami area. Warrior will have to pass all hiv and hep a b and c tests. I’ll do the same.”
– In a new song, rapper 50 Cent name drops Shawn Michaels in his lyrics. He sings “I be on that elite sh**, that HBK Heatbreak Kid freak sh**.” You can hear the song here.

John Cena | This Week’s WWE RAW Rating Is In

2012-01-05T23:22:00.000-08:00

This week’s edition of WWE Monday Night RAW scored a 3.1 cable rating, which is up from the previous week, which scored a 2.93 (2.9) rating. This was the first RAW that has broken a 3.0 since the end of November. While the ratings were up, the viewership was down from 4.46 million last week to 4.44 million this week. The first hour averaged 4.53 million viewers and the second hour declined to an average of 4.34 million viewers. This is 250,000 fewer viewers than the second hour did last week.
RAW was against the Fiesta Bowl game with Stanford vs. Oklahoma State, which did 13.86 million viewers. Also the History Channel did 6.5 million viewers in the 10PM hour. Next week they will be head to head with the Alabama vs. LSU National Championship game. RAW ranked #4 in overall viewers in primetime, and #6 overall behind mid-day college football.
The program saw week-to-week increases in every demographic except males 12-17. The 12-17 demographic was the second lowest it has been in the last four months. Among males 18-49 & males 18-34, Raw scored its highest rating in six weeks.
Last year’s RAW, which aired on January 3rd averaged 4.49 million viewers against the bowl game on ESPN, but last year the second hour improved from the first hour. Last year’s first hour averaged 4.34 million viewers and the second hour averaged 4.66 million viewers.
The New Year’s Eve episode of A.M. RAW scored a 0.75 cable rating, with 829,000 viewers.

Should Cena embrace the hate?

2012-01-05T23:21:00.000-08:00

John Cena doesn’t hate anybody.
He doesn’t hate his opponents, he doesn’t hate his detractors, and he certainly doesn’t hate the divided response from the WWE Universe that has become something of his calling card. Cena also doesn’t hate you if you boo him. More power to you, in fact. He has dealt with the interspersed jeers his entire career. Indeed, the Cenation leader began 2012 much as he ended 2011: in the middle of a WWE ring, passionately insisting to the WWE Universe that its opinion is its own and he, a humble athlete, has no place to tell them otherwise.
If there was anything to take away from the address, it was that John Cena would do what he has always done and take the high road, all the way to WrestleMania and the WWE Championship.
Here’s the thing, though: the high road isn’t working for Cena like it used to. And if he doesn’t change up his style, there might not be a Cena for The Rock to get his hands on at WrestleMania.

You can forget championships. These days Cena’s lucky to make it through the night in one piece. The high road didn’t protect Cena from The Great One’s bone-jarring Rock Bottom at Survivor Series, the one that sent him stumbling back to the locker room while The Brahma Bull bathed in the MSG crowd’s adulation. It didn’t get WWE EVP of Talent Relations and Interim Raw GM John Laurinaitis to grant Cena a match at WWE TLC, even after he sacrificed his spot in the main event so that Zack Ryder could challenge for (and win) the United States Championship. And most importantly, it hasn’t saved him from Kane the past few weeks.
Kane is an example of what a WWE Superstar can become when he embraces the hate: terrifying, ruthless. A hair shy of grotesque, yes, but after his maulings of Cena, there’s a good chance you could add “unbeatable” to the list as well. Kane vowed last summer to exorcise his humanity, and his “resurrection” in December did just that, turning The Big Red Machine into the faceless monster of yesteryear.
His current agenda is simple: expose Cena's goodness as a lie, and convince the Cenation leader to crumble beneath the animosity of the WWE Universe members who boo him. Cena insists it’s all good, that he’ll make like the T-shirt says and simply Rise Above Hate. The truth, however, is that Kane won’t stop tormenting Cena until he does as commanded.
Oh, and by the way: Kane is winning.
Physically, Cena has been little to no match for the monster, falling time and time again to the demon’s chokeslam. Mentally, it doesn’t take a longtime viewer to see that Cena’s façade is crumbling. His stoicism failed him as Kane led the “Cena Sucks” chants to close out 2012, and he nearly jumped out of his jorts when The Big Red Monster attempted to drag Zack Ryder down to hell on Raw SuperShow this past Monday.
To top everything off, the jeers keep coming. Cena’s boobirds are fast becoming legion, growing along with Kane’s mean streak. And if there’s one thing to take away from the last few Raw SuperShows, it’s that no one is coming to help him, and without his beloved Cenation at his back, he may well be unequipped to handle such an opponent.
Imagine, though: What if Cena changed it up?
What then would we have on our hands if Cena took all his power, harnessed all the anger he says isn’t there and turned it against his detractors? What if he embraced hate and used it like Kane is using it? Would Kane crumble beneath the Attitude Adjustment? Would The Rock tap out to a shattering STF? Would Cena grab hold of a thirteenth World Championship and never let it go? It’s a scenario that begs consideration.
Even with The Rock looming large in the distance, it seems likely that Cena must go through Kane to get there. When these two meet, it’s a fair point that Cena might need a little extra something to overcome The Devil’s Favorite Demon – to carry him onward toward his showdown with The People’s Champion in Miami.
Cena, to his credit, won’t hear it. Even with the exit sign to the high road in ashes, John Cena still doesn’t hate anybody.

WWE: SPOILERS WWE SmackDown Tapings for 1/6/12

2012-01-04T15:08:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Mandy for the following WWE SmackDown spoilers from tonight's tapings in Little Rock, Arkansas:

Dark Match:

* Skip Sheffield as Ryback defeated Jimmy Uso

SmackDown, Airing Friday:

* Cody Rhodes retains the Intercontinental Title against Booker T in the opener. They had a lengthy match. Cody hit the Beautiful Disaster after blocking the axe kick for the win.

* Backstage segment with Cody and Dustin Rhodes. Cody says he is better than Goldust ever was and will be better than Dusty one day.

* Zack Ryder is backstage talking with Teddy Long and says he's too busy to work for Teddy. Drew McIntyre came in as did Santino Marella. Teddy makes Drew vs. Santino. Santino will be Teddy's new assistant if he wins and Drew will be fired. If Drew wins, Teddy might not fire him. Aksana appears at the end.

* Backstage segment with AJ Lee and Alicia Fox. Daniel Bryan comes in and they talk about his match against Big Show.

* Hornswoggle won an Over The Top Challenge against Heath Slater. Slater attacked Hornswoggle afterwards until Justin Gabriel made the save.

* Hunico beat Ted DiBiase.

* Wade Barrett comes out and talks about he will win the Royal Rumble while Randy Orton watches from home. Sheamus interrupts. Jinder Mahal is out next and he joins Barrett in beating Sheamus down. Sheamus fought back but got hit with Barrett's finisher and a Camel Clutch by Mahal.

* Sheamus vs. Jinder is announced for next week.

* Santino Marella became the new Assistant to the General Manager by defeating Drew McIntyre. Teddy may end up firing Drew now.

* Primo and Epico beat Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston in a non-title match.

* Tamina squashed Natalya.

* Daniel Bryan defeated Big Show by DQ with the World Heavyweight Title on the line when Mark Henry interfered.

WWE Monday Night RAW Supershow Results 1/2/12

2012-01-04T15:07:00.000-08:00

WWE Monday Night RAW Supershow Results 1/2/12
Tonight's WWE RAW Supershow opens up with quick hype for CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler. We go right to a video package from last week's RAW with highlights from the Kane and John Cena segment.

- After the normal RAW opening video, out comes John Cena to the ring. Cena wishes everyone Happy New Year and gets met with some "Cena sucks" chants. Cena says he is going to make some changes in 2012. He is going to start wearing less underwear and keep his father banned from WWE TV. The third resolution comes at WrestleMania. Cena says he will prove he has lost his lady parts by beating The Rock and winning the biggest match in WWE history. Cena says one thing won't change in 2012 - he will remain who he is and his convictions will be true.

Cena talks about how the fans can say whatever they want to him but he is disappointed in Kane. Cena says Kane wants him to turn his back on everything but he won't. Not tonight, not any night. Cena goes on and says he's going to start this year off like it should be - by thanking the fans. Kane's music interrupts and he starts talking but we don't see him. Kane says Cena will embrace the hate and will personally witness the true power of hate - tonight. Kane laughs as Cena looks on at the big screen where his video is playing. The pyro goes off surrounding the ring as Kane's music keeps playing.

- Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler hype Punk vs. Ziggler tonight. We're interrupted by another cryptic video. "It begins tonight." We go to commercial.

Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes

Back from commercial and out comes the World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan. Out next comes his opponent, the WWE Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes.

The bell rings and they go at it. Cody slams Bryan on his shoulder and stomps. Cody throws Bryan by his shoulder into the corner and covers for a 2 count. Cody continues working on Bryan's arm and keeps him on the mat. Bryan blocks a shot in the corner fights back with right hands. Bryan ducks a clothesline and drops Cody with a forearm. Bryan with kicks now. Cody hits the drop down right hand. Bryan counters again and tosses Cody to the floor. Bryan leaps off the apron and barely connects. Bryan rolls Cody in the ring and climbs up top. Cody moves but Bryan lands on his feet. Cody drops Bryan's face on the turnbuckle and hits Beautiful Disaster for a 2 count.

Cody drops Bryan on his face again. Cody goes for another suplex but Bryan turns it into a roll-up for the win.

Winner: Daniel Bryan

- After the match, Bryan celebrates with the fans and takes the celebration up the ramp, shouting "YES" the whole way. We see a clip from last week when R-Truth returned and attacked The Miz.

- John Laurinaitis is backstage when The Miz walks in. Laurinaitis doesn't agree with what R-Truth did last week and calls it unprofessional. Miz wants action taken against Truth. Laurinaitis shows Miz footage on his TV from two months ago when Miz turned on Truth. Laurinaitis says it's obvious Miz is scared. Laurinaitis promises to have some people look out for Truth, especially during Miz's match against Sheamus tonight. Miz says he's going to be a sitting duck out there and leaves. Miz walks through the back and after he walks away, R-Truth steps out of the shadows. Truth flaps his arms like a duck and quacks as we go to commercial.

- Back from a break and we get a video looking at the 1988 Royal Rumble, the first-ever and won by Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

Wade Barrett vs. Santino Marella

Back from the break and out comes Wade Barrett. We see footage of the Randy Orton injury angle from Friday's SmackDown. Barrett says he doesn't care about anyone's New Year but it's already been a good 2012 because it's a year without Randy Orton. Barrett says he's now looking forward to winning the Royal Rumble and then main eventing WrestleMania. Barrett is interrupted by Santino Marella's music and out he comes.

Santino cuts a promo and mocks the Barrett Barrage before the bell. The bell rings and Barrett hits Santino with right hands. Santino punches Barrett and drops down to a split. Barrett knocks Santino back and throws him into the corner. Barrett charges in the corner but Santino moves. Santino goes for Cobra but Barrett nails him and throws him shoulder first into the corner. Barrett with the Winds of Change slam for the win.

Winner: Wade Barrett

- The Bella Twins are backstage arguing when The Miz walks up. He asks if they have seen R-Truth. They haven't but they saw little Jimmy. Miz walks off and hears something but keeps walking. After he leaves, R-Truth appears again and smiles as we go to commercial.

