Product Description
Bring the Olympic spirit to life for students with information and activities that relate to both the Summer and Winter Games. Learn about Olympic history, traditions, sites, and events. Become inspired by studying the spirit of competition and the stories of famous athletes. You will also find a complete board game, plans for a mini-Olympic competition, research center ideas, art patterns, a bibliography, and more in this complete resource book. ... Read more

Product Description
Whether you are a youngster, an adult, or a spectator ofany age, A Basic Guide to Softball will enhance your understanding ofthe history of the sport and its rules and fundamentals. ... Read more

Product Description
Take advantage of the specific management knowledge used in running Olympic committees and sport federations around the world. Strategic and Performance Management of Olympic Sport Organisations offers valuable guidance on strategically evaluating, managing, and driving the performance of sport organizations.

Strategic and Performance Management of Olympic Sport Organisations was developed for use in the Executive Masters in Sport Organization Management (MEMOS) program. MEMOS, founded in 1995 by a network of European universities supported by Olympic Solidarity, aims to improve the management of sport organizations and provide a higher level of training for sport managers.

This book covers the first of three courses in the MEMOS program and emphasizes the importance of the history and development of the Olympic movement. It highlights new issues at stake as the Olympic movement evolves, and it helps readers to grasp the specific management framework of Olympic sport organizations and other sport federations, including voluntary work by its leadership and operating on a nonprofit basis.

Strategic and Performance Management of Olympic Sport Organisations defines critical strategic management principles and methods and teaches managers how to implement them to improve performance. Packed with case studies and examples of strategic plans used in Olympic sport organizations, readers will learn to

·identify and formulate a mission,
·conduct and assess external threats and opportunities as well as internal strengths and weaknesses,
·define organizational goals and steps to reach them, and
·evaluate the results of actions for future planning.

Strategic and Performance Management of Olympic Sport Organisations will help management successfully run Olympic committees and sport federations worldwide. ... Read more

Product Description

From speed skating to snowboarding, bobsleigh to ice hockey, this encyclopedia book gives the medals tables, timings, distances, and scores of every event, and provides vital information on rules and scoring systems. But much more than a statistical compendium, the book also offers a wealth of Winter Olympic history, anecdote, and lore, bringing alive the most dramatic moments from the Games and celebrating the many extraordinary individuals who have competed. It covers each event, Games by Games, from the four skating events which first featured in the 1908 London Olympics to freestyle skiing and curling—including discontinued events. With the top eight placings for every event at every Winter Olympics, plus descriptions of rules and scoring for all 2010 events, and hundreds of anecdotes, from the astonishing to the bizarre, this is an indispensable guide for all fans.

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent!
This is the most complete book about the Winter Olympics available.It's the complementary book to the Summer Olympics.What you get is all the results and historical vignettes to most of the events.

Good information. Lot of errors
I got this book to update the one I had to the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow (The 2008 Edition did that for the Summer version and it was well done). This book has a lot of errors in it. For Nordic combined, it lists the old event of 7.5 km sprint and 15 km individual even though both events changed in late 2008 to 10 km individual large hill and 10 km individual normal hill. No details provided of the Gundersen system point time differential for competitiors in the individual and team event.

There is no mention of ski cross in the freestyle skiing section which will debut at this year's Olympics.

For cross country skiing on the combined/ double pursuit, the events listed are not accurate. 1992-8 were 10 km + 15 km combined men & 5 km + 10 km combined women, both separate days. 2002 was 10 km + 10 km combined men and 5 km + 5 km combined women, same day at seperate times. Since 2006, it has been 7.5 km + 7.5 km double pursuit women and 15 km + 15 km double pursuit men, a duathlon event. No explanation given for event.

For the knowledge that Wallechinsky and Loucky have with the Olympics, this left something to be desired.

Not what I expected
If you are looking for a book that spends a lot of time going over past olympics medal placings,...this is for you.Not a lot on the specific sports. ... Read more

Product Description

IN 1936, Adolf Hitler welcomed the world to Berlin to attend the Olympic Games. It promised to be not only a magnificent sporting event but also a grand showcase for the rebuilt Germany. No effort was spared to present the Third Reich as the newest global power. But beneath the glittering surface, the Games of the Eleventh Olympiad of the Modern Era came to act as a crucible for the dark political forces that were gathering, foreshadowing the bloody conflict to come.

