Olympic Times – Sports Daily

They are not accredited with the Beijing Olympic Games’ organizers. But they are journalists all the same and may have a more enjoyable experience than their accredited counterparts at the Main Press Center (MPC).
The 2008 Beijing International Media Center (BIMC) for non-accredited journalists opened yesterday and offers all the routine services such as news conferences and free Internet access.
But those comprise the cake. The thick icing comes in the shape of cultural activities: Peking Opera and acrobatic performances, folk handicraft shows, experiencing the fine art of Chinese embroidery, watching 20 Chinese movies with English subtitles and city tours. The list runs longer.
And the cherry on the cake is that the journalists can enjoy all those free.
As if those are not enough, the non-accredited journalists have a mouth-watering offer: a buffet dinner with 30-50 Chinese and Western dishes for only $1. Not impressed. Just see what their accredited counterparts have to pay for a combination-meal at the MPC: at least $10.
“We aim to make life more convenient for the journalists, and we hope they feel at home here,” said BIMC director Zhai Huisheng.
So far, more than 5,000 journalists, 2,700 of them from abroad, have registered with the BIMC, says Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu, who is working with the BIMC to help reporters. “More are expected to register because the process is still on.”
The BIMC will organize two or three press conferences every day. For burning issues such as environmental protection and the economy, “we will invite professionals to talk face-to-face with the journalists”, Zhai said.
The journalists can apply for information on specific topics or to interview somebody. “We’ll help them arrange the interviews,” Zhai said. Or, they can travel across the country to get information on something they are interested in.
The 60,000-sq-m center has three working areas, two press conference halls and 12 media rooms from the first to the fourth floors in the 19-story building.
The floors above the fourth are guest rooms where the non-accredited journalists can stay, though they have to pay for it.
The bigger press conference hall can seat about 500 people and the other about 200. The three working areas can hold about 570 journalists, and have 200 desktops for those not carrying a laptop. But free wireless Internet service is available only on the first, second and 19th floors of the building.
“I am quite satisfied with the facilities here,” says Juan Rosso, a journalist with Colombia’s Caracol TV International. “The staff and volunteers are very kind and have helped me a lot.”
Chito Romana, Beijing bureau chief of ABC News, says he is more interested in Chinese people’s reaction to the Games and their interaction with foreigners. “Stories about people are the most interesting.”

from: chinadaily.com.cn

As Beijing on Tuesday marks the one-month countdown to the start of the Olympics, here are 30 reasons which make the Games special:

1. Volunteers
The 100,000-strong army of Beijing Olympic volunteers is the largest in Olympic history.
Each of the 70,000 Olympic and 30,000 Paralympic volunteers has undergone months of training.
The good Samaritans from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Europe, the US and Australia will join 400,000 city volunteers who will help visitors on Beijing’s streets.
Volunteers were honored with the song, I Am a Star.

2. Double the responsibility
2008 is the first time one organizing team will oversee both the Olympics and Paralympics.
The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) is the first organization to shoulder such a formidable responsibility and BOCOG has promised the two events will be of equal splendor.

3. First digital broadcast
High-definition technology will be used for all TV broadcast operations, with all events and ceremonies enjoying 5.1 surround sound, a first for the Olympics.
Clearer screen pictures and scenery will be a feature of the Beijing Games.

4. Biggest TV audience ever
A record 4 billion people are set to watch the Beijing Games.
Beijing Olympic Broadcasting (BOB), the official broadcaster of the Games, will produce about 5,400 hours of programs during the 17-day gala, 2,000 more than in Athens four years ago.

5. Multimedia for the first time
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has, for the first time, separately sold broadcasting rights for television and new media such as Internet and mobile networks.
CCTV acquired the TV rights for the Beijing Games, while CCTV.com was awarded the domestic Internet and mobile platform license. CCTV.com recently signed an agreement with Sohu.com, the Games’ Internet content services sponsor, to share content.

6. Biggest media contingent ever
About 40,000 journalists will cover the Games, including 21,600 accredited media workers in press, broadcasting and television.
The Beijing International Media Center will also provide some 10,000 non-accredited journalists work areas and accommodation, among other services.

7. Largest number of host cities
To help host a successful Games, six cities in China have joined Beijing as co-hosts. Tianjin, Shanghai, Qinhuangdao in Hebei province and Shenyang in Liaoning province will stage some Olympic soccer matches.
The coastal city of Qingdao in Shandong province will host the sailing regatta, while Hong Kong, a city with a long history of horse racing and matching first-class facilities, will play host to equestrian events.

