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When did you get interested in the Olympics and the Olympics bidding progress?


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Bidding was more by diffusion. I use to watch the news with my mom every night, so when it was reported on I took notice. I remember seeing the report for Torino winning in 99. I remember hearing about the bidding scandal. It was a huge news story.

This is gonna sound cliched as f-ck and probably krow is gonna make fun of this but the thing that really hooked my on the Olympics was Nagano and the 2-man bobsleigh. I was sick for almost the entire 2 weeks of Nagano and I still distinctly remember laying on the coaching watching the bobsleigh and watched Lueders and MacEachern come down in the lead and than the Italians went, and the overly-excited announcer going on about it being a tie. Sharing the medal with the Italians really made me think that the Olympics brought people together.

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Barcelona was my first memories. Opening ceremony, Linford Christie and Sally Gunnell, and doing a project at primary school with information on the back of Kellogg's cereal boxes. That's what got me started.

Remember some of Lillehammer and atlanta. Nagano passed me by, but from sydney onwards I was properly hooked. Volunteered at the 2002 commonwealths and been to every games since, except for sochi. Was lucky to work on the london games for an extended period too.

Bidding process - I remember the 2000 and 2004 bidding race in the newspapers (manchester interest for 2000 and then whether athens would take the games home in 2004) the Beijing one was nailed on from my recollection, first started getting properly into it for vancouver and london onwards.

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I come from a family that do not care about sports .. so my sports interest started somehow late in my early to mid teens

but for the word Olympics, what I remember when I first noticed it was associated with the Millennium Games
first thing "Olympics" I remember in my life was the Sydney 2000 Opening Ceremony
I was 9 years old and actually don't know it was a sport event
it was the second sports event I knew after the 1998 France World Cup which I remember some matches from it especially the Final match ( well, there is two events always takes more attention the Summer Olympics and the FIFA World Cup )
back to Sydney I remember I was standing in the front of the TV very impressed with what I was watching the Ceremony and the Cauldron lighting part which I never forget the moment I was watching it live for the first time in my life
later I remember watching some events from Sydney 2000 but without knowing any details about the sports, medals and the other Olympic related things
I remember I had some Disney comic books about Sydney 2000 ( Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and other characters, I was comic books addict then ) I think it was issued in late 1999 or early to mid 2000 sometime before the Games
after many Olympic games later, I still choose Sydney 2000 The Millennium Games as I remember it as the best Olympic games ever maybe because it was or maybe because the first time is always different, special and memorable
when Barcelona hosted the games in 1992 I was nearly 20 months old so I couldn't notice about it then but it is the most from the past games I had interest to know more about, watch videos and save them when I became an Olympic fan
a lot of athletes who participated in the 80's/90's and 2000's Olympic Games consider Barcelona '92 as the best games organized at that time
it was a great games with great legacy for Barcelona and the Olympic Movement and its History
it was Athens 2004 when everything was clear for me about the games, sports, medals and what is the Olympic Games, then my interest in the Olympic Games and sports increased
and first I discovered the "Bidding Process" thing when the 2012 race was underway
it was the first time I learnt what it is ( cities/countries apply to host the event and the organization members vote to choose the host )
Athens 2004 opened the door to know more and more about everything Olympics as it was the first time I discovered that there is something called the "Olympic Winter Games"
coming from a desert part of the world without much media attention to the Winter Sports the only Winter Sport I knew before that was Ice Hockey
Torino 2006 was the first time for me to discover more about the Winter Olympics and Winter Sports in general
Vancouver 2010 was the first Winter games I Watched/followed with a good knowledge about Winter Sports
I only followed the highlights of the 2012 and 2014 bidding process when I supported New York ( I liked their logo ) and wanted it to be Paris in the last moments before London won the race
for 2014 it was Salzburg the only city I knew before the race in the Candidature Phase so I supported them, it was the first time I know about Sochi and PyeongChang
at the time for 2012 and 2014 I didn't paid much attention to the bid books and the technical details it was only the logo, the short list (2014) and the vote
The 2016 race was the first I followed very closely with its all details and when I discovered this forums in the middle of the Application Phase
and started to visit it constantly as a visitor for nearly two years until I decided to join and create a membership after my favorite Rio 2016 won the race, it is my first membership in an English language International forums
since then my interest in the bidding process increased and now I follow every single bidding process I know about Sports and non-sport international/continental events
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The first games I remember were Calgary and Seoul, I then watched some of Albertville and Barcelona but didn't really get excited about them. The first games I really anticipated and followed closely from beginning to end was Atlanta, probably due to getting excited about athletics a year earlier. Unfortunately Atlanta was a big letdown for me in many ways, but I still remained interested in the Games for Sydney which I consider the (early?) pinnacle of my Olympic following. Back then I maybe realized it and sort of gave up on waiting for the games. It's not that I didn't watch Athens and Beijing from the beginning to end but during the lead up to those events there wasn't the same rush of excitement as earlier, especially in 2004. Finding this forum and attending London rekindled some of that former passion, although seeing the games in live was nice but nothing out of this world and not as impressive as I thought they could be.