Sheamus vs. The Miz

Back from commercial and out comes Sheamus. The Miz is out next and he's looking over his shoulder on the way to the ring. Miz goes right in before the bell and drops Sheamus with a DDT out of nowhere. Miz ties Sheamus up in the ropes and wails away with punches. The bell still hasn't rang yet. Sheamus fights back and kicks Miz to the apron. Sheamus wails away with forearms to the chest over and over. Miz falls out to the floor. Sheamus chases him but Miz runs to the crowd and up the steps. R-Truth has a microphone somewhere. Truth is at the top of the steps and says while watching the match, he ran into Little Jimmy. Little Jimmy says he don't like Miz and he need to get got. Truth walks down the steps and Miz goes back to ringside. Sheamus catches him with a Brogue kick and leaves him for Truth. Truth grabs a water bottle and smacks Miz in the head with it. Truth's music plays as he exits through the crowd. Truth stops in the crowd and hypes his weekly Miz beatdown. He asks a Little Jimmy what he thinks of that and the kid just wishes Miz a Happy New Year. Back to commercial.

- Josh Matthews is backstage with Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero. Dolph talks about pinning CM Punk last week. Ziggler says he believes in flaunting it if you got it and nobody flaunts it as good as he does every week. Ziggler tells everyone to keep their ticket stubs because they will want to remember where they were when Dolph Ziggler became WWE Champion.

- Zack Ryder is backstage talking with Eve Torres. Jack Swagger walks up and says there's an impostor walking around with the United States Title. Ryder actually believes someone has taken his title. Laurinaitis walks up and interrupts their argument. Laurinaitis announces Jack Swagger, Mark Henry and Kane vs. Zack Ryder, John Cena and Big Show in a six-man elimination match for tonight.

- We see WWE Champion CM Punk headed to the ring as we go to commercial.

WWE Title Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. CM Punk

Back from the break and WWE Champion CM Punk kicks off the 10pm timeslot. The #1 contender Dolph Ziggler is out next with Vickie Guerrero right behind him.

We get formal ring introductions and they lock up after the bell. They go to the ropes and break. Punk rolls Ziggler up for a 1 count. Punk with a takedown and another 1 count. Punk keeps control of the match and hits a backbreaker for another pin attempt. Ziggler turns it around and beats Punk down in the corner. Ziggler drops Punk with a big right hand and covers for 2.

Ziggler goes for a big drop but Punk moves. Punk with a low dropkick and several running leg drops. 2 count for Punk as Vickie goes crazy at ringside. Ziggler fights to his feet from a headlock but Punk drops him with a shoulder. Ziggler catches Punk in the air and slams him on his face. Punk lands awkwardly on his face and Ziggler stomps away. Ziggler with a neckbreaker and a 2 count. Ziggler drops an elbow for a 2 count. Ziggler with a headlock on the mat now.

Punk fights to his feet and kicks Ziggler out of the ring. Punk runs the ropes and goes to dive through the ropes but Ziggler stops him with a right hand. Ziggler drops Punk on his head on the apron and they go to the floor. Ziggler brings it back in the ring for a 2 count as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Punk trades right hands with Ziggler on their feet. Ziggler ducks a clothesline and applies the sleeper hold. Punk breaks it and covers Ziggler for 2. Punk with a dropkick. Punk goes for the high knee in the corner but Ziggler blocks it with an elbow. Punk catches Ziggler with a snap slam for 2. Ziggler counters a suplex and rolls Punk up from behind for 2. Punk with a 2 count of his own. Ziggler hits the big leg drop but Punk kicks out at 2.

Ziggler with a splash in the corner and he drops Punk on his face again. Another pin attempt by Ziggler. Punk comes back with the high knee and the bulldog for a 2 count. Punk calls for the GTS and out comes John Laurinaitis. Ziggler points out the turnbuckle pad thats been removed. Punk goes for GTS but it's countered. Punk locks in Anaconda Vice but the referee is distracted by Laurinaitis. Punk stands up and he's pissed. Ziggler charges from behind but Punk moves and Ziggler crashes into Laurinaitis. Ziggler blocks GTS and shoves Punk over the top rope and out to the floor. Laurinaitis, who is holding his arm, may have pulled the rope down for Punk to fall out. Punk gets counted out.

Winner by Count Out: Dolph Ziggler

- Punk comes into the ring as Ziggler leaves. Ziggler grabs the WWE Title belt and runs through to crowd with it. Ziggler parades around with the WWE Title like he's won it. Punk has had enough and goes to ringside. Ziggler runs off through the crowd with the title belt and poses with it. Cole plugs the main event when another cryptic video starts playing then we go to commercial.

The Bella Twins vs. Kelly Kelly and Eve Torres

Back from the break and it's Divas action. Kelly starts out with one of the Bellas and takes it to the corner. Kelly with the stinkface. Bella slams Kelly by her hair and tags in her sister. Kelly counters and tags in Eve. Eve comes in with a clothesline and a dropkick. Eve with forearms and the booty pop. Eve dropkicks the other Bella off the apron. She goes at it with the other Bella and kicks her from the second rope. Eve hits the moonsault from the top but the pin is broken up. The ref deals with Kelly Kelly while the Twins do the switch and get the pin on Eve.

Winners: The Bella Twins

- David Otunga is backstage when John Laurinaitis when CM Punk walks in pissed off. Laurinaitis cuts him off and says Punk's problem is with Dolph Ziggler. Laurinaitis announces Punk vs. Ziggler at the Royal Rumble. The special referee will be Laurinaitis. Punk says if Laurinaitis screws him at the Rumble, Punk will be in jail for animal cruelty because he's going to beat Laurinaitis like a bitch. Punk walks off and we go to commercial.

- Back from the break and we get the final cryptic video. "She as spoken" it says. The camera comes back in the arena and everything is shaking. The lights go out after an explosion. The crowd starts chanting "Y2J." Pyro goes off as Break The Walls Down hits and Chris Jericho appears to a massive pop.

Jericho is pumped as he makes his way down to the ring. Jericho hits the ring, plays up to the crowd and looks very excited to be here. Jericho climbs out of the ring before speaking to slap hands with the fans around the ring.

Jericho re-enters the ring as the crowd chants his name. They stop and he gets them to cheer some more. A "welcome back" chant starts up next. Jericho runs from corner to corner, getting the crowd to pop every time.

Jericho goes back to ringside with the fans and brings it back in the ring, still getting the fans to pop. It's pretty obvious he's dragging it out here. Jericho drops the mic, pauses, then goes back to cheering. There's just a few boos mixed in with the "Y2J" chants now. Jericho goes back to ringside to slap hands with the fans and run around the ring. He's definitely up to something here.

Jericho heads up the ramp, slapping hands with more fans. He walks from each end of the stage and gets the fans to cheer more. Now there's a lot more boos coming from the crowd. Jericho walks to the back and we get hype for tonight's six-man elimination main event. Back to commercial.

Elimination Match: Zack Ryder, Big Show and John Cena vs. Mark Henry and Jack Swagger

Back from the break and out comes Zack Ryder followed by Big Show and then John Cena. Mark Henry is out first for his team followed by Jack Swagger. Kane's music hits next but he doesn't appear. David Otunga comes walking to the ring with a microphone. Otunga talks with the referee and it's announced that Kane is not participating and this will now be a handicap match.

Swagger starts with Cena and they go back and forth. Cena with a big hip toss and a scoop slam. Cena drops an elbow and covers Swagger for 2. Cena catches Swagger with another dropkick for another pin attempt. Cena runs into Swagger and goes down. Swagger tags in Henry as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Swagger is in control of Cena. Cena fights out with a big backdrop. Cena tags in Big Show. Show comes in and splashes Swagger in the corner and hits a big clothesline. Show calls for the knockout punch but Swagger tags in Henry. They trade shots. Show hits him with headbutts and a shoulder to take him off his feet. Henry goes to the floor and Show follows. Henry grabs a chair but Show punches it into his face. Show cracks Henry with the chair and both men are counted out. Show and Henry are eliminated.

Ryder comes in and goes at it with Swagger. Ryder takes control and Swagger runs into his knees in the corner. Ryder hits the Broski Boot. Ryder goes for the Ruff Ryder but Swagger counters and applies the ankle lock. Ryder reaches for a tag and finally makes it. Cena comes in with shoulders and the big back drop. Cena hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Swagger gets hit with the Attitude Adjustment for the win.

Winners: Zack Ryder and John Cena

- Cena and Ryder are celebrating when Kane's music hits. Cena leaves the ring to meet Kane on the ramp. Kane comes from from under the middle of the ring and takes out Ryder. Kane meets Cena on the floor and takes him to the floor with the mandible-like move he two weeks ago. Kane goes back in the ring to Ryder. Ryder tries to leave the ring but Kane drags him back by his leg. Kane goes back in the hole in the ring and pulls Ryder down with him. Cena rushes in the ring and pulls Ryder out of the hole and Kane's clutch. Cena calls for someone to check on Ryder's leg. A huge fireball explodes up from Kane's hole in the ring as Cena and Ryder look on shocked. Kane's music hits and RAW goes off the air with Cena and Ryder looking at Kane's smoking hole.

WWE Title Match Announced For Royal Rumble PPV

2012-01-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

Royal Rumble PPV

It was announced on Raw tonight that CM Punk will defend the WWE Title against Dolph Ziggler at this year's Royal Rumble PPV. John Laurinaitis will serve as the special guest referee of the match.

That's Entertainment!; Rankings (That Don't Really Matter)

2012-01-04T14:46:00.000-08:00

That’s Entertainment!

            So, it finally happened. Vince got his wish and has removed “wrestling” from the World Wrestling ~~Federation~~ Entertainment. We all knew it was coming! Right? I mean, we’ve been joking about this happening for years and assuming that this has been the goal since about 1982. So no one should be shocked. Appalled maybe. But shocked? No. There is no shock in hearing the news that the word “wrestling “has been removed from the biggest wrestling company in the known universe.

            The end is nigh.

            Well... maybe not....

            When one looks a little more deeper at the news, it starts to lose some of its sting. First off, when WAS the last time you heard the word “wrestling” on a WWE broadcast? When Joey Styles worked shot himself off the air? When Brett and Shawn went 60 minutes at WrestleMania XII? Maybe. It might even be longer than that. Perhaps it was Gorilla Monsoon calling a Greg Valentine-Ron Garvin match or Bob Backlund turning back a Nick Bockwinkel title challenge? Point being: The WWF/E hasn’t been a “wrestling-based” company in a long, long time.

Second, have you ever been to a Raw or Smackdown TV taping? That’s a television program. Plain and simple. Yeah, there is a ring, a referee, (some)talented wrestlers in a “match,” but those cameras are not recording a wrestling event like some camcorder propped up on a tri-pod at an Indy show. (Even a large scale one.) Those cameras are, in fact, broadcasting a weekly, episodic television show complete with performers playing characters and moving along storylines through short vignettes or action that takes place in a ring. And it’s done with such impressive, precision that it needs to be appreciated from time to time.

Team Vince is a brand. It is Kleenex to everyone else’s tissue. They are the only American promotion to fully make money on the product they are most associated with... which to the mainstream folks is still: wrestling. Think about it. TNA is funded by a power company. At its peak, WCW was a sub-division of another large corporation. ECW couldn’t survive on just wrestling alone. Even Ring of Honor, every one's favorite lil’ engine that could, was getting help from HD Net and probably funding from business sources not having to do with tights and bodyslams. There is no such thing as “the wrestling business.” It doesn’t exist. Vince knew this. He had to. And he was smart enough, brave enough, ruthless enough, and, yeah, lucky enough to be able to take his product outside of the structure it was built on. We all know the good, bad, and genius ways he did this. Hate him. Love him. Doesn’t matter: he did it.

You hear and read this comment a lot: Vince can try and try, but he’ll always be associated with wrestling.

