Olympic Times – Sports Daily

With 10 days to go until the Beijing Olympics opens, the smog simply refuses to lift and the Games organisers are preparing emergency measures to clear the air ahead of the big day.

The traffic on the streets of Beijing is noticeably lighter, and many of the big steelworks and coal-fired power stations have been silenced. But the capital was still enveloped yesterday in a haze that restricted visibility to a couple of hundred yards.

For years the authorities have been trying to clear the yellow-tinged smog masking the city, including a recent batch of measures as a quick-fix solution. “We will implement an emergency plan 48 hours in advance if the air quality deteriorates,” Li Xin, a senior engineer with the environmental bureau, told the China Daily newspaper.

It is only a week since the government introduced an odd-even number plate system which bars more than one million of Beijing’s 1.3 million passenger cars from the streets. Now the government is considering banning 90 per cent of private cars and closing more factories as a last-ditch attempt clear the skies before the games start on 8 August. Beijing has already spent 120bn yuan (£8.9bn) on tackling the pollution, to no avail.

The authorities say the haze was normal for Beijing for a balmy late July and had nothing to do with pollution. “The air quality in Beijing during the Olympic Games will not affect the health of athletes,” said Du Shaozhong, deputy director of Beijing’s Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, the man charged with soothing fears that the Games may be a smoggy event. Athletes planning to bring respirators were only adding unnecessarily to their baggage weight, said Mr Du, who emphasised that the figures showed the air quality was improving: “A blue sky doesn’t mean the air quality is good. If you take a shower, you can’t see clearly because of the steam, but it doesn’t mean it’s pollution.”

“We can guarantee a good environment for athletes. The International Olympic Committee and its medical commission have concluded that good air quality is fully guaranteed,” Mr Du added.

However, with some athletes already training in Beijing and elsewhere in China, and others due to arrive in the coming days, the government’s assurances are unlikely to assuage fears that China’s promise of a “Green Games” is dead in the water.

The Olympic gold-medallist and world record holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia has pulled out of the Beijing marathon because he suffers from asthma and believes that the pollution threatens his health.

The environmentalist group Greenpeace released a report saying that Beijing’s air quality was still well short of international guidelines and that levels of particulates in the air were twice as high as recommended by the World Health Organisation.

It is still not clear exactly how bad the air has to be for an event to be cancelled, and it is forbidden to bring in measuring equipment for any independent measurement of air quality.

Jacques Rogge, the head of the International Olympic Committee, has warned that poor air quality during the Games could result in the suspension of endurance races such as long-distance cycling and the marathon.

from: independent.co.uk

The election of the host city of the 2016 Games will take place on 2 October 2009 during the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen. IOC members will cast their votes until one city has obtained a majority.

