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Beijing Games venue struck out by shopping mall
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090105/sp_nm/us_baseball_china_olympics_1
Mon Jan 5, 4:04 am ET Reuters – A groundskeeper mows the grass at Wukesong Sports Center Baseball Field ahead of the Beijing Olympic …
BEIJING (Reuters) – Hopes that Beijing's Olympic baseball venue would be preserved for the future development of the sport in China have been dashed as the stadium's developer revealed it would be dismantled and replaced by a shopping mall.
The 15,000-seat Wukesong Sports Center baseball field, listed by Olympic organizers as a temporary venue even before the Games were held in August, had become the first venue slated for the wrecking ball, the Beijing News said on Monday.
"Our preliminary plan is to supply Beijing residents with a leisure center combined with shopping, culture, sports and entertainment," Guo Jinjiao, deputy manager of the development company, told the paper.
The 200 million yuan ($29 million) stadium played host to a Major League Baseball exhibition game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres last March.
But apart from the MLB's rental fee for that game, it had not derived any income, the paper said.
"It could only be guaranteed if there were enough activities to attract people to the venue. We absolutely could not accept any suggestion of (keeping the field) to be used only once or twice a year," said Guo.
MLB officials had had "many conversations" with Chinese Olympic and sport authorities and the developer to try to save the venue, Michael Marone, a Beijing-based MLB spokesman, told Reuters.
"Obviously it's a shame. You would prefer to have it kept as a relic of the Olympic Games and to help baseball culture to further develop here," Marone said.
An official with the Chinese Baseball League said the league did not have the resources for the stadium's upkeep.
"We also wanted to save the venue but we are not the owners. It was a temporary facility," Chen Gang, a CBL official told Reuters.
China's national baseball team struggled against the world's big hitters at the Beijing Games, finishing eighth out of eight teams.
Baseball remains a fringe sport in China, and the six-team professional league set up in 2002 struggles to attract more than a few dozen spectators to regular matches.
The field's demise has nonetheless been greeted with dismay be local baseball fans.
"It is the best field in China, a place borne with the dreams of countless baseball fans and that has witnessed historic moments. It is already a Holy Land in our heart," said a post on the website of the China Baseball League ( http://www.cbl.org.cn ).
($1=6.829 Yuan)
(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Ian Ransom
REVIEW of the 2008 SUMMER PARALYMPIC GAMES
There was no Paralympic board created, so this is a belated review to compliment the 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES
Includes over 300 comments.
bostson.com
September 12, 2008
The slogan for this years Paralympic Games is the same as the one for the Olympics held just last month:
"One World, One Dream".
From September 6th to September 17th, Beijing is once again hosting athletes from around the world.
Over 4,200 athletes - from six different disability groups - from 148 countries are taking part in the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games.
Not only are the sports divided into events, but the events are divided into different disability categories, to even out the playing field as much as possible.
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/2008_summer_paralympic_games.html
NBC PICTURE STORIES
Best of the Olympics, Emotional Moments...
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/26382460/displaymode/1107/s/2/
Olympics end with a bang
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/26376345/displaymode/1107/s/2/framenumber/1/
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"he tries so hard to look bad" LOL
here's another one,
Olympics Close With a Bang and a Double-Decker Bus
The closing ceremony on Sunday night.
SLIDE SHOW: The Winners Spotlight Aug. 24
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/08/24/sports/olympics/0824-WINNERS_index.html
SLIDE SHOW: The Closing Ceremony
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/08/24/sports/olympics/20080824-CEREMONY_index.html
By DAVID BARBOZA
Published: August 24, 2008
BEIJING — With another dramatic fireworks display Sunday evening at the National Stadium here, the Beijing Olympics came to a dazzling close, ending two weeks of spectacular athletic performances during an Olympic competition that was surprisingly free of protests or the disruptions that some, including Beijing, had anticipated.
In addition to fireworks, there were acrobats clinging to a large “memory tower” at the center of the stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest, precision drummers, bicyclists and performers representing 56 ethnic groups singing, “Please Stay, Guests From Afar.”
And unlike in the opening ceremony, with its orderly parade of countries and their athletes, the closing ceremony brought flag bearers congregating in the middle, and athletes filing in somewhat haphazardly and many dressed less formally.
