2008 Summer Olympics In Beijing China Blog

Olympics can’t cure human rights problems: Rogge (CBC)
IOC president Jacques Rogge told CBC Sports that it’s not the job of the Olympics to solve human rights problems, but that this summer’s Games in Beijing may be a catalyst for change in China.

Brian Cazeneuve: Softball’s growth in the U.S. may have hindered its Olympic appeal (Sports Illustrated)
The pitch for softball’s Olympic reinstatement goes something like this: at a time when the IOC is trying to promote women’s sports, here is a team event that was voted off the Olympic program three years ago under dubious circumstances, is growing in popularity around the world, would make for good programming on NBC and could share a venue with other sports in order to save money.

China Siphons Farmers’ Water For Olympics (CBS News)
Poor farmers are losing out, as China siphons water from surrounding areas to ensure enough drinking water in Beijing for the 2008 Olympics this summer.

China opens new 1.8billion air terminal in time for Olympics (Daily Mail)
Beijing opened a huge 1.8billion airport terminal today ahead of the expected influx of millions of visitors to this summer’s Olympics in China. The new airport terminal, which was designed by British architect Norman Foster, is supposed to resemble a dragon complete with triangular windows cut into the ceiling

Beijing Olympics: Chinese State Broadcaster Makes Online Plans With MySpace China, Tudou.comI (paidContent.org via Yahoo! Finance)
An intriguing move by China Central Television … the Wall Street Journal reports that the state-run broadcaster is tying up with MySpace China and online-video site Tudou.com for an interactive Olympics site.

Rescuing the 2008 Olympics (Bangkok Post)
When Beijing won the right to stage the 2008 Olympics in July 2001, China-watchers hoped the Olympic ideal would serve as a catalyst to restore human rights and free speech to the repressed nation. The realists felt this was unlikely and, sadly, they are being proved right.

Athletics: Gatlin’s Olympic bid (BBC News)
Sprint gold medallist Justin Gatlin wants his appeal for a drugs ban to be completed so he can take part in the US Olympic trials.

Report: MySpace China to be involved in interactive Olympics site (bizjournals.com via Yahoo! Finance)
China Central Television has partnered with MySpace China and Tudou.com to run an interactive website for the Beijing Olympics in August, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Chinese environmental watchdog to get more clout in government shake
PR Inside - Beijing’s filthy air has drawn worldwide attention as the city gears up to host the Summer Olympics in August. China’s emissions of greenhouse gases _ soon to be the world’s biggest if not already so _ have sparked criticism from campaigners

Bernard Williams, track and field
Baltimore Sun - Olympian brings gold back to Baltimore Baltimore track star Bernard Williams returned home with a gold medal around his neck last night after a victory in the 400-meter relay and a 17-hour plane ride from the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Beijing hopes to control everything - even the weather - for Summer
940 News - BEIJING - As they prepare to host the Olympics - an event whose very purpose is to push the limits of human beings - the Chinese are trying to do what man never has: control the weather. With five months to go before the Summer Games come to Beijing

Dark blue classic look for Australia’s Olympic team (AP via Yahoo! Singapore News)
Australia’s Olympic team got help from one of the country’s most well-known models to help unveil a classic dark blue suit for August in Beijing.

Gatlin steps up Olympic bid (BBC News)
Sprint gold medallist Justin Gatlin wants his appeal for a drugs ban to be completed so he can take part in the US Olympic trials.

Olympics not a cure-all: Rogge (CBC via Yahoo! Canada News)
Jacques Rogge says its not the job of the Olympics to solve human rights problems, but that this summer’s Games in Beijing may help bring change to China.

China foreign minister defends rights record (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
China’s foreign minister gave a spirited defense on Thursday of his country’s right to host the 2008 Olympics in the face of criticism over human rights following talks with his British counterpart.

Q-chan set to make final Olympic push (The Japan Times)
Sydney Olympic gold medalist Naoko Takahashi will aim for the final spot at this summer’s Beijing Olympics by winning next month’s Nagoya International Women’s Marathon.

Miliband: ‘Don’t boycott Olympics’ (ITV.com)
David Miliband has insisted that there should not be a boycott of this summer’s Olympics in Beijing. The Foreign Secretary has travelled to the Chinese capital to strengthen ties between Britain and its fellow United Nations Security Council member and close trading partner.