True. But, the biting undertones that often accompany that line of thinking is overlooking one thing. Despite every failed bodybuilding promotion, football league, movie venture, or political bid he is still here and still in the position to take more risks. Something will hit. One day.

So, WWE can help produce your live event. Awesome. I wish the Academy Awards ran with the precision of even a NXT webcast.

So, WWE will produce some more movies. Perfect. While not great, I’ll still rather watch Triple H chaperone kids on a field trip than a puzzling remake of Arthur or Seth Rogen as a superhero.

So, WWE will have it’s own cable channel with new original programming, possibly even not related to wrestling. Great. My TV remote occasionally gets stuck on a channel devoted entirely to weather. Weather has its own channel. WWE broadcasting should too.

So, a moonsault will never be referred to as a “wrestling” move on WWE TV. Cool. We know what it really is, know what skill it takes to do it right, and it will remain as stunning as a move (when done right) as it was the first time you saw one years ago. Vince can’t change that. Ever.

This is not to say that all this is perfect for the “business.” I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t respect a good ole’ fashioned rasslin’ match or the technical skills of Davey Richards, Bryan Danielson, or The Miz. (Kidding!!!) This doesn’t mean you should stop enjoying Jim Cornette shoot videos. All this is to say that this is probably not going to affect your Monday night wrestling viewing experience as much as you want to believe it will.

But, while we’re on the subject...

If the WWE is going to start branching out, I think there are a few products, shows, and happenings that we all will be looking for.

1.) The Viper starring Randy Orton- Tune in every Thursday at 8 PM as crime fighting gets a new hero. When a secret government project goes awry, a mild mannered Army soldier becomes a half-man, half-serpent crime fighter. Striking from his secret basement dwelling in the heart of Titan City, Randy Viper is turning his curse into a blessing as he saves the city from a crime wave being perpetuated by evil genius Mr. Straight Edge. CM Punk and Brie Bella co-star.

2.) Jr’s Celebrity Cookout- Broadcasting live from downtown Norman, Oklahoma, here comes the newest cooking superstar Ole’ JR! Each week he’ll teach you different ways to cook the same two meals: Steak or Chicken. He’ll be joined by celebrity guests like Jerry Lawler, TV’s “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and Jerry Lawler. It’s going to be a slobberknocker of a good... taste!

3.) Team Bring It Live Inspirational Events- Are you lost? In need of inspiration? Tired of reading self-help books that lead you nowhere or paying big money to have a weird, hippy European dude stare at you with his “love energy.” Then pack up the babies and grab the old ladies because it’s time to come to a Team Bring It Live Inspirational Event! Led by former Sports Entertainer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson*, the Team Bring It message will be shoved down your throats for two straight hours. Do you want to succeed in life? Struggling to put food on the table or pay your cable bill? Do you have childhood dreams that real life or your kids have buried? Yes?!?! Then all you have to do is Bring. It. And everything else will fall into place! And don’t forget to buy your Team Bring It merchandise.

* Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to appear as his schedule permits. If he is not available a replacement deemed worthy by WWE, Inc will be scheduled and will not violate the terms of the $200 per person ticket. Potential replacements include Simon Dean, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, or any one claiming to be related to the Maivia family.

4.) Keeping up with The Miz- It takes a lot of hard work to remain Awesome 24/7! Join us each week as we “keep up” with entertainment champion The Miz and his entourage that includes Alex “Drinky” Riley, Maryse “Stand silently at the Valet parking stand” Ouellet, and Fit Finlay in this new reality program. Being Miz is as Awesome as it sounds.

5.) Late Night with Zack Ryder- Coming to you each week from inside a Holiday Inn Express suite, comes the newest star of late night comedy: The Long Island Iced Zee, Zack Ryder. Funny commentary, celebrity interviews, and quick cutaways to your favorite WWE merchandise from the past will have you taking a second look at this former low-card Superstar. Scott Stanford appears as his sidekick and Zack’s John Morrison obsessed Father will be seen as well.

Actually... that last one doesn’t seem that bad.

Rankings (That don’t really matter)

1.) Edge, Rated R Vampire- You thought you knew him, but now you’ll never know for sure. One of the mainstays of the last decade plus has pulled up the stakes and made way for the North Carolina countryside. The thing you have to admire most about Edge is that he was a fan that not only got to live the dream, he exceeded it.

2.) Whom ever came up with the Awesome Kong teaser video- That is exactly what we all were hoping for. The name might change, but it appears (at least for now) that the monster heel we all want to destroy Divaville will soon be here.

3.) Christian, Brood Brother- Like a loyal soldier picking up the flag from the felled flag bearer, Christian now steps into the World title picture. Now even the most ardent Del Rio supporters are thinking, “Weeeelllll, maybe ADR could wait just a little longer...”

4.) Christopher Daniels, He got your back- Though his recent work in ROH has been a satisfying taste treat for fans of the Fallen Angel, it is good to see him back in TNA (as himself and not a secret character on a video game). When a veteran worker with a great reputation can get national screen time in a major feud it is cause to celebrate.

5.) A.P.P.L.E., WWE’s hottest new faction- Laugh if you will, but no one has talked this much about Mark Henry since he had trouble getting into a steel cage.

The “why you should really love Indy Wrestling” award of the week:

Asking your boss for a day off of work to defend your world title.

In what other business does the top draw have to ask for permission from The Man to go defend his hard-earned “word” title? It’s the simple beauty of independent wrestling. One night you’re leaping off the top to secure a pinfall victory and the next day you’re restocking the shelves, unloading stock, or balancing ledgers. It’s all part of the great tapestry of professional wrestling.

The “Unsolicited TNA advice” of the week:

Take the Tag Belts of off Beer Money.

Now, keep in mind, Beer Money is the top team and it makes sense to have them with the belts. However, they are locked in this Fortune vs Immortal feud. That’s about more than the titles. The titles do nothing to advance or add to it. TNA needs to highlight what they do have and, while not quite Ring of Honor’s tag division, they do have a good roster of good, old fashioned tag team talent. Focus on it. But the belts into that simmering crockpot of action and really gives the fans something they aren’t getting in the WWE.

A New Place in History... for Bill DeMott. The guy is a scene stealer on Tough Enough, which has already proven to be an entertaining showcase for Steve Austin. The first two episodes are very good, but still come off as more of a collection of highlights and clips when it comes to the actual training of these future superstars and divas. DeMott’s growling presence, intensity, and comedic roughness brings a needed credible edge to the show. DeMott should no longer just be looked at as the guy who portrayed General Hugh G. Rection.

Fast Count...

The way I see it... John Cena proclaiming that he will walk into WrestleMania 28 as the WWE champion not only provides a good story structure for the next year; it also guarantees that The Miz’s spot as the champion will probably be secure for a lot longer than most of you want. (Bbbbbbbwwaaahahahahahaha!)

I would totally love it if... Wade Barrett separated himself from The Corre and got on with becoming a top heel. I still believe he can do it, but the more time spent laboring with the gang of ineffectual street toughs is only going to dampen his climb.

I gotta think... that the Sin Cara trampoline has got to go. Good idea in principle, but you just know that one day this is going to end with Sin Cara going straight into the top rope in a SIG alert worthy car crash of a botch. Hmmm... second though... that might be too funny to miss. Keep it.

I must confess... the whole Winter/ Angelina Love/ Velvet Sky triangle is starting to make me lose interest in one of the only reasons I routinely tune into TNA Impact! Bring it to a conclusion and start releasing the pigeons again. (All royalties paid to Tazz as required.)

Come on, admit it... knowing that the Bellas are going to be featured on TV for at least a little while longer is not a bad thing.

Seriously... TNA? You have a faction called Immortal that is, outside of legends like Flair and Hogan, currently comprised of Matt Hardy, Bully Ray, Gunner, Murphy, Rob Terry, and Abyss. That’s Immortal? Write that down on paper, read it aloud, and try again.

Sure... I want the NFL season to happen, but what wrestling mark worth his weight in Legion of Doom/ Road Warrior merchandise wouldn’t want to see James “Son of Animal” Laurinaitis roaming the rings of the WWE? Count me in. Even if they call him Bobby McNotRelated. Just bring out the shoulder pads.

Quick... tell me why Mr Fuji would even think Yokozuna could defeat Hulk Hogan just moments after he took Bret Hart to the limit? Stupid, stupid, stupid. No wonder the Powers of Pain dumped you.

The hottest pregnant woman Lady ?

2012-01-04T14:43:00.000-08:00

Who’s the Best Pregnant Lady?

Your choices are as follows:

-Jessica Simpson (who, ahem, is probably my personal favorite). Though it hasn’t been confirmed how far along she is, I’d guess she’s about six months pregnant:

-Hilary Duff. I’m going to guess she’s probably about four months along. Girlfriend here has a way to go before she pops, if you know what I mean (and if you don’t, well … OK):

-Beyonce. It’s debatable as to whether this woman actually is pregnant or not, but for the sake of fun, I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt this time. Until, at least, her bump pops and floats away. People are putting her at three, six, and eight months pregnant. I just couldn’t tell you, folks:

Who’s the hottest pregnant woman going?

The 5 Best (and Worst!) ‘Stars Without Makeup’ of 2011

2012-01-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

Ah, how often we forget that celebrities are actually “real” people, much like we are, and how grafitying it can be to see them doing normal things like going to the gym, buying coffee, and wearing hats to try and disguise just how normal they are.
Here’re the 5 Best Celebrities Without Makeup of 2011:
#5 – Sammi Giancola

So, right, I realize that she’s not technically without makeup, but compared to what she *usually* looks like, this is as bare-faced as it gets, guys.
#4 – Miranda Kerr

This one is kind of a given, because if you’re a Victoria’s Secret supermodel, you’re contractually obligated to look like this. OF COURSE she’s going to show up on the “good” side of this list somewhere.
#3 – Khloe Kardashian

Some of you probably think that it’s a joke, or a mistake, that Khloe ended up on this side of the post, but compared to her older drama queen sisters, Khloe-sans-makeup is refreshing enough to make you forget that she doesn’t look all that great in comparison to what she looks like with makeup. So in the paradox world of the Kardashians, that makes her look AMAZING in the real world.
#2 – Kirstie Alley

Here’s another one that might have you scratching at your head, but Kirstie here is included on the ‘Best’ list because she looks her AGE. And she goes out in public not really giving a f-ck about what people think about her face, and that’s probably more attractive than most of the plasticky people we talk about overall.
#1 – Jennifer Love Hewitt

Bitch please. Did you think you were going to escape 2011 without at least one more “I LOVE JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT” post?
Jump in for the worst!

#5 – Anne Hathaway

Lots of you are probably thinking, “What?!” but Anne’s on the bottom of this list because she kind of looks ill without makeup. And who knows, in this photo, maybe she is. But then again, I look ill when I wear no makeup (which is most of the time), so hey. Who am I to judge anyway, right?
#4 – Courtney Stodden

Alright, now, don’t get me wrong – Courtney Stodden looks so much better without makeup than she does with it. However. The reason girlfriend here is on this list is not because she particularly looks bad without makeup, it’s because she looks HER AGE without it. She looks SO YOUNG without it. She looks like a high school freshman when she’s not wearing sixteen layers of it, and that makes her marriage to Doug Hutchison so, so much worse. Keep the makeup on if you want your marriage to last, Courtney – it’s probably the only thing keeping child services away from your creepy husband.
#3 – Vanessa Paradis

I’m sorry, but when you’re the domestic partner of one of the most legendary hot actors of modern Hollywood, it’s probably not OK to look like a homeless lady that’s been exposed to all sorts of outdoor elements (including acid rain). At least according to vapid, superficial biotches that this kind of stuff matters to, anyway.
#2 – Cameron Diaz

Stop the presses! Yeah, I never really understood what a lot of people (like Justin Timberlake) saw in this woman, because she seems to have the personality of sawdust and glue, but after being spotted without makeup, I’m convinced it’s got to be the cooch. She’s got to have a gold-lined, diamond-encrusted, wish-granting gitch sitting somewhere in her pants. That’s a wrap.
#1 – Terri Seymour

So, this woman is a walking, talking PSA for sunscreen. Use it, guys, or you’re going to look like a beat-up old fake leather suitcase that shriveled and puckered in the sun instead of gracefully aging like fine Italian leather. You know, kind of like Donatella Versace.

