Keep the Flame Alive

It's a Bucket List episode! Alison's been dying to talk about the infamous Blood in the Water water polo match from Melbourne 1956, and Jill's wanted to talk about the contentious football match between the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia from Helsinki 1952. We get to cover BOTH of them this week with Harry Blutstein, author of the book "Cold War Games: Spies, Subterfuge and Secret Operations at the 1956 Olympic Games," which looks at how politics and history played out at the Melbourne 1956 Olympics (also known as "The Friendly Games"). Hear some amazing stories of the issues with the Soviet Union, Hungary, Yugoslavia, China and Taiwan.

Be sure to check out Harry's website for more stories -- and if you're one of our Patreon patrons, we'll have some bonus audio from this interview for our Bronze level and above patrons. Our Patreon patrons also get a first look at our new sponsorship with PinCollector.com.

In our Team Olympic Fever Update, the dulcet tones of Jason Bryant are in Tokyo to announce at the wrestling test event. Also, Charlie White and Meryl Davis were on Talks At Google -- check it out here!

We've also got a bunch of updates about doping and Tokyo 2020, including this new bus and curb (or "kerb") design.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Note: Links to products are affiliate links. We earn commissions through purchases made through them, which helps to fund the show.

Photo courtesy of Harry Blutstein.

DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee ("USOPC"). Any use of OLYMPIC® in the Olympic Fever podcast is strictly for informational and commentary purposes. The Olympic Fever podcast is not an official podcast of the USOPC. The Olympic Fever podcast is not a sponsor of the USOPC, nor is Olympic Fever associated with or endorsed by USOPC in any way. The content of Olympic Fever podcast does not reflect the opinions, standards, views, or policies of the USOPC, and the USOPC in no way warrants that content featured in Olympic Fever is accurate.

Rio 2016 Olympian Joe Maloy talks with Jill about what makes a successful triathlete (hint: think mental game).

Joe is currently working for USA Triathlon as its Collegiate Recruitment Program Coordinator. You can follow him on Twitter and Insta.

Some shocking news: Russia's worried about getting banned from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics because the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found some inconsistencies in the samples the Russian Anti-Doping Agency handed over. Inconsistencies?! From RUSADA? Who would've thought!

Our Team Olympic Fever update is full of weddings, babies, bobsled results (yep, it's winter sports time again) and an update on the traveler of the month.

Plus, the Tokyo 2020 organizers have announced what the furniture in the Olympic Village will be--they're sticking with their sustainability initiatives and have come up with something pretty innovative. We have opinions, of course.

Also, from seemingly out of nowhere, TBach unleashes an expertise we'd never guess he had.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee ("USOPC"). Any use of OLYMPIC® in the Olympic Fever podcast is strictly for informational and commentary purposes. The Olympic Fever podcast is not an official podcast of the USOPC. The Olympic Fever podcast is not a sponsor of the USOPC, nor is Olympic Fever associated with or endorsed by USOPC in any way. The content of Olympic Fever podcast does not reflect the opinions, standards, views, or policies of the USOPC, and the USOPC in no way warrants that content featured in Olympic Fever is accurate.

It's Week 2 of Olympic weightlifting, and this time we're looking at it from the perspective of an official. Dan Kent, The People's Publisher from Weightlifting House, joins us to tell us what the technical officials and referees look for during competition.

You can find The People's Publisher at Weightlifting House, coaching at the Warwickshire Weightlifting Club, publishing at Powerful Ideas Press, or teaching people about Eleiko equipment.

Plus, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics has released its mascots, and we've got opinions! Here are the launch videos:

• Bing Dwen Dwen
• Shuey Rhon Rhon

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee ("USOPC"). Any use of OLYMPIC® in the Olympic Fever podcast is strictly for informational and commentary purposes. The Olympic Fever podcast is not an official podcast of the USOPC. The Olympic Fever podcast is not a sponsor of the USOPC, nor is Olympic Fever associated with or endorsed by USOPC in any way. The content of Olympic Fever podcast does not reflect the opinions, standards, views, or policies of the USOPC, and the USOPC in no way warrants that content featured in Olympic Fever is accurate.

The International Weightlifting Federation's world championships starts on Wednesday, September 18, so we thought it was a great time to learn about Olympic weightlifting and what this sport is all about. Joining us to explain it is the Voice of the People, Seb Ostrowicz, host of the Weightlifting House podcast and writer at its accompanying website.

Seb talks with us about the two lifts that make up a weightlifting competition: the snatch and the clean-and-jerk. We also talk about:

• Weight classes, cutting weight and post-weigh-in eating
• The incredible flexibility and mobility of weightlifters
• Who to look out for at Tokyo 2020

Check out Weightlifting House! They're on Facebook, Insta and Twitter, and you can find the podcast on your favorite podcast player. If you love weightlifting, definitely check it out because they get some great interviews with top people in the sport.

