2008 Beijing Olympics

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China Offers Olympics Visitors Tips
China Offers Olympics Visitors Tips
Jul 14, 2008 7:45 PM CDT

China Offers Olympics Visitors Tips

Organizing committee lists dos and don'ts for spectators

(Newser) - Organizers of the Beijing Olympics released their "Spectators' House Rules" today, aiming to keep order during the August Games as well as protect the hosts from embarrassing incidents, the London Times reports. For starters, babies are discouraged but not forbidden. Other dos and don'ts: Permitted:
  • Umbrellas ("In Beijing
...

Dissonant Ads Put Agency in Olympic Bind

Pitches for Adidas, Amnesty conflict—and inflame China opinion

(Newser) - A major advertising firm finds itself in an awkward predicament, the Wall Street Journal reports, after realizing it produced ads to drum up patriotic support for Chinese athletes in the Beijing Olympics as well as graphic spots criticizing China's human-rights record for Amnesty International. New York-based TBWA Worldwide has renounced...

Pistorius Fails in 2nd Olympics Bid

South Africa's Pistorius short of qualifying for 400, may have one chance left

(Newser) - Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius missed out in another attempt to qualify for the Olympics today, the AP reports, improving his time in the 400 meters but still falling short of the qualifying time at a meet in Rome. The 21-year-old South African will try again Wednesday in Switzerland, and could...

Olympic Swimmer Has Cancer
 Olympic Swimmer Has Cancer 
Jul 11, 2008 4:11 PM CDT

Olympic Swimmer Has Cancer

US breaststroker Shanteau putting off testicular surgery until after Beijing

(Newser) - US Olympic swimmer Eric Shanteau has testicular cancer, he tells the AP, but will put off surgery to compete in next month's Beijing Games. Shanteau, 24, unexpectedly locked in the 200-meter breaststroke July 3—just days after he was given the diagnosis. "I made the team, so I had...

China Takes Dog Off Olympic Menu

Squeamish tourists can rest easy

(Newser) - Beijing is asking restaurants and hotels to remove dog meat from their menus to appease squeamish travelers coming to town for the Olympics and Paralympics, Reuters reports. Beijing’s large Korean population often dines on man’s best friend, and the meat has become popular in Yunnan and Guizhou restaurants...

How to Be an Olympic Athlete
 How to Be an Olympic Athlete 
Jul 9, 2008 12:45 PM CDT

How to Be an Olympic Athlete

Pointers on what it takes to go for the gold

(Newser) - Before you clear a spot on the mantle for that gold medal, you may need a quick reality check: Forbes runs down the numbers behind the blood, sweat, and tears of an Olympic athlete's training.
  1. Training: 4 to 8 years to maximize lung capacity and heart strength
  2. Sessions: up to
...

Sarko Won't Boycott Beijing
 Sarko Won't
 Boycott Beijing 
Jul 9, 2008 9:26 AM CDT

Sarko Won't Boycott Beijing

French president confirms he's going to the games after all

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy is backing off his threats to boycott the Beijing Olympics to protest China’s treatment of Tibet, the BBC reports. Sarkozy met with China’s president at the G8 summit, and now confirms that he will attend the opening ceremony. The French president said he made the decision...

China Falls Behind on Olympic Promises

Despite vows, not much change on air quality, political freedom

(Newser) - With exactly a month to go before the Olympics, China has not delivered on promises to improve Beijing’s air quality or allow foreign journalists open access, the BBC reports. The government vowed to bring Beijing’s air up to WHO standards when bidding for the Games, but a BBC...

New Swimsuits Unfair; Stick to Birthday Suits

Time to bring back Olympic tradition of competing naked, says columnist

(Newser) - No sporting record lasts forever, but these days, writes Bloomberg columnist Scott Soshnick, athletes are demolishing them with almost ridiculous frequency. At the US Olympic swimming trials this year, no fewer than nine records were broken or equaled—a function less of talent than of technology. Perhaps it's time to...