8. New sports
To modernize the Games, the IOC will introduce two new sports to the Beijing Games: Bicycle motocross (BMX) and the 10km marathon swim.
BMX will offer two gold medals in individual men and women’s competitions.
Marathon swimming will be held in Shunyi Water Park and offer two gold medals in individual men and women’s competitions.
Owing to limited participation worldwide, softball and baseball are expected to make their final Olympic appearance in Beijing after being axed from the London program.

9. Cheerleaders
Some 600 cheerleaders from all over the country will go all out to entertain spectators with Chinese folk dancing, acrobatics, drum shows, lion dancing and martial arts during time-outs. Cheerleaders were selected from national Olympic cheerleading competitions and local clubs.

10. The Beijing Green
The Olympic Forest Park, 680 hectares of plantation and lakes, has given the city a new green lung.
Beijing also built a number of new water purification plants for daily water recycling, replaced dated equipment at its power plants and retrofitted gas stations citywide.
The inclusion of solar power, rain-recycling and energy-saving facilities during venue construction are all helping the Games live up to its “Green Olympics” billing.
Beijing has also planted millions of trees to minimize sandstorms. It is also working with neighboring provinces to cut emissions.

11. Torch relay the longest, highest
The Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay was scheduled to travel the longest distance and include the largest number of people over 130 days.
It reached the highest peak of Mount Qomolangma on May 8. Following the Sichuan earthquake, the torch relay route was curtailed in each city and special mourning sessions were added.
The leg in earthquake-hit Sichuan province has been rescheduled to August, just before the Games begins.

12. English, English
A 170-page Chinese Menu in English Version is seen as exemplary of one success of the English-speaking campaign throughout the city.
Pop stars teaching audiences correct English pronunciation and cab drivers toting language books all are part of Beijing’s multilingual pre-Olympic effort.
“It’s not just about the language, it’s about how open and confident we are,” said Li Yang, founder of Crazy English.

13. Babies named after Olympics
A total of 4,104 Chinese have been named Aoyun (Chinese for “the Olympics”) in homage to the Beijing Olympic Games, according to the figures released by the National Citizen Identity Information Center under the Ministry of Public Security in June.
Nearly 700 of the names were registered in 1992, when Beijing first applied to host the Games and another 553 were registered in 2001, when the city officially won the bid.
About 92 percent of those named Aoyun are male.

14. Weddings during the year and on opening day
Aug 8, 2008, or 08-08-08, is more than just a date: it marks both the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games and is considered a lucky day for marriage with so many eights. It is estimated that 15,000 couples will marry in Beijing on the day and 130,000-140,000 this year.

15. Highest number of cultural festivals
Games organizers have held an annual Olympic cultural festival since 2003, with the sixth beginning two weeks ago and running for the next three months.
China’s ancient culture and civilization are now being showcased to promote the Olympic spirit and publicize a green, hi-tech and people’s Olympics.

16. Massive Olympic education campaign
Educating young people through sports is one of the primary goals of the Olympic Movement.
About 400 million young people in more than 500,000 schools across the country have received Olympic lessons ahead of the Beijing Games. More than 500 model schools have been named and a series of Olympic readers compiled and presented to students.

17. Highest number of doping tests
The anti-doping effort at the Beijing Games will be more extensive than ever, with as many as 4,500 doping tests, 25 percent more than in Athens four years ago and 90 percent more than in Sydney in 2000.
Tests will be carried out from July 27 at 41 test stations at the Olympic Village and all Olympic match venues.

18. Highest spending
The cost of the Beijing Games will dwarf the previous Olympics in Greece with total investment likely to reach $43 billion.
Venues, estimated to have cost about $1.8 billion to build, will be utilized as public sport and entertainment complexes afterwards.
Beijing also spent $16 billion in the past decade reducing smog, while additional infrastructure, such as the world’s largest airport terminal, T3, an advanced railway station and new subway systems required vast expenditure.

19. Largest transport expansion
Beijing’s first subway linking Fuxingmen and Beijing Railway Station was initially built for military use, but today, 1.5 million passengers ride the 2-yuan subway each day.
The existing subway network spans 155 km and has 93 stations. Three new lines will open shortly before the Games, to transport visitors to and from the new airport terminal and between the Bird’s Nest and downtown, and construction of more lines will continue following them.
At least six others are already under construction, with an aim to stretch the network to more than 561 km and 420 stations.