Top Ten Girls that can take Cyborg's Belt

2012-01-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

Before compiling this list, I had to cross-check some things with Mr. Cool Ice but he was too busy showing off his new rawesome tattoo so I had to make this one by myself. Despite what you believe, a lot of chicks can beat you up. A lot. More than you can count on two hands. Unfortunately, we had to count them on both hands (thanks God for all of our fingers) and MiddleEasy has created the 'Top Ten Girls that can take Cyborg's Belt'. It took us days to agree on ten chicks that have the highest probability of being Strikeforce's next 145lb Women's Champion, but we did and we even made this cool graphic to go with it. So check out the Top Ten Girls that can take Cyborg's Belt, Only at MiddleEasy.com - Because MMA is Everything.

Alright, she only weighs 114lbs but this list would be invalid if I didn't include Megumi Fujii in the mix. She goes by Mega Megu (she must be a decedent of Megaman) and she is, without question, the best pound for pound women's mixed martial artist on the planet...probably even the universe. She holds a superhuman record of 18-0 with 15 of her wins coming by submission. What can be said about Mega Megu that hasn't already been said about Wonder Woman? She's the most decorated women's fighter in history and she has more trophies than I have broken promises to my parents. What the hell happened there? This just took a really unexpected turn that I'm not ready to deal with. Give me a second to be a guy and repress my emotions by watching Conan: The Barbarian for the 87th time.
Megumi Fujii truly is the female Fedor. That's been thrown around a lot lately in women's MMA but with seven of her fights ending in less than a minute, there's no other chick that can claim that title. Fighting Mega Megu must be what it feels like when you get your arm stuck in trash compactor. It may even be the same pain you experience when you accidentally step on a black hole. We're not sure and to be honest, that's a horrible example. If we had to choose between getting our limbs stuck in a theoretical black hole or getting trapped in an arm bar from Megumi Fujii...we're choosing the black hole. Check out this video of Serin Murray choosing the later and getting her friggin ankle broken because of it.

Jennifer Howe is the longtime girlfriend of MMA legend Jeremy Horn. If you're not familiar with Horn, dude holds the record for the most professional MMA bouts with over 140 fights under his belt. Howe isn't quite up to the triple digits, but she does hold an impressive record of 13-2 (both losses coming from Roxanne Modaferri). She's also the only chick on this planet that can say she's defeated Bodog's first (and only) bantamweight champion, Tara LaRosa.
Although she hasn't fought in nearly four years, we still think she has what it takes to go toe to toe with Cris Cyborg. In her last fight she TKOd Jennfer Fields in twenty seconds. There's not a single thing I can do in this world in twenty seconds, let alone score a technical knock out against a fighter. I can probably run away from a fight in twenty seconds.
The point all of this is that women's MMA desperately needs someone like Jennifer Howe back in the game, rearranging chick's genetic structure one straight jab at a time.

Despite all the shrapnel that's been flying at Tara LaRosa from Erin Toughill's factory of verbal daggers, LaRosa is still considered the #2 ranked pound for pound female MMA fighter on the globe. She hasn't lost a fight in six years and it's been rumored that Tara LaRosa has been talking to Scott Coker and is almost finished ironing out a contract with Strikeforce.
Marloes Coenen has called dibs on the title shot with Cyborg but if things don't work out, Tara LaRosa will be kicking it at the Philadelphia Fight Factory waiting for that phone call (and simultaneously booing Santa Claus). Alternatively, if she doesn't get the immediate title shot we would love to see a straight up grudge match of Tara LaRosa vs. Erin Toughill. The Toughill/LaRosa feud has been going on for years. When Toughill fired at LaRosa regarding her Bodog title shot and accused her of 'bashing every fighter that looks better than her', Tara LaRosa had this to say:
"Trust me, I'm not an Erin Toughill fan. You had to make this thread right now, because I have gained a lot of momentum going into this title fight, and you wanted to try to knock me back down. Don't blame me, blame Bodog, they're the ones doing the marketing. I never asked for a title shot/belt or a kewl promo.
That's a great highlight clip, it shows how you've made a career off of fighting girls much smaller than you. I don't understand how sexy pix translate to in-ring skills though.
Maybe you should just retire your mouth."
If this fight actually materialized (big word alert) I predict no pre-fight glove slapping (and maybe a Nick Diaz middle finger or two).

Raise your hand if you have a 44-0 record in muay thai. If your hand's raised and your name is not Germaine De Randamie then you need to get the F out of Asgard. 9 people on this earth understood that joke (and two of them are in jail, bummer). If we ever get the chance to interview Germaine, we would like to know how it was like being raised on the planet Krypton. Normal humans can't even comprehend attempting something 44 times and succeeding every time. Try going to class 44 times in a row without being late. I don't think there's been a single moment in my life where I've had 44 consecutive showers. My old roomate can take 44 shots of beer in a row, that's pretty impressive. 44 shots shortly followed by projectile vomit erupting out of his head much like a fire hydrant in a Spike Lee movie spews water on kids playing in the streets of New York. Except in this case, New York can be replaced with my living room and 'kids playing in the street' can also be replaced with 'the three hot chicks that lived upstairs'.
Although Germaine De Randamie has a muay thai record that would even make a member of X-men proud, she still has yet to make her pro MMA debut. She's been training with Bas Rutten in the fundamentals of ground defense so hopefully she'll be ready to hit the scene by the end of this year. With a name like Germaine De Randamie, you would expect her to be clad in chainmail, riding a horse into battle. Instead she gets in the ring with guys and knocks them out. Yeah, she knocks dudes out! If she can avoid the take down from Cyborg, then Germaine has a definite shot at taking Cyborg's belt. Check her out in this video for the Women's Lightweight World Title bout. The intro is pretty long but it picks up right when the bell rings.

Well because she pretty much told us minutes after the fight on her Twitter account. Prior to the fight we asked Shayna Baszler who would win and she told us:
"Gina. I think that Cyborg has all the tools to beat Gina but I don’t think that she has a head enough to follow any sort of game plan. She kind of goes in like ‘RAAAWR. I’m a monster!’. Just going kind of ape crazy. I think Gina’s striking is sharper. I think she has kinda a cooler head on her to fight—to put a game plan together so … um yeah, so that’s the way I feel. I think Gina hits harder too."
Baszler was wrong, so were we...and if you dropped the cash you were going to spend on your girlfriend's anniversary gift on our MMAMoneyline picks instead, then we apologize.
Shayna Baszler has already brawled with Cris Cyborg and unfortunately she copped an L via TKO in the second round. But hell, if Shayna Baszler says she's better than Cyborg then the only way to prove it is throw her in the cage again. Guy rule #418: If a hot chick that rocks tight shorts wants to get in the cage, never deny her that privilege. Baszler has been training with Josh Barnett for years so her ground game is beyond solid. In fact, every one of her wins has come via submission. If Baszler vs. Cyborg II happens and Shayna finds herself on the ground like Gina did during the final seconds of the first round, chances are the result of that fight would drastically change.

As of right now, Marloes Coenen is next in line to challenge Cyborg for her Strikeforce belt. Even though Toughill publicly said Coenen isn't quite ready for this fight, Scott Coker believes differently. Besides being a fighter from the Netherlands, a country that just gives birth to ridunkulously good MMA fighters, she's also being trained by none other than El Guapo. What Bas Rutten is training Marles Coenen in is still a mystery but we think he's giving her lessons on how to hi-jack Inside MMA every week and plug your website at awkwardly inconvenient moments (Just kidding Bas, you're the reason the entire country tunes in every Friday).
Oh, yeah...she's hot too. Dick 'Starscream' Grayson made me throw that in there as a desperate attempt to get an interview with her. Hopefully, it'll work but more than likely Marloes is already filing the paperwork for a restraining order. The reason why she isn't lower on the list is because two of her three losses have come by the hands of two top girls that we've interviewed. A little bit off-topic, but there's also this weird picture of Marloes Coenen as The Invisible Woman from Fantastic Four that's been floating around the net. There's also another one of Kimbo Slice as Beast from X-Men which is...well it's going to give you nightmares when you go to bed tonight.
Check out this video of Coenen pulling a flying arm-bar on a chick that's three times her size and check out the look on Marloes' face when her opponent screams in pain before the fight is stopped by the ref.

Fightlinker and MiddleEasy have been trying to get Modaferri a fight for months now (actually Fightlinker has been at it a lot longer than us). She's one of the baddest 135lbers out there and has served Jennifer Howe both of her losses in Howe's 13-2 career. Modaferri trains in Japan, is on a current six fight win streak and above all else, one of her all-time favorite videogames is Twisted Metal 4. Roxanne's literally been trapped on an island trying to get one of the top ten ranked chicks to fight her. She's even issued a press release essentially calling out Shayna Baszler for a rematch and challenged Laura D’Auguste to a fight via Youtube. We interviewed Roxanne Modafferi about calling out fighters and she said:
Well, I’m not getting fights here in Japan, so I want someone to give me a match; and I really want to fight these people so I’m hoping that by calling them out someone, some promoter would be like “Ooh, that looks cool let’s match her up!” and it hasn’t been working at all. No one pays attention to me. I’m on an island like “Here, someone fight me” and people are like, “Who is she? She’s on an island”, you know?
Roxanne should be fighting while I write this but due to the lack of chicks that want to brawl her (because she's too raw) she's been stranded in Japan teaching little Japanese children how to speak English and the proper method to perform a rear naked choke. Strikeforce, get this chick in the cage. Let her send a couple of girls to the hospital and the MMA world will be begging for Roxanne Modafferi to take on Cyborg. Make it happen.
And she's climbed Mt. Fuji. Beat that.

.

After Kaufman's win over Shayna Baszler, I wrote an article making everyone fully aware that the Sarah Kaufman bandwagon will be passing through their neighborhood later that day and it would be wise to hop on it before everyone else did. A few people listened, but others just held their ticket and went to IHOP instead. Now people are saying Kaufman is perhaps the best MMA fighter to come from Canada since George St. Pierre and all I can do is sit back in my cheap Wal-Mart swivel chair that I stole from my friend Bobby Digital and say 'I told you so'.
In high school, Sarah Kaufman must have been that chick guys would hire to beat up other chicks. Kaufman is forever in the 'Walking forward to overhand right you' position during her fights which has earned her 8 knockouts in her 10-0 career. She's undefeated and practices something called 'Anti-Ju-Jitsu' which basically means she takes her opponents Brazilian ju-jitsu moves and counters them with a hammer fist to the eye. It's probably astronomically more technical than that, but that description is the best we can do. Watching Sarah Kaufman fight is like witnessing someone strap on a suit of magnets and walk into a used car parking lot. The paper clips and pens won't hurt you as much as that oldsmobile flying directly at your shin. She fights at 135lbs but she can easily pull an Anderson Silva and move up in weight. Finally, Canada has something to be proud of (besides GSP and Emma May).

