Olympic Times – Sports Daily

The US Soccer Federation announced on July 17 the country’s 18-man squad for the Olympic men’s football tournament at Beijing 2008.

Coach Peter Nowak has chosen three over-age players, including three-time World Cup veteran Brian McBride, goalkeeper Brad Guzan and defender Michael Parkhurst.

Nowak’s team will participate in a football tournament in Hong Kong, playing Olympic warm-ups against fellow Olympic participants Ivory Coast on July 30 and Cameroon on August 2.

At Beijing 2008, the United States will face Japan, the Netherlands and Nigeria in Group B, with its first group game scheduled for August 7.

Roster:

GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (5): Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio)

FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Brian McBride (out of contract), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)

RESERVES: Goalkeeper Dominic Cervi (out of contract), defender Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), midfielder Dax McCarty (FC Dallas) and forward Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)

from: beijing2008.cn

Spectators will not be allowed to take banners, musical instruments and soft drink containers into Olympic venues, according to a set of rules released Monday.

The Olympic venue rules, promulgated by BOCOG, 25 days ahead of the Games, advise spectators not to bring into the venues support banners or leaflets of commercial publicity, religion, politics, military, human rights or environmental and animal protection.
Huang Keying, a BOCOG official, said the rules, including 22 restrictions and four prohibitions, are completely in line with the Olympic Charter.

“Each spectator is subject to the rules aimed at maintaining security and order of the venue,” he said.

Li Yong, a BOCOG volunteer, told the Xinhua News Agency people with banners will be stopped at the entrance security check.

Earlier last month, 800,000 Chinese volunteers began practicing routines to cheer on athletes – both Chinese and foreign – at the Games.

They were trained to do a four-step cheer in uniform sportswear, with easy-to-learn slogans.

These volunteers are required to stand up when national anthems are played and to remove trash at the end of an event.

The rules also ban taking photos with a flash, drunkenness, nudity and gambling, as well as whistles, long umbrellas, cigarette lighters, cameras and radios at venues.

Animals, except guide dogs, are not allowed in the venues.

Zhang Zhenliang, director of the Games’ inquiry center, said spectator rules were always one of the most difficult parts of the Games preparation as they must ensure an orderly, happy and harmonious environment.

The rule books have been delivered to spectators along with tickets. Overseas spectators can check the rules online or dial “12308″.

Zhang said the inquiry center is open daily from 7 am to 10 pm.

“Many overseas spectators have inquired about whether they can bring babies into the opening or closing ceremony venue.” It is not advised.

Li Bingshuang, a Beijing office worker, has tickets for the beach volleyball and rhythmic gymnastics events. She carefully read the rules book attached to the tickets.

“I know little about rules, but I’m sure I should clap after athletes completed their routines,” she said.

Zhang said the restrictions and prohibitions were roughly the same as those of the Athens and Sydney Games. The “spectator version” of the rules book features a simple and vivid language.

Huang said the Beijing Olympic venue rules are different from those of the previous Games as the national situation and local habits are different.

For example, Athens had banned large quantity of coins being taken into the venues. Beijing, however, did not follow this rule, she said.

“Beijing people like to use a parasol to block out the sunshine. But we have to remind people not to open umbrellas in the seating areas so as not to block others’ view,” she said, adding collapsible umbrellas were acceptable for being taken into venues.

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

Is this the official Olympic Theme for the Beijing Olympics 2008?
It sounds really great.

Tanzanian marathon hero John Stephen Akhwari said here that he concerned the lack of fund to develop his country’s athletics.

Akhwari, the most famous last place finisher in an Olympic Games marathon, was paying his second visit to the Olympic host city while telling his concerns.

“Lack of fund is the biggest problem for us right now,” said the 70-year-old. “We cannot afford building sport schools. Besides, we also lack fund to pay for the students’ accommodation, training and tuition.”

“If only we had enough fund to bring up more young talents, we would have created more good results in world class competition,” said Akhwari.