20. Highest number of mascots – five
Multiple Olympic mascots are not uncommon, but for the first time more than three figures will share Summer Olympic mascot duty when the five Fuwa take center stage.
Featuring four of China’s most popular animals – the fish, the panda, the Tibetan antelope and the swallow – and the Olympic flame, the mascots’ names are “Beibei,” “Jingjing,” “Huanhuan,” “Yingying” and “Nini,” which together reads in Chinese as “Beijing welcomes you”.

21. Venues on fengshui
Beijing wished for its Olympic venues to be an expansion of its history and culture, both of which are firmly set on the spine of the city, a 7.7 km axis line running right through the emperor’s seat at the Forbidden City, the middle of Tian’anmen Square, the Drum and Bell towers and Yongdingmen.
The north-south axis was believed to bring eternal stability, prompting designers of the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube to position them on either side of it.
In doing so, they have integrated modern ideas with the deep-rooted spirit of the Middle Kingdom.

22. Record number of sponsors, revenue
Since launching the Beijing 2008 Olympic Marketing Plan in September 2003, a total of 63 enterprises have become sponsors of the Beijing Games, including 12 worldwide Olympic partners.
BOCOG’s deal with sports equipment supplier adidas covers 18 sports, and more than 6,000 officially licensed Olympic products have hit the market.

23. Largest ever team from China
China will field its largest Olympic team to date when about 570 athletes contest 28 sports in Beijing.
But Chinese sports officials are trying to downplay predictions that the nation will scoop the most gold medals, affirming US and Russia as sporting powerhouses.
At the 2004 Athens Games, 407 Chinese athletes participated in 26 sports and finished second on the medal tally after the US.

24. Lowest ticket prices
Taking into account China’s average purchasing power, BOCOG ensured a low-price policy for Beijing Olympic and Paralympic tickets.
Opening ceremony prices were capped at 5,000 yuan ($641) per head, while the lowest price to a sports competition was 30 yuan ($4).
Closing ceremony tickets ranged from 150-3,000 yuan ($19-385), preliminary competition tickets from 30-300 yuan ($4-39) and tickets to the finals cost between 60 and 1,000 yuan ($8-128).
BOCOG also reserved about 14 percent of all domestically sold tickets for students at the handsome price of 5 yuan ($0.6) and 10 yuan ($1.2) for preliminaries and finals respectively.

25. Highest number of foreign coaches
In striving for excellence, various Chinese national teams have invited foreign coaches to guide them.
More than 30 foreign coaches are currently working with the Chinese Olympic team.
Many among them, such as men’s basketball coach Jonas Kazlauskas (right) from Lithuania and synchronized swimming head coach Masayo Imura from Japan, are expected to lead the home outfits to their peak performances.

26. Number of China-born athletes representing other federations
A group of Chinese-born athletes representing other countries or regions will be an important force in Beijing.
Led by former badminton national team member Zhou Mi and Wang Chen, who represent Hong Kong, and table tennis player Li Jiawei of Singapore, they will pose formidable challenges to their Chinese rivals.

27. Number of Chinese coaches in other countries and regions
A number of Chinese coaches will lead foreign teams on home soil, such as women’s volleyball legend Lang Ping (right), who will lead the US women’s team.
Meanwhile, former coach of the Chinese badminton team Li Mao will lead the South Korean team.

28. Medals of jade
Olympic medals are for the first time made of metal and jade. The medals were inlaid with Kunlun jade from China’s Qinghai province in a symbol of “respect” and “virtue” in the Chinese tradition.
China’s rich culture and history is clearly embodied in the winning designs, which reflect the values of ethics and honor, combined the with Olympic and Paralympic spirit.

29. Wushu
People who love Chinese martial arts must not miss the Beijing 2008 Wushu Tournament to be held on the sidelines of the Beijing Olympic Games from Aug 21 to 24 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.
About 128 athletes from 43 countries and regions will contest. Approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Chinese martial arts competition will feature 15 events, including 10 in Taolu (the routines) and five for Sanshou (fights).
Although not a medal sport, the tournament will be an important showcase and springboard for wushu’s wish to join the Olympic family.