from: olympic.org

With 100 days to go from Wednesday before the curtain rises on the 2008 Olympic Games, the organizers are busy fine-tuning for perfect staging of the world’s sporting spectacle.
Construction of venues, easing the city’s traffic congestion and efforts to clean up the air are all on target for the August 8-24 event, and International Olympic Committee officials have repeatedly voiced confidence that the athletes were going to experience a top class Games here this summer.
“There is every reason to believe that we will see here a gold-medal performance in August, also superb organization of the Olympic Games,” Hein Verbruggen, chairman of the IOC’s coordination commission for the Beijing Games, told reporters this month after his last inspection visit to the Chinese capital.
IOC president Jacques Rogge also predicted the Beijing Games to be a “great success”.
“Here and there are small details to be fine-tuned but I am saying that the level of preparedness … is really excellent and … I am optimistic that the Games will be a great success,” said Rogge.
The smooth construction of Olympic venues is a major source of confidence.
The National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest for its giant latticework structure of metal girders, opened and hosted its first official event on April 18 – a race-walking meet, putting an end to the city’s massive construction campaign that kicked off in December 2003.
Organizers said that the final touches on the 91,000-seat National Stadium won’t be complete until next month due to the extra work needed to prepare it for the August 8 opening ceremony. The iconic Olympic venue will also stage the closing ceremony and the athletics competitions.
The nearby National Aquatics Center, known as the Water Cube, was completed in January and hosted its first test event in February – the China Open swimming competition. The box-like venue with three pools below ground level is made up of a steel skeleton sheathed in a Teflon-like plastic membrance that mimics bubbling water.
Fears about risks of competing outdoors in Beijing are dwindling amid the continual improvement of the air quality. According to the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, the city notched up 67 “blue sky days” from January to the end of March, 12 more than the same period a year earlier and the highest in nine years.
Since being awarded the 2008 Games seven years ago, Beijing has engaged in an aggressive effort to clean up its toxic haze. The city has spent nearly more than 15 billion U.S. dollars on anti-pollution measures such as moving factories, adding subway lines, upgrading boilers and converting coal-heated homes to electric.
The authorities plan to close factories and force 19 heavy polluters to reduce emissions by 30 percent for the two months around the Olympics and Paralympics, and measures to limit factory emission are also in place for areas surrounding the capital, including the city of Tianjin, the provinces of Hebei, Shanxi and Shandong, and the Inner Mongolia region.
Based on a study released last month by IOC’s medical commission, Rogge said that the health of the athletes is “absolutely not in any danger” during Games time.
Officials are also confident about bringing traffic congestion under control with a ban on some cars during the Olympics and a plan to set up special lanes on key roads that link competition sites with the athletes’ village, the media village and training venues.
“Private vehicles, excluding taxis, will be ordered to stay off roads every other day in accordance with the even and odd numbers on the licence plates,” Beijing’s vice mayor Ji Lin said last month.
“The government is working on a compensation scheme for car owners and we will announce it later,” he added.
Highlighting the public’s enthusiasm for the greatest show on Earth, more than one million people were in the hunt for an Olympics volunteer’s post and training programs are well under way.
Third phase of the domestic ticket sales will start on May 5, with large crowds expected to chase the remaining 1.38 million tickets for 16 sports including volleyball, athletics, boxing and football.
Zhu Yan, director of the Olympic ticketing center, promised that there will be no repeat of the meltdown of the booking system that marred the previous round of sales.
“We have confidence in the system because our ticketing sponsor has increased the system’s capacity by folds,” he said. “Nonetheless, I hope that the public won’t be hasty to buy tickets.”
Demand is excessive outside the Chinese mainland, too. “The main pressure at the moment is that many National Olympic Committees continue to ask for more tickets,” said Zhu. “We are trying to dig out resources for tickets to satisfy the demand worldwide.”
Of the 6.8 million Olympic tickets available for sale, about 75 percent are reserved for the domestic public, with the rest going overseas.
The organizers are closer to selecting an official theme song with 30 candidate songs expected to be released at a gala show later on Wednesday.
“The final choice (of the theme song) is up to the BOCOG executive board,” said Zhao Dongming, head of the BOCOG’s cultural activities department.
Last, but not least, various campaigns aimed at improving the behavior of local citizens finally bore fruits. More and more people are getting to abandon old habits like spitting in public, jumping ahead in line and littering.
A survey released by Renmin University of China in February found that in 2007, 2.54 percent of people still spat, roughly a half of the figure for 2006, and the occurrence of littering in public dropped from 5.3 percent in 2006 to 2.86 percent in 2007 and queue-jumping from 6 percent to 1.5 percent.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge here on Wednesday.
Wen expressed gratitude to the IOC and Rogge for their valuable support to the preparations of the Beijing Olympic Games and admiration for the contribution he had made to the development of the Olympic Movement and the enhancement of mutual understanding and peace among people from different countries and regions.
Wen said that the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games would be a great event for the people from the world and the Beijing 2008 torch relay is being held all over the world.
He added that the Olympic Flame is a symbol of peace, friendship, advancement and brightness, representing the common pursuits and wishes of the mankind for the bright future and we believed that the Olympic flame, which belongs to all mankind, would never extinguish.
Wen said that the Chinese government and the 1.3 billion Chinese people would work hard in all aspects of preparations for the Beijing Olympic Games, enhance cooperation with the international society and make sure China could successfully stage a high level Olympic Games with distinctive features and fulfill China’s commitments to the world.
Rogge said that since their last meeting in 2006, excellent work has been done by BOCOG. He also said that China will be ready for the Games and it was the right decision to award the Games to Beijing in 2001.
Rogge expressed hope that Beijing 2008 torch relay will go on in a peaceful and smooth way. And he believes that the Chinese government has the ability to appropriately solve issues that have appeared recently.

