ICYMI: Satirical Olympic Cartoon Book; Surfing in Olympic Waters

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Satirical Cartoon Book Targets the Olympics

(ATR) Provocative, edgy, hysterical, riveting, and even scandalous are some of the adjectives used to describe Michael Payne’s new book "Toon In!", which fearlessly lambasts the Olympic Movement.

Michael Payne and his new book "Toon In!".The hefty, 500-page coffee table book includes a collection of more than 1,200 Olympic themed political cartoons accompanied by 100,000 words of Payne’s behind-the-scenes insight and commentary. According to Payne, the former IOC director and noted marketing guru, the book is an unofficial and unsanctioned glimpse into the history of the modern Olympic Games.

Payne responded to a question from Around the Rings assuring that he is not worried about any potential repercussions from his former IOC colleagues considering the book’s arguably controversial compilation of visual humor, cutting satire and untold stories.

"It's an edgy project – somebody said to me what’s going to happen, well I said look I’m no longer employed by the IOC, so I can‘t be fired," Payne said, during an informal virtual press conference from Lausanne.

"I think the IOC, as much as they’re seen as being very stiff and upper lip, I think they have a good sense of humor.

"I understand that a journalist called up the IOC and said so what do you think of Michael’s book and they were expecting no comment or something dismissive, and apparently the IOC said ‘this is a scurrilous, outrageous and probably libelous book and we can't wait for the second edition.’"

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The Surprising Success of Surfing in Olympic Waters: "We went out to paddle one wave and found four"

(ATR) It is well true that the Covid tragedy continues to hit much of the world and opens questions about the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, although it is also true that not everyone comes out with a negative balance of the pandemic: surfing, surprisingly, has reasons to smile.

"We went out to paddle one wave and we got four," says a happy Fernando Aguerre during a phone interview with Around the Rings.

Aguerre, president of the International Surfing Association (ISA), is these days in El Salvador, venue of the last qualifier for Tokyo, but he is looking beyond. The Argentinian is thinking of Tahiti as the venue for Paris 2024, of the 2028 Games in the "capital of surfing, which is Los Angeles" and of a possible 2032 Games in Brisbane, Australia, another country that has surfing deeply rooted in its being. And he is also thinking about what he defines as "the global surfing explosion".

That "explosion" also includes El Salvador, the smallest country in Central America, a nation with a convulsive and violent history that wants to show another face: surfing.

"This tournament in El Salvador is a special tournament, it should have been held a year ago. And the special thing is that there has never been a tournament like this in El Salvador, a country that has magnificent waves, warm water waves and hot air, a paradise. Surfing is the vehicle chosen by the authorities of El Salvador to change the country and turn it into a tourist attraction. We already did a SUP [StandUp Paddle] World Cup in El Salvador, and it was wonderful".

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Centennial Olympic Park Alive Again

(ATR) Nearly all Covid restrictions were lifted in Atlanta this Memorial Day.

A sign of the "new normal" was confirmed in and around Centennial Olympic Park: across the street the Ferris Wheel is spinning again.

In a few weeks, the Park will be 25 years old, just like the Atlanta Olympic Games.

After closing last summer due to the severe scourge of the Covid pandemic the venue reopened to the public a few days ago, albeit partially.

"Mom, take a picture" exclaims a boy of about nine as he runs with three other friends towards the monument of the five Olympic rings in front of which a long line of people wait their turn under a blazing sun for a "post Covid" souvenir snapshot.

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Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.