If You’re Game to Find More Olympics Info

Picture this: You’re at work late, there’s not a television in sight and you’re a die-hard curling fan. It’s the first year the sport is in competition, and you just have to find out what’s going on.

Thanks to the magic of the Internet, you can get curling--or biathlon, luge, skating, snowboarding, skiing, hockey, bobsled--results in real time. You can also get loads of other information TV won’t give you: bios on the athletes of your choice, full schedules of when events are being televised, Olympic history, Nagano history, even a countdown to the 2000 Games. On top of all that, there’s interactive features that extend beyond your standard remote control options like mute or channel up.

Here’s a sampling:

* Let the Games Begin: Everything you could ever want to know about the XVIII Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, is at https://www.nagano.olympic.org/. The official site, from the Olympic organizing committee, has a countdown to the Games, which start Saturday in Nagano but on Friday for us; news in Japanese, English and French; athlete bios; daily pictures from Nagano; Java game schedules; information on participating countries; camera updates every 15 minutes from the top of the ski jump; and a trivia game. In addition, the VRML Dynamic Seating Viewer allows users to choose a seat at any of five stadiums. Once the competition gets underway, real-time results will be posted. The site’s Kids Plaza has more activities, stories and pictures.

* Speaking of Kids . . . : The Nagano ’98 Kids Info Center is an offering from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the center, which provides information in English, pint-size fans can learn about the Games, sports, science and eco-friendly technologies at the Games. They can also earn about how other kids are getting involved in the Olympics and take a virtual trip through Japan on the way to Nagano to find information on culture and events. The Kids Info Center is at https://www.mofa.go.jp/nagano/

* The Eye on the Internet: You’ll be watching the games on CBS, but those in the know (and now that includes you) are already tipped off to info on the CBS Web site (https://www.winterolympics.com). In addition to the standard news, features, history and bios, the site has forums, chats, an arcade, a medal count, videos and schedules. There’s also a place where you can find out which Olympic athletes are from your hometown, a Shockwave primer on bobsledding, and the top 10 Winter Olympics athletes of all time.

* More Official Business: Why not spend a little time learning about the group behind the Games? The International Olympic Committee site is at https://www.olympic.org. The Olympic Movement site is being revamped just in time for the Olympics and is also the online home of the Olympic Museum in Switzerland. Both can be accessed at https://www.museum.olympic.org

* There’s More: Although most of the city of Nagano’s official site is either in Japanese or under construction, it still provides plenty of information. You can make a virtual visit to Zenkouji Temple, the protected Jindai Cherry Tree, Chausu-Yama Park and other city landmarks; read up on the city’s culture; and get info on local points of interest such as the Children’s Science Center and the Nagano City Hall. Nagano is online at https://www.city.nagano.nagano.jp/

* Not for Women Only: Did you know that women weren’t allowed to participate in the first Olympic Games? And that even when they were, in 1900, they were allowed in only three events (tennis, golf and yachting)? To find out more about women’s roles in sports and in the Olympics, head to Women in the Olympics (https:// www.feminist.org/other/olympic/intro.html). You’ll also find profiles of female athletes and related articles, such as an overview of women and sports and one on gender apartheid in the Olympics.

* Go Figure: Cast a vote for your favorite Olympic skater at https://members.tripod.com/~Gary_Amy/naganopicks.htm. Whether you’ve followed the sport forever or just got interested after the Nancy Kerrigan-Tonya Harding brouhaha, this is the site for figure skating. Also check out the Olympic biographies and “Diary of a Skating Fan.”

* Dear Diary, Part II: Jim, a 27-year-old American who has been living in Japan for almost four years, is the man behind the Nagano Olympic Diary. As an Olympics volunteer and spectator, Jim gives us “unbiased” daily updates of what’s going down on the other side of the world. He also offers some background on Nagano, an idea of what the city is like and plenty of pictures. Point your browser to https://www2.gol.com/users/jhoadley/nagano.html

* Home Team: The official online home of the U.S. Olympic Committee ishttps://www.olympic-usa.org/. Unlike other general Olympic sites listed here, this one is just Americans, Americans, Americans. There’s trivia; daily schedules; news and notes from Team USA’s processing site in Osaka, Japan. Here you can find the all-time top medalists, year-by-year medal totals and fun facts. And they have a free service in which Olympic previews and updates arrive via e-mail everyday.

* Those Were the Days: If more history is what you’re after, check out the Ancient Olympics (https://olympics.tufts.edu/). The site compares ancient and modern games and allows you to tour the site of Olympia as it looks today, learn about the real Olympic spirit and read about athletes who were famous in ancient times. Some of the events way back when included chariot races, wrestling, boxing (a little more vicious than we allow today), pentathlon, running and pankration (a boxing-wrestling combo with separate divisions for men and boys in which punching and kicking an opponent in the belly was allowed; no biting or gouging, though).

* Just the Facts: The Olympic Almanac (https://www.andrew.cmu.edu/~mmdg/Almanac/) doesn’t have anything in the way of news, articles, features or bios. But it’s the easiest way to find out where the games have been held since they started in 1896; the number of participating countries and athletes (both men and women); and how many sports were played for each Games. Just click on a date, and you get tables with all this information--and more. The site also has Olympic firsts, logos and mascots.

* Thinking Ahead: In case you can’t get enough, there’s a countdown to the Sydney 2000 Games at https://www.stellargroup.com/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi

* Special Note: Speaking of Olympics, let’s not forget the Special Olympics (https://www.specialolympics.com).