Will the smog clear in time?
April 14, 2008
The 2008 Summer Games are facing a real problem with the smog in and around Beijing which is hosting the games. Read more
Olympic tickets hard to come by for UK
April 14, 2008
As the UK is firming up the list of competitor for the summer games in Beijing this year their families are finding it nearly impossible to secure tickets. Read more
Hong Kong Considering Changing Torch Route
April 12, 2008
The route of the Olympic Torch Relay in Hong Kong could be changed to ensure it passes through the former British colony in a smooth, orderly and safe manner, the government confirmed Friday.
Chief Secretary Henry Tang said the route could be altered depending on the latest developments during that time.
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Dalai Lama Still Supports Olympics
April 12, 2008
The Dalai Lama said Thursday that he supported Beijing’s hosting of the Summer Olympics. In addition, he also insisted that demonstrators had the right to voice their own opinions during the international torch relay as long as they refrained from using violence.
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The Torch relay in Buenos Aires
April 12, 2008
Torch-bearer soccer player Cristian Gonzalez carry the Olympic torch during the Buenos Aires tour, Friday, April 11, 2008. Runners flanked by rows of security carried the Olympic torch past thousands of jubilant Argentines as China supporters in red windbreakers tried to reverse weeks of bad publicity for the host of the Summer Games.(AP Photo/Marcelo Hernandez)
2008 Olympics will have HD overload
April 11, 2008
NBC is primed to set a HD content record with the upcoming Olympic games in Beijing this Summer. They expect to broadcast 756 hours of HD content which is up from the 399 in 2004 during the Athens games. Additionally over 3,600 hours of coverage will also be available online. This is nearly three times the 1,210 hours from Athens. They will be providing coverage on NBC HD, Universal HD, and USA HD. Read more here in a recent Variety article .
1900 - Paris, France
April 11, 2008
The 1900 Olympics, hosted by his own country, greatly disappointed Pierre de Coubertin. Coubertin and the IOC lost control when the French government took over the organizing and planning of the Games.
At the same time of the Olympic Games, Paris was also hosting the World Exhibition, an international fair of immense size. Because of the fair, the Olympics were poorly organized and poorly publicized.
Though more athletes attended the 1900 Games than in 1896, the conditions that greeted the contestants were abysmal. Scheduling conflicts were so great that many contestants never made it to their events. And even when they did make it, athletes found the area for the running events to be on grass (rather than on cinder track) and uneven; the discus and hammer throwers often found that there wasn’t enough room to throw so their shots landed in the trees; the hurdles were made out of broken telephone poles; and the swimming events were conducted in the Seine River which had an extremely strong current. (copyright about.com)
1896 - Athens, Greece
April 11, 2008
The very first modern Olympic Games opened in the first week of April 1896. Since the Greek government had been unable to fund construction of a stadium, a wealthy Greek architect, Georgios Averoff, donated one million drachmas (over $100,000) to restore the Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 330 BCE, with white marble for the Olympic Games.
U.S. Women’s Team Qualifies For 2008 Olympics
April 10, 2008
The US womens soccer team clinch a spot in the 2008 Beijing Olympics with a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica in the semifinal of 2008 CONCACAF Olympic Women’s Qualifying. Read more here
Olympics as usual, politics as usual
April 10, 2008
Is the dream of an Olympics that is only about sports and athleticism gone? Read more