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Armstrong, Phelps, skating top reasons to watch in 2009
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No Olympic Games this year, but there are still Olympic games. Here are five things to look forward to in the world of Olympic sports in 2009:
- Lance Armstrong returning. He’ll race the Tour de France again after retiring from the sport more than three years ago. His first competition is in Australia’s Tour Down Under starting on Jan. 20. Hard to see how his return can do anything but diminish his legacy – we can’t imagine he’ll win an eighth title, but he says it’s all about spreading the word about cancer awareness and research. It’s unlikely he’ll ever shake doping allegations from his early career, and a recent event has added to his superhuman stature: Armstrong, 37, and his girlfriend are expecting a child, conceived “naturally,” even after Armstrong was bombarded with radiation and chemotherapy to treat the testicular cancer that nearly killed him in 1996.
- Michael Phelps making swimming almost mainstream. NBC will broadcast the U.S. nationals and world championships this year, thanks to Phelps. After the longest break from swimming in his life (August to February), look for Phelps to unveil a schedule of shorter events in preparation for London in 2012. Who can blame him if he wants the rest?
- Whether there’s truth to the rumors of a possible return for Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen. Goodness knows, U.S. skating could use the buzz. If either (or both) are planning to return, it won’t happen in time to enter this month’s U.S. Nationals in Cleveland or the L.A.-hosted world championships in March. To make the Olympic team, both would have to qualify for the 2010 U.S. Nationals, set for January 2010 in Spokane, Wash., a mere month before the Games. That’s where the Olympic team will be chosen. Meanwhile, we'll wait for current skaters (Mirai Nagasu, Rachael Flatt, Ashley Wagner, Caroline Zhang, Kimmie Meissner, Alissa Czisny) to show themselves as Olympic medal contenders for Vancouver. Their competition: stellar teenagers Kim Yu-Na of Korea and Japan’s Mao Asada, along with a bunch of talented country mates. The U.S. men are in better shape, but we’re still looking for a quad from U.S. men Johnny Weir, Evan Lysacek or Jeremy Abbott.
- The vote for a 2016 Summer Games host. Chicago runs against Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo. On October 2, we’ll find out if the city – with a possible in-person cameo from most-famous son Barack Obama – has the goods to become the first U.S. summer host city in what will have been 20 years. The International Olympic Committee also votes which, if any, sports will be added – or in the case of baseball and softball, returned to the Olympic calendar for 2016. Other candidates – golf, rugby sevens, squash, karate and roller sports. The IOC will name up to two sports. It could add one or none.
- The hope that Vancouver organizers will find a way to make more tickets available to the general public, including their neighbors to the south. Far too many seats are promised to Olympic big-wigs, who then fail to show, leaving empty seats. Despite promises, it even happened in China, the world’s most populous nation. Figure out a system where tickets for late no-shows are redistributed or re-sold to people who really want to be there. Which would include practically all of Canada, and a sizeable chunk of the U.S.
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