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Encyclopædia Britannica Launches Web Site in
Celebration of the 1998 Winter Olympic Games
Contains video clips, explanatory animation; In-depth, interactive
record of medal winners
CHICAGO, 01.09.1998
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. today introduced a World Wide Web
site in anticipation of the upcoming 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano,
Japan. Entitled "Britannica Sporting Record: The Winter Games," the
interactive site provides a detailed history of the Winter Olympics
and a comprehensive overview of the Olympic movement. The site, located
at http://winter.eb.com., is available
free of charge.
The Winter Games site contains a searchable database of more than 127
articles and photographs and 93 biographies of the most important participants
in Winter Olympics history. Essays by noted Olympics historians and
athletes such as Harold Abrahams, the runner featured in the movie "Chariots
of Fire," enhance the site by providing a unique insider perspective
on the Olympics. It also features Quicktime video and multimedia animations
detailing techniques and methods used in major Winter Olympic sports,
including speed skating and Alpine and cross-country skiing.
The site links to the Nagano Web site and other related Internet sites.
With ongoing daily updates on medal winners and events, the site will
be a valuable resource for Olympics fans and journalists covering the
1998 Games.
Don Yannias, chief executive officer, said: "We are building on the
momentum and interest generated from our 1996 Summer Games site. This
new site continues our tradition of combining fresh information with
a clear perspective on events that draw international attention."
Paul Hoffman, publisher, said: "Our goal is to package comprehensive
information in an engaging, easy to use format. This site -- with its
interactive features and multimedia animation -- succeeds."
Upon entering "The Winter Games" site, users will find an essay written
by John MacAloon, respected Olympics scholar and author of a new biography
on Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games. Entitled
"World Culture and the Olympics," the essay outlines the Olympic movement
and its successful creation of new understanding among nations. It also
details lesser-known Olympics events such as the 1980 disagreement between
the U.S. and Greece over the meaning of the Games.
The introduction page also links users to maps, historical articles
and geographical information about Nagano, as well as a to special section
on the Game's venues.
From the introduction page, users can select four different sections
of "The Winter Games" site to explore:
The Games
Features articles, photographs and the official poster from each of
the 17 Winter Games. It also includes an essay on the history of the
Olympic Games written by Abrahams.
The Events
Contains 19 articles and 28 illustrations on the history, courses, rules
of play, and equipment requirements for every Winter Olympic Event.
It also features Quicktime movie clips of freestyle skiing, ski jumping
and snowboarding events.
The Athletes
Includes 93 biographies of the most important athletes, coaches and
officials in Winter Olympics History, including profiles of Gold medal
figure skater Scott Hamilton and Anatoly Tarasov, the "Father of Russian
Hockey," among others.
The Record
Features a searchable database containing results from previous Winter
Olympic Games. Users can do an advanced search for detailed information
by cross-referencing the type of "Event," "Country," "Medal Category"
(Gold, Silver, Bronze) and/or "Athlete's Name." For example, users can
determine the number of medals won by Canada in speed skating by cross
referencing the following keywords: speed skating, Canada, all medals.
In addition, the site includes a link to Encyclopædia Britannica's
Summer Games site, "Britannica Sporting Record: The Summer Games," allowing
users to access complete information on the events, athletes and records
from the 1996 Atlanta Games. Direct links to Nagano's Web site and other
Internet addresses with information on the 1998 Winter Games are also
provided.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. publishes the most authoritative
and comprehensive encyclopedia in the English language in three forms:
Britannica CD™(on CD-ROM); Britannica Online®(on the Internet);
and the famous 32-volume Encyclopædia Britannica®. The company
is headquartered in Chicago and is located on the World Wide Web at
http://www.eb.com. The company also
provides Web navigation and thoughtful commentary through eBLAST, available
at http://www.eBLAST.com. The service
features more than 125,000 high-quality Web sites chosen by Britannica
editors, as well as daily features such as the "Site of the Day" and
"Bookmarks of the Smart and Famous." To purchase or get more information
about Britannica products, customers may call 1-800-747-8503. or visit
the Britannica Bookstore at http://www.eb.com/bookstore/index.htm.
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