Tanzania has yet to win a marathon medal at any Olympic Games after Akhwari first represented his country in the Mexico City Games in 1968 when he dragged his injured leg to finish last, with four hours 30 minutes, in the marathon race. The winner, Mamo Wolde from Ethiopia, took the race in 2:20.26.

But he became one of the most memorable figures in the Olympic history with his persistence and his word.

“My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me to finish,” said the then 30-year-old athlete.

Despite his last finish, Akhwari was honored as a national hero by Tanzania in 1983.

He was chosen to carry the Olympic torch in April this year in the Beijing Olympic torch relay Dar es Salaam leg.

from: xinhuanet.com

Tibet is to greet the Olympic torch with flowers and distinctive folk dances, when it arrives in the regional capital of Lhasa on Saturday.

The images of five Fuwas, mascots of the Beijing Olympics, are displayed in flowers in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa.

The city’s main streets are decorated with signboards carrying slogans, such as “Light the Passion, Share the Dream,” “Bless the Motherland, Joyfully Greet the Olympics,” “Great Ethnic Unity” and “Welcome to Lhasa.”

The national five-star red flags are flying on houses and cars with “Go Beijing” signs pasted on their window panes can be seen almost everywhere.

“I’m very excited that I’ve been chosen to be a torch bearer, which gives me a feeling almost the same as that in 1960 when I reached the top of Mt. Qomolangma,” said Gonpo, a 75-year-old Tibetan mountaineering hero.

Gonpo was among the first Chinese to climb to the top of Mt. Qomolangma, the peak of the earth. Gonpo, Wang Fuzhou and Qu Yinhua were also the first to make the successful attempt via the North Ridge.

“I’ve long wished the Olympics could be held in Beijing, and I felt proud that the Olympic flame reached the top of Mt. Qomolangma on May 8,” he said.

“Now, my physical condition is not as good as before, but I’ll show my best while relaying the torch — if I cannot run, I’ll walk,” he said.

To greet the Olympic torch, 67-year-old Drolkar is busy rehearsing folk dances with a group of retirees.

“Everybody is active and ardent. We hope we can bring more vitality to the Olympics,” she said.

The arrival of the torch is also being heatedly discussed in a small village of Douyu on the China-India border, where people of the Lhoba ethnic group live, said Xiaojiayou, the village’s Communist Party secretary.

“We learned of the Olympic torch relay via radio and TV. Some of the villagers even plan to go to Lhasa to see the event,” she said.

Xiaojiayou, aged 54, is also a member of the Lhoba ethnic group, a small branch of Tibetans with only 2,000 people.

“In the past, villagers here lived an almost isolated life due to poor transport and communications. They didn’t even know what an Olympics was,” she said.

PEACE RETURNS AFTER RIOT

Three months after the March 14 riot, 36-year-old Tibetan doctor Losang Cering still has a heavy heart. He was seriously injured in the face by rioters wielding knives and clubs when he tried to protect a man of Han nationality and his six-year-old son.

“Being a torch bearer gives me pleasure and relieves my mental pressure. I feel happy that I can be part of the sporting event,” said Losang Cering, a surgeon with the Tibet People’s Hospital.

The doctor was hailed as a hero for his bravery in the riot, which was organized, premeditated and masterminded by the Dalai Lama clique.

The riot, involving violent crimes against people and property, led to the deaths of at least 18 civilians and one policeman. It also left 382 civilians and 241 police officers injured, businesses looted, and residences, shops and vehicles torched.

Peace has gradually returned, with the resumption of schools, businesses and religious activities, as well as the re-opening of leading monasteries such as Jokhang, Ramoche, Sera and Drepung.

“We’re praying for a successful Games, a stronger China and peace in the world,” said 75-year-old Tibetan lama Losang Chosphelat the Sera Monastery.

Tibet has also re-opened to tour groups from the mainland, HongKong and Macao, Chen Zhichang, executive vice mayor of Lhasa, told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday.