30. Significance of 08-08-08
It is no coincidence that the Beijing Games begins at 8 pm on the 8th day of the 8th month of ’08.
The number 8 has special significance to the Chinese, because 8 in Chinese is pronounced “ba”, which sounds a lot like “fa”, which means prosperity or wealth, as in “”, which means to become rich.
In Chinese culture, 8 also denotes the number of immortals and structure of trigrams, both of which are linked to auspicious ideas.
Also, when two digits of the number 8 are placed together – “88″ – they resemble the stylized form of two Chinese “”characters, hence representing double happiness, a popular motif and design usually pasted upon the doors of newly married Chinese couples.
The number 8 is highly favored among the Chinese for its connotations of good luck, fortune and longevity.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

It’s the time for the Dalai Lama to respond with sincerity and prove it by deeds after the Chinese central government had communicated goodwill to him during the meeting with his private representatives, a spokesman of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee said on Sunday.
During the meeting with Dalai Lama’s representatives, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, Du Qinglin, head of the department told them the Dalai Lama should openly and explicitly promise and prove it in his actions not to support activities to disturb the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games, not to support plots to fan violent criminal activities, not to support and concretely curb the violent terrorist activities of the “Tibetan Youth Congress” and not to support any argument and activity to seek “Tibet independence” and split the region from the country.
Previously, the central government had asked the Dalai Lama to stop activities aimed at splitting China, stop plotting and inciting violence and stop disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games.
The spokesman said that the four “not-to-supports” are detailed measures of the three “stops”. They are more practical and more convenient for the Dalai Lama to follow.
“If the Dalai Lama fails to meet such simple and rational requirements, it will be impossible to have necessary atmosphere and condition for next round of contact,” he said.
“The door for dialogue is always open and contacts will make positive moves as long as the Dalai Lama suits his actions with his words and truly practices the four ‘not-to-supports’,” he said.
As required by the two representatives, the central government agreed in principle that the next round of contact may be held before the end of this year, he said.
He stressed that the contacts and dialogues were about Dalai Lama’s personal future, not so-called “China-Tibet negotiation” or “dialogue between Han and Tibetan people”.
During their stay in Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday, the two representatives met with central government officials, including Du Qinglin and two deputy heads of the department, Zhu Weiqun and Sitar, toured the Olympic stadiums, and talked with some Tibetologists.

from: xinhuanet.com

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC), the country’s central bank, is to issue a commemorative bank note with a face value of 10 yuan ($1.46) from Tuesday to mark the Beijing Olympic Games, the bank said in a statement on Sunday.
The PBOC said it would issue a total of 6 million such notes, which would be circulated in the currency market with the same denomination as the ordinary 10-yuan notes.
The new note, in cyan, is 148.5 millimeters long and 72 millimeters wide, according to the central bank. While the ordinary 10-yuan notes are in cobalt black, 140 millimeters long and 70 millimeters wide.

On one side is a picture of the National Stadium, or the Bird’s Nest, the main venue for the Games in August. Above the picture is the emblem of the Beijing Games, “Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing”. The picture of national stadium and the emblem are both set against the backdrop of the Temple of Heaven, one of the country’s best-known landmarks.
This takes the place of the portrait of the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong and China’s national emblem on the ordinary 10-yuan notes.
The other side features the famous ancient Greek marble statue of a discus-thrower, Discobolus, portraits of athletes and the Arabic numeral “2008″.
These replace the drawing of the scenic Three Gorges, but the name of the PBOC in Chinese pinyin, Mongolian, Tibetan, Ugyur and Zhuang, remains in the top right corner.
The central bank also said it incorporated watermarks and other technologies to prevent counterfeiting of the notes.
A clear watermark appears on the picture of the National Stadium in the shape of the Arabic numeral “10″ and the Games of XXIX Olympiad in the Chinese characters, said the bank.

from: xinhuanet.com

Japanese unpopular Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has decided to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games, Kyodo News reported Thursday.
Fukuda will take a 19-seat airplane of Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force and arrive in Beijing on August 8, said the report, citing government sources.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

US President George W Bush moved on Monday to ease restrictions on weapons exports to China so Americans competing in Olympic shooting events can take their equipment to the Beijing Games.

In a letter to Congress, Bush said he was easing restrictions pertaining to firearms as well as to military gyroscopes used in high definition television camera systems.

US laws restrict the export of sensitive defense-related technology to China.

