AlexDS69

I support a total ban on Russia competing, not just in Rio 2016 but in Pyeongchang 2018 - both Olympics and Paralympics. Would the overall level of competitiveness be affected? Of course. But it would nice to see someone win gold in rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming who isn't Russian. Not that there's any doping in those sports, but if Russians can manipulate the judging in figure skating... The turnover in synchronized swimming was rather quick, don't you think? The USA had won gold in Atlanta, but between then and Sydney, they just disappeared in favor of the Russians. It was as if they didn't even matter anymore.

Yeah, I did forget Hong Kong. Sorry about that.

Why not have one IOC member per country/territory? This way, every country/territory has a say (however small) in the major decisions of the IOC.

In the interest of brevity, I will only list the existing Olympic countries that have competed in the Winter Olympics since they first started in 1924, and I will use their names according to the International Olympic Committee. The name that follows is the transliteration of each country's Korean name (unless the English and Korean transliterations are the same). First Country: GREECE - Geuriseu GHANA - Gana FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA (Macedonia) - Gu Yugoseullabiaui Makedonia Gonghwaguk GUATEMALA - Gwatemalla GUAM - Gwam SOUTH AFRICA - Namapeurika NETHERLANDS - Nedeollandeu NEPAL NORWAY - Noreuwei NEW ZEALAND - Nyujillaendeu DENMARK - Denmakeu DOMINICA - Dominika GERMANY - Dogil TIMOR LESTE (East Timor) - Dongtimoreu LATVIA - Rateubia RUSSIAN FEDERATION (Russia) - Reoshia Yeonbang LEBANON - Rebanon ROMANIA LUXEMBOURG - Ruksembureugeu LITHUANIA - Rituania LIECHTENSTEIN - Rihitensyutain MADAGASCAR - Madagaseukareu MEXICO - Mekshiko MONACO - Monako MOROCCO - Moroko MONTENEGRO - Montenegeuro REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA - Moldoba Gonghwaguk MALTA MONGOLIA - Monggol UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - Miguk UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS - Migungnyeong Beojin Aillaendeu BERMUDA - Beomyuda VENEZUELA - Benesuella BELGIUM - Belgie (pronounced bell-gee-eh) BELARUS - Bellareuseu BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA - Boseunia Hereuchegobina BOLIVIA - Bollibia BULGARIA BRAZIL - Beurajil SAN MARINO SENEGAL SERBIA - Sereubia SWAZILAND - Seuwajillandeu SWEDEN - Seuweden SWITZERLAND - Seuwiseu SPAIN - Seupein SLOVAKIA - Seullobakia SLOVENIA - Seullobenia ARMENIA - Areumenia ARGENTINA - Areuhentina AMERICAN SAMOA - Amerikansamoa ICELAND - Aiseullandeu IRELAND - Aillaendeu AZERBAIJAN - Asereubaijan ANDORRA - Andora ALBANIA ALGERIA - Aljeri ESTONIA - Eseutonia ETHIOPIA - Etiopia GREAT BRITAIN - Yeongguk BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS - Yeonggungnyeong Beojin Aillaendeu AUSTRALIA - Oseuteurallia AUSTRIA - Oseuteuria HONDURAS - Onduraseu URUGUAY - Urugwai UZBEKISTAN - Ujeubekiseutan UKRAINE - Ukeuraina ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN - Iran Iseullam Gonghwaguk ISRAEL - Iseurael EGYPT - Ijipteu ITALY - Itallia INDIA - Indo JAPAN - Ilbon JAMAICA - Jameika DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA (North Korea) - Joseon Minjujuui Inmin Gonghwaguk GEORGIA - Jojia PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA - Jonghwa Inmin Gonghwaguk ZIMBABWE - Jimbabeuwe CHINESE TAIPEI (Taiwan) - Chainiseu Taipei CZECH REPUBLIC - Chekeu CHILE - Chille KAZAKHSTAN - Kajaheuseutan CANADA - Kaenada KENYA CAYMAN ISLANDS - Keimaen Jedo COSTA RICA - Koseutarika COLOMBIA - Kollombia CROATIA - Keuroatia KYRGYZSTAN - Kireugiseuseutan CYPRUS - Kipeuroseu THAILAND - Tai TAJIKISTAN - Tajikiseutan TURKEY - Teoki TOGO TONGA TRINIDAD & TOBAGO - Teurinidadeu Tobago PARAGUAY - Paragwai PAKISTAN - Pakiseutan PERU PORTUGAL - Poreutugal POLAND - Pollandeu PUERTO RICO - Puereutoriko FRANCE - Peurangseu FIJI - Piji FINLAND - Pillandeu PHILIPPINES - Pillipin HUNGARY - Heonggari Last Country: REPUBLIC OF KOREA (South Korea) - Daehan Minguk