The re-opening date to foreign travelers would be officially announced when the Tibet leg of the relay ended, Lhasa Tourism Bureau Director Gyangkar said.

The one-day relay will be held in Lhasa on Saturday. The initial plan was for a three-day event from June 19-21, but it was scaled back after the May 12 quake in Sichuan that has left more than 69,000 people dead and more than 17,000 others missing.

The Beijing Olympic torch relay is the longest and most ambitious one, traveling 137,000 km across five continents in 130 days. The torch returned to the Chinese mainland at the beginning of May and was touring Shihezi and Changji in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Thursday.

Though the torch relay was disturbed in a few overseas cities by Tibetan secessionists, Qin Zheng, of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Sports Bureau, said he believes any attempt to disrupt the event in Lhasa will go nowhere, because people of all ethnic groups are looking forward to the torch and the Olympics.

Phurbu Cering, 52, a famous Tibetan javelin athlete, echoed Qin’s opinion.

“The more the hostile forces attempt to sabotage our ethnic unity, the more we should consolidate the relationship,” he said.

from: xinhuanet.com

Ever wondered how to dazzle people with your smile?

Chen Sishi, an 18-year-old member of the Olympic medal ceremony team, knows just how to do it.
“You have to smile from the bottom of your heart,” she said.
“You have to care for other people, and you must maintain eye contact.”
Chen and 14 other volunteer team members – all women aged between 18 and 20, all slim, and all at least 170 cm tall – spoke to China Daily Thursday during a rehearsal at an office building in Beijing.
The event was part of a two-week training course being held for the medal team, and also the sports presentation teams at Olympic venues.
“The training aims to teach the volunteers professional skills and to achieve a seamless connection between the medal ceremony and the sports presentation teams,” according to a statement from the Beijing Olympic Media Center. This is the 12th press trip dubbed “Telling our stories” organized by the center.
BOCOG said earlier it has now recruited the 337 volunteers it needs for the medal ceremonies. Twenty teams will help present medals at 774 ceremonies at both the Olympics (302) and Paralympics (472).
The rehearsal closely mirrored the actual event. Announcements were made in Chinese, French and English, national anthems were played, and medals and flowers were presented.
The main rule they have to follow is simple: don’t stand too close to or far from the person presenting the medals.
“The distance must be exactly as we practiced,” 19-year-old Zhang Qinqin said, “Every little thing is important in the Olympics. There is zero tolerance of mistakes.”
The women were selected last year from the Beijing Yixian Institute.
They have been in training ever since.
Chen Lei, 20, from Jiangsu province, said the most challenging thing is carrying the tray, as it weighs 5-7 kg.
“At first, our hands would shake. But the more you practice, the easier it is,” she said.
As well as physical training, the women have been learning English, brushing up on their Olympic knowledge, and taking lessons in manners and poise.
“I’ve learned a tremendous amount,” Cheng said. “I will give the happiest smiles and most heartfelt congratulations possible to the athletes.”

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:

Beijing Olympic and Paralympic torch relay theme song and two theme songs for the volunteer programs were unveiled Wednesday, the 100-day countdown to the Olympic Games, at Tai Miao at the Beijing Working People’s Culture Palace.
The trio songs, “Light the Passion, Share the Dream” “I am A star” and “Smile Beijing“, which jumped out from nearly 80,000 contested songs, were finally released at the Fourth Olympic Songs Contest on Wednesday evening.
The “Light the Passion, Share the Dream” for the Olympic torch relay, was composed by Chris Baobida and written by Huang Xiaomao, who compared the Olympic flame to the eternal starlight, symbolizing that people, led by the light, will be united to realize the dream of friendship, hope and harmony.
One of the theme songs for the volunteers — I am A Star – was created by famous Hong Kong music men Emil Chau and Lam Jik. Lam regards in his lyrics the volunteers to the bow and the wind, which are source of the power and success.
“It is the volunteers who are the real Olympic stars,” Chau said.
Another volunteer theme song “Smile Beijing” was created by Chen Ying, who works for the Beijing Olympic Volunteers Committee. Chen expressed his hope that everyone would remember the sentence “Volunteers’ smile is the best calling card for Beijing.”
This song was also carried to the space by China’s first lunar probe satellite Chang’e-1, which sent back the signal of the song on Dec. 4, 2007

