Olympic Times – Sports Daily

Italy suffered a stunning 3-2 quarter-final defeat against 10-man Belgium in the Olympic soccer on Saturday while Brazil and titleholders Argentina both won in extra-time to set up a semi-final meeting.
Lionel Messi set up one goal and scored the other in Argentina’s 2-1 win over the Netherlands and Brazil beat Cameroon 2-0 to avenge their traumatic quarter-final defeat against the Africans in Sydney eight years ago.
Belgium, who will face Nigeria in the semi-finals, found themselves trailing 1-0 and down to 10 men after 18 minutes when Thomas Vermaelen was sent off for dragging down Giuseppe Rossi, who scored from the spot.
Moussa Dembele equalized with a 24th minute header which was deemed to have crossed the line despite Luca Cigarina’s block and Kevin Miralles fired Belgian ahead in first half injury-time.
Rossi equalized with another penalty in the 74th minute before Dembele struck the winner in the 80th minute as Italy uncharacteristically lost their defensive cool.
“Everybody is very important in my team but you need players who can make the difference and today Moussa Dembele made the difference,” Belgium coach Jean Francois De Sart said.
Argentina went ahead with Messi’s second goal of the Games but Otman Bakkal equalized before halftime.
Messi set up the winner in the first half of extra-time when he sliced open the Dutch defense and found Angel Di Maria, who side-footed home to make up for his double penalty-miss against Serbia.

NO FUN
Brazil and Cameroon produced one of the tournament’s low points as they shared 12 yellow cards and 56 fouls in a cynical game which also saw Cameroon’s Albert Baning dismissed in the 52nd minute for a second bookable offence.
Rafael Sobis and Marcelo scored in a four-minute spell in extra-time to keep Brazil — jeered by the crowd — on course for a first Olympic gold.
“It’s not even fun to talk about the referees any more,” said Brazil coach Dunga. “When you have players of this level and officials who make the sort of decisions we saw today … that says it all.”
The match was watched by FIFA president Sepp Blatter who spoke too soon when he praised the controversial tournament, which is restricted to under-23 teams with three over-age players allowed per side.
“The standard of football at the Olympics has never been higher,” he told reporters before kick off.
Nigeria, publicly criticized by coach Samson Siasia for ball-hogging in their last match, beat Ivory Coast 2-0.
In a match played to the backing of the off-key trumpets of the Nigerian supporters’ club, Peter Odemwingie swept home Victor Obinna’s pass in the 44th minute and Obinna converted an 82nd minute penalty.

from: reuters.com

Even Michael Phelps couldn’t believe his eyes. He said he had to take off his goggles to make sure it was his name, and not Milorad Cavic, next to the No. 1 after a thrilling finish in the Olympic 100-meter butterfly.

Phelps, who was in seventh place at the turn, surged in the final few meters and somehow managed to out-touch the Serbian-American Cavic by a hundredth of a second. To the naked eye, it was nearly impossible to tell who won. And from some camera angles, it appeared Cavic had the gold. But the Omega electronic clock read: Phelps 50.58. Cavic 50.59.

The Serbian team was disputing the result, but FINA officials met with team leaders after the race and reviewed the video footage. The Serbians accepted the result after seeing the tape.

Cavic was gracious in defeat and said he was “honored” to be the guy who almost beat Phelps.

It was Phelps’ seventh gold medal at these Olympics, which ties Mark Spitz’s 36-year-old record from Munich. He will attempt to break the record Sunday morning in the 4×100 medley relay.

Phelps was humbled to be on the same seven-gold pedestal as Spitz.

“The biggest thing is when someone says you can’t do things, when people say it’s impossible to tie or break these records, I proved anything’s possible,” he said. “If you put in the hard work and put your mind to it, anything’s possible.”

This time, there was no world record, as there had been for Phelps’ previous six golds. Instead, the Baltimore phenom proved he can win in the tightest of races. Phelps made up ground in the final 50, and took an extra half-stroke at the finish, which would seem to have hurt him as Cavic’s hands were already underwater gliding to the wall. But Phelps’ extra kick surged him forward with force at the touchpad.

“When I saw the replay, when I saw I took that extra half stroke, I thought I lost the race,” Phelps said. “But I guess that’s exactly what I needed. I’m at a loss for words. I’m excited and relieved. It wasn’t until I saw the No. 1 next to my name that I let out my roar.”