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 

Chinese President Hu Jintao lit a cauldron at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square with the Olympic torch Monday morning, marking the official start of the round-the-world relay.
The ceremony kicked off on the square at the heart of Beijing two hours after a specially chartered Air China plane carrying the flame from Greece touched down at about 9 a.m.
Vice President Xi Jinping, member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), addressed the ceremony.
Zhou Yongkang, member of the nine-man Political Bureau Standing Committee, and other CPC and state leaders attended the ceremony.
Also present was International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission chairman Hein Verbruggen, who addressed the ceremony on behalf of IOC president Jacques Rogge.
The flame is scheduled to depart from Beijing on Tuesday for the Kazakh city of Almaty, the first stop in its global tour of 135 cities.
The relay will cover 137,000 kilometers in 130 days before the flame finally arrives at the National Stadium in Beijing on Aug 8,2008 for the opening ceremony.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (1st R) shakes hands with Hein Verbruggen, chairman of the Coordination Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), during a welcome ceremony for the Olympic flame and launching of the Beijing Olympic torch relay at the Tian’anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, on March 31, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)

from: xinhuanet.com

The Olympic Flame has arrived in Beijing, announcing that the first ever Olympic Games in China will soon begin.
The combination of the Olympic flame and torch is one of the most well known and strongest symbols of the Olympic movement, heralding not just the arrival of the Games but also spreading a message of peace or “Ekecheiria”, as the Greeks call it, to the world.
From today, the torch will carry the flame across the globe, creating anticipation and excitement for the Beijing Games wherever the relay passes.
Crossing five continents, 21 cities around the globe, and more than 113 cities and prefectures on mainland China, wherever it passes the Olympic torch relay will cause everyone, whatever their nationality, culture or belief, to pause for a few moments to reflect on its message of peace and the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect.
All along the relay route people will be touched by the magic of the Olympic Games and what it represents.
Indeed, many people, especially young people, will find that the Olympic torch relay ignites a passion and inspires them to participate in sport, to give their very best in all they do, and emulate their heroes.
It is the torch’s ability to touch us that allows it to reach out to the world, beyond the host city, to bring the Olympic values closer to society and call the people of the world to the Games.
I am certain that the Games themselves, will not only be a moment of sporting excellence, but also an opportunity for the people of China and the world to learn, discover and respect each other.
Allow me to conclude by thanking you, President Hu Jintao, and the Chinese people, for your continued support for the Beijing Games and for the Olympic torch relay. Your passion and enthusiasm will allow these Games to fulfill their full potential.
I would also like to thank our Chinese friends from the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee, and in particular its president Mr. Liu Qi, for their strong and continuous focus on making the Beijing Games a unique and exceptional celebration of humanity.
Now, let’s all celebrate together the arrival of the Olympic flame in Beijing before the real party in 130 days — the opening of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing.

