To The London Olympics

They kick off in one month. We’ll go to London and to the athletes preparing to compete.

One month from today, July 27^th, the Olympic flame will be lit in London.  Opening ceremonies.  Athletes from all over.  Flags.  Medals.  Sport.  After the mind-boggling spectacle of drummers and scale at the Beijing games four years ago, and its own spectacle of Diamond Jubilee this summer, London’s games have a high bar to clear.

Maybe in a time of austerity we can let the athletes themselves, and their performance, be the magic.  We’ve got top US athletes with us this hour, preparing for the games.  And top reporters on the scene.

This hour, On Point:  home stretch to the London Olympics.
-Tom Ashbrook

Alex Wolff, a senior staff writer at Sports Illustrated. He has been living in London during the run up to the 2012 games.

John Powers, a sports reporter for the Boston Globe. He has covered the Olympic Games since 1976.

Georgia Gould, U.S. Olympic mountain biker.

Tony Azevedo, captain of the U.S. Olympic water polo team.

Tom Peszek, a member of the U.S Olympic rowing team.

Kendrick Farris, U.S. Olympic weightlifter. You can learn about his fundraising campaign to help send his family to watch him at the London games at @kendrickjfarris.

New York Times "From his thousand-meter stare before the race’s start to his seemingly effortless finish, Michael Phelps looked like his old self on Monday in the preliminaries of the 400-meter individual medley at the United States Olympic Trials."

Sports Illustrated "The backlash over the Games, which start in 38 days, involves more than the  reflexive complaints of Negative Nigels who would rain on any parade (as if  Mother Nature needs any help in that regard so far this English summer). Rather  it stems from examples of commercial bullying, unvarnished avarice and tone-deaf  decision-making emerging as the Olympics come into sharper focus."

ESPN "Only the top three earn spots to the Olympics, provided they have reached the Olympic "A" standard of 7 feet, 7 inches sometime this season. And someone did indeed fail to hit that mark, third-place finisher Nick Ross."

Check out this cool video of Tony Azevedo getting ready to head to the Olympics.

Cyclist Georgia Gould talks about her cross country national title.

“Olympic Spirit” by John Williams & The Boston Pops
“Olympic Theme" by L'Orchestra Cinematique
“Olympic Fanfare & Theme” by John Williams & The Boston Pops