The lucky seventh gold also meant a $1 million bonus from Speedo, one of his many sponsors.

All the talk heading into the Olympics was that fellow-American and world-record holder Ian Crocker could spoil Phelps’ pool party in this event, but around the pool deck the past few days, the buzz was about Cavic. The Anaheim, Calif., native and Cal-Berkeley student set an Olympic record in the preliminary heats in 50.76 seconds, and swam the fastest semifinal time (50.92).

Cavic’s times were particularly impressive considering that Phelps and Crocker held the top 17 times in the event heading into the Olympics. Cavic, who is 6-foot-6, said after the semifinals that he was hoping to derail Phelps so that one day people would say, “Phelps had a chance to win eight and lost to some guy.” Cavic desperately wanted to be that guy.

Instead, he has to settle for the silver. Andrew Lauterstein of Australia won the bronze. Crocker finished fourth.

Cavic said the difference between he and Phelps was as tiny as “shaving your fingers.” Swimming results can be so close, he said, that his coach cleaned up the hairs on the back of Cavic’s neck with clippers just before the race. “Those are the differences in swimming. Everything counts. You can’t even show one one-hundredth of a second on TV. It’s that close.”

Cavic was not surprised Phelps made his move at the end. In fact, he expected it.

“I knew I was leading the race. I usually swim a faster first 50 and Phelps is a back-half swimmer, so I knew he’d be chasing me at the end. I saw a shadow in the side of my goggles, so the final eight meters I just put my head down, didn’t breathe, and hoped for the best.”

When a Serbian reporter asked Cavic, “How does it feel to be the one man who beat Phelps?” Cavic smiled and replied: “I didn’t beat Phelps. Maybe I’m the only guy who had a real shot of beating Phelps. This is all completely new to me. I felt so much pressure, and I’m very proud I was able to control my emotions and get so close. It was an honor for me to race Michael Phelps with all eyes on me. If we got to do it again, I’d win it.”

Crocker, the quiet, unassuming rival from Portland, Maine, also wanted to be “that guy” who ruined Phelps’ day. So much so, in fact, that he put all his efforts into the 100-meter butterfly rather than race in multiple events. Crocker beat Phelps to win the world titles in 2003 and 2005, and set the world record (50.40) in 2005.

But Phelps beat Crocker in the 2004 Olympics by .04 seconds and edged him again in the 2007 world championships by .05 seconds.

Crocker : “Sports is all about one person trying to derail the other person’s dreams.”

As usual, Phelps’ quest for history overshadowed the other events at The Water Cube on Saturday.

Brazil’s Cesar Cielo Filho set an Olympic record and won gold in the 50-meter freestyle, beating a pair of Frenchmen – Amaury Leveaux and Alain Bernard. He is Brazil’s first Olympic swimming gold medalist. Filho won the race in 21.30 seconds, lowering the mark of 21.34 he set in the semifinals.

It was Filho’s second medal of the Games. He tied U.S. swimmer Jason Lezak for the bronze in the 100-meter freestyle. Filho, 21, is a student at Auburn University.

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe set a world record in the women’s 200-meter backstroke in 2:05.24. Margaret Hoelzer of the United States won silver.

And in the women’s 800, Great Britain’s Rebecca Adlington set a world record en route to a gold medal.

from: macon.com

Some interesting change on this Beijing Olympic games 2008 in Beijing?
Four years ago at the Athens Olympics 2004 the United States of America won most medals. This year it seems China will win the rankings.
You Think the US will still win more gold medals as China?

Thursday’s Table Tennis competition determined the line up for all Bronze medal and semifinal qualifiers. In the Men’s competition there were few surprises other than Japan’s win over Hong Kong, but overall, the Chinese team continues to dominate the Table Tennis competition. And on the Women’s side, all four top seeds cruised to the semifinal without upsets.

Men’s side:

In Group A, China beat Australia and Austria to secure the top spot in the group and qualify for the semifinal. Austria beat Greece, and earned the second spot in the group to qualify for bronze.

Second-seed Germany, having won a tough contest against Croatia in their opening Group B contest, bounced back and smashed Canada and Singapore to qualify for the semifinal. Croatia won the duels between Singapore and Canada to take second.

