Before suiting up in Beijing, China for the 2008 summer Olympics, athletes such as Lebron James and Michael Phelps will make a brief, pre-games pit stop on the San Jose State University campus.On June 12 the United States Olympic Committee along with SJSU administrators and San Jose city Mayor Chuck Reed announced that team processing for the United States Olympic athletes - like James and Phelps - will take place at the University's on-campus housing complex, Campus Village in July and August 2008.According to officials who spoke to an audience of about 200 people from a temporary stage on the Tower Lawn, every soon-to-be competitor will formally register, receive uniforms and medical checkups and have their first official meeting with the USOC before leaving to compete against the world's finest in Beijing from Aug. 8 to Aug 24."That's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to see these people on campus," said Marco Solis, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, who lives in Campus Village. "I'd love to see these superstars right where I live," Solis said.The mandatory two-day, overnight visits for the athletes, as well as the coaches and officials, will also include brief team training. Some teams will stay up to five days to complete their training, officials said."Once again, not only another great thing that San Jose State is doing for the campus, but also for the city of San Jose," Mayor Chuck Reed said.With this announcement SJSU continues to add to its Olympic games legacy.During the 1968 games, track and field athletes John Carlos and Tommy Smith took the bronze and gold medals, respectively. The university even commemorated the two athletes by erecting a statue on campus of their medal ceremony. Another notable figure with strong University ties is Yoshiro Uchida, who introduced judo to the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 and coached 40 consecutive SJSU Spartans judo teams to national championships."I'd be really excited to see the Olympians here," said Nam Nguyen, a freshman majoring in biology. "I'd probably ask for autographs."
FONTE: The Spartan Daily - San Jose, CA, USA
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