In the handover ceremony for the 2012 London Games, a red double-decker bus entered the stadium just after 9 p.m., followed by three cyclists. The bus then opened into a stage with Jimmy Page, the Led Zeppelin guitarist, perfoming “Whole Lotta Love” with the British singer Leona Lewis, and David Beckham, the soccer star, taking a soccer ball from a young Chinese girl, handing the games off to London.
Beijing had staked everything on the Games, galvanizing the nation, spending billions to rebuild the ancient capital, erecting fantastic stadiums and producing the kind of opening and closing ceremonies that can only be created in China, with tens of thousands of performers dazzling a global television audience the vibrant displays of color and mass synchronization.
Leading up to the closing ceremony, the United States basketball team, the self-named “Redeem Team,” defeated Spain to recapture the gold medal. The American men’s volleyball team, disoriented after the head coach’s father-in-law had been murdered while touring Beijing, also captured a gold medal, defeating a powerful Brazilian team. A Kenyan runner won the men’s marathon, and a Cuban tae kwon do athlete was banned for kicking a referee.
The 29th Olympiad was supposed to be China’s coming out party, a show of its rising economic and political power and its reemergence as a global power. And in many ways it was. But the Games also turned into a dramatic show of this country’s athletic power, with China hauling in 51 gold medals, enough to top the gold medal tables and unseat the United States, which won 36.
The United States led the overall medal count with 110 medals to China’s 100. But rarely has a country won more than 50 gold medals. The last time was 1988, during the Seoul Olympics, when the former Soviet Union won 55. About 38 world records were set.
With Chinese fans chanting “Zhongguo Jiayou!” or “Go China!,” and hundreds of millions of people tuning in everyday by television, some of the biggest audiences in television history, the games served to strengthen pride in the country at a time of rising nationalism.
Liu Xiang, this country’shurdling champion, was injured and unable to defend his title in the 110-meter hurdles, but China dominated in diving, gymnastics weightlifting, shooting and a host of other sports.
There were stories of incredible athletic accomplishments: American swimmer Michael Phelps winning a record eight gold medals and the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt being crowned the world’s fastest man.
India, a country of one billion, won its first gold medal in an individual event. And Togo, a West African nation of 6 million people, won its very first Olympic medal, a bronze in the kayak.
Grave concerns about pollution and athletes donning masks disappeared after the fifth day, after heavy rains cleansed the skies and sun broke through for the opening of the track and field events. Whether China’s weather tamperers really seeded clouds and created rains that were perfectly timed to clear up the weather is still unclear.
But Beijing did take draconian measures to ensure a successful Olympics, limiting cars on the roads, forcing the closure and removal of factories from around Beijing, and essentially ordered large parts of the nation to do everything possible to make these games a success.
Some political analysts say Beijing placed too much importance on the Games, and others said the country failed to live up to its promises to open up and undertake political changes that would improve the country’s human rights record. But this afternoon, Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympics Committee, which awarded the games to Beijing in 2001, said: “The world has learned about China, and China has learned about the world, and I believe this is something that will have positive effects for the long term.”
John Branch contributed reporting from Beijing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/25/sports/olympics/25beijing.html?ref=olympics
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FINAL Medal Count
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2008/medals/tracker/index.html
more detailed:
http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/GL/95A/GL0000000.shtml
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NBC 2008 Summer Olympics DVD's for sale
http://www.nbcdvd.com/
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NBC TV replay: Part II, The Closing Ceremony from Beiijing, 55 min.
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/player.html?assetid=0824_hd_ccb_en209
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NBC TV replay: Part I, The Closing Ceremony from Beiijing, 31 min.
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/player.html?assetid=0824_hd_ccb_en190
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SI SLIDE SHOW: Beijing 2008 Closing Ceremonies
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0808/oly.beijing.closing.ceremonies/content.1.html
1 of 15
Beijing brought the curtain down on a memorable 2008 Summer Games. From a spectacular Opening Ceremony to world-record performances in swimming and track, China's 'One World, One Dream' fortnight will go into the history books as a landmark cultural event.
There was a tragedy, plenty of triumphs and an awkward attempt by China's government to 'open up'. In the end, fans and participants celebrated at the Closing Ceremonies and looked ahead to London, 2012.
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NBC VIDEO: Best of Beijing seen in "Stromotion"
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/player.html?assetid=0824_smbestof_ja439
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SLIDE SHOWS: The closing ceremony of The 29th Olympic Games
plus more.
