Our Favorite Olympic Underdogs

By Adam Ruggiero
Love of Sports Correspondent

The Olympics are in full swing and most Americans are well aware of the main story lines:

These games are China’s coming-out party, as the historically recluse Communist nation comes to center stage to showcase not only their athletic prowess, but their economic and innovative clout as well; the conspicuously inconspicuous human rights violations rampant in their industrial and military arenas; and the sudden conflict flaring up between Russia and Georgia, all but tearing attention off the games themselves.

Within the context of the competitions there are also some compelling, if less pressing, plotlines.

China’s the prohibitive favorite to win the medal count for the first time ever. Michael Phelps is on track to break Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals. The U.S. “Redeem Team” is seeking to bring basketball gold and worldwide respect back to the U.S. of A.

But there’s more. Ever since the Miracle On Ice, and the USA’s ensuing dominance of all things sport, many have taken to adopting obscure underdog nations to make the Games more exciting. The debut of the Jamaican bobsled team in 1988 is the perfect example.

The novelty of a Caribbean nation competing in the world’s Winter Games was enough to grab Hollywood’s attention here in America. Every four years, something similar happens on a much smaller scale in the living rooms and taverns where Americans find Cinderella stories among the outclassed nations, whose hard-to-pronounce names and bizarre attire make them all the more lovable.

To be sure, the U.S. still commands the hearts and cheers of its citizens, perhaps more than ever given the political backdrop of these Olympics. Anyone with a pulse and basic cable was taxing the springs on their sofa, jumping up and down and screaming for Jason Lezak to motor his 32-year-old haunch past France for the 4x100m relay gold. And you can’t help but root for Michael Phelps to nab those eight medals.

But for all those other events and nations that go unnoticed by the red, white and blue, here’s a look at some of the sentimental favorites in Beijing…

The Underdogs

Hungary

Here’s a pick for anyone who watched the Opening Ceremonies. Part of the fun of the first night’s festivities is checking out the fashion sense of the Lichtensteins and Djiboutis of the world. Anyone who tuned in on Friday had to gawk at their TV screens when Hungary came parading out of the tunnel for their celebratory lap. The men looked dapper enough in their white fedoras and matching blazers, but when the women came on the scene it looked as though they’d worn their finest Sunday dresses to the town pig slaughter.

Compared to the United States’ debonair, Ralph Lauren yachtsman getups, Hungary’s red-splashed whites were an upbeat departure from the prideful, competitive air some countries cling to. Like the Miss America contestant who snorts when she laughs, the Hungarians look like they are there just to have fun. For that, they should be rewarded. And by competing in 22 events at these Olympics, you can be sure they will be.

Iceland

Not only is Iceland fun to root for - because their name evokes thoughts of cobblestone market streets, snowcapped hillsides and gorgeous blonde-haired, blue-eyed ski instructors - but it turns out they have the Olympics’ longest gold medal drought in the Summer Games. Their Olympic contributions date back to 1912 – or 1908 if you ignore Danish rule over Iceland at the time – yet the competitors from this sub-arctic island nation have never heard their anthem from the medal podium. Men’s judo and the women’s pole vault have garnered bronze (1984 and 2000, respectively), and Vilhjálmur Einarsson (hard to type, impossible to pronounce) received silver for his triple jump effort in 1956. This year, Iceland’s hopes for gold lay in judo, men’s handball, the hammer throw, women’s pole vault and javelin and various swimming events based upon qualifying results.

Monaco

If going 96 years without a gold medal weren’t bad enough, Monaco, the tiny independent city-state tucked into the southeast corner of France, has been the little engine that couldn’t for the last 88 years. That’s 32,142 days without a single medal of any metal! Poor Monaco. I guess the population of 33,000 – many of whom are wealthy immigrants – will have to take solace in the total lack of income tax there. Those brave, brave souls. To buck the trend, Monaco has representatives in the following events: judo, rowing, shooting and weightlifting. Monaco’s Prince Albert II and his girlfriend Charlene Wittstock sure seem to be very proud of their little squad.

The Marshall Islands

Finally, for everyone else who’s not willing to turn their back on the Stars and Stripes altogether, there’s the Marshall Islands, the small grouping of islands and atolls (large, above-sea reefs) that found its independence from the U.S. just 22 years ago. The nation of 60,000 is stepping up to the Olympic stage for the first time ever, despite not even having an Olympic-sized track to call their own.

Denied their chance to compete in both the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Games, Marshall’s chances to medal are as remote as the islands themselves, but the tiny team of four men and women - Roman Cress in the 100m sprint, Haley Nemra in the women’s 800 meters, Anju Jason in Taekwondo and Jared Heine in the 100 meter backstroke – will nonetheless go down in their nation’s annals as pioneers. What’s more, if anyone could give Hungary a run for their money in the fashion department, it’s the Marshall Islands.

So, in the 10 minutes between the Michael Phelps swimming events and 50-point basketball blowouts, you can now tune in to field hockey or synchronized diving and still have a reason to cheer. Remember, if it’s hard to pronounce, it’s easy to love.