Progress from Group C was determined by the Republic of Korea’s overpowering Chinese Taipei despite its leading star Ryu Seung-min’s defeat in the first match. Chinese Taipei took second place by beating Sweden and Brazil on the opening day

Group D’s fourth-seed Hong Kong faced world No. 5 Japan and lost 0-3. Having recorded convincing wins over Nigeria and Russia yesterday, Japan marched into the semifinal while Hong Kong has to deal with a second-class rank and fight for the bronze.

Women’s side:

China thrashed Austria in their remaining Group A contest and cruised onto the semifinal to join in the conquest for gold. Australia’s victory over Croatia and the Dominican Republic on the opening day sent it to the bronze medal play-offs.

Singapore, unbeaten in Group B on day one, won their third match against the Netherlands to enter the semifinal. The U.S. clinched the second spot by overcoming Nigeria.

It came as no surprise that group C team Hong Kong beat Romania and Germany to rank first in the group. The more interesting game was the competition for the second-ranking spot. Romania, who upset the seedings on opening day by beating Germany, grabbed second by beating Poland on Thursday.

Group D’s Japan scored a hard win over Spain before going into a tough game with the Republic of Korea. As expected, Japan faced fierce competition from both teams. The ROK finally powered through and Japan qualified for the Bronze medal draw.

from: beijing2008.cn

Brazil has yet to drop a set in the Women’s Volleyball tournament and is guaranteed to reach the quarterfinals after defeating Serbia 25-15, 25-13, 25-23 on August 13. Serbia’s chances to reach the quarterfinals remain high as this is just their first loss of the tournament. Italy remained undefeated by beating Algeria earlier in the day and is also a lock to move past the preliminary round.

source: beijing2008.cn

Italy, Brazil and Serbia knocked off their opponents in indoor women’s volleyball teams on Day 3 of the Olympic Games and sit atop pool B with 2-0 records.

Italy beat Kazakhstan in three straight sets, winning 25-19, 25-15 and 25-21. Francesca Piccinini led the Italian squad with 12 points.

Serbia and Brazil also won their games in straight sets, with Brazil beating Russia 25-14, 25-14 and 25-16. Serbia handled Algeria 25-14, 25-13, 25-13.

Brazil leads the pool, having won two straight-set matches. Serbia sits in second and Italy in third. Both teams have surrendered only one set so far in Olympic competition.

Without wins in pool B are Kazakhstan, Russia and Algeria, who will fight for the final quarterfinal spot in the pool.

In pool A, the Americans dropped three straight sets to Cuba, losing 15-25, 24-26 and 17-25. The Cubans were led by captain Yumilka Ruix, who tallied 15 points.

Women’s indoor volleyball action resumes in Beijing on Aug. 13.

from: cbc.ca

Germany’s Ole Bischof, the 2005 European championships threw Kim Jae-bum from the Republic of Korea for a yuko to claim gold in Judo Men’s -81kg. He also finished fifth at the 2006 and 2007 European Championships.

Tiago Camilo of Brazil defeated Guillaume Elmont of the Netherlands with an ippon to win the first of two bronze medals in the event. Camilo was the silver medalist at the Sydney Olympic Games and the gold medalist at the 2007 World Championships. Roman Gontiuk of Ukraine defeated Nyamkhuu Damdinsuren of Mongolia with a waza-ari to win the second bronze medal. Gontiuk was the silver medalist at the Athens Olympic Games.

from: beijing2008.cn

US swimmer Michael Phelps joined an elite list of Olympic greats Tuesday becoming only the fifth competitor in history to win nine gold medals.

Phelps added his name to the prestigious group of Paavo Nurmi, Carl Lewis, Mark Spitz and Larysa Latynina when he won the men’s 200m freestyle with a world record swim for his third Gold medal in Beijing.

He appears destined to become the greatest Olympian as he continues his quest for an unequalled eight gold medals in one Games here and he said the toughest three races were behind him.

Phelps won six gold medals in Athens four years ago and has already won gold in the 400m individual medley and 4x100m freestyle relay, both in world record time, at Beijing’s futuristic Water Cube pool.

Ahead lie the 200m individual medley, 200m butterfly, 100m butterfly, 4x200m free relay and 4x100m medley relay.

“That’s great,” said Phelps as he emerged from the water after leading all the way in the 200m freestyle final to post a new world record of one minute 42.96.

“I just wanted to be out on my own which I had done by the 100 metres mark, that was my goal,” Phelps said.

