Category — Sport

Now that Euro 2008 has passed, I’m watching the countdown for the Olympics in Beijing. It might start feeling like China-overkill, but should be interesting.

Here’s Beijing’s new Olympic Stadium designed by architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. It can seat 91,000 and it looks like an enormous bird’s nest made of twiglike beams. The architects say their inspirations include “a big pot” and “the Eiffel Tower.”  Hm.

Via Men.Style.com

Technorati Tags: architecture, Beijing, China, Jacques Herzog, Olympic Stadium, Olympics, Pierre de Meuron, sport

US phenomenon Haley Ishimatsu performs a dive in the finals of the women’s platform at the U.S. Olympic diving trials in Indianapolis, Sunday, June 22, 2008.

Via Big Picture

Technorati Tags: Asian American, diving, Haley Ishimatsu, sport, swimming

I’m not so much into hand-bags as I am “man-bags”, but this is a curious combination with the more masculine baseball aesthetic applied to handbags. I just wish there was one designed for men!

From the JC Report:

According to designer Hikaru Matsumura, “There are many good bags, but very few with wit.”

To address this void in the accessories market, Matsumura, who has designed at Issey Miyake since 1993, conceived of the Unique Bag Project, playing matchmaker with an artisan baseball glove maker in Osaka and handbag craftsmen from the Issey Miyake umbrella.

The utterly original lovechild produced from this unusual collaboration is a series of handbags that riff on classic baseball mitt design tropes—the lacing, glove pocket, webbing and rivets—and integrate them into richly detailed bags that may sound cheeky in theory but are thoroughly stunning in reality.

The baseball glove bags are the first batch of accessories to come out of the Unique Bag Project, and two lines—the C-Series and R-Series—have been released thus far. The models, constructed primarily out of leather and nylon, range from black to white to army green, with lacing and intricately woven leather strips figuring prominently in all the designs. And the level of craftsmanship is jaw-dropping—the bags are put together from 184 parts that go through 775 processes. (For point of reference, the average bag requires about half as much work.)

Matsumura has certainly grabbed our attention with his unorthodox approach, and it looks like more innovation is on the way. Next season, he plans to collaborate with the top Kendo (traditional Japanese fencing) manufacturer on a Unique new installment.

Unique Bag Project
More on the JC Report

Technorati Tags: fashion, handbags, Hikaru Matsumura, Issey Miyake, Japan, sport, Unique Bag Project

Sumo wrestlers fight during the Berlin-Basho Sumo Open tournament in Berlin, Germany, on April 12, 2008.

Via Activate.us

Technorati Tags: Berlin-Basho Sumo Open tournament, sumo

It hasn’t been approved for the Olympics yet, but Slipper Ping Pong is an international sport with growing popularity!

The game was started in Kahokucho, a small city known for being the number one slipper manufacturer in Japan. As a way to promote tourism - and to get rid of excess slipper materials - they invented this modded sport not so long ago.

You can buy the official World Ping Pong Championship slippers on Cataloger’s web site.

Via TokyoMango

Technorati Tags: Japan, Kahokucho, modded sport, official World Ping Pong Championship slippers, slipper manufacturer, Slipper Ping Pong

A new water sport in which contestants row a boat made of a single bamboo cane has been invented in China.

Villagers from Chishui, near Zuiyi city, came up with the idea, reports News Express.
They make the boats out of locally grown bamboo and hold races on the Pinzhou River.

“Participants can sit or stand on the piece of bamboo, and with a thin bamboo oar, they race and compete at other tasks,” explained one villager.

Villagers say the races have become a popular local attraction and hope the sport will spread across the region.

From Ananova via Neatorama

Technorati Tags: China, single bamboo cane boat, sport, water sport

I looked twice when I saw this, and I’m not so sure it was for a good reason! This Sumo Wrestler table might appeal to some people, I’m sure, but I did give a wry smile thinking that it was a joke at the expense of the sumo professional. I.e. as they begin their charge, someone places a glass top on them and tell them to “hold it right there“!

The table is eye-catching no doubt and I can’t argue that it’s East-Asian inspired. It would take a bold shopper to purchase this, but I just don’t think its as witty as Allen Jone’s table sculpture.

Via Popgadget

Technorati Tags: culture, ideas, Japanese, products, sumo, Sumo Wrestler table

Honda’s MotoGP rider, Dani Pedrosa of Spain, tumbles during the Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi, north of Tokyo, Japan, on September 23, 2007.

Via Activate.us

Technorati Tags: Honda, Japan, Japanese Grand Prix, Motegi, Moto GP