I think we can all agree that if Gina Carano held out one more second, that fight would have drastically changed in the next round (at least we like to think so). Even Randy Couture said Carano was just 'not herself' in the cage. Before Carano/Cyborg, Gina's last fight was in 2008 with EliteXC (RIP) so to say she had a little bit of 'ring rust' is an understatement. 856,000 viewers tuned in to see the 'Face of Women's MMA' get served her first loss by those metallic limbs Cyborg calls arms. It was disappointing for Carano and now that she has an L on her record, the pressure is off. Just look at Cris Cyborg. Her first professional MMA bout she was caught in a leg lock by Erica Paes and had to go home with a record of 0-1. Ever since then she's been a juggernaut. Mousasi is another example. After losing to Gono in 2006, Gegard has been on a 13-0 streak just serving out KOs like...well, like he gets paid for it. Should we even mention Fedor? Of course we should. He nabbed a TKO loss because he was cut in the first seventeen seconds of a fight with Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (worst rule ever). Since then, Fedor bounced back with a 26-0 winning streak.
You can't bury Carano in the ranks of Women's MMA just because she had the first loss of her career. Of course she can yank Cyborg's belt away from her. Give her another chance and most importantly, give the MMA world the privilege of watching Gina Carano hot up our TVs again.

Well because she hits like a friggin atom smasher. She told us she’s been in more fights with guys than girls and we all remember the incident where she was accused of spousal abuse after showing her ex-husband who was boss back in 2008. She said Tara LaRosa was a joke to women’s MMA, a troll, socially inept…and a lot of other stuff. Erin has also said Marloes Coenen doesen't even deserve a title shot...or even a title eliminator fight and on top of all of that; shes called out Cyborg. Erin Toughill claims to have the best hands in women's MMA and judging by her technical superiority, we completely agree with her. In fact her stand-up is so good that she's been training former WEC champion, Razor Rob on how to improve his striking (and he's been thai boxing since 1996). Her record stands at 10-2 with one of those loses being a disqualification simply because she was too raw for the Smackgirl-World ReMix.
She's fought Muhammed Ali's offspring and went the distance in perhaps the biggest stage in women's combative sports (Yeah, even bigger than Carano vs. Cyborg). The fact that Erin Toughill hasn't already been tapped to face Cyborg for her first title defense is just an injustice on the sport. If you're reading this, there is a good chance Erin Toughill would humiliate you in the cage. In fact, if she doesn't get a title shot against Cyborg just let her brawl it out in the men's division (She's just that raw). Erin Toughill is everything you wanted to be but were too afraid to achieve because you didn't want to quit your 8-5 desk job. Except for me, I always wanted to have a MMA site and make pretentious top-ten lists. I think I've achieved my goal. Zeus 1, Erin Toughill 0.

50 Cent Mentions HBK in New Song, RVD/TNA Contract Update

2012-01-04T14:34:00.000-08:00

50 Cent Mentions HBK In New Song

In a new rap song featuring 50 Cent, Young Jeezy and T.I., 50 cent is the latest hip hop star to reference pro wrestling in his rhymes. 50 gives WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels a shoutout with the line, “I be on that elite sh*t, that HBK Heartbreak Kid freak sh*t.”
You can listen to the song at DefSounds.com, the HBK line comes when there’s 2:35 left in the song, about 40 seconds in.

RVD/TNA Contract Update

With rumors circulating that WWE has interest in bringing Rob Van Dam back to the company, stemming from a new Power Slam Magazine report, WrestlingNewsWorld.com is now reporting that RVD's current TNA deal expires in March of this year.

WWE Champion CM Punk To Appear On UFC TV

2012-01-04T14:28:00.000-08:00

Todd Grisham, former WWE announcer and current ESPN personality, tweeted about CM Punk appearing on UFC TV in the future. The fight will take place on FOX.
I like it. Rt@JoshGrossESPN: Chael Sonnen will be accompanied to the cage by WWE's CM Punk for his fight vs. Mark Munoz on Jan. 28.

VIDEO: Jim Ross Joins Commentary For Thunder NBA Game

2012-01-04T14:27:00.000-08:00

Jim Ross(NBA)

The following video has been posted on YouTube, and features WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross sitting in on commentary for last night's Oklahoma City Thunder NBA game

The Cashbox: Breaking Down The Walls of Jericho's Return

2012-01-04T14:23:00.000-08:00

Breaking Down The Walls of Chris Jericho's Return

I used to determine the buzz surrounding a particular wrestling storyline by WrestleZone's traffic and activity. It was pretty damn accurate, too.

Raw ratings often reflected our success, even though there was no direct relation. It's pretty simple: when WWE does something "big" or "unexpected" - more casual fans go online to find out more information. As a result, sites like WZ benefit.

In much the same way, I have now found a new method to determine the up-and-down pulse of wrestling fans. It's called Twitter! I had more people follow me during a 24 hour span between Monday and Tuesday than I would typically receive in two months. That tells me one of two things: one) I'm becoming a lot more interesting or two) there were a lot of active and excited wrestling fans during that particular timeframe. I'm pretty sure I know which one is correct.

Why wouldn't wrestling fans be out in droves this week? Raw was certain to give us hardcore fans something to talk about/debate. They delivered in that regard. The "mystery man" was revealed and just like I said ALL ALONG -- it ended up being Chris Jericho!

Okay, okay -- I'm aware that I was one of the dirtsheet writers that predicted a big swerve by Vince. I was wrong. Happy? I now get to save face by stating that I knew the entire time it would be Y2J. I simply said otherwise to make it more exciting for everyone else. I did YOU a favor. You're welcome.

While I anxiously await your comments below toward that statement, let's move on to the future. Chris Jericho is back as expected by most -- now what? His return certainly didn't lead to a program between him and CM Punk as previously reported. He spent what seemed to be an eternity on television and never said a word.

Disappointing or a stroke of genius? That's what most fans are debating today.

I fall into the group of fans that loved Jericho's return on Monday. It gave us the reveal that was advertised and left us on the hook for the following week. It also did something else. It creatively attacked the inevitable fanfare Y2J was sure to receive (and did) by the live crowd upon his arrival. WWE knew he was going to be cheered, so they found an interesting way to assure he was booed by the end of it.

Jericho could have easily accomplished that verbally -- and in a lot less time -- but where's the fun in that? This was a fresh, innovative, and unexpected way to introduce Chris Jericho again. Chris Jericho, the "heel", by the way.