“I was out in open water and I was in the middle, which makes it difficult for the other guys to see me.”

Phelps freestyle victory launched a dominant morning for the United States in the pool.

Aaron Peirsol lowered his own world record in winning the men’s 100m backstroke, setting a new mark of 52.54sec, and Natalie Coughlin defended her women’s 100m backstroke crown.

Australian Liesel Jones broke the US stranglehold when she won the women’s 100m breaststroke title.

There are 15 other gold medals on offer Tuesday, and hosts China will be looking to strengthen their grip at the head of the table.

They have nine golds, ahead of the US on six, and are leading contenders in the women’s synchronised 10m diving where Chen Ruolin and Wang Xin start as clear favourites in a sport dominated by China.

China added to its haul Tuesday with the hosts winning the men’s team gymnastics title, and there was joy for shooter Tan Zongliang who grabbed bronze after 12 years of trying.

China bounced back with their gymnasts snuffing out challenges from defending champions Japan and the United States to spark wild celebrations among the cheering home crowd.

It was their second Olympic title following victory in Sydney in 2000 and made amends for a disappointing fifth place in Athens.

China finished on 286.125 points, 7.25 points ahead of Japan on 278.875, while an injury-weakened US team put in a gutsy effort to take bronze.

On the ranges Tan settled for third in the men’s 50m Pistol despite starting the 10-shot final with a seemingly comfortable two-point lead.

But he blew his chance, opening the door to Jin Jong-Oh of South Korea who survived a last-minute scare to win by just 0.2 points ahead of second-placed North Korean Kim Jong-Su.

Nevertheless, it was Tan’s first medal in four Olympics, and coach Wang Yifu was content.

“I think he performed well today, though he didn’t get a gold medal,” said Wang. “Since he has participated in four Games a bronze medal is an historical breakthrough for him.”

South Korea were third in the medals table, picking up a fifth gold Tuesday with Jin’s win.

Germany are vying for their first gold at the Games in Hong Kong where they are leading contenders on the closing day of the team and individual sections of the three-day eventing competition.

Neither Brazil nor France have gold yet either but that could change on Tuesday.

France’s Lucie Decosse is a leading contender in the women’s -63kg as is Brazil’s Tiago Camilo in the men’s -81kg division.

Meanwhile celebrations continued in India after Abhinav Bindra won their first ever individual gold medal on Monday in the men’s 10m Air Rifle event, a performance being rated by cricket legend Kapil Dev as arguably India’s finest sporting achievement.

“This is much, much bigger than the World Cup,” said Dev who captained India to their lone World Cup win in 1983.

Further overnight rain improved conditions for outdoor Olympians, easing the smog over Beijing, patches of blue sky were visible and the midday temperature was an acceptable 27 degrees Celsius (81 Farenheit).

At the tennis venue, Serena Williams took just 44 minutes to dispatch Australia’s Samantha Stosur in her second round singles match with an impressive display that shortened the odds on her making the final.

Incoming men’s number one Rafael Nadal will later face Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt, who last occupied the top ranking in June 2003.

Kobe Bryant and the US all-star basketballers are back in action as well hoping to follow up their big win over China with a victory over Angola.

source: afp.google.com

When the Olympic Women’s Football tournament resumes on August 12, the fight for a berth in the quarterfinals will become more intense since it is the last round of the group stage.

The two must-watch matches will be the ones between Germany and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in group F, and between Sweden and Canada in group E.

Medal favorites Germany and Brazil top group F with four points after Saturday’s victories. While Brazil will face Nigeria in the last pool match, Germany will have to fight for survival with the DPRK, who earned three points after defeating Nigeria in its first match. The math of the situation is very simple: only the winner can control its own fate.

The last time Germany and the DPRK played each other was in the Women’s World Cup last year in China. Germany saw off the DPRK 3-0 in the quarterfinal and ultimately won the tournament.

In group E, host China and Canada lead the group with four points. China will meet underdog Argentina in the next match and will probably win and advance to the quarterfinals.

Canada will have a tough match against Sweden, the silver medalist at the 2003 World Cup. Sweden has three points after its emphatic win over Argentina on Saturday.

History is in favor of Sweden, who has won seven out of the eleven international A-level matches between the two teams. The two also met each other in the semifinal of the 2003 World Cup, with Sweden posting a 2-1 victory.

