2008 Beijing Olympics

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Scientist Finds 'Workout in a Pill'

Drug changes muscle to duplcate benefits of exercise

(Newser) - A chemical compound already available through scientific supply stores mimics the metabolic effects of weeks of training and exercise, according to a new study. Olympic authorities are now seeking a test to detect the drug in athletes. Mice given the drug Aicar ran 44% farther than mice who did not...

9,000 Plan Olympic Weddings
 9,000 Plan
 Olympic Weddings
Aug 1, 2008 2:30 AM CDT

9,000 Plan Olympic Weddings

Opening day is lucky date

(Newser) - Thousands of Beijing couples plan to tie the knot on the opening day of the Olympic Games, reports USA Today. The all-eights date, 8/8/08, is considered lucky in China, which is why authorities chose that day for the start of the Olympiad. Now some 9,000 lovers hope to share...

7 Russian Athletes Suspended for Doping

Female runners banned from Olympics

(Newser) - Seven female athletes from Russia were suspended today for doping violations, a potentially devastating blow to the nation's medal hopes just a week before the Olympics begin, the New York Times reports. Five of the women, all members of Russia's track and field team, were scheduled to compete in the...

Beijing Becomes Obsessed With Rain

Chinese people want some, but not too much, for Olympics

(Newser) - Talking about the weather isn’t just idle conversation in Beijing these days—it’s a national obsession, the Washington Post reports. The country is so anxious for a sunny Olympics—with just enough rain to clear the smog, of course—that changes in the forecast have become front-page news....

Beijing Amps Up Anti-Pollution Measures

New cuts on factories, cars as air flunks tests ahead of Olympics

(Newser) - Beijing today rolled out new emergency measures to ease pollution, with the Olympics just more than a week away. The new rules will close more factories and take more vehicles off the road, in a wider radius around the capital, in the event of “extremely unfavorable weather conditions"—...

Architect: China Stadium Is 'Trojan Horse' for Liberty

Herzog defends decision to design for China

(Newser) - There’s no shame in designing a cultural icon for China’s government, says Jacques Herzog, the man behind the already famous “Bird’s Nest” Olympic stadium in Beijing. Though he deplores the regime’s political record, Herzog saw taking the project as a way to change more in...

China Censors Web for Olympic Journos

Sites deemed objectionable blocked, despite promises

(Newser) - Journalists covering the Olympic games in Beijing will not be allowed access to websites deemed objectionable by the Chinese government, the BBC reports, in spite of promises from the IOC that Internet access would be unfettered. Blocked sites include pages related to the Falun Gong spiritual group, as well as...

Bush Meets 5 China Dissidents Ahead of Games

White House steps up support for human rights before Olympics

(Newser) - President Bush welcomed five prominent Chinese dissidents to the White House yesterday, a week before he leaves for the Olympics. The invitation was one of several moves to intensify pressure on Beijing to respect human rights. Earlier in the day, Bush urged the Chinese foreign minister, who was meeting with...

Iraq Athletes Back in Beijing Games
Iraq Athletes Back
in Beijing Games
Jul 29, 2008 9:11 PM CDT

Iraq Athletes Back in Beijing Games

Only 2 will make the trip after IOC reverses its decision

(Newser) - Iraq can send athletes to the Olympics after all, but only two will be able to make the trip. The International Olympic Committee reversed its decision today to ban Iraq from the Games after Baghdad vowed to ensure the independence of its Olympics panel. Iraq will send a discus thrower...

Crouching Tiger Star Stumped by China Protests

Zhang Ziyi dismisses 'negativity' of human-rights protesters

(Newser) - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actress Zhang Ziyi is perplexed by the pre-Olympic protests over China's human rights record, the AP reports. She told a Vogue interviewer she doesn't understand why people were being "so negative" ahead of the Beijing Games. "The Games are about friendship," Zhang said....