from: torchrelay.beijing2008.cn

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge on Saturday said that China is making big strides in clearing up its air quality ahead of the 2008 Olympics.
During the opening ceremony of the 4th World Conference on Women and Sports, which was opened in the sort of Dead Sea, Jordan, Rogge told some reporters that “we will see that Beijing has made major progress.”
China has taken some measures, including switching from coal togas energy, closing 10 percent of its gas stations, and planting millions of trees to improve its air quality, said Rogge.
He also said he was pleased that more female athletes than ever, about 45 percent of the 10,500 participants, will compete in the Beijing Games.
On Friday, Beijing launched its first census of pollution sources for accurate statistics, amid a green drive to improve environment ahead of the Olympics.
The survey will cover 90,000 sources of pollution, among which 24,000 are industrial sources, 45,000 residential, 21,000 agricultural and 128 facilities for centralized treatment of pollutants, according to the city’s bureau of environmental protection.
Beijing authorities said last month that major pollutants in Beijing were down and air quality in the city had improved for a ninth consecutive year, but experts warned that the government should prepare for a long and tough fight against air pollution, citing inhalable particles and ozone as major obstacles for Beijing to achieve its “Green Olympics” goal.
China started its first national census of pollution sources on February, focusing on industrial sources including metallurgy, chemistry, construction materials, power plants, paper-making, pharmaceuticals and mining.
The central government planned to finish data collection and analysis this year and approve the findings in the first half of 2009.

from: xinhuanet.com 

The Beijing Olympics scheduled for August this year here would feature the largest number of dope tests in the history of the Games, a top official of the organizing committee said.
“China is resolute against doping and would use hi-tech measures as part of anti-doping efforts“, Jiang Xiaoyu, Vice-President of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) said.
Firming the idea further, Cui Dalin, Deputy Director of the State General Administration of Sport, said that China had imposed anti-doping requirements on all the participating athletes and initiated steps to prevent them from mistakenly using banned drugs.
“As far as the Chinese teams are concerned, we would rather lose gold medals than dope,” Cui added.
The officials, both members of Chinas top political advisory body, the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, which is currently holding its annual session here, were quoted as saying official Xinhua news agency.
Meanwhile, Liu Jingmin, Vice-Mayor of Beijing and Executive Vice-President of the BOCOG, responding to political issues being linked with the Games said, “The world is vast with different voices, but we must carry on preparations for the Olympic Games as scheduled.” Cui said criticism would not dampen Chinas enthusiasm and added, “The more problems we find out now, the better the Olympic Games would be“.
Commenting on political issues surrounding games, Jiang said, “As International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said, the Games is solely a sporting gala that shouldn’t be linked with politics.”

from: ndtv.com 

Taekwondo‘s global appeal should save it from being axed from the Olympic roster at future Games, said World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) President Dr. Chungwon Choue during last week’s Good Luck Beijing pre-Olympic tune up.
“I am sure that taekwondo will remain in the Olympic program, as it is very much a sport that is loved worldwide,” he said.
The Korea-claimed martial art joined the Olympic program at the 2000 Sydney Games after serving as a demonstration sport at Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992.
Yet with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge looking to downsize the Olympic program – London 2012 will only feature 26 sports instead of the current 28 – concern is mounting that less-popular sports like taekwondo may also be on their way out.
Baseball and softball have already been voted out for the London Games, whereas new sports like BMX, which will debut this August in Beijing, are increasingly targeted at younger people.
Added to this, wushu, or Chinese kung fu, will be exhibited at the Olympics this summer, which could pose another threat to taekwondo’s Olympic future.
“Chinese martial arts comprise more techniques than taekwondo, in which kicking and striking are the major techniques,” said Han Jianming, an official with China’s national martial arts administration center. “But in taekwondo, the judges of the competition have an easier job of telling who is better.”
Choue said the growing popularity of taekwondo in China would help secure its place at the Games.
“When I visited Henan Province, I was really impressed that there were so many martial arts schools near Shaolin Temple, in which about 10,000 students are practicing taekwondo,” he said. “I also heard that in Sichuan and Henan provinces, taekwondo is going to become a compulsory subject at elementary-school level.”
China is expected to bolster its tally in Beijing after seizing three gold medals in the sport, including two from Chen Zhong in the women’s over-67kg class. Republic of Korea has eight medals, five of them gold.
A total of 63 countries and regions will compete for taekwondo honors this summer, an increase from both the Athens and Sydney Games. Wild cards will be reserved for countries that are new to the sport in an attempt to further broaden participation.
The IOC has also agreed to honor those who win their repechage matches by adding eight more bronze medals this year, said Choue.
Some Chinese students at the pre-Olympic tune up event last week said they had been introduced to the sport at their university.
“I learned taekwondo in a selective course in my second year,” said Sun Seng, who studies at the University of Science and Technology in Beijing. “But I can only remember a few of the techniques now.”