“Licensing requirements remain in place for these exports and require review and approval on a case-by-case basis by the United States Government,” Bush said. “The equipment will be returned to the United States following the end of the Games.”

Fifteen shooting events will be contested at the Beijing Games, which will take place August 8-24.

from: indiatimes.com

Saturday’s announcement that the National Stadium has become fully functional marked the completion of all the Beijing Olympic Games’ 37 venues.
Nicknamed the “Bird’s Nest” because of its shape, the venue covers 258,000 sq m of the Olympic Green in the northern part of the capital.
In addition to hosting football and other sports events, it would be the site of the Games’ opening and closing ceremonies.

“We hope we can provide better services for the Olympic Games with better facilities,” National Stadium CEO Li Aiqing said at a ceremony celebrating the venue’s completion on Saturday.
Swiss firm Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, and China Architecture Design & Research Institute, won the international design competition in 2003, and construction began at the end of that year.
It has since become a Beijing icon, attracting photo-snapping crowds every day.
The design’s complexity challenged builders, but they were proud of overcoming all trials.
“The most outstanding feature of the stadium is its beam structure,” chief engineer Li Jiulin said. “The architects imagined several intertwining lines, which we translated into reality with steel and concrete.”
Time magazine earlier this year listed the building – the largest steel structure in the world – atop its “100 Most Influential Designs”.
Prior to its official completion, the 91,000-seat venue underwent two test events in April and May.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

The Beijing Olympic Games organizers (BOCOG) on Wednesday dropped the overseas leg of the Paralympic torch relay because of the devastating Sichuan earthquake.

The torch was to travel through the Summer and Winter Olympic host cities of London, Vancouver and Sochi, as well as Hong Kong before the Sept 6-17 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

But now its relay will be restricted to the Chinese mainland.

Zhang Qiuping, director of BOCOG’s Paralympics department, said the May 12 quake had necessitated the changes.

“The main reason is the devastating earthquake in Sichuan. Now we want to focus on relief and reconstruction work and preparations for the Paralympics.”

But, he said, overseas torchbearers for the Paralympics are still welcome to participate in the adomestic relay.

The 16-stop domestic relay route has been changed too, and the torch will not travel to Chengdu, Chongqing, Urumqi and Tianjin.

The original Paralympic torch relay plan was released last September when its one-year countdown began.

The BOCOG Torch Relay Center will announce the new Paralymic torch relay plan soon.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who on an official visit to Austria, said Friday boycotting the Beijing Olympic 2008 was not the right way.
At a press conference held here, Sarkozy said the forthcoming Beijing Olympic Games is a “very serious” theme and people should promote an international dialogue with the political leadership in Beijing instead of easily boycotting this big international sport event.
Austrian Federal Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer said “I basically do not think it is a good idea to boycott Olympics.”
During Sarkozy’s visit, he discussed with Austrian leaders the problem of European integration, the use and exploitation of nuclear energy as well as some other internal and international affairs.

from:

Germany announced on Thursday the first 79 athletes for Beijing Olympic Games, but German top sports official Thomas Bach told Xinhua that Germany does not set a goal for winning gold medal at the once-in-four-year sports gala.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Bach, IOC Vice President and President of the Bureau of the German Olympic Sportbunds (DOSB), said he hoped the German team could maintain the place they had got in Athens four years ago.

According to DOSB, Germany’s top agency overseeing Olympic sports, a total of approximately 450 German athletes are to travel to China, there are about 300 people from the functional team, including trainers, doctors and carers.

“We don’t set any goal by number, but we are confident we have a good team,” Bach said.

“Our goal in Beijing is that we achieve the place we got in Athens,” he said.

“From Athens to Beijing, then to London, we want to make some progress (in medal standings), I hope for progress shown in Beijing, but it will be a tough competition,” he added.

As for individual events hopeful of winning medals, Bach, who won the foil team gold medal in Montreal Games in 1976, said Germany’s hope is slim in his own event.

“Now Germany’s fencing is not strong, we did quite well in Sydney, but not in Athens, not good in recent championships,” he said.

However, Bach casted more hope on canoeing and women’s football.

“They (German women’s football team) won world title in China, they are used to compete in China, and we hope it will help,” Bach said, smiling.

As for prize money for medal winners, Bach said a gold winner would get around 15,000 euros from Germany’s sports foundation.

However, Bach said DOSB plans to reform the prize-awarding system, with more eyes on investing in those events and athletes who boast potential to win Olympic medals.

