That's a pretty cool gesture, whether you agree with his politics or not. What would be even better?... If Bill himself blogged.

I look forward to that transcript and reading whatever else you have to say.

Well, Mbeki blogs once a week, if I'm not mistaken. It would be nifty if major American politicians blogged, too.

Wow. More than ever I want to get on the "freelance writing/blogging" thing... this is way too cool for words.

I am really looking forward to what will be written about this event too. It would be nice to see at least one of the invited bloggers do some critical analysis of the event even though I doubt that will occur. Most of them seem too star-struck to be interested in anything like that.

It's interesting that no African Americans or Latinos were in the meeting. With black folks voting in big numbers as Democrats I don't get it.Did no one look around while in "Harlem" and say why are there no black and latinos in this meeting? A big thanks to Peter Daou for that?

The delegates addressed the Committee in turn and the Games were accorded to Melbourne by a majority of one vote over Buenos Aires in the forty-one votes cast, with Los Angeles and Detroit the nearest next contenders.

The Australian Olympic Federation, having been notified by the International Olympic Committee that the Games were entrusted to its keeping, appointed a Provisional Organizing Committee consisting of—the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sir Harold Luxton (Member, International Olympic Committee), Mr. H. R. Weir (Member, International Olympic Committee), Mr. Harry Alderson (Chairman of the Australian Olympic Federation), Sir Frank Beaurepaire (President of the Victorian Olympic Council), Mr. E. S. Tanner (Honorary Secretary-Treasurer of the Australian Olympic Federation), Messrs. R. H. Wallman and C. R. Aitken (members of the Executive of the Australian Olympic Federation), Mr. W. T. J. Uren (Chairman, Victorian Olympic Council), a Representative of each of the Commonwealth and State Governments, the Hon. G. L. Chandler representing the Municipal Association, and Sir George Wales, a member of the Melbourne Invitation Committee.

The rest of the story, with a slight exception, is one of little more than local interest. The exception lay in the difficulty encountered in the restrictions which the Commonwealth Quarantine Regulations placed on the entry of horses into Australia. This was solved by the International Olympic Committee agreeing to substitute Stockholm for Melbourne as the venue for the equestrian events.

The venues, including elaborate constructional projects were ready, some ahead of time, some to the day. The Olympic Village, a remarkable feat of housing in which the State Housing Commission co-operated, was ready waiting for the teams.
The city, its hotels and department stores on the one hand, its homes and private hospitality on the other, its transport system geared to unprecedented demands, its car industry, its theatres, its banks, its parks and gardens at all points prepared and anxious to please, awaited the nations of the world.

The very weather, the sun and the shade of the Yarra-river side, the noon day warmth and the sea breeze of early evening, stood disciplined like the athletes, all its mettle and its magic stored for this procession of sixteen days of unsullied splendour. All the rumblings of distant wars, all the clash and clamour of world-away systems and schemes faded, forgotten like a scare in the night, before the splendour of this daybreak of an Olympiad.