As most of you probably know, I am not one to just accept stupid rules. I mean clearly rules are there to serve some form of underlying need, and hence, if on a give occasion the rules do not entirely fulfill this need, then they should just be ignored…

In summary, there is always an exception to the rules, and its quite likely to be me.

So todays stupid rule…

I order to link to the Official Athens Olympic Site you have to ask for formal permission?!?!?

Has the olympics finally accepted the fact that it has been slowly selling out for years, or are they just arragant?

There is no other sporting event in the world where athletes and spectators (!!!) have been banned from wearing clothing or carrying food that displays the logos of non-sponsors and where radio stations have told they need to stop stop their regular online streaming because they only paid for the radio, and not internet, broadcast rights of the game.

I mean the internet has been bulit of the availability of free knowledge, and the ability to instantly link to other information easily. If they dont want to ‘play by these rules’ then they shouldn’t be publishing on the net – the blatant arragance annoys me!

Clearly, the games have just become a giant commercial sellout, and what has the end effect been?

The stands at the Olympics are empty,

as millions of seats go unsold. Clearly, corporate sponsorship has

become more important than filling the seats (though that should come

back to bite the Olympics next time around when sponsors are much less

interested. If people aren’t watching, there’s not much to

sponsor.)

From an athletes point of view, this is a joke. They devote 4 years of their lives to get to the olympics, so that they can compete in 1/2 filled stadiums while they are forced to drop the sponsorship from companies that have supported the rest of their career.

It hardly seems an attractive proposition to competitiors and viewers alike.

Could it be that the world champs in each sport (who appear to be taking a sensible approach to commericilasition) may become the arena for deciding the ‘best in the world’ in the coming years, while the olypics slowly degrade to a three ring circus?

Either way, I think I should display me disgust by at least breaking the rules one more time