Having said all that, I do have some favorite moments: The Netherlands annihilating the competition at speed skating; one of the greatest performances by any country in any sport in Olympic history Dominique Gisin (SUI) and Tina Maze (SLO) sharing gold in the women's downhill The Ukrainian women's biathlon relay team winning gold (the first Winter Olympic gold for Ukraine in 20 years) while their country is in a major crisis Any gold medal that Canada won (even though I'm an American born-and-raised) The Filipino figure skater Michael Christian Martinez placing 19th in the men's event, an achievement for a skater from a country with no real history in winter sports and where world-class athletes of any kind are hard to find (save for Manny Pacquiao); in fact, that was my favorite moment of the figure skating competition, which left such a bad taste in my mouth

I have never been more underwhelmed by an Olympics, summer or winter. The last time I felt this way was pretty recent: 2008 in Beijing. Every Olympics that I've followed since Barcelona 1992 riveted and inspired me, except for the pomposity of Beijing and Sochi. I guess that when it comes to the Olympics, for me, money can only buy you so much.

I'm wary of whether Qatar can pull off the WC in 2022, but I'm even more warier of the possibility of the World Cup and the Winter Olympics clashing with each other. Unless the World Cup kicks off on New Years Day and ends a week before the scheduled start of the Olympics, wherever they may be, I don't see this as viable. I'd prefer that they organize the WC for March 2022. It shouldn't be THAT hot then, compared to June.

It wasn't Steven's fault that Jiajun Li clashed with Apolo Anton Ohno less than a lap before the finish. It wasn't Steven's fault that Hyun-soon Ahn, Mathieu Turcotte, and Apolo collided with each other and crashed mere feet before the finish line. Steven won the race and the Olympic gold medal fair and square.

I'm surprised that Yu-na Kim of South Korea is not listed as a potential "queen" of Vancouver 2010. Granted, she only has one medal event on her docket (women's singles in figure skating), but figure skating is one of the glamour events of the Winter Olympics. She is the reigning world champion, has not been defeated overall in over a year, and is the reigning world record holder in points in the women's division. Plus, she is as big a superstar as you're going to find in South Korea. How many athletes at the Winter Olympics (or even the Summer Olympics) can say that about themselves in relation to their home countries? And with Korean culture becoming more and more prominent on the world stage (the Korean wave, or hallyu), the timing is right for her fame to be global.

I personally wouldn't consider Serbia as a debuting country in Vancouver 2010. I consider it the successor state to Serbia/Montenegro, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and SFR Yugoslavia, for continuity purposes (just like I consider the Czech Republic the successor state to Czechoslovakia and Russia the successor state to the USSR). Of course, most of Yugoslavia's winter athletes came from Slovenia... But that's just me.

If they don't get Celine Dion for the national anthem, hopefully they can land either Deborah Cox or Tamia (a.k.a. Mrs. Grant Hill). Or better yet, a Celine Dion/Deborah Cox or Tamia duet.

So, how are they going to present the Parade of Nations? In English order? French? Chinese character order? Pinyin, even? I would like it if they did it in Pinyin or character order.

I recorded vast amounts of the 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006 Olympics (both winter and summer). For each games, I recorded on average about 10 VHS tapes worth of coverage. I will record as much of the 2008 Games, but I plan to use the magic that is my HD-DVR, and burn them onto DVD (for my own personal viewing pleasure, of course).

As Celine Dion is the biggest Canadian pop star of our time, she should sing one of the versions of "O Canada" (English or French). The other version should be sung by Tamia or Deborah Cox, perhaps the two most famous contemporary Afro-Canadians of recent times (aside from Canadian Idol judge Farley Flex) , and underrated singers to boot. I saw Tamia sing "O Canada" at the NBA All-Star Game last year, and she was quite good.

