Olympics - more than just a few races

So I never was a huge fan of watching the Olympics (and I'm still not a huge fan of Bob Kostas) but now that I have some more free time, I've been watching the Olympics a lot more this year! I've come to discover a lot of interesting things about the Olympics - the games, athletes, commercials, hype and publicity.

10 Interesting Things Surrounding the 2008 Summer Olympics
1. George Bush slapped a woman's volleyball player's ass - http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24160360-5006301,00.html
2. The Olympics has mascots and they are so cute! http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/beijing2008/graphic/n214068254.shtml
3. Awesome Coca-Cola commercial by Wieden-Kennedy Amsterdam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9I5HAPM87E
4. Men's 400 freestyle Relay. OMG that was probably the most excited I've ever been about watching a swimming race on TV. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/olympics_blog/2008/08/moses-lezak-ans.html
5. The Chinese sure do know how to get the party started with the amazing technological & intricate opening ceremony. The producers, choreographer and director of this event were genious in the way they pulled together the traditional and modern themes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Summer_Olympics_Opening_Ceremony
6. Taiwan has to go by the name of Chinese Taipei in order to compete in the Olympic games in China because of a political constraints and relationship with China. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Taipei
7. BMX racing is an Olympic sport for the first time in 2008.
8. In the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, the United States was the only nation to participate in the roque tournament (a game similar to croquet). The 1904 games were also the first and last time Roque was played in the Olympics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roque
9. Michael Phelps consumes between 8,000- 10,000 calories A DAY! His breakfast alone is like more food than I eat in a week (well not really but it's a lot). In an interview in USA Today Weekend Magazine, Phelps said, "...I polish off a stack of pancakes, a bowl of grits, an omelet, maybe an egg-and-cheese sandwich or two. I'll follow that with a little dessert.
10. A great looking dessert that I will probably have to make in honor of the United States' success in the 2008 Summer Olympics - http://www.chiff.com/a/olympics-ring-recipe.htm