Happy New Year !!!!!! 2012

2011-12-31T17:05:00.000-08:00

I hope that twenty-ten brings you all you could ever want. 2009 was a very special year for me. It was a year filled with love, friendship, laughter, and inspiration.
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone, from the bottom of my heart, for making my Birthday charity: water campaign such a huge success. Together, and in just 22 days, we raised $92, 568, bringing safe drinking water to 4,628 people, 928 families, and 19 communities!
Words cannot express how overwhelmed I am by this achievement. Please just know that my heart is smiling as I write this.
When I started this campaign my original goal was to raise $25,000. Through your generosity and compassion we crushed that goal. And while this achievement is so very appreciated and fills me with pride, there is still much work yet to be done to ensure that people in developing nations, have the opportunity to live healthy, productive lives with access to safe drinking water.
My hope is that our achievement doesn’t stop here. My hope is that you will be inspired to start your own charity: water campaign. You can give up your Birthday. You can run a marathon. You can give up a Holiday. Or… you can start a campaign… just because.
One person can affect the lives of many.
Thank you, my twitter warriors that tenaciously spread the word. Thank you, all the anonymous donors. And thank you:
Scott Harrison
Sanjay   Rawal
Jack Dorsey
Kelly Stables-Patino
Nathan   Fillion
Joel Feigenbaum
Chad Durbin
Hilary Gan
Dan Bucatinsky
Peter Cashmore
Kelly Kall
Sarah Silverman
Joshua   Lawson
Evan Silverberg
Cory Milano
Adam   Gilreath
Ahmir Questlove Thompson
Dawn   Lancaster
Rob Madden
Elizabeth bugliari
Tania Garron
Ryan Tarpley
Deborah Jorge
Larry Fleming
Kenner Estes
Jennifer Marion
Sean Kau
Tammy Metzger
Laura   Walker
Joseph   Wallace
Kyle   Johnson
Chris   Murray
Marc   Morrell
Jesmond Mifsud
Terri Gagnon
Christina Faria
Mark   Brown
Mayara Campos
Fabiano Ferreira
Lori Thompson
Kathy Banks
Teisha   Mary
AnnMarie Sivret
Rod DeMay
Wayne   Sawyer
Alexandra Arvanitis
Mary Effler
Keith Bergen
Roderick Mann
Matthew Cribley
Linnea   Holmér
Amy Hampton
Michelle Rever
Tina Clark
Mallory Anthony
Chris Campbell
JANET MUMMA
Emily King
Wendy   Ames
Deena   Freed
Megan   Powell
Gordon Duke
Doug Schoettle
Rhonda Harvey
Jose Religioso
Alexia   Bautista
David   Flagg
Leslie   Bach
Robert   Berkowitz
Kay Cassidy
Dana Cutler
Peter Crocker
Josephine D’Ambrosio
David C Lichtenhan
Valerie   Valdes
Dusty   Bastian
Manuel Octàvio M Ferreira
Crystal Budy
Philip Gatt
Allison   Hastie
Brittany Heiner
Steve Lashever
Jena   Sturgis
Anne   Buckmaster
Laura   Keeley
Ted   Brown
Kazumi Zatkin
Melissa Gampel
John   Goodleaf
Laura   Helton
Jennifer Singleton
Laura   Lybrand
Jill Klecker
Ray Hill
Casey   M.
Greg Grunberg
Melissa Roberge
Abbie   Moore
Jenna   Wann
Amanda Veazey
Karin   Wilson
Andrew Stoute
Jameson Thompson
Scott Peets
DANIEL HUNTER
James   Allen
Thomas Geraci
Julio Vasconcellos
Janet Marcotte
Robert   Matthews
Shannon Bruce
Kristine Simmons
Elenor   Collings
Mary Ward
Monica de Castro
Karena   Tyan
Laura   Walker
Judy   Lee
Mark   Newman
Brian   McReynolds
Esther   Ransom
Matthew Lunnon
Kelly Raymer
Kymberli Brydges
Cory McBeth
Fran Wyld
Gary Davis
Kent Loan
Brian Simons
Gail Lynne Goodwin
John Burgess
JoJo Curl
Fernanda Bittinger
Vicky   MacKenzie
kathy   oen
Rachel   Ringdahl
Tori Collinson
John Handwork
Ben Moreno
Jorg Rødsjø
Jay Crossler
Susan   Cooper
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Billy Adams
Eugene Lam
Theresa Madrid
Steven   Eastwood
Mica olt
Deb Lay
Andreas Svensson
Karen Larsson
Stephanie Cottrell
Sarah Blagaich
Carla Siegert
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Daniel   Gray
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Tunde   BERRYHILL
Merrie   White
Emma   Dallimore
Nick Piepmeier
Robert krawczyk
Pam Janssen
Rick Truell
Dawn   Hebert
Kendis   Chase
Jayme   Lawson
Paul Eulette
Raymond Provencher
Renard   Jackson
Melvin R Rogoff
Jay Runquist
Sasha Wulf
Dave Gladwish
Kerrie   Buis
Teresa   Fabri
Jennifer Young
Valéria Agenr
Courtney Domer
Pam Lawrence
Katlyn   Neylon
Mylene Hebert
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Sarah Brown
Doug Edelson
Jim Smith
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Sally Moon
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Lynne   Lisa
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Marie Staigle
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Mark Foo
Robert   Cooke
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Carla Lord
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Lisa Severy
Karina   McCullough
Michael Kaplan
David Shere
Cathi Odtohan
Sarah B
Judy Hoffmann
Melanie Noto
Adrian   Moore
Kimberly Rapp
Otto van der Burg
Michael Ross
Tim Mcquillen-wright
Marc Ostrick
Shari Brunell
Brittany Bruno
Kirsten   Dixon
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Joel Davies
Leah Armstrong
Stephen Naldrett
D A McLaughlin
Richard Kilmer
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Shannon Flinchum
Johncave osborne
Charlotte withington
Mark Hayward
Sunkist Elementary   Room 10
Brion Swanson
Teresa VanGilder
Kathy Zarafonitis
Paul Mckenna
Emma   Hodkinson
Robert Quadrini
Laila Gudrais
Donna   Efhan
Angel   LaCombe
Rickard Langholz
Stacey   Strehle
Shane   Mac
Tamara Pacheco
Alyson   Noel
Melissa Dodge
Esteban Fernandez Krause
Barbara Greene
Jacky Cunningham
Steve Zara
Ethan Suplee
David   Gray
Michelle Rever
Jim Troppmann
Mark Clemente
Joyce Cherrier
Emily Mattox
Walter   Hinton
Stephane Zibi
Gary Davis
Jean Pudlewski
Stefanie Hackenberg
Mary Wiesner
Jim Mallmann
Colleen Harkins
Jeremy   Fagras
Ashley   Rittershaus
Ioana lassner
Chris Rowley
Jeff Kaufman
John LeMay
Eric Kranzler
Anna Ropp
Gregory Henson
Kelly Oliel
Gibson, Lucy and Bubbles Milano-Kall
Stephanie Miller
Rob Dixon
Jennifer Perry
Chiara   Prato
Peter Jones
Lori Peeples
Erik Smith
Melanie Fletcher
Malcolm Scott
Rob Quadrini
Heather Osio
Steve Thomas
Jason Pace
Robert   Lessick
Mike Sorenson
William Cesarotti
Andrew Gay
Andre   Holt
Tom Farley
Alyssa Colleran
Phillip   Dupuy
Sara Kubera
Brandon Yee
Brian Blomgren
Lisa Gerson
Emily Hoffman
Alicia   Flores
Julie Dorsey
Daniel   Allan
Haytham Hajir
John Vincen
Kevin   Harkins
Romain Guerout
Laylah   Muran de Assereto
Michael Choy
Traci Mueller
JAIME   FELD
Yael Ernst
Matt George
Julianna Sauber
Tracy   Byrnes
Jessica   Kaplan
Elspeth   Forbes
Amanda Davis-Aitken
debbie   geter
Kristine Jenkins
Carl Leduc
Susan   Harrison
Charles Holtz
Gina Telford
Maggie Murphy
Richard Laksana
Elaine   Dudzinski
Michelle Berry
Anna Giulia Macchiarelli
Trish Thayer
Joanne   Willmott-Sharp
Virginia Madsen
Joyce Chau
Eindi Maung
tracey   ormandy
William Skrzyniarz
Tom Harrington
Jennifer Roman-Taylor
Richard Michelli
Nicholas Papadimitriou
Curtis   Deppert
Rayna   Fagen
Ron Rawlings
Nancy   Hummer
A holder
Terri Miller
Nadia (Yaakova) Romanov (Vogel)
Fredrik   Molnar
Amanda Lenti
Kelly Dawson
S Rivera
Tamra   Leak
Christina Kovar
Shannon Kringen
ALVARO MORAN
Paul Baughman
Lisa Butler
Meagen Fay
Sharon   Byrne
Scott Campbell
Daryn   Tufts
James   Adamson
Teresa   Seufer
Sarah   Logman
Sean Wood
Arjan Bos
katrina   thurston
Pamela   McLaughlin
Kelly Usher
Sara   DeLong
Harold   Loeblein
Stacey   Gotsulias
Palmer   Emmitt
Dylan   Gadino
Adriana Sage
S r
Jessica   Rayburn
C-CastleTV.net
Brea Rosewarne
Blair Leggett
Marianne Thom Solhaug
Julia Eason
Rene Nobel
Shriram Shrikumar
Sandi   F
Giampaolo Napoleone
Yvette   Roman
Julian   Bunkersofa
Amy   Hurt
Nicholas Ross
Leticia   Moreno
Chris and Kailee
Kerry   Labendz
John Ethan Jewell
Michael Wakely
Susan   Potter
Chris and Melanie Spencer
sandee   borgman
Michelle Fox
Erica Ostrom
Bria Anderson
Mark Long
Rad Veerabadran
Larry DeShane
Lorin Ripley
Amy Carver West
Rebecca Barber
susan   wu
Aidan/Julian Wilder
Lee Bougourd
Amy Mancuso
Julie Roads
Gil Sery
Brian Vu
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Leigh Brockway
Tessa Kampman
Nancy   Schatz
Bill Surrey
Tangi Teague
Ross Lauderdale
Barbara Reichlin
Jill Salyers
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John Johnson
Chris Miller
June Way
Michael Everhart
Jolyn Janis
Melanie Cantwell
Lee Plaud
Jason English
Tim Hooper
Elizabeth Andrews
Rachael Bunn
Krista Macumber
Harlan   Ryang
Kenneth shaw
Hidee   Morris
Chris   Hardwick
Donna   Bowen
HILARIE MOORE
Lianne   Hanson
Alyssa   Burgart
Bill   Essling
Edward Hara
Kevin   Heath
Hope   Bernhard
Lisa Robinson
Joan Fahlgren
Graham Brown
Jeff Mexicotte
Linda Luker
Scott Howry
Maya   Hanley
Christine Snyder
Jennifer A. Savage
Ashley   Richardson
Anthony La Russo
Heather Garner
Sandra   Kang
FRANK MIGLIACCIO
Glen Gilmore
Monika Jensen
Yasha   Feferholtz
Greg Helton
Katie Loffredo
James   O’Connell III
Thomas Garvey
Iti agnihotri
Simon   Oliver
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Mary Detrick
Haylee   Phillips
David   Hogg
Henri   Carnal
Shannon Mochel
Amber   Sinclair
Gregory Gaige
Tamara Pacheco
Jenna   Strauchen
Courtney Stead
John Scott
Deborah Corker
Julie Bieselin
shirley   williams
David   Tuell
tyme
Daniel   Lee
Scott   Champagne
Heather Buerger
Kathy   Wolff
Doug   Rebert
Brant   Gates
Miles   McGonigle
Laura   Santoro
Sergey   Tiraspolsky
Laurie   Halabaso
Charles Wood
Greg Garcia
Andrew Righter
Yonas   Haile
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Michelle Jun
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Deborah Score
Lori knapp
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Nicole   Galas
Toni Oliveri
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Ray Latiolais
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Joseph   Edson
Jacqueline Pinol
Suzanne Lanoue
Angie   C
Phil Provenzale
Iso Mauricio Brante
Melanie Royles
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Chris   Yared
JOHNATHON Schaech
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Neal Golden
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Laura Thommen-Vidale
Whitney McCreadie
Stephane rabel
Vernon Huxoll
Susan   Galeone
Limor   Markovzki
Petra Bockus
Allan Nygren
James   White
Carolina Manrique
John Knight
Patrick   Grueschow
Symone Edwards
William Wesselman
Jessica   Murnane
Beau Bridges
Kim Fritz
Charlotte Withington
Daniel   Rasmusson
Nancy   Bulkley
Nina Christin Thiemann
Katia Jones
Sarah Hawkins
Elaine Farrell
Joshua   Mayne
Leslie Vaughan
Ira Worden
Tomas   Dorney
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Nick Lusignolo
Michael McDaniel
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Scott Rensel
Stacy Jones
Kelly Ballard
Gary Davis
Dano cerny
John Heltsley
Yasmina Bechbache
DAVID PARK
Gregory McDermott
Jessica   Sprinkel
Dawn   Burnelll
Katrina   Neumann
Trace Carter
Chris restivo
Jeffrey Lang
SHELLEY BATES
Kevin   Fox
James   Regan
Salvatore Catalano
Michelle Wampole
Eileen   Bock
Bryan   Cantwell
Bob Leitner
FERNANDO   DE LUNA
Fernando Valenzuela
Clint Bellanger
Thomas Hop er
Rosslyn   Collins-Rosado-Bishop
Jessica   Gardiner
Quinn   Millerick
Raymond Ha
Alexander Kucera
Susanne Höglund
Marco   Schropp
Petr Dedek
Cameron Peek
Dave Wetzel
Suzanne Tetro
Courtney Gordon
Joakim   Carlsson
Kirsten Stout
Kevin   Silas
julieta   pracana
Christopher Munns
Bryan   Dawe
Claudia nader
Roxane Losey
Jim Whitaker
Curtis   Laraque
George   Muzzi
Kalena   Leahy
Keven   Law
Joshua   Johnson
Michael Edelstein
Quang   Ly
Debbie   Graciano
David   Atkins
Melissa Miller
Kevin   Flowers
Hannah Castellaw
Sejal hingrajia
Jill Berman
Nicole   Blough
Amanda Hix
John Johnson
Michael Matijasevich
Paul   Katcher
Quan   Mai
Wany   Misban
Ricardo Sanchez
Anthony Tarantino
Samantha Kosarich
Nathan   Bisonette
Kenneth Chaney
Michael Waters
Kim Willemsens
Christine Raposa
Amy   Perkins
David   Zarlino
Briane   Cornish
Heidi   Thorne
Sarah   Bruton
Tony   Amaya
Nicole   Galas
Brett   Robinson
Donald   Coleman
Sandrine radoux
Valerie   Morrell
Stuart   Sipahigil
Robert   Palmer
Peri   Pugh
Karen   Jones
Tiffany   Noell
christy   costakis
Charles Stroud
Alexandra Griffin
Michael Gitig
Elizabeth Estrada
Anthony Chliek
Marc Jacobson
Laura   Walker
Beryl   Cohen
Shantel   Santiago
Mathew Rush
Heidi   Edwards
Jason   Atkins
Bob   Guiney
Cindy   Brickley
Margaret Medina
Lisa hadley
Robin   Werner
Angela   Stephens
Michael Cochran
Thushari J
Mark   Stetzer
Camelia Codirla
Diana   Cardenas
Erin Ryan
Caroline Alexandre
Lindsay Renshaw
Janice   Donnelly
Brian   Casiello
Sabin Vaccine   Institute
JASON WEINBERG
Catherine Holland
Robert   Fensterman
Leola   Gibison
Ercan   A
Tim Scott
Chris Grange
Kara Schumacher
Dana Sabbe
Daron   Balducci
Darren   Boghosian
Benjamin Rohe
Ava Baroni
Nick Johnson
Leslee   Feldman
Jason   Sandusky
joseph   gasparro
Andrew Koopmans
Kerstin   Stolz
Josh Berman
Daniel   de Pruis
Stephen McPherson
TRUE Public Relations
Peggy   Hiatt
Sang Wook   Hong
Julia   Leonard
David   Jolly
Anna blaser
Julie Stone
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Ellen Calderazzo
Kyle Young
Jason   Dinner
Jeremy   Sony
Jared   Williams
Alexis   Kreimer
Ines Rebelo
sydney   bonom
Leomar Grullon
Grace   Falco
Marie   Ginder
RICHARD BECVAR
Heather Jenkins
Meagan Williams
Rebecca Schreier
Bryce   Currie
Chris   Keating
Nadia   Linden
Ryan   Robertson
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Kelly   Myers
Margaret Clark
Sandy   Lamparello
Karen   Jones
Christopher Trevarthen
Scott San Filippo
David   Janik-Jones
Jason   Azze
Wesley   Ziegler
Fred   Melhuish III
Jeanette Benzie
Neil franzen
Samantha T
Christian Avalos
Sophie   Green
Ashley C
Fabio   Galluzzo
Ian Frazier
Elizabeth Morrow
Erin Templeton
Eric Nazarian
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Marcus   Franco
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Kevin   Ellis
Jay Scott
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Tanya   Akeson
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Karen   McDonald
Victor   Rael
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Kenneth Miller
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John   Ritchie
Anthony Bugliari
Glenn   Smith
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Sandy Celine Rzepiak
Sylvia   Swann
Kamau   Scott
Lucile   FRANZINETTI
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judee ann williams
Pamela   Devin
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PAUL GRAHAM
Gene Callahan
Karen   Panitch
Nicole   Galas
Robert   Harris
Daniel   Treuter
Sandy Celine   Rzepiak
Carrie   Walker
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Victoria Monaco
Lawrence Burgess
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Nick Thune
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Aaron   Hervey
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Paige Roper
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Heidi   Ellis
Donnalee Joyce
Chris Lawson
Gregg   Alley
SIMONNE SABATO
Jeremy   Vixie
Ronald   Carstens
Kier   Lehman
Nathan   Hart
Hannah Kousbroek
Sergio Arturo   Ling Alipi
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Mitchell Carp
Cheryl   Terpak
Fard Johnmar
Bob Pfeilsticker
Susan   Sampaio
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merav   melamud
lisa gluck
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Nicole   Galas
Derek   Johansen
Roxane Losey
William Baum
Seth morabito
Aaron   Avery
Kim MacInnis
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Will York
Mike Javorski
BETHANY COOPER
Emily   Smith
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Karen   Wasslen
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Joanie   McCaw
Carlo   Carino
Thor Olson
Fred   Bittick
Cheryl   Chancellor
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David   Bugliari
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Brandi   Boston
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LISA   McManus
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pankaj   shah
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Ashley   Jones
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Dawn   Perry
Hank   Ort
SHERYLL DEL ROSARIO
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Marie Eve Brassard
Jonathan Collier
Steve   Lacey
Jeffery   Namadan
Steve   Thomas
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Leigh   Brockway
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Joseph   Herrera
shula   roberts
Paul   Pace
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Alex Loza
Ernie flowers
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Jennifer James
Christine Hutchinson
Omowale Olatunde-Agbeja
Nerissa   Broas