IOC chief: Beijing Olympic Games "truly exceptional Games"
BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing Olympic Games are "truly exceptional Games," said International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge at the Games' closing ceremony staged in the National Stadium in northern Beijing on Sunday night > http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/24/content_9691406.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/24/content_9619076.htm
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NBC SLIDE SHOW: 129 Photos from the Closing Ceremony
http://www.nbcolympics.com/photos/galleryid=254835.html
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New China? Bird's Nest replaces Mao on yuan
Country's image makeover mostly cosmetic; most policies remain
AP
updated 7:34 a.m. CT, Sat., Aug. 23, 2008
BEIJING - If proof were needed that the Olympic Games are meant to give China an image makeover, look no further than the 10-yuan note: Chairman Mao is out, the Bird’s Nest is in.
There are only enough of the bills that replace the late Communist Party leader’s likeness with the iconic stadium to make them a collector’s item — for most of the billions of dollars in transactions here, Mao Zedong is still the man.
Like the currency, the modern image that China is showcasing to the world during its turn in the white-hot Olympic spotlight may be nice to look at, but the Communist Party remains firmly in control.
The multi-layered Chinese public relations blitz has helped lure tourists leary of a country often portrayed as polluted and repressive, and has given a boost to Chinese who have rallied behind the games, experts on China and public relations said.
At the same time, the nation’s leadership has barely budged from its policies.
It largely ignored criticism of its human rights record and continued its repression of free speech. Its harsh rule in Tibet has been downplayed, political dissidents locked up, beggars pushed out of Beijing and journalists covering protests roughed-up. It did not grant a protest permit.
“I think (the) China government has done a very good job of presenting a positive image overseas, but in doing so it didn’t change much of its behavior to do that,” said Russell Leigh Moses, an analyst of Chinese politics based in Beijing.
While the Communist Party leaders will have received a warm boost from their people for staging a successful games, the real test will come afterwards when they have to deal with the myriad problems China faces, Moses said.
For many Chinese, the Olympics have been presented as a comeback from a century or more of weakness and humiliation, the culmination of a “100-year dream.” The Communist Party has gained from being able to achieve it.
China has also tried to present a non-threatening image to the world that helps dispel fears of the country’s rise on the world stage, allowing it to restore what it sees as its rightful place in the international community.
Beijing became obsessed by image in the leadup to the games and anything unsightly was deemed offensive.
Neighborhood food stalls were covered up by roadside barriers showing pictures of ancient Chinese-style curved rooftops or Olympics motifs. Factories were shut down and millions of cars taken off the roads to clear Beijing’s notoriously pollution-clogged skies.
“This was part of the grand plan to show a new China, and I think it’s delivered in many regards,” said Scott Kronick, president of Ogilvy Public Relations in China. Chinese authorities are getting more polished and confident in delivering their message globally, he said.
The games’ lavish opening ceremony, vetted by party leaders, barely touched on communism and the tumultuous decades after the Communist Party came to power in 1949. The ceremony focused on China’s ancient culture — Confucious was quoted, Mao was not.
“China is trying to present itself as nonthreatening and in a lot of ways nonsocialist,” said Michael Dutton, an academic at Australia’s Griffith University’s Asia Institute who studies political cultures. “They’ve gone all out to try and present a country that’s ancient yet super-modern.”
China’s political leaders have also changed their style. Dark-suited and often appearing stiff in public, President Hu Jintao smiled his way through the opening ceremony and was seen at a pingpong event clapping alongside his wife and International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge.
Beijing also has another audience to please — the millions of Chinese who have benefited from the economic boom through growing personal wealth and greater access to the outside world via television and the Internet.
It serves the government for China’s people to forget about the excesses of Mao’s Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square.
Better the government be thought of as the stewards of three decades of economic growth that have raised millions into a burgeoning middle class.
CONTINUED: 'I am impressed by the cosmopolitan atmosphere'
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26361847/
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U.S. outshoot brave Spain for gold
By Alastair Himmer
Sun Aug 24, 6:32 AM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080824/sp_nm/olympics_basketball_men_dc_3
BEIJING (Reuters) - Hot favorites the United States won Olympic men's basketball gold by outgunning Spain 118-107 in an epic final of hard fouls and flying elbows on Sunday.
The American players whooped with joy at the final buzzer before forming a huddle and dancing around the centre circle as chants of "USA, USA" erupted from the crowd of 18,000.
"USA is back on top again," LeBron James told reporters. "Respect to Spain. They were unbelievable. We had a game plan and they countered with incredible plays.
