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Titan Games
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The Titan Games are a new multisport competition sponsored by the United States Olympic Committee. The games are somewhat experimental, and included the combat sports of boxing, fencing judo, karate, taekwondo, weightlifting, wrestling, and a shot-put challenge. Four stages inside the arena promised at least three sports will be on display at any one time. Athletes from twenty nations competed at the games. The events were held in the San Jose University Events Center in San Jose, California, February 13-15, 2003. Details of the Titan Games from the USOC can be found at. |
2003 San Jose, USA
last update June 17, 2004
| Titan
Games News
Spain to fill in for Iran at Titan Games? June 4, 2003 Wrestlers from Spain have been invited to participate in the Titan Games in Atlanta this month, after Iran announced it would boycott the games. Iran's pullout is still to be confirmed, but looks probable. The games are scheduled to run from June 18-20 in Atlanta. Iraqi Athletes to participate in Titan Games May 25, 2004 The Iraqi boxer is Najah S. Ali, who was discovered in Iraq by Maurice “Termite” Watkins, the pest control specialist and former boxer who rose to fame last year when he began training Iraqi boxers on the side. Watkins fires up his Iraqi team with shouts of 'Iraq is back!" Ali will be able to participate in the Olympics after being given one of five discretionary entries from the IOC. Ali fought in two pre-olympic tournaments, but was not able to qualify for the games in either. Two Greco-Roman wrestlers, Ahmed J. Jasim and Ahamad N. Weali, are also lined up to participate in the Titan Games. Iran announces boycott of Titan Games May 24, 2004 Iranian wrestlers gave all indications last month that they were excited to be headed to Atlanta to wrestle in the Titan Games in June, but now the trip might be off. Iran's wrestling federation has announced that Iran will not compete in the games, but instead will boycott over the issue of the US presence in Iran. The federation has reportedly not communicated this directly to the USOC or Titan Games organizers. Iranian fencers will also stay away from an event in New York City in June. Iran wants US military forces to pull out of holy muslim cities in Iraq, and only then would consider participating in the games.Officials with the United States Olympic Committee and the Atlanta Sports Council are taking a wait-and-see attitude about Iran's announced plans to boycott the Titan Games in Atlanta next month. Other nations with athletes scheduled to participate in the games are Canada, China, Columbia, the Republic of Georgia, Germany, Korea, Mexico and the U.S. Last year Cuba's boxing team dropped out of the Titan Games at the last minute. Dates set for 2004 Titan Games March 4, 2004 The USOC and the Atlanta Sports Council have set the dates for the 2004 Titan Games for June 18-20, just 106 days away. The games are timed to be going on when the Olympic Torch arrives in Atlanta. It was also announced that the USOC and Atlanta Sports Council have a three-year agreement for the games, opening the possibility for 2005 and 2006 Titan Games to also be held in Atlanta. US Olympians will square off against athletes from other nations in boxing, fencing, judo, karate, taekwondo, weightlifting, and wrestling in Philips Arena, 1 20,000 seat arena opened in September 1999 (and not an Olympic venue) and a shot put competition in Centennial Olympic Park. Last years event was held in a 4500 seat arena in San Jose. Home Depot will be the presenting sponsor for this years games and Adidas, Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Georgia-Pacific and Georgia Power are also backing the games to the tune of $1.4 million. Atlanta is expecting big things from the relatively small games. Gary Stokan, of the Atlanta Sports Council has stated that the Titan Games will have the "largest convergence of Summer Olympic athletes in the United States since the '96 Olympics." Last years Titan Games were reported to have about 200 participants. The Goodwill Games in New York City in 1998, with plenty of Olympians in attendance, had 1300 athletes from 60 nations competing in 15 sports.
