Olympic Games

This is a temporary 'workshop' page, set up to prepare Geni's coverage of the London 2012 Olympics (July 27 - August 12).

For the main London 2012 project page, please click here...

Current discussion item...

In order to benefit from the massive exposure that the Olympics get during 17 days, we want to highlight seventeen "Olympic Profiles of the Day".

In the list below, we're currently listing the possible strong 'contenders' for featuring as those profiles. Please add your own suggestions to the list, with a brief justification.

Good criteria are probably...

1. Relevance of a profile, function of a major Olympic event taking place that day (i.e. the Men's Marathon).
2. Historical winners, for instance... multiple gold winners, winners in multiple Olympiads...
3. A balance of people from across the globe
4. A balance of men/women
5. A balance of sports disciplines
6. Highlight historical sports
7. Ability to build a 'reasonable' tree
8. Existing profile on Geni (Existing linked below)
9. (Please add more criteria, if needed)

Shortlist

= Definite shortlist
= Current shortlist favourite (Changes are possible any time before July 20, 2012. Thanks for all your thoughts!)

Not in the list below but of importance -

• Sir Roger Bannister
• Oscar Pistorius
• Sir Steve Redgrave WIP

July 27

• Events
  • Opening Ceremony
• Profiles
  • Pierre de Coubertin, creator of the modern Olympics

July 28

• Events
  • Swimming 400 meters freestyle
  • ...
• Profiles
  • Johnny Weissmuller (US), swimming, 5 gold medals, actor
  • ...

July 29

• Events
  • Women's cycling road race
  • Swimming Various Medal events Inc. men's 200m freestyle
  • ...
• Profiles
  • Carl Lewis (US), athletics, 9 golds between 1984-1996

July 30

• Events
  • Swimming Men's 200 freestyle
  • ...
• Profiles
  • Mark Spitz (US), swimming, 7 gold at Munich Olympics. Between 1965 and 1972, Spitz won nine Olympic gold medals, one silver, and one bronze; five Pan-American golds; 31 National U.S. Amateur Athletic Union titles; and eight U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships. During those years, he set 33 World records. Profile and tree started
  • ...

July 31

• Events
  • Fencing Men's Individual Foil
  • Equestrian - team and individual eventing medal events.
  • ...
• Profiles
  • Edoardo Mangiarotti (IT), fencing, 6 gold medals between 1936-1960
  • Major General Guy Vernor Henry, Jr. (USA) Bronze medal 1912 Stockholm Team Eventing Existing profile connected to the big tree.

[Zara Tindall '''Zara Phillips''']

• * ...

August 1

• Events
  • Gymnastics Men's Individual All-Around
  • Rowing - men's 8
  • ...
• Profiles
  • Alexander Dityatin (RU), gymnastics, 10 medals in 1976-1980
  • Matthew Pinsent (GB), rowing, 4 gold medals between 1992-2004 (Pairs and 4s - not 8's) linked to the big tree.
  • ...

August 2

• Events
  • Gymnastics Women's Individual All-Around
  • Archery - men's individual medal event
  • ...
• Profiles
  • Nadia Comăneci (RO), gymnastics, 5 gold medals, first female gymnast with a 'Perfect 10' score; twice recipient of the Olympic Order
  • Mary Lou Retton USA - first female gymnast from outside Eastern Europe to win the Olympic all-around title.
  • Simon John Fairweather - won the individual gold medal (Archery) at Sydney in 2000 (AUS) - not much publicised event - Existing profile (needs developing)
  • Hubert van Innis (Belgium), archery, 6 gold medals between 1900-1920, and world champion at age 67, most successful Olympic archer

August 3

• Events
  • Swimming 100 Men's Butterfly
  • Rowing Coxless Pair
  • ...
• Profiles
  • Michael Phelps (US), swimming, 14 gold medals in 2004 and 2008
  • Matthew Pinsent (GB), rowing, 4 gold medals between 1992-2004 (Pairs and 4s)
  • ...