Some news on the Olympic soccer front: New Zealand's under-23 men's team and elite women's team have qualified for the Olympic soccer tournament as Oceania's representatives. The men hammered the Solomon Islands 8-0 in their final, and the women bested Papua New Guinea in a 2-0 victory.

Singapore is now the smallest country to play host to an Olympics. Okay, it's not an OLYMPICS OLYMPICS, like the Summer or Winter elite ones... ...but it's presented by the International Olympic Committee, so it's close enough. :-)

I'm sad that the IAAF has banned Oscar Pistorius from Olympic eligibility, but I'm not surprised. Provided that he's clean and everything is on the up and up (in this day and age, you never know WHO's on the juice), Oscar should have been allowed to at least vie for a spot. His PB is 3 seconds slower than the top times, but there are able-bodied people who have PBs also 3 seconds slower than the top times, who ARE eligible for the Olympics. And his PB can improve between now and Beijing. I think that the Paralympic Games should be more integrated with the Olympic Games. It shouldn't be that expensive to pool their resources together. It would provide a bigger platform for the world's best athletes who, even though they may have physical limitations, are just as athletic and driven as those who do not have physical limitations. And for the talk about Paralympic sports being not as deep (in competitive terms) as their Olympic counterparts, then what do you make of the bulk of sports on the OLYMPIC program that are equally guilty of not having deep competition from all sides? Luge medals have been won by athletes from only SIX countries: the USA, Russia (including the USSR), Latvia, Italy, Austria, and Germany (including the East and West German teams). China pretty much OWNS table tennis. Rhythmic gymnastics: the province of Russia. I could go on and on. In a nutshell, the Paralympic circuit can be just as competitive as the Olympic circuit. There may be rivalries only known to Paralympians that would make your head spin. And I would rather watch one hour of athletes with physical limitations who compete for the sheer love of the game than 5,000 hours of overpaid and overrated athletes who have, from a physical standpoint, everything together. And besides, there is no deliberate inferring of "paralysis" or "paraplegic" in the term Paralympics. It means "alongside the Olympics". I also don't buy the fact that we're heading into a "bionic man" phase with Oscar Pistorius. It's not like he hacked off his legs like that transsexual on the Jerry Springer show did a few years back (don't ask). He had a birth defect which resulted in his legs being amputated. Many Paralympians underwent similar experiences in their youth. And need I remind you that a lot of Paralympic athletes started off able bodied, but lost their sight or appendages due to accidents, sometimes in the course of war. Should they not be allowed to push themselves to greatness? Should they not be allowed to hold their own with able-bodied athletes? No sensible-thinking person would contemplate amputation in order to gain an advantage. Besides, didn't the original Bionic Man become "bionic" as part of recovering from an accident?

I used the Pinyin table that is on Wikipedia.

