Tag: Sports
Paying Respect to Buddha in Boston
by Shelley Miller | 03.03.10 | 10:11 AM ET
iStockPhoto At a Boston park, Shelley Miller learned that a little Cantonese will go a long way
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Yahoo! BuzzSo Long, Vancouver 2010
by Eva Holland | 03.02.10 | 7:48 PM ET
The medals have all been handed out and the flame’s been extinguished. Monday saw Vancouver International Airport have its busiest day on record as 39,000 visitors left the host city for home. As for me, I won’t forget joining in the massive red-and-white street party that consumed downtown Vancouver anytime soon—I think my favorite moment had to be seeing a crowd of turbaned Indo-Canadian kids dancing to a bhangra beat to celebrate our victory in men’s hockey, creating their very own wonder of the shrinking planet.
The Big Picture has a top-notch pair of photo essays for your final Olympic Games fix. See you in London?
From Beijing to Vancouver: A Very Different Olympics
by Eva Holland | 02.22.10 | 2:22 PM ET
REUTERS/Shaun Best It’s been nearly two years since I blogged from the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, and—as I thought I might—I now find myself on the Olympic travel trail again, in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Games. I’ll be honest: The two host cities couldn’t feel more different.
I stepped off the train from the airport and surfaced in downtown Vancouver this weekend, expecting, perhaps, to feel some uniquely Olympic vibe in the air, familiar to me from my brief time in Beijing. But the scene on Vancouver’s streets has almost nothing in common with the one I encountered two years ago. My memories of Beijing are all broad boulevards, empty except for uniformed Chinese volunteers offering directions to clusters of wandering foreigners, and subdued subway cars full of commuters. Vancouver, in contrast, is a non-stop maple-leaf-painted street party—flag-draped young people careen through the streets, impromptu break dancing circles pop up on corners, and buskers work the crowds. The brightly-dressed foreigners that I remember from Beijing are here, too, but they’re wildly outnumbered by the revelers in red and white.
I suppose there are plenty of economic reasons for the contrast. The 2008 Games probably weren’t as accessible to the average Chinese citizen as these Games are to most Vancouverites, while the expense and difficulty of visiting China could explain why the many young Olympics visitors here were absent in Beijing. (The local high school students I rode the bus home with last night, for instance, weren’t likely to make a transcontinental Olympic trek.) But economics aside, I still feel like there’s a fundamental difference at work: Beijing’s Games, to me, were clearly aimed outward, at the world, while Vancouver’s, so far, feel more like an essentially Canadian party to which everyone else has also been invited.
Photo You Must See: Shaun White Flying Over Vancouver
by World Hum | 02.18.10 | 12:59 PM ET
REUTERS/Mark Blinch Before winning the gold, Shaun White competes in the men's halfpipe qualifying on Cypress Mountain at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
76-Second Travel Show: For the Love of Luge
by Robert Reid | 02.09.10 | 12:03 PM ET
Just in time for the Vancouver Olympics, Robert Reid on places to try the "fastest sport on ice"
Video: Saints Super Bowl Victory Party in New Orleans
by Eva Holland | 02.08.10 | 3:06 PM ET
I’m not much of a football fan, but as a traveler who got hooked on the Crescent City awhile back I can’t get enough of this video. From the music to the Magazine St. bars to the Mardi Gras-bead-wearing beat cops, it’s all NOLA.
(Via Ta-Nehisi Coates)
Photo You Must See: Kitesurfing on the Israeli Coast
by World Hum | 01.27.10 | 1:10 PM ET
REUTERS/Amir Cohen A man kite surfs in the Mediterranean city of Ashkelon, Israel.
Photo You Must See: Sandboarding in Egypt
by World Hum | 01.19.10 | 12:49 PM ET
REUTERS/Tarek Mostafa American sandboarder Matt Walton flies down the Al Katania dunes southwest of Cairo, Egypt.
Video You Must See: Parkour in Berlin
by Eva Holland | 01.11.10 | 3:45 PM ET
Photo You Must See: Catching Air in Calgary
by World Hum | 01.11.10 | 11:57 AM ET
REUTERS/Todd Korol Skier Nina Li of China soars above the Canadian flag while preparing for the women’s aerials portion of the Freestyle World Cup in Calgary, Canada.
Photo You Must See: Soaring Over Engelberg
by World Hum | 12.21.09 | 11:58 AM ET
REUTERS/Michael Buholzer A ski jumper flies through the air while training for the ski jumping World Cup in Engelberg, Switzerland.
The Olympic Torch Relay, in Pictures
by Eva Holland | 12.10.09 | 2:21 PM ET
The Big Picture follows the flame’s progress from Olympia and Athens across Canada en route to Vancouver—with stops in Tofino, Old Crow, Kugluktuk and beyond.
Travel Movie Watch: ‘Pelada’
by Michael Yessis | 12.02.09 | 11:15 AM ET
When I interviewed Gwendolyn Oxenham and Ryan White in 2007 they were packing for Trinidad, the first stop in a journey to play pick-up soccer around the world. They, along with Rebekah Fergusson and Luke Boughen, planned to chronicle their experiences in a documentary.
More than two years later, a rough cut of their film is finished. Soon they’ll be pitching “Pelada” to film festivals. In the meantime, here’s the trailer:
Video You Must See: Sailing on Ice
by Eva Holland | 11.23.09 | 11:41 AM ET
Photo You Must See: Waving the Algerian Flag
by World Hum | 11.17.09 | 12:22 PM ET
REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh Fans of Algeria’s soccer team wave the Algerian flag in Khartoum.
Photo You Must See: Catching Air in Switzerland
by World Hum | 11.06.09 | 12:07 PM ET
REUTERS/Denis Balibouse A snowboarder performs a jump during a halfpipe event at the Snowboard World Cup in Saas Fee, Switzerland.
Photo You Must See: Yankee in Times Square
by World Hum | 11.05.09 | 9:51 AM ET
REUTERS/Lucas Jackson A New York Yankees fan in Times Square reacts to video of a play during game six of the World Series.
Photo You Must See: Sailing Off Trieste
by World Hum | 10.14.09 | 9:58 AM ET
REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini Sailboats at the annual Barcolana regatta in the Gulf of Trieste near northern Italy. The race is one of the largest in the world with more than 2,000 participants.
Did Airport Security Ruin Chicago’s Olympic Bid?
by Eva Holland | 10.05.09 | 11:32 AM ET
Michelle Higgins ponders the impact of U.S. border control policies on Chicago’s failed bid for the 2016 Summer Games. For my part, I suppose that could have been a factor—remember the visitor shortfall in Beijing after China tightened its visa restrictions—but beyond any specific considerations, I’m just not sure about the assumption that 2016 was Chicago’s to lose. After all, the United States has already hosted the Olympics eight times, while Rio’s winning bid will mean the first Games ever on South American soil. It’s about time, isn’t it?
Real Madrid: The Theme Park
by Eva Holland | 09.22.09 | 11:07 AM ET
According to Reuters, the big-name Spanish football club is planning a “Disney-style” theme park near Madrid’s Barajas airport. The only hint about the park-to-be’s attractions so far? They will reflect the club’s “history, legend and values.” Bring on the carnies in Cristiano Ronaldo masks, please.