from: xinhuanet.com

One World, One Dream is the theme of the Beijing Games – and if overseas ticket demand is any indicator, the whole world wants to be in Beijing for the Games to live their dream.
Beijing Games organizers have said that they are “still trying to dig out resources for tickets so as to satisfy demand worldwide”.
“Olympic tickets are ‘hot’ and the enthusiasm is very high,” said Zhu Yan, director of Beijing Olympic Ticketing Center.
“Overseas demand was taken fully into consideration in ticket sales, and we are still trying to provide more,” he added.
About 6.8 million tickets are available for sale for the Beijing Games and it is estimated that 75 percent of those will be for the domestic market.
Overseas tickets are handed over to the national or regional Olympic committees (NOCs) and most of them appoint ticket agents to deal with sales.
In Finland, for example, all the 10,000 tickets allocated have been sold out. Officials there are asking for more.
“The number of tickets we allocated for the NOCs is much more than that in previous Games,” said Zhu. “The allocation strictly followed the rules of the International Olympic Committee and we have tried our best to meet the needs of all the NOCs.
“But since their demand is still on the rise, we will continue to discuss with them and balance the requirements of all sides.”
Zhu said it is hard to put a figure on the exact number of tickets sold outside the Chinese mainland because sales are still under way.
On the Chinese mainland, the third and the final round of ticket sales start next month. About 1.38 million tickets will be on offer from May 5 to June 9.
Tickets for 244 events in 16 disciplines are available at Bank of China outlets or on the official ticketing website on a “first come, first served” basis.
People are allowed to buy a maximum of six tickets at one time, three each for two sessions.
Overwhelming demand caused the computer system to crash just a few hours after the second sales phase started six months ago, forcing organizers to revert to a lottery system.
But Zhu reassured people that thousands of tickets are available for most of the events, and urged them not to rush. The system has been fixed and there will be no repeat of the chaos in the previous round, he said.
“The system has been optimized and updated and it is being tested right now,” Zhu said last week. “I am confident that the system will meet the requirements of customers.”
People who paid for the tickets through the website can get their tickets printed anytime during the third phase and those who paid at Bank of China outlets can get tickets on site.
The first stage of the domestic sales was conducted from April to June last year, with some 1.6 million tickets, including all the tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies, allocated by lottery.
The second stage was launched last October but was suspended until December. About 1.8 million tickets were sold.
Ticket delivery for the buyers in the first two stages is planned to start in June.

from: xinhuanet.com

KUALA LUMPUR – The sacred flame of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on early Sunday arrived in the Malaysia capital of Kuala Lumpur, the 13th leg of its global torch relay.
A chartered plane carrying the flame, which was ignited on March 24 in ancient Olympia of Greece, landed on the Kuala Lumpur international airport at local time 02:30 a.m. local time (1830GMT) from Bangkok, capital of Thailand.
Jiang Xiaoyu, vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG), carried the lantern of the flame and walked off the plane.