from: chinadaily.com.cn 

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that Singapore will host the first Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2010. The result was unveiled by the IOC President, Jacques Rogge, at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. Singapore beat Moscow in the final by 53 votes to 44.
The 105 IOC members entitled to vote(1) had cast their votes by post over the last few weeks. The sealed envelope with the name of the winning city was delivered to the IOC President during the announcement ceremony by the independent and certified notary who oversaw the process to guarantee confidentiality.
“This is a key moment for the Olympic Movement“, said Rogge to the journalists present in Lausanne. “Singapore has put together a very exciting project. Hosting the Youth Olympic Games for the first time is a great responsibility, and I have every confidence in the team in Singapore. I have no doubt that their professionalism and enthusiasm will be instrumental in the staging of successful Youth Olympic Games in 2010″, he continued.

IOC President Rogge announces the host city. (Photo credit : Hélène Tobler/IOC)

“The Youth Olympic Games are the flagship of the IOC’s determination to reach out to young people. These Games will not only be about competition. They will also be the platform through which youngsters will learn about the Olympic values and the benefits of sport, and will share their experiences with other communities around the globe. We are looking forward to joining in the celebration in Singapore in 2010″, Rogge added.
The IOC President thanked Moscow for its excellent efforts and the quality of its candidature. He also hoped that today’s disappointment would not discourage it from bidding again.
Rogge also paid tribute to the other seven Candidate Cities which took part in a candidature process that started in August 2007: Athens (Greece), Bangkok (Thailand), Debrecen (Hungary), Guatemala City (Guatemala), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Moscow (Russian Federation), Poznan (Poland), Singapore (Singapore) and Turin (Italy).
(1) Out of the 110 current IOC members, 105 were entitled to vote. In addition to the IOC President, the members from the countries of the finalist Cities did not vote – V. Smirnov, S. Tarpischev and A. Popov (Russian Federation) and S.M. Ng (Singapore).

About the Youth Olympic Games
The Youth Olympic Games aim to bring together talented athletes – age group 14 to 18 – from around the world to participate in high-level competitions, and will also run, alongside the sports element of the event, educational programmes on the Olympic values, the benefits of sport for a healthy lifestyle, the social values sport can deliver, and the dangers of doping and of training to excess and/or of inactivity.
The first Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore will bring together approximately 3,200 athletes and 800 officials The sports programme will encompass all the sports on the programme of the 2012 Summer Games, but with a limited number of disciplines and events.

from: beijing2008.cn

Beijing Olympic organizers do not plan to move some events out of the city despite concerns from athletes about the air quality in the Chinese capital, an organizing committee official said on Tuesday.
“So far, we have no plans to hold events such as the marathon at a place outside Beijing,” Liu Wenbin, deputy director of BOCOG’s sports department, told a press briefing.
But Liu admitted that BOCOG has arranged rest days when drafting the competition schedule so that they can make adjustments if unfavorable weather conditions occur.
“Any decisions to postpone or cancel Olympic events must be made jointly by the IOC, the international federations, BOCOG and broadcasting rights holders,” he said.
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said in August last year that some outdoor endurance events might have to be rescheduled if the air is not good enough during the Games period.
Despite billions of dollars spent to improve its environment, Beijing is often blanketed by smog and a report released in last October by the United Nations Environment Program said Beijing was on course to hold a Green Olympics but air quality remained a problem.
However, Chinese authorities believe the air quality will improve significantly by the time the Aug. 8-24 Games start.
Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the municipal bureau of environmental protection, had said the city will order at least one third of 3.3 million vehicles off the road during the 16-day Olympics and close dust-spewing construction sites and polluting factories.