Norway, the leader in group G, is the only team that can relax. Victories in the first two games have ensured that Norway advances to the quarterfinals. In its next match against Japan, Norway can afford to rest its starting line-up, which is a luxury no other team can enjoy.

The United States, another team in group G and the gold medalist at Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004, has to defeat New Zealand by a large margin to ensure it has a greater goal difference than Japan. The United States and New Zealand have met six times in international A-level matches. The United States has won five of them, scoring 27 goals while conceding only 2, so it should be able to soundly beat the Football Ferns.

Even if a team fails to be placed in the top two of its group, it can still make it to the quarterfinals. Unlike the Men’s Football tournament where only the top two in each group can advance, the two best third-placed women’s teams can also compete in the quarterfinals because the Olympic Women’s Football tournament only has 12 teams instead of the 16 in the men’s equivalent.

source: beijing2008.cn

Italy’s Giulia Quintavalle won the women’s 57-kilogram judo gold at the Beijing Games on Monday, defeating Deborah Gravenstijn of the Netherlands.

Quintavalle took the early lead in the cautious final, then expanded on it with a throw with just under 2 minutes remaining. Gravenstijn, ranked 8th in the world, could not find an opening, and was held scoreless until the five-minute match ended.

Winning the bronzes were Brazil’s Ketleyn Quadros, who defeated Australia’s Maria Pekli in overtime, and China’s Xu Yan, who upset world No. 2-ranked Barbara Harel of France.

from: ap.google.com

The Italian Women’s Volleyball team maintained their winning record in pool B with a straight-sets win 25-19, 25-15, 25-21 over Kazakhstan at the BIT Gymnasium on Monday, August 11. Italy keeps pace with Brazil and Serbia at the top of the pool with the win. Kazakhstan joins Russia and Algeria at the bottom of the pool.

The game started with Nadia Centoni of Italy and Yelena Pavlova of Kazakhstan exchanging heavy spikes. Italy moved ahead by powering sharp attacks to the back of Kazakhstan’s undefended court to clinch the first set.

Kazakhstan raced to a 5-1 lead in the second set with Pavlova’s powerful spikes cutting through the Italian blockers. After a timeout, Italy regained their rhythm and leveled the scores, using double blockers on the net combined with fast back-slide attacks from Simona Gioli. Kazakhstan responded with great defense but their attack was not as efficient as the Italians. Late in second set, Taismary Taguero replaced Serena Ortolani as the Italians wrapped up the set 25-15.

In the third set, Italy played with their main squad for the first time this Olympic Games. Aguero’s return boosted team morale and enhanced the Italian’s defense and attack. At one stage, the Italians skipped clear 21-14 only for their opponents to reduce the losing margin. Italy secured the victory with a heavy spike from Aguero, who scored five points for the match.

Top scorers for the match were Francesca Piccinini and Pavlova of Kazakhstan with 12 points each.

With all the pool B matches complete for day two, Brazil owns the top spot with two straight-set victories. Serbia, in second place, and Italy, in third, are not far behind — each team has recorded two victories and dropped just one set. Kazakhstan, Russia and Algeria are all winless and will vie for the fourth quarterfinal spot in the pool.

source: beijing2008.cn

Foreign leaders who are in Beijing for the Olympic Games have heaped praise on the successful opening ceremony and China’s efforts for hosting good Games, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Sunday while recalling “who said what” over the weekend.

United States President George W. Bush described the grand opening ceremony as “spectacular” during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao on Sunday.

Bush said he has “fully enjoyed” the Games, and thanked the Chinese side for its considerate arrangements of various activities for himself and his family during their stay in Beijing.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he admires the Chinese people for their efforts and contribution to the Games organization.

Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo said the Games are a grand sports rally as well as a hard-won opportunity for all the world’s countries to enhance understanding and mutual trust.

The opening ceremony on Friday night by China’s internationally acknowledged film director Zhang Yimou, used new technologies to bring icons of Chinese culture and the Olympiad to life.

Many foreign leaders and dignitaries particularly found the cauldron lighting impressive. The cauldron was lit by China’s gymnastics legend Li Ning after “space-walking” around the top of the 91,000-seat National Stadium.

“It’s very well organized and displays China’s traditional culture as well as high technologies,” said President of the Republic of Korea Lee Myung bak. “As an Asian, I’m proud of the success of the opening ceremony.”