Happy New Year to all our readers

2011-12-31T16:54:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all our readers

As Britain counts down to midnight,
here's how others countries saw in 2012

Celebrations ... cascades of colour soar into the sky in a sensational fireworks display in Sydney

AS Britain counts down to the end of 2011, sensational fireworks displays have already welcome the New Year in some parts of the world.

Dazzling pyrotechnics lit up the skies over AUCKLAND, New Zealand, and SYDNEY as well as TOKYO.
Millions partied as they were first to say hello to 2012.
The mood was jubilant, despite revellers remembering a year that was marked by upheaval in several Arab countries, economic turmoil and a string of devastating natural disasters.

Boom ... fireworks display over Sydney, Australia

Sydney's display was designed around the theme " A Time to Dream", a nod to the eagerness many felt at moving forward after the rough year Australia has had.
Shapes based on butterflies, hearts and a cascading waterfall lit up the sky over Sydney's Harbour Bridge.
More than 1.5million crowded on to yachts and along the shores of the city's harbour to watch the shimmering display which included 7 tonnes of fireworks.

Video: Sydney heralds start of 2012

AMAZING fireworks display in Australia over famous Harbour Bridge

News

In Japan, many were reflecting on the giant tsunami and earthquake that left an entire coastline destroyed, nearly 20,000 people dead or missing and the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in meltdown.
People visited shrines and temples, offering their prayers for the new year. Giant hanging temple bells were to ring 108 times to purify the world of evil and bring good luck.
More than 400,000 people were expected to watch a four-minute display set to light up Victoria Harbour in HONG KONG.

Celebrations ... revellers cheer as confetti falls in Hong Kong

Video: Hong Kong welcomes 2012

Fireworks explode over Hong Kong's harbor as the clock counts down to 2012

News

Spectacular ... fireworks over Sydney's opera house

And fireworks also illuminated the sky over KUALA LUMPUR as Malaysia welcomed 2012.
In TAIPEI a huge countdown ended in a display of fireworks coming off a 101 skyscraper. Hundreds of thousands of people defied cold winds to usher in the New Year.

Flaming tower ... quirky display on skycraper in Taipei

Meanwhile, the mood was more subdued in NEW ZEALAND after torrential rain and thunderstorms cancelled firework displays in the capital Wellington, the North Island city of Palmerston North and at the popular Mount Maunganui beach area.
But crowds gathered around Auckland's Sky Tower, which did hold a fireworks display. The new year is hoped to be a fresh start for the country where tragedy struck last year.

Video: New Zealand rings in new year

CROWDS take to streets of Auckland to watch fireworks over Sky Tower

Sky News

Two major earthquakes hit Christchurch, killing 181 in February, with another measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale shook the city just before Christmas.
Samoa and Tokelau were first to toast in 2012 after skipping a day by jumping west across the international dateline.

Stunning display ... fireworks explode above Malaysia's landmark Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur

Sparkle ... fireworks illuminate the sky over Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Crowds flocked to pools and beaches to toast the New Year earlier than usual after the South Pacific Island nations fast-forwarded to December 31, missing out on December 30 entirely.
More than a million people are expected to pack Times Square in NEW YORK, to watch as the New Year's Eve Ball — measuring 12ft and weighing 11,875lbs partly thanks to 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles adorning it — is dropped at midnight.

Air we go ... balloons rise into the sky as Japan celebrates the New Year

Bad conditions ... New Zealand was hit with heavy rains causing officials to cancel planned celebrations

Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Drake will perform – as the ball will descend in a shower of confetti and revellers will grab a partner to dance or kiss.
Revellers are also set to enjoy a stunning spectacular on the beaches of RIO DE JANEIRO, while 80,000 fun-lovers are expected to attend the world-famous Hogmanay street party in EDINBURGH.
Primal Scream are headling this year's sold-out concert at the castle.
Fireworks in the shape of Olympic rings appeared an hour before the countdown in the party town.

Times to celebrate ... thousands are expected to gather in Times Square, New York, to watch as the ball drops at midnight

DUBAI and RUSSIA celebrated the start of 2012 together with bursts of colour.

Dazzling ... Dubai's intense fireworks diplay

EPA

New Year's Day is the biggest holiday in the calendar for Russia and the fireworks didn't disappoint in the capital Moscow's Red Square.
Over in Dubai, no expense was spared in the rich Emirate as The Burj Khalifa was lit with fiery reds and pinks to kickstart the New Year.
The tallest tower in the world finished with fireworks in every colour of the rainbow. Dubai last year put on a lavish display which was the highest ever seen.
UKRAINE marked the start of 2012 with a dazzling hot pink firework display in Kiev's Independence Square.
The country has another reason to celebrate; it is the year they co-host football's European Championship with Poland.
The display certainly had a football flavour with a stage designed as a goal and dancing cheerleaders. There was even a mascot in the form of a fluorescent dragon.
Celebrations began earlier in the evening as top Ukrainian singers took to the stage for a four-hour set.

Spectacular ... fireworks in Moscow's Red Square

REUTERS

Boris Johnson has revealed this year's LONDON fireworks displays will be the 'biggest and best yet'.
250,000 people are expected to watch the 12,000-firework display at the London Eye, which has taken 12 months to plan.
The theme for this year's 11-minute long celebrations is a 'summer like no other' as the country gears up for 2012's Olympic games.

Build-up .... revellers wait ahead of London's New Year fireworks display

Getty Images

A million revellers headed to BERLIN's Brandenburg gate for a dramatic ten-minute display.
Over 2,000 fireworks were used in the German capital's show.

Happy New Year 2012 Wishes By Countries

2011-12-31T16:48:00.000-08:00

Afgani	Saale Nao Mubbarak
Afrikaans	Gelukkige nuwe jaar
Albanian	Gezuar Vitin e Ri
Armenian	Snorhavor Nor Tari
Arabic	Kul 'am wa antum bikhair
Assyrian	Sheta Brikhta
Azeri	Yeni Iliniz Mubarek!
Balochi	Noki saal mubarrak bibi
Bengali	Shuvo Nabo Barsho
Breton [Celtic Brythonic language]	Bloavezh Mat
Bulgarian	×åñòèòà Íîâà Ãîäèíà(pronounced "Chestita Nova Godina")
Cambodian	Soursdey Chhnam Tmei
Catalan	FELIÇ ANY NOU
Chakma	Nuo bazzor bekkunore
Chinese	Xin Nian Kuai Le
Corsican Language	Pace e Salute
Croatian	Sretna Nova godina!
Cymraeg (Welsh)	Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
Czech	Šťastný Nový rok (or Stastny Novy rok)
Denish	Godt Nytår
Dhivehi	Ufaaveri Aa Aharakah Edhen
Dutch	GELUKKIG NIEUWJAAR!
Eskimo	Kiortame pivdluaritlo
Esperanto	Felican Novan Jaron
Estonians	Head uut aastat!
Ethiopian:	MELKAM ADDIS AMET YIHUNELIWO!
Ethiopian/Eritrean Tigrigna	RUHUS HADUSH AMET
Finnish	Onnellista Uutta Vuotta
French	Bonne Annee
Gaelic	Bliadhna mhath ur
Galician [NorthWestern Spain]	Bo Nadal e Feliz Aninovo
German	Prosit Neujahr
Georgian	GILOTSAVT AKHAL TSELS!
Greek	Kenourios Chronos
Gujarati	Nutan Varshbhinandan
Hawaiian	Hauoli Makahiki Hou
Hebrew	L'Shannah Tovah
Hindi	Naye Varsha Ki Shubhkamanyen
Hong kong	(Cantonese) Sun Leen Fai Lok
Hungarian	Boldog Új Évet Kivánok
Indonesian	Selamat Tahun Baru
Iranian	Sal -e- no mobarak
Iraqi	Sanah Jadidah
Irish	Bliain nua fe mhaise dhuit
Italian:	Felice anno nuovo
Japan:	Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimasu
Kabyle:	Asegwas Amegaz
Kannada:	Hosa Varushadha Shubhashayagalu
Kisii:	SOMWAKA OMOYIA OMUYA
Khasi	Snem Thymmai Basuk Iaphi
Khmer:	Sua Sdei tfnam tmei
Korea:	Saehae Bock Mani ba deu sei yo!
Kurdish:	NEWROZ PIROZBE
Latvian	Laimīgo Jauno Gadu!
Lithuanian:	Laimingu Naujuju Metu
Laotian:	Sabai dee pee mai
Macedonian	Srekjna Nova Godina
Madagascar	Tratry ny taona
Malay	Selamat Tahun Baru
Marathi	Nveen Varshachy Shubhechcha
Malayalam	Puthuvatsara Aashamsakal
Mizo	Kum Thar Chibai
Maltese	Is-Sena t-Tajba
Nepal	Nawa Barsha ko Shuvakamana
Norwegian	Godt Nyttår
Oriya	Nua Barshara Subhechha
Papua New Guinea	Nupela yia i go long yu
Pampango (Philippines)	Masaganang Bayung Banua
Pashto	Nawai Kall Mo Mubarak Shah
Persian	Sal -e- no mobarak
Philippines	Manigong Bagong Taon!
Polish:	Szczesliwego Nowego Roku
Portuguese	Feliz Ano Novo
Punjabi	Nave sal di mubarak
Romanian	AN NOU FERICIT
Russian	S Novim Godom
Samoa	Manuia le Tausaga Fou
Serbo-Croatian	Sretna nova godina
Sindhi	Nayou Saal Mubbarak Hoje
Singhalese	Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Siraiki	Nawan Saal Shala Mubarak Theevay
Slovak	Stastny Novy rok
Slovenian	sreèno novo leto
Somali	Iyo Sanad Cusub Oo Fiican!
Spanish	Feliz Ano ~Nuevo
Swahili	Heri Za Mwaka Mpyaº
Swedish	GOTT NYTT ÅR! /Gott nytt år!
Sudanese	Warsa Enggal
Tamil	Eniya Puthandu Nalvazhthukkal
Tibetian	Losar Tashi Delek
Telegu	Noothana samvatsara shubhakankshalu
Thai	Sawadee Pee Mai
Turkish	Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian	Shchastlyvoho Novoho Roku
Urdu	Naya Saal Mubbarak Ho
Uzbek	Yangi Yil Bilan
Vietnamese	Chuc Mung Tan Nien
Welsh :	Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