The basic order of Mandarin Chinese syllables is thus: A, O, E, AI, EI, AO, OU, AN, EN, ANG, ENG, ER, YI, YA, YO, YE, YAI, YAO, YOU, YAN, YIN, YING, WU, WA, WO, WAI, WEI, WAN, WEN, WANG, WENG, YU, YUE, YUAN, YUN, and YONG A ER BA NI YA Albania E LUO SI LIANG BANG Russian Federation AI ER LAN Ireland AO DA LI YA Australia AN DAO ER Andorra YA MEI NI YA Armenia YI DA LI Italy YA MAI JIA Jamaica YIN DU India YING GUO Great Britain WU KE LAN Ukraine WA NU A TU Vanuatu WEN LAI DA LU SA LANG GUO Brunei Darussalam YUE NAN Vietnam BA, BO, BAI, BEI, BAO, BAN, BAEN, BANG, BENG, BI, BIE, BIAO, BIAN, BIN, BING, and BU BA XI Brazil BO LAN Poland BAI MU DA Bermuda BEI NING Benin BAO JIA LI YA Bulgaria BI LI SHI Belgium BING DAO Iceland BU LONG DI Bhutan PA, PO, PAI, PEI, PAO, POU, PAN, PEN, PANG, PENG, PI, PIE, PIAO, PIAN, PIN, PING, and PU PU TAO YA Portugal MA, MO, ME, MAI, MEI, MAO, MOU, MAN, MEN, MANG, MENG, MI, MIE, MIAO, MIU, MIAN, MIN, MING, and MU MA LAI XI YA Malaysia MO XI GE Mexico MEI LI JIAN HE ZHONG GUO United States of America MAO LI QIU SI Mauritius MENG GU Mongolia MI KE LUO NI XI YA LIAN BANG Federated States of Micronesia MIAN DIAN Myanmar FA, FO, FEI, FOU, FAN. FEN, FANG, FENG, and FU FA GUO France FO DE JIAO Cape Verde FEI LÜ BIN Philippines DA, DE, DAI, DEI, DAO, DOU, DAN, DANG, DENG, DI, DIE, DIAO, DIU, DIAN, DING, DU, DUO, DUI, DUAN, DUN, and DONG DA HAN MIN GUO Korea DE GUO Germany DAN MAI Denmark DUO MI NI GONG HE GUO Dominican Republic DONG DI WEN Timor Leste TA, TE, TAI, TAO, TOU, TAN, TANG, TENG, TI, TIE, TIAO, TIAN, TING, TU, TUO, TUI, TUAN, TUN, and TONG TA JI KE SI TAN Tajikistan TE LI NI DA HE DUO BA GE Trinidad and Tobago TAI GUO Thailand TAN SANG NI YA LIAN HE GONG HE GUO United Republic of Tanzania TANG JIA Tonga TU ER QI Turkey NA, NE, NAI, NEI, NAO, NOU, NAN, NEN, NI, NIE, NIAO, NIU, NIAN, NIN, NIANG, NING, NU, NUO, NUAN, NONG, and NÜ NA MI BI YA Namibia NAN FEI South Africa NAO LU Nauru NI RI LI YA Nigeria NUO WEI Norway LA, LE, LAI, LEI, LAO, LOU, LAN, LANG, LENG, LI, LIA, LIE, LIAO, LIU, LIAN, LIN, LIANG, LIANG, LU, LUO, LUAN, LUN, LONG, and LÜ LA TUO WEI YA Latvia LAI SUO TUO Lesotho LAO REN MIN MIN ZHU ZHU GONG HE GUO Lao People's Democratic Republic LI BA NEN Lebanon LIE ZHI DUN SHI DENG Liechtenstein LU SEN BAO Luxembourg LUO MA NI YA Romania GA, GE, GAI, GEI, GAO, GOU, GAN, GEN, GANG, GENG, GU, GUA, GUO, GUAI, GUI, GUAN, GUN, GUANG, and GONG GE LU JI YA Georgia GANG GUO REN MIN GONG HE GUO Democratic Republic of the Congo GU BA Cuba GUI YA NA Guyana GUAN DAO Guam KA, KE, KAI, KAO, KOU, KAN, KEN, KANG, KENG, KU, KUA, KUO, KUAI, KUI, KUAN, KUN, KUANG, and KONG KA MAI LONG Cameroon KE TE DI WA Cote d'Ivoire KAI MAN QUN DAO Cayman Islands KEN NI YA Kenya KU KE QUN DAO Cook Islands HA, HE, HAI, HEI, HAO, HOU, HAN, HEN, HANG, HENG, HU, HUA, HUO, HUAI, HUI, HUAN, HUN, HUANG, and HONG HA SA KE SI TAN Kazakhstan HE LAN Netherlands HAI DI Haiti HEI SHAN Montenegro HONG DU LA SI Honduras JI, JIA, JIE, JIAO, JIU, JIAN, JIN, JIANG, JING, JU, JUE, JUAN, JUN, and JIONG JI BU TI Djibouti JIA NA DA Canada JIE KE GONG HE GUO Czech Republic JIAN PU ZHAI Cambodia JIN BA BU WEI Zimbabwe QI, QIA, QIE, QIAO, QIU, QIAN, QIN, QIANG, QING, QU, QUE, QUAN, QUN, and QIONG QIAN NAN SI LA FU MA QI DUN GONG HE GUO Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Why can't they just let bygones be bygones and let Macedonia enter under either MACEDONIA or REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA?) XI, XIA, XIE, XIAO, XIU, XIAN, XIN, XIANG, XING, XU, XUE, XUAN, XUN, and XIONG XI BAN YA Spain XIN XI LAN New Zealand XIANG GANG ZHONG GUO Hong Kong China XU LI YA A LA BO GONG HE GUO Syrian Arab Republic XIONG YA LI Hungary ZHI, ZHA, ZHE, ZHAI, ZHEI, ZHAO, ZHOU, ZHAN, ZHEN, ZHANG, ZHENG, ZHU, ZHUA, ZHUO, ZHUAI, ZHUI, ZHUAN, ZHUN, ZHUANG, and ZHONG ZHI LI Chile ZHA DE Chad ZHONG FEI GONG HE GUO Central African Republic ZHONG HUA REN MIN GONG HE GUO People's Republic of China (though it will close out the parade) CHI, CHA, CHE, CHAI, CHAO, CHOU, CHAN, CHEN, CHANG, CHENG, CHU, CHUA, CHUO, CHUAI, CHUI, CHUAN, CHUN, CHUANG, and CHONG CHI DAO JI NEI YA Equatorial Guinea CHAO XIAN MIN ZHU ZHU REN MIN GONG HE GUO Democratic People's Republic of Korea SHI, SHA, SHE, SHAI, SHEI, SHAO, SHOU, SHAN, SHEN, SHANG, SHENG, SHU, SHUA, SHUO, SHUAI, SHUI, SHUAN, SHUN, and SHUANG SHI WA JI LAN Swaziland SHA TE A LA BO Saudi Arabia SHENG LU XI YA Saint Lucia RI, RE, RAO, ROU, RAN, REN, RANG, RENG, RU, RUO, RUI, RUAN, RUN, and RONG RI BEN Japan RUI DIAN Sweden ZI, ZA, ZE, ZAI, ZEI, ZAO, ZOU, ZAN, ZEN, ZANG, ZENG, ZU, ZUO, ZUI, ZUAN, ZUN, and ZONG ZAN BI YA Zambia CI, CA, CE, CAI, CAO, COU, CAN, CEN, CANG, CENG, CU, CUO, CUI, CUAN, CUN, and CONG SI, SA, SE, SAI, SAO, SOU, SAN, SEN, SANG, SENG, SU, SUO, SUI, SUAN, SUN, and SONG SI LI LAN KA Sri Lanka SA MO YA Samoa SAI ER WEI YA Serbia SU DAN Sudan SUO LUO MEN QUN DAO Solomon Islands (the last team to enter before PR China)