Upon arrival at the airport, Jiang and the flame received a warm welcome by a cheering crowd, among whom are Deputy president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) M. Jegathesan and OCM honorary secretary Sieh Kok Chi.
Chinese ambassador to Malaysia Cheng Yonghua also came to the airport to welcome the flame of the Beijing Olympics, which is scheduled to be held this August.
The Kuala Lumpur leg of the torch relay, which will be started from Dataran Merdeka and concluded at the famous “Twins Tower” KLCC, will start on Monday afternoon. Eighty torch bearers will take part in the relay.
The Olympic global torch relay will cover 137,000 kilometers before the flame returns to Beijing.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said on Thursday China hoped “relevant country” would understand and aid the work of the Beijing Olympic torch escort.
Jiang made the remarks when asked to comment on Japan’s refusal of the torch escort from China in the relay in Nagano, on April 26.
She told a press conference that the convention of arranging the escort in the relay has been approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
She said the escorts, all volunteers, protected the torch with their bodies from the seizure by “Tibetan independence” supporters.
“This kind of spirit should be praised and understood, while the mob which disrupts should receive universal condemnation,” she said, adding China hoped “relevant country” would have a clear understanding of the task and provide active coordination and assistance for the relay.
Jiang praised the torch relay in Pakistan, saying China noticed that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani have both attended the ceremonies of the torch relay which was a great success in Islamabad.
“Through the relay, we have seen the colorful culture of Pakistan and the great enthusiasm of the Pakistani people toward the Olympics,” said Jiang.
On the torch relay in India, scheduled for Thursday, Jiang said the Indian people hoped to use the opportunity to show India’s ancient culture and modern development achievements, and China believed the Indian government would take effective measures to ensure a smooth and safe torch relay in New Delhi.

from: xinhuanet.com

NEW DELHI – Seventy torchbearers are set to carry the Beijing Olympic flame here on Thursday for the 11th leg of its global journey.
The 70 torchbearers will cover a distance of just 2.5 kilometers from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate starting from the 4 p.m. local time.
The torchbearers include sportspersons, Bollywood stars and politicians, according to Suresh Kalmadi, the president of Indian Olympic Committee.
The country’s top current and former athletes, including sprint stars Anju Bobby George, PT Usha, ace tennis star Leander Paes, shooters Manavjit Singh and Abhinav Bindra, boxer Akhil Kumar and hockey player Dhanraj Pillay, will be part of the run.
Actors Saif Ali Khan, Amir Khan, Sagarika Ghatge of “Chak De India” fame and Sarod player Ayan Ali Khan will also be seen in action.
Sachin Tendulkar, who was supposed to carry the flames, has pulled out at the last minute.
“He is not well and he has also an Indian Premier League captain’s meeting to attend. But he has shown his solidarity for the Olympic movement,” Kalmadi said on Wednesday.
Out of 70 torchbearers, 47 have been chosen by India and five by the BOCOG, the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games, while Olympic presenting partners have selected 19 runners.
Kalmadi expects for a great relay in New Dehli. “The entire world is looking to India and the expectation is that the torch relay will be one of the greatest shows here,” said Kalmadi.
“We are hopeful that we will be able to live up to the expectations of the world community.”
“We do not want to see a repeat of what happened in Paris and London. It is a sacred torch and its safety is our responsibility,” Kalmadi told a press conference.
“We are not afraid of any movement. They can have the movement anywhere else. We just want the torch relay to be safe. The safety of the torch is our responsibility and we are hopeful that the relay will go on well without any disruption,” added he.

from: xinhuanet.com

The dream meet for athletes can be poison for economists. Many host countries of previous Olympics have faced economic slowdown after the Games following a growth burst in the run-up to the event. Is China going the same way?
Most economists and financial analysts tell China Business Weekly that the country doesn’t need to worry about a post-Olympic slowdown. A growing service industry and a maturing middle class will ensure continued growth. Besides, industries such as those related to environmental protection and renewable energy will generate new and solid investment opportunities.
So does China need to be afraid at all?
“My answer,” says Chen Jian, secretary-general of Beijing Olympic Economy Research Association, “is an absolute ‘no’.”
He points out that the so-called post-Olympic downturn, called “Valley Effect” or “V-low Effect” by experts, is mainly caused by a dramatic increase in investment in the pre-Olympics stage, accompanied by a boom in consumption and revenues. Investment and consumption shrink in the post-Olympic stage, which also comes with the heavy burden of maintenance cost for idle Games venues.
“However, these are impossible in China after 2008,” says Chen.
Seung Ho Park, president of non-profit Samsung Economic Research Institute (SERI), says a short-term economic lull right after the Games is expected, but all countries recover thereafter.
“The host gets comprehensive benefits out of the event – in terms of national image, popular enthusiasm and living quality. We should not see it from the economic perspective only,” he says, citing Japan and South Korea as examples. Despite experiencing economic downturns immediately after the Olympics, they have evolved into two of the biggest economies in Asia thanks to the Games.