My interest has always been predominantly in the summer games as I don't have any favorite winter sports. I do have some memories of past winter games and medals won there but often they have just passed by. I don't remember having followed Salt Lake much, if at all, and during Torino I was on the other side of the world and didn't watch the games for a minute. Only in Vancouver and now Sochi I have watched the winter editions a bit more closely.

As for the bidding, the first decision I remember was 1993 when Sydney was the winner. After that my following of summer hosts announcements was mostly vague and gradually increasing. Usually meaning that I tuned in to see who won. The first announcement I saw live was from Singapore in 2005 and in 2009 I felt emotionally attached to the decision. Still, to really follow the whole nine yards of the bid process has been quite a novelty that I have had a chance to learn from the enthusiastic people here.

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My first real memory of an Olympics was 1972 Munich. I was fascinated by the opening ceremony and watched the events with great interest. I'm afraid to say that even the tragic murder of the Israeli athletes couldn't spoil my enjoyment of the event.

As regards the actual bidding, I followed the progress of my hometown Manchester's bid for the 2000 Games with great interest (I don't have much recollection of the earlier 1996 bid) although I never understood the mechanics of the bid process itself until much later. Whilst I always felt it was probably going to be an uphill battle against the allure and galmour of Sidney, I kept my fingers crossed, somewhat naively, that we could somehow pull it off. I was actually in Albert Square in September 1993 for the big announcement from Monte Carlo. We all held our breath when Samaranch opened the envelope and then let out a collective sigh when, of course, he pronounced the name ' Seedonee'. I was disappointed but can't say I was really surprised. I remember watching some Coronation Street (Manchester's top TV soap) actors up near the big screen and being a bit amused when one of them burst into tears and slumped against someone's shoulder when the announcement came.

Fast forward to 2005 and the bidding process for 2012. I was keen to see how far London could take it this time and how close they could push Paris to the finish line (I confidently expected Paris to win. After all, how could the IOC possibly deny them a THIRD time in 20 years?). I started to get more and more interested when Sebastian Coe took over the leadership of the bid and seemed to get things moving. Voting day in Singapore was the first time I watched an Olympic host city election in detail. When it all came down to Paris and London, I was satisfied that London had done so well and thought it augured very well for a FUTURE bid because I was so confident that Paris would win. When Rogge actually announced 'Laarnedon' and the crowds in Trafalgar Square began cheering and jumping up and down, I nearly fell off my chair with surprise and delight. I'm sure I wasn't the only one. At the same time, I felt an enormous amount of sympathy for Paris getting denied yet again and hoped it wasn't going to create bad blood between us!

After that, I read every paper and scoured the internet for every article I could find to explain how London had managed to do it. It wasn't until a few months later that I finally stumbled across Gamesbids and began following the discussions avidly. I lurked for a long time, afraid that I didn't yet know enough to be able to make any meaningful contributions. Eventually, I took the plunge and joined. The rest,as they say, is history!

:)

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The earliest record of the host city elections on my behalf was back in 2005 during the 2012 host city vote (obviously it went to London in which it hosted). I didn't knew what was all of the 2012 stuff coming out from not just London, but Paris, New York, Moscow, and Madrid respectively, until I read the local press about London's victory, like some sort of an NBA draft pick held every spring.

For the 2016 vote, I was hyped about Tokyo, making its return to centre stage, being the ideal city to deliver the games. But on decision day, when it has been announced of its elimination after Chicago, I was badly brokenhearted. (I have fell in love with Japan since Summer 2000, and with Tokyo as early as 2001-2002)

On September 2012, the month after the London Paralympics, I have noticed about their intent in bidding again, mostly coming out from blogs written by Americans in Japan such as Gaijinpot, and dannychoo.com. Being badly concerned about another loss, I quickly jumped to the internet for its preliminary polls in the race for 2020 Summer Games in which Istanbul and Madrid are also after, and THIS is where I became interested in the bidding process, as well as revisiting classic bids, being this my first anniversary here, assuring that my favourite city IS the one to go for. And it did. 60 to Istanbul's 36.

To the Olympics in general, the most remote record in my mind is for Atlanta 1996. This is where Avon launched a massive campaign to support the games. Not to mention that I have first saw Izzy, by its animated series: "Izzy's quest for the Olympic Rings"

To everyone at Gamesbids.com, this is my FIRST ANNIVERSARY being part of this family

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  • 1 year later...

I vaguely remember Barcelona, and hearing about Hayley Lewis and Kieran Perkins. I remember the Sydney bid process in 1993. I don't remember the Melbourne 1996 bid in any detail, but I do remember the logo. I remember the Atlanta Games well, and of course Sydney was a huge moment.