I managed to get the Chinese names of all 203 member countries and dependencies of the IOC, plus Montenegro and Tuvalu (if they do manage to compete in Beijing). This is how I think, if they use the Pinyin system, it will go. To make this simple, I have listed them in English in the order that they would come out under the Pinyin system: (NOTE: I know that the North and South Korean teams will march together in the opening ceremony, but I'm basing this on regular cases.) Greece kicks off the Parade of Nations as is its wont, and it is followed by... Albania, Algeria, Oman, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Aruba, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Eritrea, Russian Federation, Ecuador, Ireland, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Australia, Austria, Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Angola, Armenia, Italy, Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Jamaica, Yemen, India, Indonesia, Great Britain, British Virgin Islands, Uruguay, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Virgin Islands, Guatemala, Venezuela, Jordan, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Barbados, Papua New Guinea, Panama, Paraguay, Palestine, Bahrain, Bahamas, Pakistan, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Poland, Bolivia, Belize, Palau, Botswana, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Belarus, Bermuda, Benin, Bulgaria, Belgium, Peru, Iceland, Bhutan, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Portugal, Maldives, Malta, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Marshall Islands, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Mexico, Mozambique, United States of America, American Samoa, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Federated States of Micronesia, Myanmar, France, Cape Verde, Philippines, Fiji, Korea, Germany, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Togo, Timor Leste, Tajikistan, Trinidad & Tobago, Thailand, United Republic of Tanzania, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Namibia, South Africa, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Latvia, Lesotho, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liberia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Rwanda, Luxembourg, Romania, Grenada, Georgia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Gambia, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Guyana, Guam, Cameroon, Qatar, Kuwait, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cayman Islands, Kenya, Cook Islands, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Haiti, Montenegro, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Djibouti, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kiribati, Gabon, Ghana, Canada, Czech Republic, Cambodia, Zimbabwe, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Spain, Singapore, New Zealand, Hong Kong China, Syrian Arab Republic, Chile, Chad, Central African Republic, Chinese Taipei, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea , Swaziland, Saudi Arabia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome & Principe, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, Zambia, Sri Lanka, Slovenia, Slovakia, El Salvador, Samoa, Serbia, Cyprus, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Suriname, Somalia, Solomon Islands... And last but not least... People's Republic of China If I missed any, let me know.