In our Team Olympic Fever Update, we've got news from our team members Sarah Hendrickson and the dulcet tones of Jason Bryant.

We've also got news from Tokyo 2020 -- someone's not too happy about changes made to the Team Equestrian events! Also, if you've applied to be part of the Tokyo 2020 Torch Relay, don't hold your breath....there's a ton of applicants.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photo courtesy of Seb Ostrowicz.

DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee ("USOPC"). Any use of OLYMPIC® in the Olympic Fever podcast is strictly for informational and commentary purposes. The Olympic Fever podcast is not an official podcast of the USOPC. The Olympic Fever podcast is not a sponsor of the USOPC, nor is Olympic Fever associated with or endorsed by USOPC in any way. The content of Olympic Fever podcast does not reflect the opinions, standards, views, or policies of the USOPC, and the USOPC in no way warrants that content featured in Olympic Fever is accurate.

Olympic athletes rely on sponsors to help them earn a living--but during the Olympics, the most important time a sponsor can benefit from this partnership, they often can't market it. Why? The International Olympic Committee's Rule 40. We talk with Associated Press sports correspondent Karolos Grohmann to learn more about this controversial rule.

Follow Karolos on Twitter--he's a great resource if you want to keep up on the IOC.

Plus, a Team Olympic Fever Update featuring Dr. Victoria Jackson, Shiva Keshavan and Lindsey Mayo. Also, in Tokyo 2020 news, there's controversy over the Paralympic medal design. And we discover a new way to tie James Bond to the Olympics!

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee ("USOPC"). Any use of OLYMPIC® in the Olympic Fever podcast is strictly for informational and commentary purposes. The Olympic Fever podcast is not an official podcast of the USOPC. The Olympic Fever podcast is not a sponsor of the USOPC, nor is Olympic Fever associated with or endorsed by USOPC in any way. The content of Olympic Fever podcast does not reflect the opinions, standards, views, or policies of the USOPC, and the USOPC in no way warrants that content featured in Olympic Fever is accurate.

This week, since it's the long Labor Day weekend in the US, we're bringing you a Lightning Round, featuring our Team Olympic Fever interpreter Grace Hahn, our Kiwi Connection Dr. Micheal Warren and our sports historian Dr. Victoria Jackson.

Our team members have been busy since they've been on the show. Grace Hahn has a new ebook about being a global traveler/remote worker. You can also get tips and guidance on travel and remote working from her website.

Dr. Micheal Warren, aka our Kiwi Connection, has been busy writing blog articles for Team New Zealand. Check out his latest one about canoeing!

Sports Historian Dr. Victoria Jackson recently recently published an op-ed she co-wrote with Andrés Martinez in the LA Times on how to improve the World Cup. She's also had some exciting projects happening at the start of the semester, so follow her on Twitter.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee ("USOPC"). Any use of OLYMPIC® in the Olympic Fever podcast is strictly for informational and commentary purposes. The Olympic Fever podcast is not an official podcast of the USOPC. The Olympic Fever podcast is not a sponsor of the USOPC, nor is Olympic Fever associated with or endorsed by USOPC in any way. The content of Olympic Fever podcast does not reflect the opinions, standards, views, or policies of the USOPC, and the USOPC in no way warrants that content featured in Olympic Fever is accurate.

It's one year until the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games! As we start to prepare to watch these Games, one thing stood out in our memories from watching Rio 2016: What's up with all of those classifications?

Along with doping tests, para athletes have to undergo classification tests so that they're placed into competitive groups that all have similar limitations. Unfortunately for the casual viewer, they seem to be random letters and numbers that don't make much sense, particularly when you're watching four different finals of the same distance race.

We wanted to learn more about this system, so we talked with Giles Long MBE. Giles is a seven-time medalist Paralympian in swimming, including three golds. Giles also heard people's frustration with understanding the classification system, so he created LEXI, a graphical system that quickly explains what each class is so that you can better enjoy the competition at hand.

You can learn more about Giles at his website or follow him on Twitter and Insta.

If you've wondered whether para athletes try to work the classification system in their favor, Paralympics Australia recently released a mandatory online course for its para athletes about this very topic! It doesn't happen often, but there's certainly a concern that someone would do this in order to win.

Links from our Team Olympic Fever Update:

• Lou Jones has some updates on his panAFRICAproject
• More info on how to support John MacLeod's fundraiser to produce his films
• Jacqueline Simoneau is an ambassador for this year's Tough Mountie Challenge in Montreal in October

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

Photos courtesy of Giles Long and Lexicon Decoder Ltd 2011-2019.

DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee ("USOPC"). Any use of OLYMPIC® in the Olympic Fever podcast is strictly for informational and commentary purposes. The Olympic Fever podcast is not an official podcast of the USOPC. The Olympic Fever podcast is not a sponsor of the USOPC, nor is Olympic Fever associated with or endorsed by USOPC in any way. The content of Olympic Fever podcast does not reflect the opinions, standards, views, or policies of the USOPC, and the USOPC in no way warrants that content featured in Olympic Fever is accurate.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic test events are well under way, and this weekend they're testing the triathlon course. We know that triathlon is swim-bike-run, but it's really more than that. Luckily for us, the USA Triathlon 2019 Age Group National Championships, which feature both a sprint and an Olympic distance were recently held in Cleveland, so Jill hopped on her bike and headed to Edgewater Park to have a chat with Tim Yount, USA Triathlon's Chief Sport Development Officer -- and race announcer -- to learn more about the sport and what to look for in Tokyo.

During this interview, we have a first for the podcast, as worlds collide within our Team Olympic Fever. Which of our TOF members does Tim know? You'll have to listen to find out (or watch this video)!

From Tokyo 2020, some updates on the heat and how it's affected some test events. Our TOF member Roy Tomizawa attended the rowing test event and had this to say from the spectator perspective.

And there's more fun from Italy, as the Italian government has proposed taking control of its Olympic committee. That's a big no-no with the IOC, because as you know, sports and politics do not mix, so we talk about the potential repercussions....and how the USOPC might face the same music.

DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee ("USOPC"). Any use of OLYMPIC® in the Olympic Fever podcast is strictly for informational and commentary purposes. The Olympic Fever podcast is not an official podcast of the USOPC. The Olympic Fever podcast is not a sponsor of the USOPC, nor is Olympic Fever associated with or endorsed by USOPC in any way. The content of Olympic Fever podcast does not reflect the opinions, standards, views, or policies of the USOPC, and the USOPC in no way warrants that content featured in Olympic Fever is accurate.

We're excited to have Olympian John MacLeod*, producer at WitNit Productions, with us this week. John's been working on a fascinating project called "Beyond Bronze, Silver and Gold," which is a series of documentary films that share Olympians' untold stories.

You've got to see the previews of his first two shorts -- they're riveting, and really well-told. John's working on the post-production portion now, and he's got a Kickstarter going to help fund that effort so they can get done and in front of audiences sooner. You can support his efforts here - you don't have much time left to do so, though! The drive ends on August 15.

We also have a small slice of TOFU for you this week, as well as some legacy news. You know how much we love talking about Olympic Host City legacies. This time it's because Lake Placid is investing a lot of money into renovations of some of its facilities ahead of hosting the 2023 Winter Universiade. Good on you, Lake Placid! We're always impressed at how this town has done such a good job of reusing its facilities.

On a different part of the spectrum is Rio. Not the other end, perhaps, but just a different part. The International Olympic Committee released a statement about what was going with the Rio venues, and we spend some time reading between the lines of the press release to figure out what it actually means.

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

*Or John MacLeod, OLY if you prefer.

DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee ("USOPC"). Any use of OLYMPIC® in the Olympic Fever podcast is strictly for informational and commentary purposes. The Olympic Fever podcast is not an official podcast of the USOPC. The Olympic Fever podcast is not a sponsor of the USOPC, nor is Olympic Fever associated with or endorsed by USOPC in any way. The content of Olympic Fever podcast does not reflect the opinions, standards, views, or policies of the USOPC, and the USOPC in no way warrants that content featured in Olympic Fever is accurate.

We're less than a year away from the Tokyo Olympics, which means there's not that much time for fans to prep. Never fear--Superfan Sarah is back to give us some tips on what we can do now. Plus, she's also spent a good amount of time in Tokyo, so she's got tips on how to beat the heat, different food to eat, how to get around and more!

We always love it when Sarah's on because there's so much to talk about. She fills us in on what the mood was like at the recent U.S. Classic gymnastics event that she and Listener Meredith attended. We also take the first of what will likely be many "What Sport Are You?" quizzes. This one is based on your Myers-Brigg personality types.....and it was really written for a recent Commonwealth Games, but it's been floated around now too (in case you wonder why "your sport" isn't in the Olympics--if that's the case, how do you match up in terms of shoes?).

Of course, there's always more news from the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee. Check out its plans for WATERFRONT CITY and a commemorative coin!

Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, keep the flame alive!

DISCLAIMER: OLYMPIC® is a trademark of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee ("USOPC"). Any use of OLYMPIC® in the Olympic Fever podcast is strictly for informational and commentary purposes. The Olympic Fever podcast is not an official podcast of the USOPC. The Olympic Fever podcast is not a sponsor of the USOPC, nor is Olympic Fever associated with or endorsed by USOPC in any way. The content of Olympic Fever podcast does not reflect the opinions, standards, views, or policies of the USOPC, and the USOPC in no way warrants that content featured in Olympic Fever is accurate.