Customer Reviews (5)

I'm sorry to go against the consensus opinion
But I must. Maybe it is a personal bias, but I can't stand sensationalism with no redeeming qualities. Everything said in this book has been said many times before (see the "related works" on this very page), but the authors find a way to muddle things up in a very negative way. Aims at the lowest instincts of man. Of course, this is the modus operandi of the author which becomes clear if you consider his other works.
Avoid.

THE ONLY THING AMATEUR ABOUT THE OLYMPIC GAMES ARE THE COMPROMISED FOOLS WHO RUN THE I.O.C
Guy Walters book is a worth while read. For a time the Nazi party formed an unholy marriage with the International Olympic Committee (I.O.C), just long enough to hold the '36 Olympic Games. Walter's shows the corruption, greed and manipulation of the games by the Nazi party and the I.O.C. But such blatant abuse is hardly exclusive to one regime or country. The sub heading of the book "How the Nazi's Stole the Olympic Dream" is incorrect. The I.O.C were and still is a combination of corrupt, greedy business men and women hiding behind a banner of sporting unity to sell their product; "The Olympic Games." The Nazi's were able to convince fools, anti Semites and appeasers as to the positive outcome of a Berlin Olympics.
The Olympic dream is honored by some individual athletes, but is only a slogan to the I.O.C who would have the world believe they are the world leaders in integrity and selflessness.
Hitler used the Berlin games to give credibility to his regime. In 2008 the Chinese did the same. If the money flows, and human rights violations are hidden or not overly publicized then the show go's on.

Politics and the Berlin Games of 1936.
Very relevant as the world looks to Beijing in 2008.In 1936, the Nazis hosted both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games in Germany.The Nazis used the politics of the Olympic Games to glorify the new Germany.Walters depicts how the Nazis hid the discrimination of the Jews, the political oppression of its opponents, the economic misery, and the military domination to give the world a false picture of the new Germany.Many informed people were not fooled, and told the world that this picture was false.A boycott movement was formed, but the majority of governments chose to look the other way and participate in the games.The games did indeed glorify the German government.Three years later, the World was at War, and the Holocaust began.

Walters summarizes the complete details of these Olympics with all the world politics thrown in.The Nazis lying and barbarous methods are detailed in the selection of German athletes and the politics of holding the Games.It is a wonder so many people were fooled by the methods of this regime.A good read and very relevant today.

A Chronicle of Hypocrisy
This book is an interesting, and long overdue, chronicle of not just the 1936 Olympic Games themselves (held in Hitler's Germany) but also of the many machinations that went on behind the scenes to ensure that the Games would be held despite the Nazis' treatment of the Jews and others considered to be undesirable.

Thus, despite the fact that the Nazis had passed the Nuremberg Laws in 1935 (forbidding, e.g., marriage or sexual relations between Jews and Germans), the International Olympic Committee worked with the Nazis to ensure that the games went on and colloborated in pretending that there was no actual discrimination.

In this regard, placed in a particularly bad light are American sports officials who more often than not were guilty of racism, prejudice, and anti-Semitism against their own citizens.(E.g., much to do was made in the American press about the (apparently false) story that Hitler snubbed Jesse Owens by refusing to shake his hand, yet Jesse Owens came home to a country whose citizens as a whole treated him worse than the Germans he dealt with during the Olympics.)

In the end, however, despite all the much-deserved hoopla about Jesse Owens, the real winners of the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games were the Nazis as they impressed the world with their efficiency (a record number of countries, over 4 dozen, participated in the Games) and the Games were a propaganda bonanza for them.For example, the Nazis instituted the practice of carrying the Olympic torch from Olympia to the site of the games, an event which they heavily publicised.In addition, their organization of the Games was impeccable (including premier housing for the athletes), their Olympic Stadium (holding over 100,000 spectators) was a monumental showpiece, and the Games even turned a profit.In this respect, perhaps the most telling moment of the Games was the opening ceremonies when the speaker's podium was decorated not just with the familiar Olympic symbol of five interlocking Olympic rings but a giant German eagle clutching the Olympic rings in its talons.