England GBR defeated Serbia 2-0. They will join Serbia, the Netherlands, and Belgium in the UEFA U-21 semifinals, but will not be allowed to compete in Beijing. Italy defeated Czech Republic also, and even though they're out of the tournament, they will face Portugal for the final European spot in the Olympic tournament.

British interests in soccer are represented by the English, Northern Irish, Scottish, and Welsh governing bodies. While deals have been worked out for field hockey and curling for a British team in their respecitve Olympic tournaments, none has been reached where soccer is concerned. This is despite the fact that men's Olympic soccer is an under-23 affair and women's Olympic soccer is elite, so there really shouldn't be any hardships on all concerned. In the beginning of the modern Olympics, there were British entries in the men's soccer tournaments, but things changed when the FIFA World Cup was introduced.

Already, the Netherlands and Serbia have qualified for the semifinals, and thus have booked their spots in the Olympic tournament. The groupings and current standings: GROUP A Belgium - 4 points Israel - 0 points Netherlands - 6 points (BOOKED PLACE IN UEFA U-21 SEMIS AND OLYMPIC TOURNAMENT) Portugal - 1 point GROUP B Czech Republic - 1 point England GBR - 2 points Italy - 1 point Serbia - 6 points (BOOKED PLACE IN UEFA U-21 SEMIS AND OLYMPIC TOURNAMENT) Group A upcoming matches: Belgium vs. Netherlands Israel vs. Portugal Belgium has to score a draw at the very least with the Netherlands to make the semis and the Olympic tournament. Israel, with 0 points, is mathematically eliminated from the tournament. Portugal has to win its match against Israel and have a better goal differential than Belgium to make the semis and the Olympic tournament. Group B upcoming matches: Czech Republic vs. Italy England GBR vs. Serbia England GBR has to either win its match over Serbia, or draw and hope that Czech Republic vs. Italy ends in a draw. If either scenario happens, it will advance to the semis. Unless a deal can be worked out that England GBR can compete as Team GBR in Beijing, its Olympic aspirations will either way be screwed. Whoever wins the Czech Republic vs. Italy match will make the semis and the Olympic tournament provided that England loses its match against Serbia.

There hasn't been a British soccer team in the Olympic men's soccer tournament in more than a generation or two, and no British women's team has qualified for the women's Olympic tournaments to this day. But there is a strong chance that that all could change. Or will it? England's under-19 squad has joined Belgium, Czech Republic, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, and Serbia in the finals of the under-19 Euros. England's elite women's team has qualified for the upcoming women's World Cup in China. The top four teams at under-19 Euros will compete at the Beijing Olympics on the men's side, and the top three European teams at the World Cup will advance to the women's Olympic tournament. Should one or both English teams qualify for the Olympics, will they be able to go? The British NOC is the only one in the world that can't field a soccer team for the Olympics these days because all four home nations of the UK have their own FIFA-recognized governing bodies. Already, there is controversy over what should be done for London 2012 in this regard. But if the English women's team and men's under-19 team gain spots in the Olympic tournament (which could happen), would they have to forfeit their spots to other teams due to the fact that there is no British central authority for soccer? Or could something be arranged that would allow the English teams to compete as in the Olympics? What do you think?

I vote for using pinyin in lieu of just the English alphabet order. One of my favorite parts of the OC is the Parade of Nations, and seeing the teams come in a different order than they would otherwise is part and parcel of why I like the Opening Ceremonies.