New Year Wishes Around the World

2011-12-31T16:34:00.000-08:00

New Year Wishes Around the World

Afgani	Saale Nao Mubbarak
Afrikaans	Gelukkige nuwe jaar
Albanian	Gezuar Vitin e Ri
Armenian	Snorhavor Nor Tari
Arabic	Kul 'am wa antum bikhair
Assyrian	Sheta Brikhta
Azeri	Yeni Iliniz Mubarek!
Balochi	Noki saal mubarrak bibi
Bengali	Shuvo Nabo Barsho
Breton [Celtic Brythonic language]	Bloavezh Mat
Bulgarian	×åñòèòà Íîâà Ãîäèíà(pronounced "Chestita Nova Godina")
Cambodian	Soursdey Chhnam Tmei
Catalan	FELIÇ ANY NOU
Chakma	Nuo bazzor bekkunore
Chinese	Xin Nian Kuai Le
Corsican Language	Pace e Salute
Croatian	Sretna Nova godina!
Cymraeg (Welsh)	Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
Czech	Šťastný Nový rok (or Stastny Novy rok)
Denish	Godt Nytår
Dhivehi	Ufaaveri Aa Aharakah Edhen
Dutch	GELUKKIG NIEUWJAAR!
Eskimo	Kiortame pivdluaritlo
Esperanto	Felican Novan Jaron
Estonians	Head uut aastat!
Ethiopian:	MELKAM ADDIS AMET YIHUNELIWO!
Ethiopian/Eritrean Tigrigna	RUHUS HADUSH AMET
Finnish	Onnellista Uutta Vuotta
French	Bonne Annee
Gaelic	Bliadhna mhath ur
Galician [NorthWestern Spain]	Bo Nadal e Feliz Aninovo
German	Prosit Neujahr
Georgian	GILOTSAVT AKHAL TSELS!
Greek	Kenourios Chronos
Gujarati	Nutan Varshbhinandan
Hawaiian	Hauoli Makahiki Hou
Hebrew	L'Shannah Tovah
Hindi	Naye Varsha Ki Shubhkamanyen
Hong kong	(Cantonese) Sun Leen Fai Lok
Hungarian	Boldog Új Évet Kivánok
Indonesian	Selamat Tahun Baru
Iranian	Sal -e- no mobarak
Iraqi	Sanah Jadidah
Irish	Bliain nua fe mhaise dhuit
Italian:	Felice anno nuovo
Japan:	Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimasu
Kabyle:	Asegwas Amegaz
Kannada:	Hosa Varushadha Shubhashayagalu
Kisii:	SOMWAKA OMOYIA OMUYA
Khasi	Snem Thymmai Basuk Iaphi
Khmer:	Sua Sdei tfnam tmei
Korea:	Saehae Bock Mani ba deu sei yo!
Kurdish:	NEWROZ PIROZBE
Latvian	Laimīgo Jauno Gadu!
Lithuanian:	Laimingu Naujuju Metu
Laotian:	Sabai dee pee mai
Macedonian	Srekjna Nova Godina
Madagascar	Tratry ny taona
Malay	Selamat Tahun Baru
Marathi	Nveen Varshachy Shubhechcha
Malayalam	Puthuvatsara Aashamsakal
Mizo	Kum Thar Chibai
Maltese	Is-Sena t-Tajba
Nepal	Nawa Barsha ko Shuvakamana
Norwegian	Godt Nyttår
Oriya	Nua Barshara Subhechha
Papua New Guinea	Nupela yia i go long yu
Pampango (Philippines)	Masaganang Bayung Banua
Pashto	Nawai Kall Mo Mubarak Shah
Persian	Sal -e- no mobarak
Philippines	Manigong Bagong Taon!
Polish:	Szczesliwego Nowego Roku
Portuguese	Feliz Ano Novo
Punjabi	Nave sal di mubarak
Romanian	AN NOU FERICIT
Russian	S Novim Godom
Samoa	Manuia le Tausaga Fou
Serbo-Croatian	Sretna nova godina
Sindhi	Nayou Saal Mubbarak Hoje
Singhalese	Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Siraiki	Nawan Saal Shala Mubarak Theevay
Slovak	Stastny Novy rok
Slovenian	sreèno novo leto
Somali	Iyo Sanad Cusub Oo Fiican!
Spanish	Feliz Ano ~Nuevo
Swahili	Heri Za Mwaka Mpyaº
Swedish	GOTT NYTT ÅR! /Gott nytt år!
Sudanese	Warsa Enggal
Tamil	Eniya Puthandu Nalvazhthukkal
Tibetian	Losar Tashi Delek
Telegu	Noothana samvatsara shubhakankshalu
Thai	Sawadee Pee Mai
Turkish	Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian	Shchastlyvoho Novoho Roku
Urdu	Naya Saal Mubbarak Ho
Uzbek	Yangi Yil Bilan
Vietnamese	Chuc Mung Tan Nien
Welsh :	Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

Happy New Year: a country parties

2011-12-31T16:30:00.000-08:00

Coldplay's lead guitarist Jonny Buckland, left, and lead singer Chris Martin, right, usher in the new year amid a torrent of confetti on stage in Abu Dhabi.

Delores Johnson / The National

New Year's celebrants thronged the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa for the second year in a row, braving traffic jams and dense crowds to enjoy the midnight fireworks over the world's tallest tower.
Just before midnight, the Burj Khalifa darkened. White lights shone from the top, then around and down the length of the building. Bright puffs and comet tails of white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple fireworks shot off it, up and down the building. A rainbow of colour ringed the length of the tower as it glittered. The show lasted just about 10 minutes.
In Abu Dhabi, revellers were ringing in the New Year with a Coldplay concert at the Volvo Ocean Race Destination Village.
The band opened with Hurts Like Heaven, from their newest album Mylo Xyloto. Giant yellow, green and blue balloons sailed across the crowd as the band played Yellow, from their 2000 debut album.
Afterwards came In My Place, the lead single from their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head.
Adam Dunne, 27, from the UK, came with his wife.
"To celebrate New Year's Eve at a Coldplay concert is just amazing. The atmosphere and the crowd has really made it," he said.
Flash Entertainment estimated there were 20,000 fans ringing in the new year at the concert.
During the afternoon, the sounds of the band warming up were an added excitement for visitors who attended the opening day of the Corniche's Destination Village.
The band was rehearsing during a sound check at a stage adjacent to the village, where visitors milled about, listening in anticipation of the New Year's Eve concert.

"It's exciting to hear them practise; I just can't wait to hear them properly tonight," said Rachel Freeman, a UK expatriate who was exploring the village with her family before the show.
Destination Village, where the Volvo Ocean Race yachts will be on display after their anticipated arrival on Wednesday, is expected to draw thousands of sailing enthusiasts before it is packed away and shipped to China on January 14.
Visitors meandered around the 55,000-square-metre village, which had an abundance of interactive entertainment and shows to kick-start its two-week race extravaganza.
One of the main attractions was the 3-D cinema, which showed an eight-minute documentary with a quick but in-depth insight into the life of a Volvo Ocean Race sailor.
"I think the film was great, because it gives us an idea of how they do it; I never knew how much hard work it is to be on those yachts," said Sarah Dee, from Senegal.

The Ride, a yacht simulator, was also a way for people to gain insight into the extreme life on the high seas.
According to the Mahmood Musleh, 16, and his four friends, it was "amazing".
"I really liked that they also sprayed us with water; that was fun," he said.
The real treat for visitors was an air show put on by seven fighter jets from the UAE Air Force, which performed gasp-inducing stunts along the corniche and above Destination Village.
After the airshow, the main stage had an array of cultural performances, including colourful Tanura performers and Emirati dancers, which added a local touch to the festivities.
The village is being assembled and dismantled in all of the 10 locations along the circuit, as it follows the six 21-metre yachts from city to city en route to their end destination city of Galway, Ireland.
After so much work, Mubarak Al Muhairi, director general of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, said it was great to see the Volvo Ocean Race Destination Village come to fruition.
"In March 2010 we signed the contract [to host the race] but it was at least a year before that when we started the talks and negotiations [with Volvo Ocean Race organisers]."
Mr Al Muhairi, who officially opened the Destination Village along with the chief executive of the Volvo Ocean Race, Knut Frostad, and others, said: "We promised to make this a very memorable event, and the feedback so far from some of the organisers is great, and the same from the teams." Mr Al Muhairi said even after all the research he conducted he still was not prepared for the intensity of the race.
I was still surprised how tough it was, especially in the first two legs; I am glad there are five boats making it into Abu Dhabi."
Entry to the Destination Village is free and visitors will have access to plenty of entertainment over the next two weeks, including an exhibition race where a sailor from each of the six Volvo Ocean Race teams will join a traditional Arabian dhow crew.
In Dubai, lines had begun forming at the Burj Khalifa metro station by late afternoon, two attendants said.
By evening, road traffic from the world's tallest tower stretched to Safa Park on one side and past the World Trade Centre roundabout on the other.
The outdoor fountain area adjacent to the Burj Khalifa was so packed at 9pm that police had to prevent more people trying to squeeze in.
Later in the evening, the Roads and Transport Authority urged followers on Twitter to avoid the congested Sheikh Zayed Road. They said metro tickets would not be on sale after 10pm and that only Nol cards would be accepted for passage after midnight.
Meanwhile on the Abu Dhabi Corniche, ticket holders streamed in after Coldplay's 10.45pm start after waiting in lines to get into the venue.
There were some reports on Twitter about a breakdown in the free park-and-ride shuttle service offered from the Hilton hotel, and many decided just to walk to the end of the peninsula instead of waiting.

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2012 Summer Olympics | London 2012

Contents

Bidding process

Development and preparation

Since the 2005 bid

Venues and infrastructure

Public transport

Financing

Partners

Ticketing

Countdown

Hospitality

Scheduling issues

Security

Logo

Mascots

Handover ceremony

Year to go

Medals

Test events

The Games

Participating nations

Sports

Calendar

Broadcasting

Olympic flag

Eco-policy

Tourism and the 2012 Games

Cultural Olympiad

Marketing

Stamps

Merchandise

Criticism of IOC's policy with athletes

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