I haven’t found basketball on the villa satellite programming. There’s something daunting about 900 satellite channels when you’re looking for one type of program. 900 channels becomes very “needle in a haystack” like. I’ve found no English programming carrying the Olympics, but German and something that sounds like French are broadcasting consistently.

Fencing is on right now. I confess a certain lack of interest in this sport. Water polo is interesting. I think I might have something to offer in that arena. I wonder if my native Canada would be interested in my services?

There’s another sport that has completely baffled me–handball. Where I come from, handball is played by two to four people on a racquetball or squash court with a small, hard, rubber ball and gloves. In the Olympics, it’s played on what looks like a basketball-sized court with field hockey like goals and a team of people and what looks like a 2/3 size volleyball or soccer ball. It’s very strange. Since I’m surrounded by military officers, they have commented that it looks like a game they play in their professional military education courses called flickerball.

The swimming events have been fascinating. The women’s basketball, softball, and soccer teams have been doing very well. Men’s gymnastics is also looking good. I could do with a bit less fencing and bit more of the other “obscure” sports.