from: xinhuanet.com 

The Olympic Games are the arena for the world’s athletes to give all that is in them for sport and their nations. The 29th Olympiad that is coming up next August in Beijing makes it extremely challenging if not impossible for them to do so.
The reason is the astonishing air pollution that remains the dominating ambience of China’s capital, after years striving to reduce it, including more than $16 billion spent in preparation for the 2008 Games. Many observers credit this effort with notable results, but Beijing air is four or five times more contaminated than the level prescribed by the World Health Organization, and 40 times worse than Los Angeles, America’s most polluted city.
Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, is confident that by the opening ceremonies, Beijing’s air quality will be suitable for the competition.
However, he hedges his bet, saying some endurance events might have to be rescheduled. Athletes in the marathon and triathlon as well as cyclists, take in about 10 times more air with every breath, making them particularly susceptible to Beijing’s fouled air.
Face masks, which are sure to forestall peak performances, are nevertheless being tried out.
Many participating nations don’t share Rogge’s optimism. Contrary to custom, they are training their contingents not in the host country, but in Japan or South Korea, or in Chinese cities distant from Beijing.
One may well ask why such a venue was selected in the first place when the choice was made in 2001. The answer is that it was as a gesture to a nation growing in stature and influence, with the pious hope that it would encourage China to improve its dismal human rights record. Indeed, the Chinese promised to do so and also committed themselves to cleaning up Beijing’s air.
China has failed on both counts, although it did make enormous efforts to relocate polluting industrial plants, planted 300 million trees, rerouted an ever increasing volume of automobile traffic and expanded subway lines and constructed a light railway system.
As for human rights, Communist Chinese authorities are still locking up dissidents at home. Internationally, their continued reluctance to use their large trade ties with Sudan to mitigate the atrocities in Darfur last week resulted in Steven Spielberg, the American filmmaker, withdrawing from his advisory role for the Games.
The Chinese point to some minor steps they have taken with Sudan and stress that politics should not afflict the games. Indeed, the Olympic Charter commands “no kind of demonstration of political, religious or racial propaganda” by participants is permitted.
But Tibet is still an issue with legs and among the anticipated 550,000 visitors from abroad there are sure to be some determined to demonstrate. Some 20,000 foreign journalists will be present to report on how the authorities cope with any demonstrations.
Other problems bedevil the Beijing Games, but these are generally easier to deal with, though at some expense.
China does not have a good reputation when it comes to the quality of its food supply despite the global popularity enjoyed by its cuisine. Reports have revealed candy laced with carcinogens, fish contaminated by insecticides, unreliable grains and — with particular relevance to athletes — meat and fowl pumped up with steroids.

Olympic athletes are responsible for what they ingest, and if steroids show up in tests, they would suffer consequences.
The U.S., for one, has set up a secure food supply chain, and will ship adequate supplies of beef, chicken and pork as well as grains to feed its athletes and officials. Seafood and fruit are coming in from other countries.
The date set for the opening of the Olympics is the eighth day of the eighth month of the year 2008. In the Chinese view, all those eights will bring good luck. The Games certainly will require an unusually heavy dose of it.

from: blogspot.com 

The Vision
The vision of the Youth Olympic Games is to inspire young people around the world to participate in sport and adopt and live by the Olympic values. It was during its session in Guatemala in July 2007 that the IOC decided to create a nw sporting event to educate, engage and influence young athletes inspiring them to play an active role in their communities.