Investment momentum
One of the sponsors of the Beijing Games, Bank of China (BOC), has carried out a study of 12 sessions of the Games spanning 60 years. In nine of these 12 sessions, the hosts’ annual GDP growth in eight years after the Olympics was 0.4 to 2.5 percent lower that the eight years running up to the event, showing an economic slowdown after the mother of all sporting meets is commonplace.
Following the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 and Seoul Olympics in 1988, Japanese and South Korean economies slowed by more than 2 percent on a year-on-year basis. Both nations had been enjoying double-digit growth in the run-up to the Olympics.
“Our analysis finds that the deceleration occurs largely in small nations,” says Zhu Min, vice-president of BOC, adding the effect of the Games on large nations has been relatively small.
Echoing Zhu, Zhao Jinping, researcher with Development Research Center of the State Council, says Beijing’s economy makes up 4 to 5 percent of China’s, while Tokyo and Seoul accounted for about 10 percent of Japan’s and South Korea’s economies.
“So even if Beijing grows at a relatively slower speed, China’s progress, in general, is unlikely to slow,” says Zhao.
China is also a huge market undergoing rapid development, so there are numerous investment opportunities in any case, such as infrastructure, energy, manufactures and services, which means an economic deceleration due to inadequate investment is an unlikely scenario.
In addition, China will host a series of international events and embark on mega projects right after the Olympics, which may further accelerate the economy. These include the 200 billion yuan Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, South-North Water Project, the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai and the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.
Experts also predict that the Olympic Games will mark the beginning of a new chapter for China’s tertiary industry, involving tourism, finance, culture, exhibition, sports and real estate sectors. China’s service segment now contributes around 30 percent to the nation’s GDP, which is far behind the 65-75 percent in developed nations.
Zhao says the service industry can effectively increase job opportunities and enhance living standards. It will also greatly optimize the structure of China’s economy and facilitate sustainable and sound development.
Chen predicts the 2008 Olympics will also continue to benefit the country’s tourism industry for about a decade after the event. His association forecasts 600,000 foreigners will flood into the capital for the Games. Some 4.5 million foreign tourists are expected to come to Beijing this year, spending a total of $4.8 to $4.9 billion. That number is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 8 to 9 percent, meaning 5 million to 5.3 million foreign tourists may visit the capital in 2010, spending between $5.3 and $5.6 billion.

Tourism boost
Barcelona is a good example of how Olympics boosts tourism. The host city of the 1992 Games spent $7 billion to build its Olympic Center on a virgin beach and developed it into a tourism area, which has become a landmark resort for not only Spain but the entire Europe. The coastal city, which was ranked 16th in the Top Tourism European Cities list in 1992, jumped to the third position after the Games.
Many foreign service operators are confident of China’s post-Olympic opportunities. WPP CEO Sir Martine Sorrell declared during his trip to China in October that the advertisement and consulting giant would invest more in China even as some predicted a post-Olympic slowdown.
“WPP is well prepared to tackle the expected ‘bump’. The growth will carry on for a number of years,” he said. “Maybe others will disappear, get scared and leave, but it will only give us more scope.”
Experts say the Olympics do wonders for a nation’s image. “It is a chance to showcase China’s open, peaceful and transparent progress in all fields, which will enhance investors’ confidence in the nation,”says Chen.
SERI’s Park stresses that Olympics can provide local corporations a global platform. “It turned Sony, Honda, Korean Air and Samsung into global brands. Many Japanese and South Korean companies began to emerge in the world market following the Tokyo and Seoul Games,” says Park. He believes the Beijing Games will have a similar effect on Lenovo, China Mobile, Bank of China and Air China.
Take Yili for example. It’s the only dairy sponsor of the Beijing Olympics. “The Games is an opportunity for us to turn from a national to an international brand,” says Pan Gang, president of Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group. The company currently exports dairy products to 20 countries and regions.
Yili generated an operating revenue of 19.4 billion yuan last year, up 17.56 percent over 2006, with a net profit of 439 million yuan. Its 2008 target for operating revenue is 21.6 billion yuan and a net profit of 600 million yuan.
“We completed restructuring our products structure in the first half of 2007, with high-value and hi-tech products now accounting for 40 percent of Yili’s total operation,” says Pan, adding the Olympics sponsorship has prompted it to upgrade the product structure.