President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai said the Olympic preparations and all the good facilities demonstrate China’s tremendous capability and he trusts the Beijing Games will be one of the most successful in Olympic history.

Beijing’s achievements in hosting the Games have inspired the Brazilians, who are applying to host the 2016 Games in Rio De Janeiro, said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

A better China will bring about a better world, and will benefit mankind as a whole, said Israeli President Shimon Peres. He said he was impressed by Beijing’s preparations for the Olympic Games, “an unprecedented effort in world history”.

More than 80 heads of state and government and royals attended the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.

source: xinhuanet.com

hree seasons ago, nobody would question Ronaldinho’s unparalleled status in the football world.

In his 145 appearances for Barcelona, the Brazilian striker scored 70 goals, helping the club win the Spanish championship in 2005, and then again in 2006, earning back-to-back victories of both the Spanish and UEFA Champions League titles.

Based on his brilliant performance, he was twice awarded FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005.

But all that is in the past. Since 2006, the Brazilian has been slipping in form.

He failed to make an impression in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, scoring no goals until Brazil was eliminated by France in the quarterfinal.

At the club level, his performance was inconsistent, due to injury and fitness problems. The last two seasons were trophyless for Barcelona, and in the meantime, Ronaldinho was reportedly enganged in continuous arguments with former coach Rijkaard.

Recently, the athlete was also constantly accused of staying longer in nightclubs than on training fields. Some of his current photographs, showing an unbecoming ring of fat around his waist, were particularly unflattering.

Though he was included in Spain’s football squad earlier, Ronaldinho’s Olympic participation was like a day-by-day TV show with ups and downs, since Barcelona was reluctant to grant the lease with the UEFA Champions League preliminary round coming up.

Finally, his contract with AC Milan on July 18 put an end to an unhappy season with the Spanish giant. He was finally given a “go ahead” answer to Beijing 2008 by his new host.

The 28-year-old is now one of the over-age players on Brazil’s football squad. Dunga, the Olympic coach, who is also coach of the national team, was very happy with Ronaldinho’s inclusion. “Ronaldinho is a very important member of our squad and he is recovering from his problems,” Dunga said in Beijing while the Brazilians are training ahead of the Olympic tournament.

When Brazilian athlete arrived earlier in Milan, he was welcomed by thousands of fans in San Siro Stadium. Now the big question that remains for fans and the great football player himself is: Will he be able to regain his pre-2006 electric form? Whatever the answer is, Beijing 2008 may be a platform for him to start proving himself.

source: beijing2008.cn

During the last several years, Abby Wambach had become the go-to spokeswoman for her U.S. soccer team. Which makes sense, as she also evolved into the go-to scorer.
“I live for this game,” Wambach said earlier this year as she looked forward to the Beijing Olympics. “When we take breaks, I oftentimes wish I was back in camp practicing with my teammates.”
Now, though, Wambach will have to take a break at the worst possible time. She suffered a broken tibia and fibula in her left leg during a match against Brazil on Wednesday in San Diego.
With that, the Americans lost their best scorer (99 career goals) and one of the strongest emotional forces on the team. At the Athens Olympics final against Brazil four years ago, Wambach scored the winning goal on a header in overtime, sending retiring U.S. women’s soccer legends such as Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Joy Fawcett out with one more gold medal.
There was a definite sense going into these Olympics that it really was time for the newer generation of women’s soccer players to step forward. But that’s even more the case now that Wambach will not be able to compete in the Summer Games. Lauren Cheney, a 20-year-old who will be a junior at UCLA this fall, is the alternate who will replace Wambach on the U.S. team.
Cheney is one of three collegiate players on the team, along with North Carolina’s Tobin Heath and Southern Cal’s Amy Rodriguez.
However, the soccer team isn’t the only U.S. women’s squad that goes into these Olympics with something to prove. The women’s basketball team lost in its last major international event, the 2006 World Championships. Australia won the gold there.
And the softball squad feels the difficult-to-remedy burden of trying to show its sport deserves reinstatement to the Olympics after this tournament. In a 2005 vote — for which it is difficult not to discern some anti-Americanism — softball and baseball were removed from the future schedule by the International Olympic Committee.
Therefore, the U.S. softball team — which has won all three previous Olympic tournaments — plays with somewhat of a sense of desperation about what happens after Beijing.
Of course, it’s important to put these three U.S. programs in some historical perspective. Because they converged a dozen years ago in a watershed time for women’s athletics.
The U.S. women’s basketball, soccer and softball teams played in front of capacity crowds at the Atlanta Games in 1996. All won their respective golds and made significant steps forward for women athletes.
In the years since, those three sports started pro leagues in the United States to greater and lesser degrees of success. The only one with staying power has been the WNBA, the hoops league that will suspend its 12th season for a month during the Beijing Games and then pick it up again Aug. 28.