“To put in a simple way, at present we look at athletes’ past, but in the future we will look at their future,” he explained.

Bach stressed the importance of the participation of Olympic Games, saying that is the “career peak” for all athletes.

He recalled the moment he won the gold medal in Montreal Olympic Games.

“I did not realize what had happened. I do remember the moment before and after the victory ceremony, but I did not remember victory ceremony itself,” he said.

Talking about China, Bach said he ended his sports career in Shanghai of China in 1980 when the German national fencing team had a friendly with Chinese counterparts.

“That was last time I was at the podium, after that I’ve never touched it (sword),”

After retirement from professional sports, Bach has become a lawyer. In 1990s, Bach participated in the IOC work and have frequent exchanges with Chinese colleagues.

Bach spoke highly of the preparation of Beijing Games, saying he was “impressed” by improvement of infrastructure, transportation, communication facilities and services, citing national stadium “nestle” and “water cube” for example.

“We are all favorable. My people told me they have had smooth coordination with colleagues from organizing committee of Beijing Games,” said Bach, who claimed that he would stay in Beijing during the whole period of the Games.

“We are very confident we will have a great games in Beijing,” he concluded.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

Colombia will have the biggest delegation in its history for the Beijing Olympic Games, the Colombian Olympic Committee (COC) said on Thursday.
A Colombian for the sailing RSX will get to Beijing 2008 as the sport’s world governing body communicated to the COC that it would give one pass to Colombia, making 64 Colombians who will compete in the Olympics.
The name of the athlete will be decided during the end of the week after a selective process in Cartagena. The hopefuls are Nicolas Lozana, Santiago Grillo and Camilo Marmol who have frequently competed in U.S. and Europe.
Colombia does not have more chances to classify directly any of its sailing contenders, but never lost of sight the opportunity of the “not used passes,” that are used when a classified athlete for some reason can not attend the Olympics.
Geiner Alonso Mosquera was the one who recently gained his pass to Beijing when timing 45 seconds and 89 hundredths in the Athletic Grand Prix of Ponce in Puerto Rico.
In Athens-2004, Colombia sent 55 athletes and won two bronze medals, one in cycling and other on weight lifting.
To the moment, Colombia will send 64 athletes for the Beijing Olympics in 15 sports, namely athletics, boxing, rowing, cycling, equestrian, artistic gymnastic, judo, weightlifting, wrestling, swimming, taekwondo, table tennis and archery.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

Cuban athletics will make a superior performance during the Beijing Olympic Games, Cuban high jumper Javier Sotomayor said Thursday.

Sotomayor said during declarations to the press in the first Ibero American Summit of Physic Education and Student Sports being held here that hurdler Dayron Robles is a great figure in that sport.

“Although the presence of the Chinese Liu Xiang, Robles has great opportunities of winning the 110 meter with hurdles,” said Sotomayor.

Sotomayor also mentioned as possible winners in Beijing 2008 to Yargelis Savigne who is world champion in triple jump and the hammer thrower Yipsi Moreno.

About the javelin thrower Osleydis Menendez, Sotomayor said that she is recovered and that she only needs to be ready physically and mentally.

“The Cuban athletes’ preparation has been decorous. The season for those who have competed has been good and in the same way the results,” Sotomayor said.

“The area of jumps and throws will be much over the trail,” Sotomayor said.

In Athens 2004, Cuba won five medals in athletics, namely, two gold, one silver and two bronze.

China launched a second Olympic weather forecasting satellite, the Fengyun-3 (FY-3), Tuesday morning.

The satellite was launched on a Long March-4C carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province at 11:02 a.m. (Beijing Time).

It entered the preset orbit 27 minutes later.

Gao Huoshan, general director of the FY-3 research team, said the satellite would send back images with the highest spatial resolution of 250 meters and its temperature sensitivity would reach 0.1 degree Fahrenheit. Both indices were close to the most advanced level of similar satellites in the world.

The highest spatial resolution of existing satellites in China had been 1.1 kilometers, according to Gao.

