Our views on the Sydney Olympics

The question: Have you enjoyed watching the Olympics?

All of the students(22 students) have enjoyed watching the Olympics. Many students enjoyed watching them very much. As one of the reasons, a students said that she had much free time in September. But almost all of them watched because they were interested in it. However, 2 students could hardly watch it because they were very busy. So they watched bits of the Olympics on the news.

The question: How much have you watched and which events particularly?

A lot of students watched the Olympics on TV. Students watched it one or two hours a day on TV on average. Students watched different events. But the events students watched have one thing in common. They watched events Japanese athletes got medals for,such as women's marathon,judo, synchronized swimming and so on.

The question: Do you think TV coverage here in Japan has been good?

The majority of us,16 out of 21 students, think that it is good, because they could watch many games. However 5 students don't think it's good, because they think that Japanese TV programs always broadcast about Japanese athletes.

The question: Which athlete has stood out for you?

The majority of us think that Naoko Takahashi has stood out in the Sydney Olympics. She is a marathon runner. When she finished running, she said "I enjoyed running . I'll run tomorrow morning." Her smile is very cute, so we love her. Ryoko Tamura's smile is cute, too. But she is strong. She is a Judo athlete. In spite of her small body, she flings rivals. Shinichi Shinohara has stood out because he didn't win the gold medal. Almost all of us must sympathize with him. A few of us think Cathy Freeman, Reika Utsugi, Maurice Green and Ian Thorpe have also stood out.

The question: If you were involved with the organisation of the next Olympics in Athens, Greece, are there any changes you would make?

Just half of the class answered "Nothing." Three students said about costs. One wants to change the openning ceremony to make it more gorgeous, whereas two students think the costs should be reduced. And two students said the number of sports should be reduced too.Three students said about rules. Two want to make fairer judgements, especially in judo. Furthermore, one student wants stricter testing of drugs for athletes.

See 3rd year student, Miki Doisaki, with an Olympic medallist.