96OLYMPIC REVIEW BOOKREVIEWS David Miller published an earlier volume of this book in 2004, before the Athens Olympic Games. I ended my review with the sentence: " It is an absolute MUST for anyone interested in the history of the Olympic Movement, the Olympic Games, and the people involved: the Olympic Family". For this new edition, Miller interviewed nearly 50 IOC members in the course of the past four years and those interviews reveal many interesting facts of how the current members of the leadership of the Olympic Movement assess their organisation. Ser Miang Ng, IOC member from Singapore reflects: " The Games are not a simple sports event where you win, you lose, go home and that's it. It is something more noble: the magic of the torch relay runs through communities, the mood is so contagious. Because of success, the Games have exceeded their original scope." Kai Holm, IOC member from Denmark has a stark message: " This wonderful century- old idealistic body created for altruistic patronage of sport and of young competitors, is now obsolete. The world changes, and, unless we do the same within the IOC, unless we adapt, we have no chance of surviving another 100 years". Phil Coles of Australia, three- time Olympic canoeist states: " More should be done to promote the IOC's moral message – through the Olympic Museum, through our education programmes. Ninety- nine per cent of the athletes in the three Olympic Villages I experienced were fine people, setting an example to any society, and I wish we could rub off more of our ethic on young people…". Alex Gilady, IOC member from Israel, is quoted: " It's important to understand that for those coming from a small country, the ambition is not so much to climb the medals table but just to get a medal from any colour. This is sufficient to fuel the Olympic flame for the next four years … while there are 70 countries who may win medals, the other 130 are merely looking forward to the opening ceremony, to show the world that they exist. ' This is who we are.' For a tiny delegation, it may be for 15 or 20 seconds that they have the attention of the whole world." Inevitably, the doping issue is also discussed in this chapter, with the drugs problem and especially the testing of the athletes. There are other core issues that Miller covers, such as the increasing success of the Olympic Solidarity programme; the financing of the International Olympic Committee, the TOP programme and much, much more. Of course, throughout the book, the history of each Olympic Games, or Olympic Winter Games, and the IOC itself, has been described as in the previous issue. Miller of course updated this volume with the Olympic Games in Athens 2004 and the Olympic Winter Games in 2006. As stated before: this new volume is an enormous asset to the history of the Olympic Games, the Olympic Movement in general and to the IOC. THEOFFICIAL HISTORYOF THEOLYMPIC GAMES AND THE IOC: ATHENSTO BEIJING 1894- 2008 THE TREASURES OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES Carlton Books Limited, Comité International Olympique Edition : Carlton Books, 2008 ISBN 978- 1- 8473- 2076- 6, 63 pages, in English, in French, in German This set of books – co- published by the Olympic Museum in Lausanne – takes readers on a fascinating journey through the history of the summer Olympic Games, from their creation in ancient Greece to the 2008 Beijing Games. Beautifully illustrated and full of anecdotes, the book focuses on the extraordinary nature of the Games – from their humble beginnings to the enormous scale of recent editions – as well as the performances of legendary athletes such as Paavo Nurmi, Carl Lewis, Nadia Comaneci and Hicham El Guerrouj. The book also includes around 30 detachable facsimile documents, from the Museum's collections, giving readers a behind- the- scenes glimpse of the Games. There is an extract from the logbook of John Boland, who took part in the first modern Olympic Games; a copy of the Olympic village model for the 1932 Los Angeles Games; the guide given to Olympic torch bearers; and the secrets of the protocol for the 1980 Moscow Games, making this a unique collector's book. MICHAEL PHELPS: THE WORLD'S GREATEST OLYMPIAN USA Today Edition : Triumph Books, 2008 ISBN 978- 1- 6007- 8225- 1, 128 pages, in English This is the first book to look at Michael Phelps' remarkable performance in Beijing this summer. In the space of a week, between 10 and 17 August, the American swimmer became a legend by winning eight gold medals at the same Olympic Games. This unprecedented performance makes him not only the greatest swimmer of all time but also the most titled athlete of the modern Olympic Games, with a total of 14 medals won at Athens and Beijing. Journalists and photographers from USA Today retrace the life and exceptional career of this sportsman who was born in Baltimore in 1985. The biography also explores the fascination and national pride felt by Americans towards this outstanding champion. Two other books about Michael Phelps are expected to hit the shelves before the end of the year: Built to Succeed, the autobiography of Michael Phelps ( published by Free Press), and The Untold Story of a Champion, by Bob Schaller and Jason Lezak ( published by St. Martin's Griffin). THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE AND THE OLYMPIC SYSTEM: THE GOVERNANCE OF WORLD SPORT Jean- Loup Chappelet, Brenda Kübler- Mabbott Édition : Routledge, 2008 ISBN 978- 0- 4154- 3167- 5 ( hbk.), 224 pages, in English While the Olympic Games have become a global phenomenon, the Olympic system as such remains something of a mystery to the general public. Brenda Kübler- Mabbott and Jean- Loup Chappelet share the result of 40 years of research on the origins and history of the Olympic Movement and the people who have contributed to its development. The book gives a detailed description of the current Olympic system and the role of the different bodies that comprise it: the IOC, the NOCs, the IFs and the OCOGs. The authors also analyse the major changes that have recently influenced the world of sport and the Olympic movement. To conclude, the authors suggest several lines of thought regarding the future of the Olympic Movement and the possible challenges it faces. This book is part of the Global Institutions collection, which includes around 15 titles. BY DAVID MILLER; PUBLISHED BY MAINSTREAM PUBLISHING COMPANY ( EDINBURGH) LTD, 7 ALBANY STREET, EDINBURGH EH1 3UG, UNITED KINGDOM; 2008; ISBN 978- 1- 845961596; PRICE: £ 35.00, REVIEWED BY ANTHONY TH. BIJKERK.