Business Journal trying to spin Titan Games to Atlanta? November 22, 2003 Editorial: Daniel Bell Ten days after the 2003 Titan Games ended this past February in San Jose, California , the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reported that the games were a big success, quoting then USOC CEO Lloyd Ward as saying, "These athletes don't usually draw this well so the concept is sound," and that the event was expected to be held in San Jose in 2004. In an article entitled "Games win hearts of Olympic Committee," the Journal noted that, "several U.S. athletes said they were awed by the spectacle and by the amount of attention given to their sports by the Titan Games." Now, ten months later, the Atlanta Business Chronicle, part of the same company as the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, has changed its tune, perhaps in conjunction with more reflection from the USOC. The Atlanta Business Chronicle now contends that the games didn't draw as many fans or as much corporate sponsorship as expected. As successful as the games were, the USOC rushed to put them together with just 120 days notice and the games were hurt by the last minute cancellation of the Cuban boxing team. Atlanta is now being mentioned as a possible bidder for the Titan Games and the Atlanta Business Chronicle is lobbying hard for the games to go to Atlanta. The Journal reports that though San Jose has first right of refusal for the games, based on discussions between the USOC and the two cities, it looks likely that the games will go to Atlanta and be held in June 2004 during the build-up to the Athens Olympic Games, though an official bid has still not been made by Atlanta. The Journal, attempting to paint Atlanta as an ideal place for the games, possibly on a permanent basis, quoted Georgia State marketing professor, Ken Bernhardt, as saying. "There probably isn't another city in the country that has the halo of the Olympics around it like Atlanta has, and this would boost our standing as a leader in sports events." It's always like that with the marketeers, isn't it? Mr. Bernhardt perhaps has never heard of the city that has hosted the 1932 and the 1984 Olympic Games, far more successfully than the unfortunately mismanaged and internationally maligned Atlanta version of the games in 1996. Titan Games to Return to San Jose? April 2003 San Francisco's sfgate.com has reported that organizers were so pleased with the success of the Titan Games, that it is growing more likely that the games will held again next year. Dean Munro, executive director of the San Jose Sports Authority, reported that the sport federations involved " were so extraordinarily enthused about the event they want to have it again next year." Meanwhile, the Titan Games concept may not have been as unique as we first thought. The 1919 Paris Inter-Allied Games official report states that "Parisian sportslovers had a difficult problem in choosing where they wished to go the witness the Inter-Allied Games. The track and field, boxing and wrestling bouts, and a major portion of the other competitions were held in Pershing stadium." "Spectators at Pershing Stadium faced an added difficulty in determining their preference in sport as several events were conducted simultaneously, though games of the type of baseball, soccer and basketball were usually halted between periods to permit a track race to be run." By the way, ESPN's coverage of the Titan Games on March 29-30, failed in any way to capture the intensity and excitement that was found in the arena those days. Instead of covering the event as it happened, ESPN went for the packaged approach, with lots of non-action up close interviews and other filler. Completely missed in the telecast was the frenzy of activity that occurred in the arena, though small glimpses could be had while the big screen happened to come into view on the telecast. You'll just have to show up next year and see for yourself. Titan Games a Resounding Success February
17, 2003 The Titan Games arena didn’t have mats or rings it had “Battlezones.” They didn’t sell programs but “Combat Guides” and the Titan Games didn’t have all the Olympic sports, but as the advertising for the games read, “just the really painful ones.” And the first ever Titan Games didn’t have much news coverage, but by Saturday night the games could be called nothing but a Colossal success. Saturday’s events climaxed when US wrestler T.C Dantzler body slammed his Kazhaki opponent, not once but twice, ending the match the second time, the near-capacity crowd erupting in unison. Olympic Champion Rulon Gardner followed, winning his first match since recovering from frostbite last winter, and the games closed with Shane Hamman, lifting 501 pounds over his head to win the clean and jerk portion of the weightlifting. Remember the Barcelona triplecast, with three channels of Olympic sports? This was quadruplecast. Live, with no commercial interruptions, no stops in the action. Big screens in the arena added to the frenzy of action, providing close-ups and the chance to see two and three sports in one line