Olympic Challenge - What is it?

[Michelle]

Many thanks to 'abecedarian' for introducing us to this...

The Olympic Challenge is about reading around the world. The person who thought of it is a Bookcrossing member, and she first issued the challenge in December 2005. The idea is to read one author per nation participating in the Olympic Games by the end of the 2008 Summer games. http://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/6/3057734/174

The list of participating nations is something like 180 or so, I think, but there are 202 world nations in all. Scotland is not included in the Olympic list because they go with Great Britain, and I personally wanted to include this country, so I have. I would say that those starting at a later date can just extend their timeframe. The point is to enjoy finding new authors and new viewpoints.

Our suggestion is to start your own thread to chart your progress, in the form of a 'blog' or maybe just a list that you keep updated.

This forum can also be used to ask general questions about the challenge, discuss author suggestions, or discuss your book choices.

Have fun, and good luck to everyone having a go. :)

[abecedarian]

What a great idea, having participants start their own threads. Somebody asked about short stories and nonfiction and the short answer is a hearty YES!! Just a few days ago someone at bookcrossing asked about a collection of Asian stories with stories from several countries. The lady who issued the challenge was behind it 100%, saying to count indiviudal stories for the harder-to -locate countries.

As for the book from the writer from the Ukraine who now lives in Germay..that's your call. German writers are easier to find in English translation than Ukrainians..so I'd plug it in there if it were me..Specially if the book is set in Ukraine..Enjoy!

[MonkeyCatcher]

I am in for the Olympic Challenge, but I just have a quick question - Do the books that I count for this challenge have to be ones that I read from now, or can books that I have already read this year (I keep a list) count as well?

[abecedarian]

I am in for the Olympic Challenge, but I just have a quick question - Do the books that I count for this challenge have to be ones that I read from now, or can books that I have already read this year (I keep a list) count as well?

I don't see why you can't count them, since the challenge was first issued in mid December of last year. Everyone else doing this started then or at the first of the year. Use what you've already done so far.

[MonkeyCatcher]

I am in for the Olympic Challenge, but I just have a quick question - Do the books that I count for this challenge have to be ones that I read from now, or can books that I have already read this year (I keep a list) count as well?

I don't see why you can't count them, since the challenge was first issued in mid December of last year. Everyone else doing this started then or at the first of the year. Use what you've already done so far.
Thanks for the reply. I will use some of what I have read, but I will try to read new ones as much as I can.

[abecedarian]

I am in for the Olympic Challenge, but I just have a quick question - Do the books that I count for this challenge have to be ones that I read from now, or can books that I have already read this year (I keep a list) count as well?

I don't see why you can't count them, since the challenge was first issued in mid December of last year. Everyone else doing this started then or at the first of the year. Use what you've already done so far.
Thanks for the reply. I will use some of what I have read, but I will try to read new ones as much as I can.

As a favorite pirate likes to say, "Rules are just.... guides!" :balloons:

[Michelle]

According to an article in Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Summer_Olympics), this is the list of countries expected to take part in the 2008 games..

* Afghanistan
* Albania
* Algeria
* American Samoa
* Andorra
* Angola
* Antigua and Barbuda
* Argentina
* Armenia
* Aruba
* Australia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Bahamas
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Barbados
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Belize
* Benin
* Bermuda
* Bhutan
* Bolivia
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Botswana
* Brazil
* British Virgin Islands
* Brunei
* Bulgaria
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cambodia
* Cameroon
* Canada
* Cape Verde
* Cayman Islands
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Chile
* China (PRC)
* Chinese Taipei (TPE)
* Colombia
* Comoros
* Congo DR
* Congo Republic
* Cook Islands
* Costa Rica
* Côte d'Ivoire
* Croatia
* Cuba
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Djibouti
* Dominica
* Dominican Republic
* Ecuador
* Egypt
* El Salvador
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Estonia
* Ethiopia
* Fiji
* Finland
* France
* Gabon
* The Gambia
* Georgia
* Germany
* Ghana
* Great Britain
* Greece
* Grenada
* Guam
* Guatemala
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Guyana
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Hong Kong, China
* Hungary
* Iceland
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Ireland
* Israel
* Italy
* Jamaica
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* Kenya
* Kiribati
* Korea, South
* Korea, North
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Latvia
* Lebanon
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* FYROM
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mali
* Malta
* Marshall Islands
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Mexico
* Micronesia
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Mongolia
* Montenegro
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Myanmar
* Namibia
* Nauru
* Nepal
* Netherlands
* Netherlands Antilles
* New Zealand
* Nicaragua
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Norway
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Palau
* Palestine
* Panama
* Papua New Guinea
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Philippines
* Poland
* Portugal
* Puerto Rico
* Qatar
* Romania
* Russia
* Rwanda
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Saint Lucia
* Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Samoa
* San Marino
* Saudi Arabia
* Senegal
* Serbia
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Singapore
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Solomon Islands
* Somalia
* South Africa
* Spain
* Sri Lanka
* Sudan
* Suriname
* Swaziland
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Syria
* Tajikistan
* Tanzania
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste
* Togo
* Tonga
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Tunisia
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* Tuvalu
* Uganda
* Ukraine
* United Arab Emirates
* United States
* Uruguay
* Uzbekistan
* Vanuatu
* Venezuela
* Vietnam
* Virgin Islands, US
* Yemen
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

[hoopeybird]

This sounds a fab idea and I am up for it too.Its quite exciting isnt it?

[Janet]

Is anyone who started still doing this?

It does sound great, but I don't read fast enough, and what with my real-life bookworms group and AS Level English, I wouldn't have enough time to do this.

[Kell]

I am - I'm just spacing out the foreign author books as I have so many others I want to read too. I very recently read Autobiography of a Geisha as one of my Olympic Challenge books. Technically it was my 2nd for Japan, but it was one of those that was really calling to me - I'm intrigued by the whole "Flower & Willow" world.

[andmark1]

I think I will join in

[Michelle]

Is anyone still doing these challenges?

[Freewheeling Andy]

I still update my list when I add a new country. I'm trundling along very slowly, mind you.

[Kell]

Me too - I pick one up every now and then and tick the country off my list. :)

[Ceinwenn]

What a great idea! Shame I hadn't know about this before! Maybe I'll start one & do mine in honour of the 2010 Olympics in my home country of Canada........hmmm (quickly wanders off to start finding books to read)

[Michelle]

What a great idea! Shame I hadn't know about this before! Maybe I'll start one & do mine in honour of the 2010 Olympics in my home country of Canada........hmmm (quickly wanders off to start finding books to read)

The original challenge had a time limit, but I'm sure it can be adapted to whatever suits. :)

[Kell]

I believe that when the challenge was originally conceived it was to start immediately after the 2004 Summer Olympics and finish at the start of the 2008 Summer Olympics, but many people came to it much later and have taken it on as a longer-term "reading project" - myself included.

[Freewheeling Andy]

I'm thinking of aiming to finish by the time of the Oxford Olympics in 2046

[Kylie]

:lol: I'm glad you're setting realistic goals, Andy. Olympics in Oxford, hey? Sounds good; I might start saving for it now ;)

[Icecream]

I believe that when the challenge was originally conceived it was to start immediately after the 2004 Summer Olympics and finish at the start of the 2008 Summer Olympics, but many people came to it much later and have taken it on as a longer-term "reading project" - myself included.

I thought that's what it was. I might take it up now and read in time for the London ones instead.