Interspersed within the story of the politics surrounding these Olympics is a treasure trove of information about the background of many of the athletes (including their personal prejudices) and the events at these Games.

Overall, the book is a very well written and interesting account of the 1936 Olympic Games that exposes much of the hyprocrisy that allowed them to go on after the Nazis came to power and also reveals much about many of the athletes who participated in the Games.

Documents Don't Lie, People Do
The 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin was a watershed moment for sports and politics, with its ramifications rippling through history some 70 years later.

Author Guy Walters does impeccible research of documents and individuals to bring a complete picture of how the Nazi Party virtually took over the International Olympic movement as it set the stage for war. Though the Games were awarded to Germany before the Nazi Party took full control of the government and Hitler was initially not in favor of holding the event, the benefits from a propoganda machine operating from every home to each Olympic venue became too great to pass up.

Though athletic officials and politicians knew about the growing oppression in Germany, Walters uses documents and quotes culled from meetings to show the utter appeasement that occurred. For example, American sports official Avery Brundage had written that Hitler was "a god," and then did everything in his power to successfully discredit and destroy the movement in the U.S. to boycott the competition.

Brundage did not see anything wrong with the Nazi ideal, but he did deal harshly with a top female swimmer on the U.S. team. She was kicked off the squad due to her partying on the ocean liner that was taking the team to Europe.

There were athletes who wanted to use the world stage to destroy the myths surrounding the Nazi movement. A German wrestler - who was a member of the Communist Party - hoped to parlay a winning performance by refusing to give the Nazi salute on the medal stand and use a live-radio interview as a means to tell the world about the real Germany.

There were other athletes who used the Olympics for different goals. A South African boxer was so taken with the Nazi Party that he was later recruited as a spy and became part of a plot to assassinate the president of his nation.

Add in the dress-rehearsal for the summer competition, the 1936 Winter Games in Bavaria, the reoccupation of the Rhineland and legendary athletes like Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe, the Berlin Games was a backdrop to the excellence of competition and the viciousness of totalitarianism.

And in the end, Walters rips apart the screen that so many toadies of the Nazi Party had hid behind for too many years. ... Read more

Product Description
The Olympics are the quintessential athletic competition. But beyond athletics lies a network of investment, organization, and case studies in leadership. For sponsors, a key byproduct of these networks is a strong brand halo--the focus of John Davis' interesting new book. Davis brings a keen academic and business eye to the brand halo associated with the competition. And this book will be an important resource and practical guide for firms in evaluating Olympic sponsorship.
Glenn Hubbard
Dean and Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics
Columbia Business School

John Davis' new book provides a treasure of information to guide companies as they evaluate marketing in sports in general and the Olympics in particular. Highly constructive checklists throughout the book will help companies evaluate the potential of their sponsorship investments. And the coverage of the lows as wells as the highs of Olympic-related marketing reinforces the realism and credibility of this well-written book.
George Foster
Paul L. and Phyllis Wattis Professor of Management
Director of the Executive Program for Growing Companies
Stanford University Graduate School of Business

Interweaving history and economics with vignettes of heroes ancient and modern, John Davis illustrates how the Olympic Games have become the premier "heritage brand" in the era of experiential marketing. Differentiating and managing brands are perennial priorities for Marketing Science Institute's corporate sponsors. Davis details why so many have chosen to be major Olympic sponsors. Importantly, he provides a comprehensive checklist of questions to help other companies explore the potential and pitfalls of such sponsorships.
Earl L. Taylor, PhD
Chief Marketing Officer
Marketing Science Institute

This book is worth its weight in gold medals. Learn how Coca-Cola, Visa and other great companies took wing and flew to even greater success on the high power updraft of the Olympics. A must-read for any company wanting to become a top global brand.
Rod Beckstrom
Co-author, The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations

John Davis' book brings to life the history and intricacies of the Olympic Games, and illustrates the best practices of sports marketing and sports sponsorship that are relevant in today's dynamic sports scene. This book deserves to be widely read.
Oon Jin Teik
Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Sports Council
Singapore Olympian, 23rd Olympic Games, 1984 Los Angeles, USA ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Must Read for All Marketers
Using the Olympics as a backdrop, this book is a tremendous read for marketers of all types. From guerilla marketing tactics to big-company branding efforts, Davis covers it all. The book belongs on the shelf of any marketing professional, but not just to sit there. It will be used and referenced for years to come.