August 4

• Events
  • Men's Long Jump
  • Tennis Women's Finals
  • ...
• Profiles
  • Jesse Owens (US), athletics, 4 gold medals at the 1936 Berlin games
  • ...

August 5

• Events
  • Women's Doubles Tennis
  • Women's Marathon
  • ...
• Profiles
  • Charlotte Reinagle Cooper (GB), tennis, first female Olympic winner in 1900
  • Steffi Graf Gold 1988, Bronze 1988 and Silver 1992

August 6

• Events
  • Men's 120kg Greco Roman wrestling
  • Wrestling (medal events up to 8th)
  • ...
• Profiles
  • Aleksandr Karelin (RU), wrestling, 3 golds between 1988-1996
  • Launceston Elliot (1st British Olympic champion) (9 June 1874 – 8 August 1930) Scottish weightlifter Gold and Silver at 1896 Olympics. HISTORIC profile - existing profile and tree.
  • ...

August 7

• Events
  • Men's Discuss Throw
  • Men's 1500m
  • ...
• Profiles
  • Jürgen Schult (GE), discus, gold in 1988, and still world-record holder
  • Sebastian Coe Middle distance runner (GBR) won 4 Olympic medals - Gold at 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles (both for 1500 m); Silver 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles. Chairman of the London 2012 Organising committee. Existing profile - connected top the big tree.
  • ...

August 8

• Events
  • Women's Long Jump
  • Equestrian, Individual Jumping
  • ...
• Profiles
  • Jackie Joyner-Kersee (US), athletics, 3 golds in 1988 and 1992
  • Reiner Klimke - Reiner Klimke's six gold and two bronze Dressage medals over six different Games make him the most decorated rider in Olympic history.
  • ...

August 9

• Events
  • Men's 200 meter
  • Decathlon 1500 metres
  • Women's and Man's Kayak final events
  • Triple Jump Final - men's
  • Javelin Throw Final - women's
  • Men's beach volleybal medal event
  • Wonen's boxing
  • Women's diving
  • Individual dressage - equestrian
  • Women's football
  • Women's swimming 10km marathon
  • Women's wrestling
• Profiles
  • Carl Lewis (US), athletics, 9 golds between 1984-1996
  • Jim Thorpe (GBR), pentathlon and decathlon, 2 golds in 1912
  • Bruce Jenner USA gold medal for decathlon in the Montreal 1976 Summer Olympics
  • Birgit Fisher (Germany), kayak, 8 gold medals between 1980-2004, most successful Olympic kayaker ever
  • Gert Fredriksson - The most successful male canoeist in history, Sweden’s Gert Fredriksson won a total of eight Olympic medals.
  • .Ricardo Santos - Nicknamed ‘The Wall’, Ricardo Santos has won more medals than anyone else in men’s Beach Volleyball, marking him out as a true star.

August 10

• Events
  • Men's Pole Vault
  • Women's 4x100 Relay
  • ...
• Profiles
  • Sergei Bubka (RU), athletics, 1 gold in Seoul
  • Fanny Blankers-Koen (NL), athletics, 4 golds in 1948
  • ...

August 11

• Events
  • Boxing Men's heavyweight
  • Basketball women's final
  • ...
• Profiles
  • Félix Savón (CU), boxing, 3 golds between 1992-2000; recipient of the Olympic Order
  • William W. "Bill" Bradley, U.S. Senator USA Men's basketball (I know the event is the next day but 12th is Marathon day) earned a gold medal as a member of the 1964 Olympic basketball team. Existing profile - connected to big tree.
  • ...

August 12

• Events
  • Men's Marathon
  • Boxing Light Heavyweight
  • ...
• Profiles
  • Abebe Bikila (ET), marathon, 2 golds in 1960 and 1964
  • *Liz McColgan
  • Waldemar Cierpinski 2 gold medals - men's marathon
  • Muhammad Ali (US), boxing, 1 gold in 1960 - ignited the cauldron 1996
  • ...