2008 Beijing Olympics

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US Swimmer 'Tests Positive for Banned Substance'

Source: Jessica Hardy has failed pre-Olympics doping test

(Newser) - American swimmer Jessica Hardy's Olympics may already be over. The 50-meter breaststroke world record holder has tested positive for a banned stimulant, insiders told the AP. Hardy has the right to pursue appeals, but if they fail she could face a 2-year ban and Team USA will suffer a major...

Beijing to Set Up Olympic Protest Zones

City tense, locked down over fears of attack

(Newser) - Beijing will set up specially designated zones for protesters during next month's Olympics, a security official said today, in a sign that China's authoritarian government may allow some demonstrations during the games. "This will allow people to protest without disrupting the Olympics," said the director of the Shanghai...

Chinese Athletes Destitute After Glory Days

80% are jobless, injured, or impoverished

(Newser) - Zhao Yonghua was a Chinese national skiing champion and won several gold medals. But now, at 31, she is bedridden from diabetes, exacerbated by overtraining. With no hope of recovery or employment, the former star finally had to sell one of her gold medals to raise money for treatment. As...

Critics Make Sport of Olympic Mascots

'Fuwa' are in the firing line ahead of Beijing Games

(Newser) - The troubled run-up to the Beijing Games hasn't spared the cartoon mascots, the Wall Street Journal reports. China's critics have already created mock characters for the five—like "GenGen Genocide"—and superstitious Chinese fear a link between the "witch dolls" and the disasters the country has suffered...

LeBron Sprain Rattles Team USA

Forward leaves Olympic practice after injuring right ankle

(Newser) - Team USA got a shock last night when LeBron James sprained his right ankle in a practice scrimmage in a high school gym, reports the Los Angeles Times. Team officials said it was a minor injury, but the star will be carefully evaluated today. His Beijing-bound teammates were optimistic James...

Key Olympic Drug Test Could Be Unreliable

False negatives for blood-boosting agent raise fears of cheating

(Newser) - Labs that test athletes for evidence of doping could be letting cheaters slip through, the BBC reports. Negative results for samples an anti-doping scientist deems suspicious have raised doubts about the fairness of the field at next month's Olympic Games. With some versions of a blood-boosting drug available cheaply and...

Olympians Fearful of Chinese Food Chemicals

Athletes worried about mystery additives plan to pack their own food

(Newser) - In addition to concerns about air quality in Beijing this August, many Olympic athletes are worried about contaminants and chemicals in the food, ABC News reports. With many of China's agricultural products boosted by growth stimulants, or steroids, or amped by antibiotics, athletes are particularly concerned that they might unwittingly...

Beijing Forces Half of Drivers Off the Road

Move to clear noxious air in countdown to Olympics

(Newser) - Half of Beijing's drivers left their cars at home today and took public transportation on the first workday under new restrictions meant to clear the city's notoriously polluted skies before the Olympics. Under the plan that kicked in yesterday, half of the capital's 3.3 million cars will be removed...

US Athletes Weigh Wearing Masks in Beijing

Specially designed masks would blunt smog—and irk hosts

(Newser) - To protect its athletes from Beijing’s polluted air, the US Olympic Committee has secretly developed a mask for them to wear during next month’s Games, the Wall Street Journal reports. But if the 600-plus American Olympians decide to wear the high-tech filter, they risk insulting their Chinese hosts—...

Blacks Charge Harassment in China

Beijing's African residents targeted as part of pre-Olympic crackdown

(Newser) - African residents of Beijing say they are facing growing harassment from police ahead of the Olympics, reports the Globe and Mail. Bar owners near the city's Workers Stadium have reportedly been ordered not to serve "black people or Mongolians." The groups have been targeted as part of China's...

NBC Chafes Under Olympic Restrictions

Chinese government clamping down on media access ahead of games

(Newser) - NBC paid a record $900 million to cover the Beijing Olympics, but it and other networks are already nervous about how much Chinese officials will actually allow them to cover, reports the New York Times. If political protests erupt, networks will also face the dilemma of covering them and angering...

Beijing Launches Pollution Crackdown for Olympics

Officials scramble to clean the air for athletes

(Newser) - Beijing has launched tough new anti-pollution measures this week in a bid to clean the air for Olympic athletes in time for the games. Officials expect to force nearly half of the city's 3.3 million cars off the road, which will drive commuters onto already-crowded public transport, Reuters reports....

China's New Artist Policy Could Ban Spielberg

Director's Darfur protest stunt may run afoul of Beijing leadership

(Newser) - Steven Spielberg or his films could be banned from China under the new rules barring artists seen as a threat to national sovereignty, the Hollywood Reporter notes. Spielberg rankled Chinese leadership when he publicly withdrew from an artistic advisory board for the Beijing Olympics in protest of the nation’s...

Beijing Faces Glut of Hotel Rooms
Beijing Faces Glut of Hotel Rooms
Jul 18, 2008 12:55 PM CDT

Beijing Faces Glut of Hotel Rooms

Building frenzy before Olympics may have overestimated demand

(Newser) - Beijing’s newest construction binge may lead to a glut of rooms as hoteliers race to finish new properties before the Olympic Games begin in August, the Wall Street Journal reports. When the Games open, Beijing will have 50 five-star hotels, more than double the total of five years ago....

Take That Bjork: China Bans Performers Deemed a Threat

Protests, incendiary artists will not be allowed in the country, the new rules say

(Newser) - Entertainers deemed a threat to China’s sovereignty will not be allowed to perform in the country, the New York Times reports. The Ministry of Culture warned it will conduct background checks and ban those who “advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition” or "take part in activities that...

Pistorius Misses Last Shot at Beijing

Amputee not selected for relay team

(Newser) - Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius was not chosen today to be on South Africa's Olympic team for Beijing. After failing to qualify for the 400 meters earlier, Pistorius was left off the 1,600-meter relay team, the AP reports. Four other South Africans had faster times, and two others were chosen...

China Bans Tibetan Flags At Olympic Event

Beijing leaders hope to head off protests in Hong Kong

(Newser) - Tibetan flags will be banned from all Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong under rules aimed at heading off political protests inside competition venues, organizers said today. While China has tightened visa restrictions to keep out protesters during the Olympics, activists could demonstrate in Hong Kong, which grants visa-free access...

Soccer Star Wambach Breaks Leg, Will Miss Olympics

Team's hopes for a gold medal in trouble now

(Newser) - The US women's soccer team's hopes for a gold medal in Beijing took a devastating blow yesterday when star Abby Wambach broke her leg in an exhibition match. Wambach, the team's leading scorer, underwent a two-hour surgery today that went "perfectly, beautifully," her mother told the Rochester Democrat ...

Amputee Racer Fails to Qualify for Olympics

South Africa can still pick him for relay by defying panel

(Newser) - Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius fell short of the 400-meter qualifying time for the Olympics today, though his lifetime best run could yet get him to Beijing in the relay. The 21-year-old South African shrugged off the pre-race distraction of threatening legal action against the IAAF and finished third in his...

Official's Knock Irks Amputee Sprinter

Lawyers threaten after IAAF rep urges Olympic exclusion over safety

(Newser) - Lawyers for double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius responded aggressively after a track and field official recommended South Africa exclude him from its Olympic relay squad "for reasons of safety," the New York Times reports. Pistorius, 23, “reserves all rights and remedies” if track's governing body doesn't retract, noting...

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