Branding at it's best
Even though they are removing baseball from the Olympics, John Davis' new book hits it out of the park.As only John can, he uses interesting and entertaining vignettes to illustrate his points about the brand halo.More importantly John provides a complete list of guidelines to help other companies understand the potential of Olympic sponsorship.Making this must read for anyone involved in developing a top global brand. ... Read more

Product Description
What was it like to attend the ancient Olympic Games?

With the summer Olympics’ return to Athens, Tony Perrottet delves into the ancient world and lets the Greek Games begin again. The acclaimed author of Pagan Holiday brings attitude, erudition, and humor to the fascinating story of the original Olympic festival, tracking the event day by day to re-create the experience in all its compelling spectacle.

Using firsthand reports and little-known sources—including an actual Handbook for a Sports Coach used by the Greeks—The Naked Olympics creates a vivid picture of an extravaganza performed before as many as forty thousand people, featuring contests as timeless as the javelin throw and as exotic as the chariot race.

Peeling away the layers of myth, Perrottet lays bare the ancient sporting experience—including the round-the-clock bacchanal inside the tents of the Olympic Village, the all-male nude workouts under the statue of Eros, and history’s first corruption scandals involving athletes. Featuring sometimes scandalous cameos by sports enthusiasts Plato, Socrates, and Herodotus, The Naked Olympics offers essential insight into today’s Games and an unforgettable guide to the world’s first and most influential athletic festival.

"Just in time for the modern Olympic games to return to Greece this summer for the first time in more than a century, Tony Perrottet offers up a diverting primer on the Olympics of the ancient kind….Well researched; his sources are as solid as sources come.It's also well writen….Perhaps no book of the season will show us so briefly and entertainingly just how complete is our inheritance from the Greeks, vulgarity and all."
--The Washington Post ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

The truth about the Olympics
I've never been a sports fan, so I thought I might find this book rather a bore.But in fact there isn't a dull moment in this very entertaining account of what the Olympic Games were like in ancient Greece.

It is fascinating to learn that the games themselves were only a part of the events that took place, with religious celebrations predominating. Enormous numbers of animals were sacrificed to the gods in the course of the games. The events were a lot more colourful than the modern Olympics, with violence and bloodshed not uncommon.Men competed in the events naked, which you may or may not find an agreeable thought.Married women were not allowed to attend the Games, though women had their own seperate festival where foot races were run.Single women were allowed to attend, and there were prostitutes in plenty.

This is the sort of book I love, packed with fascinating facts that make me exclaim "Gosh, I never knew that!" at frequent intervals.Well worth reading.

Pretty much a drawn-out high school school book report
When I picked up this book (thankfully from the library), I thought that, like any decent non-fiction book, a book about the Ancient Olympics would probably be written by someone who knew what he was talking about.Nope.This guy is not a classical scholar.His "primary sources" are all translations.Further, he began studying the Ancient Olympics explicitly for the purpose of writing this book, which means he does not have a broad background of knowledge.

The book is essentially a very long list of regurgitated facts about the games.While the facts themselves are interesting, the writer is not.He didn't have enough to say to fill up an entire book, so he repeats many of the facts throughout the text.His style of presentation is completely unispired and a little disorganized.Further, there are obvious errors.The most glaring exmaple is the discussion of the javelin throw.Perrottet wrote, "Ancient authors claimed that throws of over 90 meters/270 feet were possible, about half the length of the Stadium and far beyond the modern record of 60 meters." (110)Remember that old game from "Highlights" magazine, "What's Wrong With This Picture?".Let's play.First - no source given on the measurement.Second - elsewhere in the text the author claims the Greeks didn't much care about measurements, throws were generally not measured, and ancient measurements should not be given much worth.Third -90 meters is not 270 feet!.90 meters is about 295 feet.The 270 figure is not even close.If he said "over 90 meters/300 feet" I would buy that as about right, but the 270 feet figure is simply inexcusable.Fourth - the modern javelin record is not 60 meters .That's two egregious factual errors in the same sentence.The modern javelin world record is 98.48 meters.This isn't just a boo-boo typo.It means the author's entire claim - that the ancient javelin went further - is completely bogus.Why should I believe any of the other things this guy wrote down?