Pre-Olympics Eclipse May Give Chinese Jitters

A solar eclipse shortly before the Olympics won't bring doom, 'experts' say

(Newser) - Eager to shake its reputation for being superstitious, China will be downplaying a total solar eclipse—once seen as a portent of disaster—Aug. 1, a week before the Beijing Olympics, AFP reports. Feng shui and astrology experts are predicting that the eclipse, visible in China but not Beijing, will...

Amnesty: China Broke Promises of Free Speech

Olympic committee has hushed dissent despite 2001 vow

(Newser) - Ten days ahead of the Beijing Olympics’ opening ceremony, Amnesty International charged that China hasn’t welched on promises of freedom for activists and journalists it made when it was awarded the Games. “The Chinese authorities are tarnishing the legacy of the Games,” said a rep who called...

Top 100 Olympians to Watch
 Top 100 Olympians to Watch
Jul 28, 2008 4:07 PM CDT

Top 100 Olympians to Watch

Galaxy of stars aims to seize golden opportunities in Beijing

(Newser) - With the Beijing Olympics right around the corner, Time lists the top 100 athletes to watch. A sampling of stars gunning for gold, from the court to the pool to the track:
  • LeBron James, basketball: This determined athlete's golden guarantee is raising hopes for the US team, which has lost
...

Hand Will Keep Gymnast Hamm From Beijing

Break won't heal in time for US star to defend '04 all-around gold

(Newser) - Paul Hamm will not be going to the Beijing Olympics to defend his all-around gold medal, the US gymnast announced today, because his broken right hand has not healed sufficiently. He also hurt his rotator cuff in his accelerated recovery effort. "I have put my heart and soul into...

Heavy Smog Greets Olympians
 Heavy Smog Greets Olympians
Jul 27, 2008 5:55 PM CDT

Heavy Smog Greets Olympians

Despite traffic restrictions, skies hazy as always

(Newser) - Beijing has just 12 days left to clear its skies before the start of the Summer Olympics and things are still looking mighty smoggy, reports the AP. Visibility was a mere half-mile in some parts of the city and the Athletes’ Village was invisible from the nearby Olympic Green, despite...

Chinese Gymnasts May be Underage

Passports say girls are 16, but other documents put them at 14

(Newser) - Two of China's Olympic gymnasts may be younger than the cutoff age of 16, although their passports indicate otherwise, the New York Times reports. He Kexin and Jiang Yuyuan both hold papers citing 1991 birthdates, but previous competition records indicate they may be just 14. Why would China want to...

US Olympians Under 'Lockdown'
 US Olympians Under 'Lockdown' 


Jul 25, 2008 2:15 PM CDT

US Olympians Under 'Lockdown'

Organizing committee keeps close watch on athletes

(Newser) - The US Olympic Committee is keeping a tight grip on its athletes headed to Beijing. Ninety percent of Olympians are being "processed" through California's San Jose State University, and the USOC has requested that they not leave campus or talk to outsiders, an experience some athletes are describing as...

Pierce: US Basketball Needs Win Worse Than Celtics Did

Boston forward has high hopes for this year's team

(Newser) - Now that the Boston Celtics are once again NBA champions, American basketball's next great championship hope falls to the men's Olympic team. "They need it worse than the Celtics needed a championship this year," said Celtics forward Paul Pierce. "The US has been a perennial basketball power...

Iraq Barred From Beijing Games
 Iraq Barred From Beijing Games 
Jul 24, 2008 1:21 PM CDT

Iraq Barred From Beijing Games

Olympic bosses not happy with government dissolution of country's committee

(Newser) - Iraq has been banned from next month’s Beijing Olympics because of what the International Olympic Committee calls government interference in the Olympic process, MSNBC reports. The Iraqi leadership dissolved the country’s Olympic committee, which is supposed to be an independent body of elected officials, and replaced it with...

Obama Buys $5M in Olympic Ad Time

Set for NBC and cable channel coverage

(Newser) - The Obama campaign has bought $5 million worth of network and cable television airtime to run during coverage of the Beijing Olympics, reports TV Week. It's the first major TV airtime purchase by a political candidate in 16 years. NBC and its cable channels will air 3,600 hours of...

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