"The game was never over. I'm watching the game all over again in my head. It will go down in history as one of the greatest."
Argentina, champions at the 2004 Athens Olympics, took bronze by outmuscling Lithuania in a 87-75 victory earlier on the final day of the Games.
World champions Spain were down by as many as 14 points in the first half but pulled to within two on a Rudy Fernandez three-pointer with 8:13 left in the gold medal showdown.
Jolted into action, Kobe Bryant swished two huge three-pointers, putting his finger to his lips after the second which put the United States back up by eight with 3:10 left.
Dwyane Wade led the way with 27 points, sealing the game on another long bomb which he celebrated with a gunslinger's pose and a snarl of defiance to the crowd.
BIG SHOTS
"I've always been able to step up and make big shots when the lights are brightest," said Wade, who made nine of 12 shots from the floor. "I just needed to be put in the position to do it."
Bryant, who turned 30 the day before the final, added 20 points. The Americans, relegated to bronze in Athens four years ago, have now won 13 Olympic men's basketball titles.
"What you saw today was a team," said Bryant, his gold medal around his neck. "Everyone talks about 'arrogant' NBA players but what you saw was us facing adversity and bonding together."
The only cheer louder than that for Bryant was when TV cameras spotted former England soccer captain David Beckham courtside and his face flashed up on the giant arena screen.
Crushed 119-82 by the Americans in the tournament's group stage, Spain hung on toughly in the final.
Fernandez scored 22 points and Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers team mate Pau Gasol added 21.
"We should be proud of what we accomplished," said Gasol. "We played a tough game. We never backed down."
With an injured Manu Ginobili watching from the bench in jeans and a T-shirt, Carlos Delfino stepped up to lead Argentina with 20 points against Lithuania.
(Additional reporting by Erik Kirschbaum and Gelu Sulugiuc, Editing by Ed Osmond and Ralph Gowling)
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VIDEO: DIVING Beijing wrap up:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/player.html?assetid=0824_divwrap_ja429&channelcode=sportdv
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Ten Dark Horses of Beijing Olympics
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/24/content_9682816.htm
Wanjiru becomes first Kenyan to win Olympic men's marathon
Samuel Wanjiru broke the Olympic mark of 2:09.21 - - Kenya's Samuel Kamau Wansiru reacts after crossing the finish line
Story Highlights
• He finished in an Olympic record of 2 hours, 6 minutes, 32 seconds
• Jaouad Gharib of Morocco won silver in 2:07.16
SI.com
Posted: Saturday August 23, 2008 10:02PM; Updated: Sunday August 24, 2008 4:11AM
BEIJING (AP) -- Samuel Wanjiru already had made a name for himself in the heady world of Kenyan distance running. Now he stands alone.
He pulled away over the final few miles Sunday to become the first Kenyan to win an Olympic marathon -- and he did it faster than anyone ever has.
Wanjiru negotiated the 26.2-mile course through the Beijing streets in bright morning sunshine in an Olympic record of 2 hours, 6 minutes, 32 seconds.
"In Kenya we have many medals," Wanjiru said, "but I'm glad I have this one."
His name was listed on the official results sheet as Wansiru, but the Kenyan said that spelling was incorrect.
Kenyans had twice won men's marathon silver, most recently in 2000, but never a gold.
At the Beijing Games, Kenya won 14 track and field medals, behind only the United States (23) and Russia (18). Five of them were gold.
The biggest concern about this race leading to the Olympics was the quality of the air. World record-holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia decided not to run because of the pollution.
But on Sunday, after an overnight thunderstorm, a glorious blue sky greeted the final day of these games.
The women's marathon a week earlier was run in a light rain, and the air quality posed no problems for the runners.
The race began at the edge of Tiananmen Square, then wound around the Temple of Heaven before turning toward the Olympic Green and the Bird's Nest, where colorful dancers, drummers and cyclists entertained the crowd as it awaited the runners.
This was just the third marathon for the 21-year-old Wanjiru, who first set the world half-marathon record at age 18, then broke it twice again last year.
Two-time world champion Jaouad Gharib of Morocco won the silver in 2:07:16. Ethiopian Tsegay Kebede, winner of this year's Paris Marathon, took the bronze in 2:10:00. Ethiopian Deriba Merga led much of the race but faded badly at the end to wind up fourth.