of sight. Imagine sitting in front of a big screen TV, split four ways, but the sports were live. The tickets were worth every penny! The Titan Games worked! The Titan Games rocked! The venue was the perfect size, around 4500 seats, and allowed the spectators a close-up look at the athletes while competing and when they sat in the stands with the rest of the spectators when not competing. The athletes were approachable and mingled freely with each other and with spectators. Athletes from 20 countries competed over three days in weightlifting, fencing, karate, taekwondo, judo, boxing, wrestling and shot put. Each session began with a short Opening Ceremony with the athletes marching to their respective Battlezones behind their nations flags, or for the all-star teams, the Titan Games flag. Hungary, Norway, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, China, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Belarus, Cuba, Russia, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Ecuador, South Africa Canada and United States were represented. Numerous Asian Games Champions, Pan- American Games Champions, World Military Champions and World University Champions were present. Organizers had promised events in three of four rings at a time and for the most part, were able to keep their promise. No one seemed to mind, with four events going on at once, there was never a lack of action. Towards the end of the sessions, as action wound down, spectators could focus on the action in the remaining Battlezones. Spectators, had a smorgasbord of wrestling, both freestyle and greco-roman, men’s and women’s bouts, in Battlezone One, where Cuba, Canada, Norway, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the US met. Battlezone Two featured boxing, with the US teams one and two taking on Mexico and Puerto Rico. The Cuban national boxing team, a late cancellation, was barely missed. Battlezone Three was
chock-full of taekwondo, judo and karate action, with China, Japan
Korea, Mexico and the US featured.
An advertised team from Vietnam did not show. Battlezone Four traded
off between fencing and weightlifting with All-Star teams from the US,
Pan-Am All-Stars and Asian-Stars competed. The competitions were based on a team format, with no individual medals awarded and no medals tables kept. During the entire competition a bit of a soundtrack played in the background the entire time, but it wasn’t contrived or intrusive. The games were simply pure sport, pure competition, and pure excitement, without the Ebersolization of presentation that has come to permeate televised events, or the obnoxious advertising, and tawdry silliness that has come to permeate live events. Unfortunately the games won’t be televised (on ESPN) until late March, The games were commercialized, no doubt, but the signage in the arena (something that still won’t happen within an Olympic venue) added to the color of the games, and gave Adidas, Visa, Bank of America, Budweiser and 24 Hour Fitness their due for bankrolling the games. USOC, San Jose Sports
Authority and San Jose State University should be commended for running
an event, that to the spectators, came across without a hitch. USOC, CEO
Lloyd Ward should be congratulated for his vision in creating and
organizing the event. Athletes, spectators and organizers seemed to think that the success of the inaugural event bodes well for future Titan Games. A final Closing ceremony, honored the team winners of the competitions, and the athletes massed together on the wrestling mat while USOC CEO Lloyd Ward, gave out the award for the “Ultimate Titan” of the games. A rather broadened definition of “Ultimate” saw one female athlete, weightlifter Cheryl Haworth named “Ultimate Titan” of the female athletes, while Cuban wrestler Yoel Romero and US weightlifter Shane Hammond shared the title of Ultimate Titan on the Men’s side. Results from USOC Web Site: Cuban boxers withdraw from Titan Games Feb. 7, 2003 Citing "technical difficulties within our organization" the Cuban national boxing team has withdrawn from the Titan Games, less than seven days before the games are scheduled to begin in San Jose, California. Eight Cuban boxers were scheduled to compete, and were some of the higher profile marketing draws for the games. Organizers say it is too late to bring in another national team, so a second team put together by USA Boxing will stand in for the Cubans. The withdrawal is not understood to be a boycott by Cuba. Cuban wrestlers and weightlifters are still scheduled to compete. Trying to get Titan Games Tickets? The short quick answer? Call
USA Boxing at 719 866-2323 and order tickets directly from JoAnn. So,
before the "Season Pass" option was added, for two $24.00 tickets to
each of the four sessions, one would have paid, $48.00 for the tickets to each
session, $192.00 total, $ 6.25 per 8 tickets, or $50 more for
"convenience charges", and $3.25 per order or $13.00 more dollars
for "handling." Plus mailing fees, if chosen. $192.00 in tickets
becomes $255.00. 25% of your costs
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