What are the YOG?
The Youth Olympic Games are a sporting event for young people, balancing sport, education and culture. These Games work as a catalyst in these fields throughout the Olympic Movement.

The YOG’s objectives are:
1. to bring together the world’s best young athletes and celebrate them
2. to offer a unique and powerful introduction to Olympism
3. to innovate in educating and debating Olympic values and challenges of society
4. to share and celebrate the cultures of the world in a festive atmosphere
5. to reach youth communities throughout the world to promote Olympic values
6. to raise sports awareness and participation among young people
7. to act as a platform for initiatives within the Olympic Movement
8. to be an event of the highest international sporting standard.

Who? What? When?
The Youth Olympic Games aim to bring together talented athletes – aged from 14 to 18 – from around the world to participate in high-level competitions, but also, alongside the sports element of the event, to run educational programmes on the Olympic values, the benefits of sport for a healthy lifestyle, the social values sport can deliver and the dangers of doping and of training to excess and/or of inactivity.

The first ever Summer Youth Olympic Games will bring together approximately 3,200 athletes and 800 officials in 2010. The sports programme will encompass all 26 sports on the programme of the 2012 Summer Games, with a limited number of disciplines and events. The first Winter Olympic Youth Games will bring together around 1,000 athletes and 500 officials. The athletes will compete – for the first time in 2012 – in all seven Olympic Winter Sports. The YOG follow the traditional cycle of four years, with Summer Games in 2010, 2014, 2018, etc and Winter Games in 2012, 2016, 2020, etc.
Moscow and Singapore finalists for 1st ever Summer Youth Olympic Games
Out of a list of nine candidates, Moscow and Singapore have been chosen as the finalists for the election of the Host City of the 1st ever Summer Youth Olympic Games to be held in 2010. Their names, together with the evaluation report, have been be submitted to the IOC members for a postal vote. The winning city will be announced by IOC President Jacques Rogge in a live web cast on www.olympic.org on Friday 21 February 2008 from the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.

After the 1st Summer YOG in 2010 come the 1st Winter YOG in 2012
The IOC has already launched the bidding process for the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012. A letter was sent out to all National Olympic Committees (NOCs) informing them of the procedure and documentation available for cities interested in bidding for the Games.

Source and for further informations: olympic.org 

The Presidents of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge, and of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the Hon. John Fahey, met today at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, to discuss cooperation between the two organizations and enhanced strategies in the fight against doping in sport. This was the first official meeting between the two leaders since the commencement of Mr Fahey’s term as WADA President on 1 January 2008. The meeting took place in the presence of the Presidents of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and of the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) as well as the Chairmen of the IOC Athletes’ and Medical Commissions.
“The IOC has been wholeheartedly supporting WADA and will continue to do so in the future. Mr Fahey can count on the total commitment of the Olympic Movement in the fight against doping,” said the IOC President. “WADA has come a long way with the establishment of the WADA Anti-Doping Code, for example, but challenges remain. Efforts are still needed to allow the full implementation of the Code by the Olympic Movement by 1 January 2009 and the adhesion by governments to the UNESCO Convention. I am confident that Mr Fahey will significantly help to move things forward”, he continued.
“The IOC itself continues to enforce its zero-tolerance policy against doping through a comprehensive program of testing during each edition of the Olympic Games — 4,500 in- and out-of-competition tests will be carried out next summer in Beijing — by calling upon the cooperation of governments, by imposing financial penalties on NOCs and athletes, and by denying participation in the next Olympic Games for athletes and their entourage who have been sanctioned for more than six months”, Rogge added.
“The IOC President and I had a very productive meeting that focused on the next steps to be taken to further strengthen the fight against doping in sport,” said the WADA President. “The IOC was instrumental in WADA’s inception in 1999 and, under President Rogge’s leadership, has always shown tremendous support to WADA and an unwavering commitment to the fight against doping in sport. President Rogge assured me of his full and continued support to WADA’s work.”
“WADA is a unique partnership between the sports movement and governments of the world,” continued Fahey. “As the first government representative to serve at the helm of WADA, it is important for me to meet with the leader of the Olympic Movement to discuss several areas in which the fight against doping can be advanced. For one, I will be focusing much attention on maximizing the role of governments for enhanced cooperation and sharing of information between governmental and law enforcement agencies and sports authorities. High-profile doping cases and investigations underscore the fact that no sport and no country are immune to the threat of doping, as well as the critical need for strong collaborative sport-government efforts in confronting doping.”
WADA is funded by and composed in equal parts of the Olympic Movement and governments of the world. Under the Agency’s Statutes, the WADA Presidency and Vice-Presidency alternate between the sports movement and governments.