“The 250-m resolution images will be of vital significance for censoring global climate changes and possible subsequent natural disasters,” said Gao.
It would also contribute to key geographical data for the research on aviation, navigation, agriculture, forestry and oceanography, he added. Read the rest of this entry…

The empty seats that hurt the festive mood of the Athens Olympics won’t be seen in Beijing when the Chinese capital hosts the 2008 Games.
The final batch of Olympic tickets for domestic spectators, previously expected to be sold out in 36 days, had been snapped up within two days.
A total of 1.38 million tickets for 16 sports, including boxing, soccer, volleyball and basketball, had been put on sale since last Monday both at Bank of China branches and on the official website.
Within two days, tickets for Beijing venues were sold out, only leaving some for the soccer tournament in co-host cities Shanghai, Shenyang, Tianjin and Qinhuangdao.
An official with the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) admitted that they had never expected these tickets to sell so fast.
People all over the country showed great enthusiasm in snapping up Olympic tickets. Thousands of people lined in long queues and waited outside Bank of China outlets.
A Beijing resident surnamed Liu said he had waited for four hours before getting tickets from the bank counter.
“I bought tickets for track and field finals. I want to see Liu Xiang racing in the final,” he said, referring to the Chinese Olympic champion and world record holder of 110 meters hurdles.
Wang Xudong, who purchased three tickets for women’s soccer preliminary games, said it was a regret that he had not got the tickets for some hot games.
“Lucky for me that I have bought a ticket for the Olympics’ opening ceremony and a few semifinal tickets,” said Andy Lau, one of Chinese cinema’s biggest stars, after he ran as the fourth torchbearer in the Hong Kong leg on May 2.
“But I feel a bit disappointed that I didn’t have tickets for volleyball and diving, which are my favorite sports,” he said.
“I finally get a ticket and my dream to watch the Beijing Olympic Games will come true,” said Qu Zhen, a Tibetan University university student, on the day when the tickets started to sell in Lhasa.
The online ticket sales went smoothly except for some small problems.
“We have made sufficient preparations for this time, including the tests of our network, our credit card operation and our system of the acceptance of purchase applications,” said Xu Zheng, director of Olympic Affairs Office of Bank of China.
“The preparation work was done in a very careful way because we had lessons to learn from last year’s experience.”
The online system collapsed due to overwhelming demand hours after the second round of sales started last November, forcing organizers to revert to a lottery system.
“Through the ticket sales, we feel once again the passion of all the people home and abroad and their support for the Olympic Games,” said Wang Hui, director of the media and communications department of the BOCOG.
However, the third and final round sale did not mean all the tickets had been sold out, said Wang. It just meant the ticket booking had ended, and people who had not got the tickets still had chance, she added.
After three rounds of ticket sales, some tickets will likely be available at ticket booths around sports venues during the Games, said an official from the ticketing department of the BOCOG.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

Six-year-old Lin Zhonghua, a quintuplet, expects to derive a lot of fun from the Beijing Olympic Games.
“It is not only a game for uncles and aunties (men and women), but also for us children,” she said.
The time for her and her four siblings to lap it all up arrives on Saturday, when the Olympic torch is relayed through the coastal special economic zone of Guangdong province.
Lin and her sister and three brothers will play Fuwa – the five mascots of the Games -during the opening ceremony of the Shantou leg.
They will share the stage with the first torchbearer Cai Yanshu – a world champion weightlifter who starts the 40-km, 11-hour relay.
“I am also part of the Games,” Lin said.
And the quintuplets could wait no longer for their limelight to come. “Every time they return home (from kindergarten), they talk about the rehearsals. They see themselves as real Fuwa,” said mother Lin Shaohua, referring to the cartoon figures who embody the characteristics of four of China’s most popular animals – the fish, the panda, the Tibetan antelope, the swallow – and the Olympic flame.
Born into a rural family from the village of Sangtian in Chaoyang district, Shantou, the quintuplets attend a bilingual kindergarten now teaching extra classes on Olympic basics.
“Special meals are served and they are asked to take more physical exercise,” said Li Shugai, head of the kindergarten, without elaborating.
“All these efforts are meant to ensure a successful performance. It is very lucky for the city to have the quintuplets to play Fuwa,” Li said.
The link between the quintuplets and the five Olympic rings goes far beyond the number five, she said.
“They are growing under the care and support from of a generous society, which reflects the Olympic spirit of friendship and harmony,” Li said.
The children each weighed little more than 1 kg at birth, and faced a battle just to survive.
“It was hard for a rural family to pay for the medical bills, but the hospital treated them for free,” Li said.
The Lin family received more than 100,000 yuan (14,280 U.S. dollars) in donations after the babies were released from hospital.
Two years later, they were accepted by Li’s kindergarten and not expected to pay school fees.
“When they first came here, they were much thinner than their peers. But now look at them,” Li said.
No doubt they will bring the cartoon figures to life.

