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Entries Tagged as 'London 2012'

My Soccer Bona Fides

May 30th, 2014 · 1 Comment · Abu Dhabi, Football, France, Italy, Landon Donovan, London 2012, Olympics, Paris, soccer, Sports Journalism, The National, UAE, World Cup

A few days back I posted an entry about how I doubt I will be able to cheer for the U.S. national team at the coming World Cup, because I have developed an animus towards Jurgen Klinsmann, the coach who dumped Landon Donovan. That provoked some reaction, some of it more than a bit tart. “We don’t […]

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UAE Football: The Turning Point?

January 5th, 2013 · No Comments · Abu Dhabi, Fifa, Football, Italy, London 2012, Olympics, soccer, Sports Journalism, The National, UAE, World Cup

In my time in the UAE, the senior national soccer team has been, mostly, wretched. The Emirati footballers completed a hapless campaign in the final round of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup just after I arrived in Abu Dhabi, in late 2009, but I heard about it, and the reverberations could still be felt. […]

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Paralympic Gold, Silver for the UAE

September 4th, 2012 · No Comments · London 2012, The National, UAE

This was a nice day in the realm of international sports for the UAE. An Emirati shooter won gold and a wheelchair sprinter won silver in the London Paralympic Games today. How big a deal is that?

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This Band Goes to 11

September 2nd, 2012 · 1 Comment · Football, London 2012, USC

Every now and then I get on my marching band freak. I love marching bands. I may have mentioned that. Generally, I love the USC marching band. The Spirit of Troy, as the kids in sunglasses and plumed helmets prefer to be known. I would never say they are America’s best marching band. They are […]

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Who Was No. 1? Three Letters: U-S-A

August 12th, 2012 · No Comments · Beijing Olympics, London 2012, Olympics

I know this is not ecumenical. I know it’s retro. But I am a child of the Cold War, and we treasured Olympic medals like … well, gold … back then, and kept close tabs of where they went. And I have never given it up. I am always aware of who leads the medals […]

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Hello, Princeton!

August 9th, 2012 · No Comments · Abu Dhabi, London 2012, Olympics, tourism

More peregrinations. From Abu Dhabi to the middle of New Jersey in eight “easy” steps covering 25 hours.

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Today’s List: Ten Potential Olympic Cities

August 6th, 2012 · 2 Comments · Dubai, Lists, London 2012, Olympics, Paris

London has turned out to be a fine city to host a modern Olympics. Lots of diversions, plenty of local expertise to make it all happen, good facilities, nice people, easy to reach … London is not new at this, though, having hosted twice before, including in 1948. But that was long ago, before the […]

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Usain Bolt and Saving Track and Field

August 5th, 2012 · No Comments · Basketball, Beijing Olympics, London 2012, Olympics, soccer, Sports Journalism

You hear this, now and then. And I did the other day on BBC. Or maybe it was Al Jazeera, here in the Gulf. That Usain Bolt, sprinter from Jamaica, “saved” track and field. Perhaps kept it from going extinct? Is that what “saved” means? Which is silly, of course. Track and field now is […]

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Britain Rules the Track

August 4th, 2012 · No Comments · London 2012, Olympics

Watch track and field … athletics, most of the world calls it … and you will see some strange things. (And, no, that does not include U.S. teams throwing the baton and throwing the baton during the 4×100 or 4×400 relays; that happens at every Olympics.) Not many recent episodes, however, have been stranger that […]

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Back to the Desert

August 3rd, 2012 · No Comments · Abu Dhabi, Football, London 2012, Olympics, Paris, soccer, The National, tourism, UAE

We continue to think of travel as difficult, but it really is not, in the abstract, compared to 10 years ago, never mind 50 or 100. Multiple flights, multiple varieties of ground transport … So, in Coventry, England. Going back to Abu Dhabi, UAE. How to?

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