The crowd roared as Wanjiru entered the Bird's Nest, and he responded by raising his left hand, then clapped several times. The final lap in the last event of track and field at the Beijing Olympics was run around an infield painted blue for the night's closing ceremony.
Just across the line, Wanjiru -- all 112 pounds of him -- kneeled and crossed himself several times. He had just broken the Olympic mark of 2:09:21 set by Carlos Lopes of Portugal in the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
As Wanjiru was still on one knee, Gharib crossed the line for the silver.
"I had to push the pace to tire the other runners," Wanjiru said. "I had to push the pace because my body gets tired when I slow down."
Wanjiru, who trains at 7,600 feet on a trail that runs alongside spectacular Thompson Falls, won the Fukuoka International Marathon in Japan last December and was runner-up at the London Marathon in April.
Americans Dathan Ritzenhein and Ryan Hall finished ninth and 10th, respectively.
Defending Olympic champion Stefano Baldini of Italy, in his final marathon, finished 12th, then praised those who finished at the front.
"In the last 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) it was unbelievable what the ... Africans were able to do under these conditions," he said.
The temperature was 75 degrees with 52 percent humidity when the race began at 7:30 a.m. and it heated up steadily through the morning, reaching 86 degrees by the finish.
The lead pack began to separate through the first three miles. By the halfway mark, eight were grouped at the front, led by Eritrean Yonas Kifle.
After almost 19 miles, the pack had dwindled to three -- Wanjiru, Merga and Gharib.
Reigning world champion Luke Kibet of Kenya stayed with the leaders through the early stages but fell back and finally pulled out of the race shortly past the halfway mark. He later said he had a stomach problem.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/olympics/2008/08/23/wanjiru.marathon.ap/index.html
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Aussie Mitcham wins diving gold with four perfect 10s
Updated 8h 9m ago
BEIJING (AP) — Matthew Mitcham of Australia, earning four perfect 10s on his last dive, has won the men's 10-meter platform and prevented China from sweeping the Olympic diving gold medals.
Mitcham totaled 537.95 points in the six-dive final, edging Zhou Luxin of China by 4.80 points, and sending the platform title Down Under for the first time. He's the first Aussie man to win a diving gold since 1924.
Zhou, who had a crooked entry on his last dive, took the silver with 533.15 points. Gleb Galperin of Russia earned the bronze with 525.80.
Kicked out: Cuban banned for life
PHOTOS:
After being declared the loser of the bronze medal match, Cuba's Angel Matos attacked the referee.
He and his both were both banned for life from all future World Taekwondo Federation events
http://www.nbcolympics.com/taekwondo/photos/galleryid=251421.html
VIDEO:http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/player.html?assetid=0823_sd_tkm_au_l1783&channelcode=sporttk
By the Associated Press
Posted Saturday, August 23, 2008 5:42 AM ET
BEIJING (AP) -- Cuba's Angel Matos deliberately kicked a referee square in the face after he was disqualified in a bronze-medal match, prompting the World Taekwondo Federation to recommend he be banned for life.
"We didn't expect anything like what you have witnessed to occur," said WTF secretary general Yang Jin-suk. "I am at a loss for words."
Yang also recommended Matos' coach be banned.
Matos was winning 3-2, with 1:02 left in the second round, when he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent, Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov. Matos was sitting there, awaiting medical attention, when he was disqualified for taking too much injury time. Fighters get one minute, and Matos was disqualified when his time ran out.
Matos angrily questioned the call, pushed a judge, then pushed and kicked referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden, who will require stitches in his lip. Matos spat on the floor and was escorted out.
"This is an insult to the Olympic vision, an insult to the spirit of taekwondo and, in my opinion, an insult to mankind," Yang said.
Matos' coach was unapologetic.
"He was too strict," Leudis Gonzalez said, referring to the decision to disqualify Matos. Afterward, he charged the match was fixed, accusing the Kazakhs of offering him money.
Although the arena announcer said Matos and his coach were banned effective immediately, Yang said due process must be followed before officially banning the two.
In his first match, Matos defeated Italy's Leonardo Basile, then beat China's Liu Xiaobo 2-1 in the quarterfinals. But he lost to South Korean Cha Dong-min in the semis to land in the bronze-medal match.
"To me it was obvious he was unable to continue," Chilmanov said. "His toe on his left foot was broken."
But Chilmanov added: "Rules are rules. I'm happy with my medal."