Whipping away the shroud of time
"The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Ancient Games" by Tony Perrottet is a wonderful book describing the ancient Greek games. It's aptly titled, too, in two different ways. First, in the ancient Olympics, the contestants performed nude, without clothing that would prevent spectators from admiring their glorious physiques. But more importantly, Perrottet lifts the respectable veneer that is so often draped over classical times. Many writers have difficulties describing the past. Either they write with such awe that the ancients seem to have been gods, instead of mortals, or the writers write in such a way that we seem to be viewing through a dust-covered lens that makes everything seem old and faded.

Perrottet, though, brings the past alive in a way that makes the reader see and hear and even taste, feel and smell - especially smell! - what it was like to participate in these ancient games. Through a variety of different ancient sources, including contemporary texts, vase paintings, statues and a visit to the ruins of Olympia, he is able to give us a well-rounded experience. He guides us through the importance of the games in honoring the gods, how athletes trained, including specific, faddish diets that they followed, the evolution of the different events, the role that women played (unfortunately very little), the discomfort felt by the crowds, and even how physicians treated injuries. "The Naked Olympics" is great fun, and even though the Olympics are not being held in Athens this year, it's worth reading this book to appreciate them wherever they take place (the winter Olympics are taking place in Turin, Italy in 2006).

A Good Read
The more books I read about ancient history, the more I come to realize that the best ones are NOT written by historians!Archaeologist Tony Perrottet does a great job describing life in Ancient Greece and the evolution of sport in western society.

I picked this up right after the '04 games in Athens, still in the grip of Olympics fever.But don't wait until '08 to read this wonderful book.

Appropriate release time
Now that the summer Olympics are upon us, this book, which tells the reader about the original Greek Olympoics in Olympia, is particularly welcome. It goes through a typical Olympics, showing the religious aspects of the games, and also the various events that were held.It doesn't stint on the darker side of the games, but the approach to the book is rather light-hearted, and even with that a lot of new information is imparted to the reader. It's well worth reading, and I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

THE BEST BOOK ON THE OLYMPIC COAST, EVER!
This is the epitome of good writing. It is an excellent resource for all those who love the Olympic Coast. If you are heading to the Olympics, this book is essential. Filled with fascinating facts, history, details, and soforth, it is the Olympic Coast Bible. Buy this book for all your friends,you won't be disappointed.

GREAT BOOK IF YOU LIKE HIKING ON THE OLYMPIC COAST
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK ON HIKING THE OLYMPIC COAST. I HAVE HIKED HALF OF IT AND THE BOOK CAME IN HANDY. IT POINTS OUT A LOT OF LANDMARKS THAT I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE MISSED. ALSO GIVES THE HISTORY OF THE OLYMPIC COAST,AND TELLS WHERE SHIPWRECKS AND MEMORIALS ARE. ... Read more

Product Description
Offers a behind-the-locker-room-door look at the creation, development, and performance of the 1992 United States Olympic Basketball team, the celebrated ""Dream Team"" of Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan, Earvin ""Magic"" Johnson, and the rest. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

wonderfully written
Great book that includes typical player by player mini-biography.Would rank this one right up there with Jordan Rules, Playing for Keeps etc.

disappointing and crude
This book was a terrible disappointment.I ordered it to give as a gift for a boy interested in basketball, but after paging through and reading a bit, decided that it was in no way suitable.It is poorly written, with crude language, choppy structure, and questionable content, as far as whether the information is really anything readers want or need to know, and what seems like speculation/inference more than truth about people's motives and actions.

The 1992 Dream Team: Behind Closed Doors
Yes, I really think that Cameron Stauth's book is a heckuva entertaining read. I have encountered very few authors that put as much zip on their narratives as he does.In particular, there is no doubt that Stauth's book poignantly revolves around Earvin "Magic" Johnson and how he handles his recently discovered status as being HIV-positive. In that regard, the author presents Johnson in a very fair and consistent manner, where he certainly isn't flawless but he was truly the heart and soul of the 1992 U.S. Men's Olympic basketball team (aka "the Golden Boys") (aka "the Dream Team"). The major supporting storylines feature Dream Teamers Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Charles Barkley, as they each have their own complicated issues affecting their careers.