source: beijing2008.cn 

United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Jacques Rogge conferred on the potential positive impact of the Beijing 2008 Olympics as the two leaders met at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne on Tuesday.
In his first official visit to the IOC, Ban extended his full cooperation and support for Beijing 2008, saying: “I am very happy and satisfied by the partnership between the United Nations and the IOC and the way in which we use sport in our common efforts to promote peace, dialogs and reconciliation. Sport is a powerful tool. Specifically this year, we look forward to a very successful Beijing Olympic Games, believing that Beijing 2008 can bring much spirit, harmony, friendship, dialogue and reconciliation for the world.”
Ban and Rogge agreed on an expanded framework for the two world organizations. They also discussed the IOC’s commitment to the UN Millennium Development Goals and how the IOC can use sport as a catalyst in partnership with the UN.
The IOC has identified five development goals it believes it can help advance through sport and with its partners. These are: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, promoting gender equality and empowering women, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability, and developing a global partnership for development, according to IOC official website.
The Secretary-General also lauded Mr. Rogge for being recognized as 2007 Champion of the Earth by the UN Environment Program (UNEP), according to UN information.
The two leaders last met in October in New York City, when the UN General Assembly adopted the Olympic Truce Resolution for this year’s Beijing Olympic Games.

from: beijing2008.cn

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today unveiled the names of the cities from which a final winner to host the 1st Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2010 will be voted on by the IOC membership. Moscow and Singapore were chosen by the Executive Board and will now be submitted to a postal vote by the IOC members. The winning city will be announced by IOC President Jacques Rogge in a live web cast on www.olympic.org provisionally scheduled for 21 February.

Two out of five

The EB decision’s on the 2 finalists was based on an  IOC Evaluation Commission report. Chaired by Sergey Bubka, the Commission assessed the five shortlisted Candidate Cities’ projects – Athens (Greece), Bangkok (Thailand), Moscow (Russia), Singapore (Singapore) and Turin (Italy). The report focused on the risks associated with the organisation of the Games with only two-and-a-half years remaining to plan and prepare to host the first edition of this new event.

Voting by post

Voting by post will take place over the coming weeks, with all IOC members, except those from the Russian Federation and Singapore, entitled to vote. The city with the most number of votes will be elected as the Host City of the 1st Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2010.  In the event of a tie, the IOC President will consult the EB members entitled to vote and will make the final decision based on this consultation. An independent and certified notary based in Lausanne, Switzerland, will oversee the process to guarantee confidentiality.

YOG: sport and education
The Youth Olympic Games aim to bring together talented athletes – age group 14 to 18 – from around the world to participate in high-level competitions but also to run, alongside the sports element of the event, educational programmes on the Olympic values, the benefits of sport for a healthy lifestyle, the social values sport can deliver and on the dangers of doping and of training to excess and/or of inactivity. The first Summer Youth Olympic Games will gather approximately 3,200 athletes and 800 officials The sports programme will encompass all sports on the programme of the 2012 Summer Games with a limited number of disciplines and events.

from: olympic.org