Matos won the gold medal in this division - the men's over 80-kilograms (176 pounds) - at the 2000 Sydney Games, dedicating the victory to his mother, who died on the day of the opening ceremony. At the 2004 Athens Games, he finished 11th.
Matos' bad behavior followed a day of confusion on the mats and ended the four-day taekwondo competition, which was marred by several protests against judge's calls.
Earlier Saturday, China's double gold medalist Chen Zhong crashed out in the quarterfinals after initially being declared the winner.
World champion Maria del Rosario Espinoza, the eventual winner in the women's over 67-kilogram (147.4 pounds) class, was to fight Chen in the semifinals but the judges overturned an earlier ruling and made Britain's Sarah Stevenson the winner of the quarterfinal bout in which Chen scored in the closing seconds of the second round and then Stevenson tagged her with a head kick - worth two points - in the third.
The judges ruled Stevenson's kick wasn't solid enough for points, and Chen was declared the winner 1-0. After Britain protested, the result was changed to put Stevenson in the semifinal.
The decision brought loud jeers from the crowd. China did not appeal.
It was the first time a match result has been overturned since taekwondo became an official Olympic sport in 1990.
"It's been a really tough day, an emotional rollercoaster," Stevenson said. "I would have been devastated if they hadn't changed the decision."
Stevenson won bronze, along with Brazil's Natalia Falavigna.
Cha made it four-for-four gold medals for South Korea. In taekwondo, countries are allowed to enter only four athletes.
Cha fell behind when Alexandros Nikolaidis of Greece nailed him with a head kick 15 seconds into the bout. But he came back with a body kick and a head shot of his own to take back the lead, adding another point to go 4-3 going into the third round.
Nikolaidis evened it out at 4-4 with a body kick, but Cha scored with just 18 seconds left to claim the gold in the men's over-80 kg (176 pounds) division.
Nikolaidis said he felt the judging was bad in the gold-medal match as well.
"I don't think in press conferences we should discuss referees and things," he said. "But I think I deserved a couple of things that didn't come to me."
Daba Modibo Keita of Mali, the 2007 world champion, was defeated in overtime in the quarterfinals by Nigeria's Chika Yagazie Chukwumerije, who ended up with the other bronze.
http://www.nbcolympics.com/taekwondo/news/newsid=251304.html#kicked+out+cuban+banned+outburst
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An introduction to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing with photos ... and more: http://www.kinabaloo.com/beijing_olympics.html
Olympic Events Viewer's Guide: Summaries Of The Major Events: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/06/olympic-events-viewers-gu_n_117367.htmlThe Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: http://en.beijing2008.cn/
China Daily: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/
China View: http://www.chinaview.cn/08olympics/index.htm
NBCOlympics - Athlete, Team Profiles, Olympic News: http://www.nbcolympics.com/NBCOlympics 2008 - Competition Schedule - Aug. 5 thru 24: http://www.nbcolympics.com/resultsandschedules/index.htmlNBCOlympics 2008 - Detailed Schedule TV & Online Listings per your Zip code: http://www.nbcolympics.com/tv_and_online_listings/index.htmlMSNBC - Beijing Olympics: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24696691/Sports Illustrated - 2008 Beijing Olympics: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2008/
Sports Illustrated - Olympics Wire Stories: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/wires/
Sports Illustrated - Gallery, 25 Greatest U.S. Olympians: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0807/all.time.greatest.summer.olympians/content.1.html
Sports Illustrated - Gallery, 20 Greatest Summer Olympic Moments: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0807/top.20.olympic.summer.moments/content.1.html
USATODAY - Olympic news and coverage: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/beijing/default.htm
ESPN "MOMENT IN TIME" - HOPEFULS • DOCUMENTARY • MEMORABLE MOMENTS • WHERE ARE THEY NOW • GLOBAL VOICES
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/moment#/hopefuls
Final Overall Medal Standings: http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/GL/95A/GL0000000.shtml
Complete All-TIME Medal Standings: http://www.nbcolympics.com/medals/alltime/index.html
Metal Tracker: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2008/medals/tracker/index.html
Exclusive Photos from NEWSWEEK Photographers, continual coverage - - from Opening Ceremony: http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/olympicpix/default.aspx
1896 Athens, Greece ~~ The first International Olympics
An idea proposed in 1892 by Baron de Coubertin of France is realized, and the International Olympic Committee is born.
Athletes from 14 countries attend the games. The first victory in the modern Olympics is awarded to American James B. Connolly in the triple jump.