Stauth effectively (and cleverly) weaves in biographical material about each of the players, as he explores the team's selection process, the 1992 NBA season, and the various hijinks before and during the Olympics. Of particular note, the section about how head coach Chuck Daly and his assistants were selected through backroom politics seemed very plausible, if not amusing. Another highlight is the early section about an incredible "anything goes" shoot-around game of H-O-R-S-E between Johnson, Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler, and Chris Mullin. Stauth's reporting here seems top notch, as he describes it so well that you can easily visualize it in front of your eyes.

The only hazard light I wish to mention about this book is Stauth's frequent tendency to get inside a player's head and describe what he thinks or is feeling (i.e. how much Jordan despises Isiah Thomas). To the author's credit, he points out how wary the Dream Teamers were around journalists, but Stauth doesn't explain how he was somehow an exception.I suspect that no Dream Teamer (let alone any high-end pro athlete) would realistically have been that candid with any journalist.Hence, Stauth's credibility, at times, seems rather strained.Still, his "insider" accounts seem quite plausible and may be at least basically true, but there is really no way to know how much has been enhanced or exaggerated by the author's own speculation.In other words, how often is Stauth stretching the truth for dramatic purposes?

For instance, you should first read Stauth's version of Larry Bird's agony over whether or not to retire before or after the Olympics, and then compare it to Bird's own insightful account in his 1999 autobiography, "Bird Watching." Their two versions don't exactly match (and Bird makes no mention of Stauth as a confidant), so it certainly makes one wonder how much of the players' true feelings are actually exposed here. Therefore, deciding which of the book's surprising revelations is really Stauth's imagination is up to the reader, I suppose.

Overall, it is a superb read for NBA fans, if not taken too seriously. 4 **** out of 5.

1st Note: this book should definitely be rated PG-13 (for profanity and some vulgar sexual references). I wouldn't recommend letting kids read this book for this reason.

2nd Note: Unlike the hardcover edition, the updated paperback version has a brief epilogue discussing Bird's retirement and Johnson's aborted Fall 1992 return to the L.A. Lakers and the NBA. ... Read more

Product Description
Expand your understanding of the unique strategic and operational marketing issues that Olympic sport organizations and their stakeholders face. Marketing of Olympic Sport Organisations offers valuable insight into the purposes of Olympic sport organizations as well as the differences between profit-motivated sport businesses and not-for-profit sport organizations. It also shows you how to integrate the two increasingly similar concepts into your marketing strategy.

Marketing of Olympic Sport Organisations was developed for use in the Executive Masters in Sports Organisation Management (MEMOS) program. MEMOS, founded in 1995 by a network of European universities supported by Olympic Solidarity, aims to improve the management of sport organizations and provide a higher level of training for sport managers.

The book covers the second of three courses in the MEMOS program. It addresses in detail the combination of social and economic issues within the Olympic movement that create unique challenges and influence the effectiveness of marketing, sponsorship, and sales programs for sport organizations. A key issue is how to successfully intertwine the business-oriented concepts of a profit organization with the lifestyle and social aspects of marketing for a not-for-profit group. These concepts can be applied to any sport marketing organization.

Each chapter in Marketing of Olympic Sport Organisations contains a case study from a different European country that shows how different sport organizations have marketed themselves and improved their standing. After each case study is introduced, it is referred back to periodically throughout the chapter to illustrate key points. Readers will learn how to do the following: ·Improve brand equity management by assessing and managing its assets and liabilities.·Better understand the stakeholders of the Olympic sport organization by analyzing their expectations and decision-making processes in order to deliver the right service.·Market strategically by gaining strong positioning in the marketplace and developing more superior resources and competencies than those of competitors.·Manage strategic sponsorships by specifying the persuasive impact and developing a model to work out strategic choices. Marketing of Olympic Sport Organisations will help marketers worldwide improve the effectiveness of their marketing programs, resulting in successful sport organizations. ... Read more

Product Description
These publications are packed with fun activities that bring the excitement of the Olympic Games alive for children, and provide a great learning experience. For the Intermediate grade levels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Simple and Entertaining
I use this for my high school social studies students.Although the puzzles are simple, they are good when I need something for the students to do for just few minutes. ... Read more

Product Description
Human Resource Management in Olympic Sport Organisations provides a thorough explanation of human resource issues that Olympic sport organizations (OSOs) face, and it offers guidelines for resolving those issues. It also gives sport managers tools for analyzing how to maintain and improve their organizational structures.