1,000 Tibetan Monks Jailed to Prevent Protests

Entire monasteries cleared as Olympics start date approaches

(Newser) - The Chinese government has jailed more than 1,000 monks in an effort to prevent protests during the Olympic Games, reports the Times of London. Three large monasteries are empty near Lhasa, where hundreds of monks and supporters held protests amid gunfire in March. The government is holding the monks—...

Bush: Olympic Boycott Would Be 'Affront' to Chinese People

Prez says he'll tackle human rights in Beijing

(Newser) - President Bush today defended his decision not to boycott the Beijing Olympics next month, saying skipping “would be an affront to the Chinese people" that would make it difficult "to speak more frankly with the Chinese leadership.” Speaking ahead of tomorrow's G8 meeting in Japan, Bush said...

Cramp Fells Tyson Gay in 200m Trials

Injury a jolting reminder that talent isn't always enough

(Newser) - America's best-known hopeful for the Olympic track team is still going to Beijing—but won't be defending his world championship title in the 200-meter sprint. In a stunning twist, super runner Tyson Gay suffered a leg cramp that felled him during his key event in the quarterfinals of the Olympic...

China's Ballplayers Prepare for First Olympics

There are low expectations for the team, but it has come a long way

(Newser) - China’s Olympic baseball team, under the guidance of an ex-Major League manager, has some hurdles to jump in its first Olympics. After Mao Zedong banned the Western sport in China, it never drew many fans–so the team uses second-rate facilities and generally faces overwhelming odds against other teams....

At 41, Torres Makes 5th Olympics

Ageless US swimmer makes a splash in the record books

(Newser) - Dara Torres swam her way into the history books with a victory in the women's 100-meter freestyle trials last night, reports the New York Times. The 41-year-old will be the first five-time swimmer in Olympic history. She shot past 25-year-old American record holder Natalie Coughlin to finish in 53.78...

Bush Will Attend Beijing Opener

President dashes rights groups' hopes of an Olympic opening boycott

(Newser) - The White House has confirmed that President Bush will attend the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics—and he's likely to have plenty of seats to choose from in the VIP box, reports the New York Times. Brit Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not be...

Olympians Adjust to Tougher Drug Tests

Athletes must keep agency up to speed on their whereabouts

(Newser) - Many US professional athletes aren't accustomed to giving blood and urine samples during their off seasons, but with the Olympics approaching, that's all been changing, writes USA Today. The US Anti-Doping Agency requires all potential competitors to comply with a "whereabouts program" and submit to random screenings for HGH...

Coughlin Gives Up, Regains World Record

Swimmer loses top time in backstroke, for only one heat

(Newser) - The US Olympic swim trials in Omaha, Neb., today looked more like a final in Beijing, as Hayley McGregory took the 100-meter backstroke world record from Natalie Coughlin—who promptly took it back, the Los Angeles Times reports. McGregory swam it in 59.15 seconds, and Coughlin stroked it in...

Candidates Grapple With Timing of VP Picks

2 conventions, 1 Olympic games, and an August birthday complicate matters

(Newser) - Barack Obama and John McCain must do more than pick VP candidates—they have to time the announcements carefully, a key tactical move in a busy summer, the New York Times reports. Two national conventions, the Beijing Olympics, and Obama's Aug. 4 birthday all help or hinder the timing, but...

Gay Is Fastest Man, Ever*
Gay Is Fastest Man, Ever*
OPINION
Jun 30, 2008 2:10 PM CDT

Gay Is Fastest Man, Ever*

*Except that track, unlike any other sport, factors in the weather, columnist writes

(Newser) - Tyson Gay might have used the Olympic trials yesterday to cover 100 meters faster than any human in history, but he is not the world record-holder because track, unlike any other sport, attaches asterisks to records, Jim Caple writes on ESPN.com. Strong tailwinds propelled Gay to victory, but his...

Phelps, Hoff Smash Records in Omaha

(Newser) - Records fell at the Olympic trials in Omaha yesterday as both Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff triumphed in the 400 IM, USA Today reports. Each swimmer had a personal motivation: Phelps took almost a second of his own world record, and Hoff recaptured the record from Stephanie Rice.

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