First winter games I really followed were Salt Lake, the first moderate succes AUS has had at the winter games.

First bid process I followed with interest was 2012 - I was drawn by the sheer competition of the big world cities. Didn't really follow 2008, but was happy to see Chinese success. I do not recall Athens winning 2004 at all.

I only knew learnt Athens was hosting during Sydney.

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I got interested in the Olympic bidding process in the early 2000s when Houston wanted to become the US bid for the 2012 Olympics. We were shortlisted, but sadly did not make it.

I got interested in the Olympics overall because of the Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding scandal. I was 11 years old at the time and it was all over the media. I've never heard of the Olympics before and my knowledge of sports at that time was football, basketball and soccer. I immediately took a huge interest in the winter games and took an even bigger interest with every new games.

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First Olympic memory was Sarajevo: I was fascinated by the name "Hämälainen" ;-) Also, Angerer in biathlon, Torvill/Dean, etc

Bidding: Probably got interested when the 92 vote was on, and talk about how JAS helped Barcelona, while German had this miserable Berchtesgaden bid.

First memories are Sarajevo: I loved the name Hämälainen...Peter Angerer in biathlon and Torvill/Dean.

LOL, I apparently posted exactly the same thing a year ago already - at least I still remember the same things :-)
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The first Olympic I watched is Beijing 2008. Fascinated by opening and the events, I started to find past events online. (Actually I was going to watch Athens 2004 but none of the TV stations broadcasted it). Michael Phelps just stuck on my head and I watched some of his victories in the pool.

I don't really care about bidding process until 2014 Winter bid opens.. I just keep rooting on Sochi (because the name is somehow cool for me)

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Athens 2004 is my first glimpse of Olympics that made me interested and then it gets more interesting in Beijing i'm really enjoyed by the ceremonies given there....

The 2016 race is my first time in observing an Olympic bid race i was though Tokyo will win before Rogge said "Rio De Janiero" from Copenhagen... Well at least Tokyo got 2020 later which is good for me here....

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When did I get interested in the Olympics? Earliest memories were of Sydney of course. Nikki Webster, opening ceremony and the mascots I was definitely fond of them.

I watched quite a bit of the Melbourne 2006 commonwealth games (Delta Goodrem singing together we are one <3). And that piqued my interest so I watched quite a bit of Beijing. All the drama from Beijing, the fake fireworks of the opening ceremony and the fears of underage gymnasts.

But sporting wise mostly swimming, Michael Phelps, and the Aussies Steph Rice, Libby Trickett, Leisel Jones. And Brenton Rickard cause he went to the same high school I attended.

And watched a lot of Vancouver 2010, remember the death of the Georgian athlete and the worries of a lack of snow.

First bidding race I followed was 2016. Read up on Rio and remember staying up for the announcement and just refreshing news pages trying to find out the result. First stream I watched live was Pyeongchang.

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OK here we go..... I used to stage a mini-Olympics in my backyard in Sydney (a few KMs away from Olympic Park) when I was about 9 years old once a year. This was the mid 1970s. Of course these Games included a bid process and an Olympic Host. I used to document everything, like my results, and even taped the opening ceremonies (which I still have)!!!

The first Games I really remember in full was the grand Moscow Games, and to a lesser extent Munich and Montreal.

When the Games came to Sydney I was determined to be a part- and managed through my written application to be the torch bearer carrying the flame into Byron Bay.

I also named the new daytime Express Train Service between Sydney and Melbourne 'The Olympic Spirit" as it linked the 2 Olympic cities... I was the only entrant out of 12,000 to think of it.

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First Olympic memory was Sarajevo: I was fascinated by the name "Hämälainen" ;-)

Have to correct your spelling as it is actually Hämäläinen. Quite a common surname and also my mother's maiden name. I believe back then it was written as Haemaelaeinen for international broadcast which many Finns find very amusing and this is often used as a point of reference when the traditional conversion of umlaut-topped vocals is mentioned. One isn't anything special but three in a same name is bit of a comedy.

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Have to correct your spelling as it is actually Hämäläinen. Quite a common surname and also my mother's maiden name. I believe back then it was written as Haemaelaeinen for international broadcast which many Finns find very amusing and this is often used as a point of reference when the traditional conversion of umlaut-topped vocals is mentioned. One isn't anything special but three in a same name is bit of a comedy.

Sorry for the spelling error...I know it's a common name, it's even a work colleague's maiden name, funnily enough.

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The first Olympics I've ever watched was Seoul in 1988, I managed to go to Atlanta too, The only reasons I went was for the Opening/Closing Ceremonies and Gymnastics Events, I really got into the bidding process when I was on holiday to Japan and I spotted an Osaka 2008 Poster, that drew my attention to the bidding process.

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I'm interested in olympics since 2004 I think. But more than anything i'm a general sports fan, bid processes don't interest me as much. I'd say I care 90% about the competitions and only 10% about elections, venue building, etc

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