The book is the third volume in the Executive Masters in Sports Organisation Management (MEMOS) program, which aims to improve management of sport organizations and provide a higher level of training for sport managers. The text presents a complete set of management issues in the Olympic movement that will help readers better understand the ambitious goals of this dynamic global entity.

All topics are presented within the context of the Olympic organizational structure and include organizational justice, staffing, leadership, performance appraisal, reward systems, empowerment of workers, management of diversity, and handling of conflict. The text introduces and discusses cases to create awareness of the topics and to help identify possible solutions. The authors do not present a "global template" approach with solutions ready to be applied by all OSOs; rather, they provide flexible guidelines that lead to the appropriate practical action within each OSO.

Because human resources are such a vital aspect of managing organizations, the text thoroughly explains how all of the traditional aspects of human resource management may be directly applied to Olympic sport organizations. The chapters progress as follows:

• Chapter 1 discusses some of the distinctive features of OSOs from a perspective of human resource management. • Chapter 2 delves into human resource practices, with particular attention paid to the specific problems and challenges that OSOs face. • Chapter 3 presents issues in organizational design, including the role and composition of the executive board and how to form a powerful board.• Chapter 4 explores diversity in the workplace, including valuing diversity and strategies for managing a diverse workforce. • Chapter 5 features coauthor Packianathan Chelladurai’s renowned multidimensional model of leadership as applied to OSOs. • Chapter 6 concludes with a focus on managing organizational change and knowledge.

Human Resource Management in Olympic Sport Organisations provides Olympic sport managers with the information they need to understand the unique human resource considerations of OSOs, where a variety of constituents, including organizers, athletes, volunteers, and professional workers, play vital roles. After reading this book, managers will feel comfortable with inevitable change and diversity within organizations and be better prepared to make strategic decisions that benefit their Olympic sport organizations. ... Read more

Product Description
United States Army Olympic equestrian competitions have been largely overlooked in historical writings. This book tells the stories of the triumphs, the contributions, and the failures of the U.S. Army Olympians, and also captures the humor and good times as well as the drama and disappointments of the U.S. Army Olympians from the 1912 Games in Stockholm, to the 1948 Games in London. The stories are rich in detail, and include the controversial 1936 Summer Games held in Berlin, Germany. Many personal vignettes as told by team members enhance the story. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The best source available on this important equestrian history
This is the best and only source available on the Army Equestrian Teams.There is a paucity of sources on the earlier years, probably due to the principals having died prematurely in WWI or WWII.The book hints at, but does not give a complete discussion about the change-over from military to civilian teams.This change-over involved several competing missions that changed, the Army mission, the US Equestrian Team mission, and the whole Olympic amateur versus professional contretemps.The latter was handled differently in different sports over many years before coming to today's resolution.

The biggest story was the hinted at political/military/espionage story of having the Army team in GERMANY for two months in 1936.I guess someone else will have to write that book.And please let me know when you do!

Thompson has filled the book with history of the various teams and how they were formed.There are many photos.However, as indicated above, some of this history has been lost due to the stories and photos not being captured and archived at the time.The lost part did not make it to this history, but you can see where some individuals don't get much coverage probably due to a lack of information, not any fault of the author. ... Read more

Product Description
This 2nd edition of a highly successful book (published in 2000) provides a comprehensive, critical analysis of the Olympic Games using a multi-disciplinary social science approach. This revised edition contains much new data relating to the Sydney 2000 Games and their aftermath; and preparations for Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Games. The book is broad-ranging and independent in its coverage, and includes the use of drugs, sex testing, accusations of power abuse among members of the IOC, the Games as a stage for political protest, media-related controversies, economic costs and benefits of the Games and historical conflicts between organizers and host communities. ... Read more

Product Description