from: chinadaily.com.cn 

The Olympic torch relay in San Francisco was concluded Wednesday afternoon, without major incidents.
The relay ran for two and half hours along the San Francisco area with the closing ceremony held at the airport.
Chinese Olympic swimming champion Lin Li, who was the first runner of the San Francisco relay, began her run by holding the torch high and waving to a cheering crowd. Nearly 80 torch-bearers, including some world-record holding athletes, participated in the relay.
San Francisco police announced the route had been changed due to threats by Tibetan separatists and their supporters to storm the relay, according to local TV KRON4.
At one point, Tibetan separatists tried to disrupt the torch relay. They tried to grab the torch, but were pushed back by police escorting the torch relay, a Xinhua correspondent witnessed.
Thousands of people gathered along the route of the relay under a sunny sky to show their support for the torch run in the U.S. city, which is the sixth leg of the torch’s global journey.
Supporters of China’s role as host of the Games were upholding Chinese national flags and displaying the Beijing Olympic mascot Fuwa on the city’s waterfront.
Dozens of women dressed in red performed a drum dance to entertain people, drawing applauses from spectators. One dancer, Li Hua, told Xinhua that they traveled about 500 miles from Los Angeles to witness the historic torch relay.
Siu Yuen Chung, Chairman of the Chinese American Association of Commerce (CAAC), said before the start of the torch relay that, to give the Olympic flame a spectacular reception, tens of thousands of Chinese Americans will come out to cheer the torch relay.
While anxiously expecting the torch relay, many San Francisco citizens expressed dismay at attempts to link the Olympic Games with politics.
Shirley Olivo, a 75-year-old San Francisco native and grandmother of a Special Olympian, said carrying the torch and the Olympics should not really be about politics.
Chinese Ambassador to the United States Zhou Wenzhong said on Wednesday that the Olympic torch relay in San Francisco was “successful” under enthusiastic reception of the American public, including the Chinese Americans and overseas Chinese.
“The Olympics belongs to all, and the Olympic torch carries and passes around the Olympic spirit and advocates peace, friendship, harmony and cooperation,” the ambassador said in a statement.
In disregard of the spirit of the Olympic Charter, a handful of forces attempted to disrupt the Olympic Games in Beijing, undermine China-U.S. relationship and denigrate China’s image. Such unpopular action is doomed to fail, he said.
Zhou expressed the belief that the sacred flames of the Olympics will continue to burn brighter, the Olympic Games in Beijing will be a complete success and the Olympic spirit will be carried forward
The global torch relay started on April 1 in Almaty and stopped over in London and Paris before came to San Francisco on Tuesday.
The relatively smooth run of the San Francisco relay stood in striking contrast with those in London and Paris where Tibetan separatists repeatedly disrupted the torch relay to the indignation of locals and Chinese communities.

from: xinhuanet.com

A declaration to give full support to the upcoming Beijing Games was approved by the heads of 205 national and regional Olympic committees Monday at the morning session of their general assembly in the capital.
Announced by Gunilla Lindberg, secretary-general of the Association of the National Olympic Committees (ANOC), the declaration includes the following:
Athletes worldwide are willing to participate in the Beijing Games;
Any activities using the Olympic Games for political purposes will be rejected;
China has the confidence to seek solutions to its internal affairs.