from: xinhuanet.com

The greatest wish of many Chinese sports lovers is to get a ticket for the men’s 110 m hurdles final at the Beijing Olympic Games. The reason is simple: Liu Xiang is expected to defend his Olympic gold.
However, a ticket can be costly. Within an hour of the third round of domestic tickets going on sale on Monday, all tickets to the men’s 110 m hurdles event were sold out.
For the unlucky ones, a slim hope still exists online where some people want to sell their tickets for other events, but at a price.
A woman named Wang Xiao said online she wants to sell several tickets for the semifinals of the hurdles event. But wants 4,900 yuan ($700) for each ticket, more than six times the original price of 800 yuan.
Buyers will also be provided a limo pickup service from their door to the sports venue.
The woman said she has friends who are reselling their tickets at a huge profit.
“My tickets are selling very well. I have sold more than 100 tickets for different events of the Games,” she was quoted as saying by the Beijing Morning Post.
Advertisements for the sale of Olympic tickets can be easily found online. The price of tickets for some popular events such as the opening and closing ceremonies have soared to 100,000 yuan each.
Many Beijing residents said they were disappointed with the speculative reselling of tickets. It was unfair to genuine sports fans. In response, organizers of the Beijing Games said speculative reselling was a breach of the law.
According to a regulation of the Ministry of Public Security in 2006, speculation in tickets sales and other valuable coupons can lead to 10 to 15 days in detention and a fine of less than 1,000 yuan.
The tickets can be sold only once with the price no higher than the original one, officials said.
Tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies were sold to buyers with their ID number recorded, therefore it would be difficult to resell them. Those who managed to buy them would be taking a risk.
Some people who have no tickets are also advertising online to cheat buyers.
A total of 1.38 million tickets were put on sale in the third round for 16 events.
Each applicant is allowed to submit only one order for a maximum of two competitions with a limit of three tickets for each event.
“This gives everyone a fair chance,” Zhu Yan, the director of the Olympic ticketing center, said.
All tickets for events in Beijing and Hong Kong were sold out on Tuesday. Only a few tickets were available yesterday for some events in other cities such as Shanghai, Qingdao, Shenyang and Tianjin.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

Hundreds of Chinese students in Japan signed their names on three flags on Saturday to extend their support for the Beijing Olympic Games.
The campaign, initiated by the Chinese Students in Japan Friendship Association, plans to collect over 10,000 signatures of Chinese students and scholars in Japan.
At the opening ceremony of the campaign held in the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, the Chinese students set up banners promoting Olympic spirits and the Beijing Olympics slogans such as “One World, One Dream.”
“Through the campaign, we want to spread the Olympic spirits and the notion of peace, and to call on the people who support the Beijing Olympics to join together,” said Zhang Bi, secretary general of the Chinese Students Association in Japan.
“We also want to tell Japanese students that the Olympic Games is not only for China, but the whole world and the entire humankind,” Zhang told Xinhua.
During the Olympic torch relay in Japan’s Nagano city on April 26, the three flags, with the color of red, yellow and blue respectively, will be extended to spectators for their signatures.
The flags will then be presented to the Organizing Committee of the Beijing Olympic Games, said Li Guangzhe, chairman of the association.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi here on Thursday that he opposed any action to mingle the Olympics with politics.
Ban stated, during his meeting with Wang Yi, special envoy of Chinese President Hu Jintao, at the sideline of the UN Security Council high-level meeting on peace and security in Africa that the United Nations and he himself spare no effort in supporting the Beijing Olympics.
With the support of the Chinese government and Chinese people, the Olympic Games to be held in Beijing will be successful, and will serve as a platform for promoting world peace, harmony and cooperation as well as the mutual understanding of people from different countries, the UN chief said.
Wang said Beijing Olympics is highly expected not only by the Chinese people, but also by people all over the world.
He stressed that any attempt to sabotage the grand sport gala goes against the will of the majority of the international community.
Wang believed that the Beijing Olympic Games will be of great success.
Ban also discussed with Wang the cooperation between China and the United Nations, the issue of Darfur, the situation in Myanmar and the issue of non-proliferation on Korean Peninsula.