Read the rest of this entry…

AC Milan will allow its newly-acquired player Ronaldinho to play for Brazil at Beijing 2008.

Despite being selected as an over-age player in Brazil’s squad, Ronaldinho’s former club Barcelona did not want him to play at Beijing 2008. Ronaldinho’s transfer to AC Milan has given him a pass to Beijing.

“We respect the commitment he took before coming to Milan,” said AC Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani at a press conference. “If he had already been a Rossoneri he would not have gone but he will become ours during the week so we will let him go to the Olympics.”

Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti thinks the Olympics will benefit the 28-year-old Ronaldinho, who has been out of form. The Italian league season starts one week after the Olympics on August 30, so Ancelotti hopes the Brazilian striker can be ready for the new season and adjust to his new club.

Brazil’s first Olympic game is scheduled against Belgium on August 7.

source: beijing2008.cn

AC Milan reiterated their refusal to let Kaká take part in the Olympics with an official note on their website.

With a note on their official website, AC Milan wanted to silence the rumours going around in Brazil concerning Kaká’s possible participation to the Beijing Olympics with the Brazilian national team.

“Following the news stories which appeared in Brazil today concerning Kaká’s possible participation to the Beijing Olympics,” it says on the note, “A.C. Milan reiterate the position already expressed earlier, not allowing the player to join the Brazilian Olympic team.”

Kaká’s Milan team mate Pato probably will be a part of the Brazilian squad, and there were even rumours that Andrea Pirlo and Filippo Inzaghi would join the Italian squad in Beijing.

from: goal.com

Barcelona on Tuesday refused to allow forward Ronaldinho to take his place in the Brazil squad for next month’s Olympic Games.
The out-of-form 28 year-old, who has been told he is surplus to requirements at the Spanish club, was named in Brazil coach Dunga’s squad for Beijing on Monday as one of the overage players.

“Ronaldinho has to report for training next Monday for the first work session of the 2008-9 season,” the Primera Liga club said in a statement on their Web site (www.fcbarcelona.com).

“The Olympics do not feature in the FIFA calendar and there are no special rulings on the issue, so the club is not obliged to release its players.

“In recent weeks, sports director Txiki Begiristain has consistently stated that Barcelona’s objective is to have the maximum number of players available for the Champions League qualifier.”

The Olympic football tournament runs from Aug 6-24 and Barca, who finished third in the league last season, have a Champions League third qualifying round tie on Aug 12 and 27.

Ronaldinho, who shone for Barcelona when they won back-to-back league titles and the European Cup in 2006, suffered a string of injury and fitness problems last season, and only started 13 of 38 league matches.

New coach Pep Guardiola, who was brought in to the Nou Camp in place of Frank Rijkaard, has said the talented playmaker does not feature in his plans, but off-loading him has not proved easy.

AC Milan and Manchester City have expressed interest in him, but a deal has yet to be reached that satisfies all parties.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva greeted athletes of Brazil’s largest Olympic contingent at a send-off ceremony for the Beijing Games on Friday, saying the nation is capable of becoming an Olympic contender in the near future.
“Brazil’s participation has been increasing year after year in all aspects” Silva said. “And that means that we are not far from the day in which Brazil will become an Olympic power.”

Brazil has 272 athletes qualified for the Beijing Olympics _ the most ever for the country.

“You may rest assured that the government will keep doing what it can to help Brazil become a great Olympic nation,” said Silva, who will be in Beijing for the opening ceremony on August 8.

Brazil had 247 athletes in Athens in 2004, which also was a record. The country won five gold medals then, finishing 16th in the medal table. The country’s previous best performance had been in Atlanta in 1996, with three gold medals.

“I want you to win all the medals possible,” Silva told the athletes. “But you also need to know that I will not think any less of those who cannot win a medal.”

from: chinadaily.com.cn