OLYMPIC REVIEW97 INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE PRIZE: La bicyclette: mythes et techniques, passion et design, Francesco Baroni; published by: White Star, 2008; ISBN: 978 8 8611 2122 5; 303 pages, photographs in black and white and colour, in French. The bicycle combines poetry and technique like no other invention. It's a mode of transport that enables people to travel slowly in an increasingly fast- moving world. In essence a simple vehicle driven by a simultaneous or alternating movement of the legs, the bicycle has continuously evolved: from the rather uncomfortable celeripedes to today's ever lighter and faster " concept bikes". But the basic structure remains the same: two wheels, a saddle, handlebars and two pedals. Once the preserve of the wealthy, the bicycle is today accessible to everyone and is part of the collective imagination of all generations. FRENCH NATIONAL OLYMPIC AND SPORTS COMMITTEE PRIZE: The Olympic Games, Andrew Longmore & Neil Morton; published by: Dakini Media, 2008; 511 pages, photographs in black and white and colour, in English. This is a very different book about the Olympic Games. It does not follow a chronological path through the Games nor act as a laurel wreath for the victor. The photographs tell a thousand stories, but this is not just a picture book. It is a book about endeavour, about success and failure, about SPORTELPRIZEFORTHEBEST ILLUSTRATEDSPORTSBOOK At the end of October in Monaco, the 11th Sportel Prize for the Best Illustrated Sports Book was awarded as part of the major sport and television event. This year the organising committee received 52 entries. After a first round of judging, 34 books remained, all of them of a high standard. The prizes for the three winners were awarded at the Grimaldi Forum, at the Golden Podium Awards ceremony. strength and weakness, about respect and friendship, created through the extraordinary medium of sport and expressed in the common understanding of every athlete on the start line, in the wrestling hall, the swimming pool and the cycle track; that being an Olympian is in itself success, a pinnacle of human achievement, and that which lasts far longer than the reflected glory of winning gold is the shared experience of excellence. MONACO OLYMPIC COMMITTEE SPECIAL AWARD: Ombres et lumières - Le sport en Chine, Gilles Bertrand; published by: VO2 Diffusion, 2008; ISBN: 978 2 9522 1058 4; 223 pages, photographs in black and white and colour, in French. In August 2008, the world turned its gaze towards China where the 29th Olympic Games were held. But what do we really know about Chinese sport, the state- run schools, those breeding grounds for gymnasts, the regional and national training centres? All these hidden places are bastions where state athletes prepare in silence and secrecy. Journalist and photographer Gilles Bertrand – who has been exploring the world of sport for over 20 years – decided to carry out a lengthy investigation into the heart of the Chinese system. He travelled the length and breadth of this " road of sweat and tears", from the state schools to the private centres where doors opened. The author looks at local competitions and major national events, small gymnasiums and large national centres, in order to better understand and appreciate Chinese sport as a whole. From Olympic sports to traditional games that are not immune from state control, this book traces a journey across China, a country that inspires both outrage and fascination. Selection proposed by the IOC Library, 1, Quai d'Ouchy, P. O. Box 1001, Lausanne, Switzerland. Tel. + 41 ( 0) 21 621 66 11. Fax + 41( 0) 21 621 67 18. Visit the website www. olympic. org/ library ( loans service, on- line catalogue, list of new acquisitions, lists of themed bibliographies).