Chinadaily.com.cn sharing the Olympic spirit (China Daily)
BEIJING - Beijing opened a huge new $3.6 billion, Norman Foster designed airport terminal on Friday ahead of the expected influx of millions more visitors coming to this summer’s Olympic Games.

NEW ON AOL NEWS
AOL - stood at 60, or 31 percent. Those found not free accounted for nearly 2.4 billion people, about half of them living in China. Expectations of government concessions on human rights or modest democratic reforms in advance of the 2008 summer Olympics did

Rice Presses China On Human Rights Record Ahead Of Olympics
All Headline News - The meeting between Rice and Yang comes amid increased criticism of China’s human rights record, including urging a boycott of the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing by some Western activists over China’s suppression of dissidents and its hesitation to

Kirsty smashes venerable 200m backstroke record
New Zimbabwe.com - Meet organisers elected to hold the finals session in the morning, given that each finals session at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, will be held in the morning. At the Beijing Olympics, the 24

Steinbrenner: Yanks won’t sign Clemens
Major League Baseball - Pitching appears to be a secondary consideration for Clemens at this point, though he has spoken in the past about wishing to pitch for Team USA at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. In November, Clemens’ agent, Randy Hendricks, said that

Mothers of victims of China’s June 4 crackdown call for dialogue with legislators (AP via Yahoo! Malaysia News)
Mothers of those killed in China’s 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protests have joined the list of groups invoking this summer’s Beijing Olympics to draw attention to their causes.

Chinese mothers remember crackdown (AP via Yahoo! News)
Mothers of those killed in China’s 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protests have joined the list of groups invoking this summer’s Beijing Olympics to draw attention to their causes.

Boy, 13, is picked to represent Great Britain at the Beijing Olympics (Daily Mail)
When he springs off the platform in China this summer, Tom Daley will be the youngest male Briton to compete at an Olympic Games. The 13-year-old diver yesterday won his ticket to Beijing with a top performance in a qualifying event. He will be 14 years and 81 days old by the time he competes in August. The record was previously held by another diver, Fred Hodges, who was 15 years and 94 days at …

Shawn Johnson s march to Beijing begins in New York (The Des Moines Register)
West Des Moines gymnast and reigning world champion Shawn Johnson begins her road to the Summer Olympics on Saturday by defending her title at the American Cup in New York.

In hot pursuit of the athletic dollar (JoongAng Daily)
China is licking its chops at the prospect of hundreds of thousands of tourists swarming across its borders to watch the 2008 Summer Olympics. Cash registers will be ringing up sales throughout the stifling month of August.

‘Young-timers’ shuffle for gold in Cascades Olympics in PSL (Fort Pierce Tribune)
The 2008 Summer Olympics may still be five months away, but the spirit of the games was alive amid the shuffle board courts Wednesday.

Mothers urge China to probe Tiananmen crackdown (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Relatives of those killed in the crushing of the 1989 Tiananmen democracy movement urged China’s parliament Thursday to open an investigation into the crackdown as the Beijing Olympics approach.

China Olympics ‘less risky’ than Russian (The West Australian)
Allowing China to host the 2008 Olympics was less of a risk than awarding them to the Soviet Union in 1980, former International Olympic Committee (IOC) chairman Juan Antonio Samaranch has said.

US Secretary of State Rice urges Beijing to push North Korean nuclear
International Herald Tribune - recent trip to Washington, Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher for Human Rights Watch in Hong Kong, said administration officials told him that Washington preferred to quietly urge Beijing to improve human rights and its image for the Summer Olympics.

Canada placed in Group B in draw for Olympic women’s soccer qualifier (Canadian Press via Yahoo! News)
Canada’s women’s soccer team has been placed in a group with Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago for the qualifying tournament for this summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing.

Hellenic Olympic Committee announces the High Priestess for the Lighting Ceremony (People’s Daily)
The Plenary Session of the Hellenic Olympic Committee decided unanimously Wednesday that the High Priestess of the Lighting Ceremony for the Beijing Olympic Games will be the actress Maria Nafpliotou. Nafpliotou is the 10th High Pri …

Hallmark Events and Evictions: An Interview With Kris Olds
World Press Review - Thousands of traditional-style homes in the lanes of narrow “hutong” neighborhoods of Beijing, China, have been leveled ahead of the 2008 Olympics. (Photo: Frederic J. Brown / AFP-Getty Images) Kris Olds served on the Advisory Committee on the Center