The NOCs, under the International Olympic Committee (IOC), are responsible for organizing their respective countries’ participation in the Games.
The special statement comes amid disruptions by Tibetan separatists and is expected to be issued after a joint meeting of the ANOC and the IOC Executive Board on Thursday.
The three-day biennial meeting of the ANOC in Beijing, which has attracted more than 700 representatives this time, will last till tomorrow, with the heads of national and regional Olympic committees worldwide coming together to discuss issues related to the Olympics.
Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, attended the opening ceremony Monday morning, reiterating that China will fulfill its commitment to hold a successful Olympic Games this August.
“Holding the Olympic Games is the longtime expectation of Chinese people and hosting a high-level Olympic Games and a high-level Paralympic Games is the solemn commitment we have made to the whole world,” Wu said.
“In the lead-up to the Games the Chinese government and Chinese people will fulfill our commitment to ensure the success of the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games. We warmly welcome athletes, coaches and guests from all over the world to participate, witness and report the Beijing Games.”
“The ANOC has supported very resolutely and firmly the organization of the Beijing Olympic Games and it will make all efforts so that the Games may achieve the greatest success for the benefit of the young athletes, and as a contribution towards friendship, solidarity and peace among the youth and all peoples from around the world,” ANOC president Mario Vazquez Rana added in his opening speech.
“Organizing an Olympic Games is an extremely arduous and complex task. Only the closest cooperation between all members of the Olympic movement as well as the political will of China’s government will make it possible to reach the high objectives sought with the Beijing Olympic Games,” he said.
The issue of calls to boycott the Games also drew the attention of IOC President Jacques Rogge.
Some politicians have played with the idea of boycotts, but there is “no momentum for a generalized boycott”, Rogge said.
“We need the unity of the Olympic movement to help us overcome the difficulties. Our major responsibility is to offer good games to the athletes who deserve them,” Rogge said.
The ANOC assembly will be followed by an executive board meeting of the IOC in Beijing from April 10-11. It will include updates on preparations for the Beijing Games, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and 2012 London Summer Games.

from: chinadaily.com.cn 

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge on Tuesday condemned violent protests that target the Beijing Olympic torch relay, saying violence is by no means acceptable.
“The IOC definitely wants and wishes for the Olympic flame to be respected, because it is a very important symbol that unites people,” Rogge told Chinese reporters.
“We respect people who want to protest. This is the freedom of speech, freedom of expression. However, if you want to protest, it has to be peaceful,” added the IOC chief.
Despite disruptions by a few Tibetan separatists and their supporters during the London and Paris legs of the Olympic torch relay, there will be no change in the itinerary which includes carrying the flame to the highest peak on Earth, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) said.
The flame was lit in Olympia, Greece, on March 24 and is being relayed through 21 cities outside the Chinese mainland before being carried into the opening ceremony on August 8.

from: chinadaily.com.cn 

A Beijing Olympic official has strongly condemned the disruption of the Olympic torch relay in Paris by a very small number of “Tibet independence” secessionists and a handful of so-called human rights-minded NGO activists.
A spokesman of the Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee said on Monday that the serious incident clearly showed that “Tibet independence” secessionists have been disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games in a planned, premeditate and organized way.
What the separatists have been doing are far from “peaceful” demonstrations, but attempts to foil the smooth relay of the Beijing Olympic torch through violent means, and has thus blasphemed the Olympic spirit, he said.
France is the hometown of Pierre De Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, said the spokesman. The large number of Paris residents turning out to welcome the Olympic sacred flame showed that the flame belongs to the people of the whole world.
The “Tibet independence” separatists’ malicious and open challenge of the Olympic spirit and the Olympic Charter has proved unpopular and is bound to fail, he said.
The Beijing Olympic Games is not only a grand event for the Chinese people, but also for people all over the world. It bears great significance for glorifying the Olympic spirit, spreading the Olympic culture and promoting the development of the Olympic Games, said the official, adding that the Beijing Olympic torch relay will surely win wide support from all peace-loving people across the world, and will not be thwarted by any force.

from: xinhuanet.com