Jiang Wenwen and Jiang Tingting of China compete during the duet free routine preliminary at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games synchronized swimming event in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Jiang Wenwen and Jiang Tingting ranked the fourth in preliminary and advanced to the final.
Jiang Wenwen and Jiang Tingting of China compete during the duet free routine preliminary at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games synchronized swimming event in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Jiang Wenwen and Jiang Tingting ranked the fourth in preliminary and advanced to the final.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Chinese vice premier inspects northern port city, urging efforts to boost economy
Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday urged local officials and enterprises to seize opportunities and persevere in reform and opening-up to achieve stable and fast economic growth.
Efforts should be made to foster new areas of economic growth so as to reach the goal of long-term steady and fast economic development, Li said during an inspection tour from Aug. 18-19 in Tianjin, a north China port city.
Li Keqiang , Chinese Vice Premier and member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspects in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 18, 2008. Li Keqiang paid a visit to Tianjin from Aug. 18 to Aug. 19.
Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visited local factories, construction sites, port, commercial and trade service zones and residential districts during his inspection tour.
He urged local officials to speed up efforts to build the Binhai New Area into a northern portal of the country's reform and opening up drive, a base of modern manufacturing and scientific research and application, and an international shipping and logistics center.
The Binhai New Area, a pilot reform zone, consists of the three administrative districts of Tanggu, Hangu and Dagang and eight industrial zones currently under construction.
Li Keqiang , Chinese Vice Premier and member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspects in Huaming Township of Dongli District in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 18, 2008. Li Keqiang paid a visit to Tianjin from Aug. 18 to Aug. 19.
Li stressed the importance of expanding domestic market demands in boosting economic development in an era of global economic uncertainty. He called for greater efforts to raise Chinese people' income through various channels and actively explore the rural consumption markets.
Source: Xinhua
Efforts should be made to foster new areas of economic growth so as to reach the goal of long-term steady and fast economic development, Li said during an inspection tour from Aug. 18-19 in Tianjin, a north China port city.
Li Keqiang , Chinese Vice Premier and member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspects in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 18, 2008. Li Keqiang paid a visit to Tianjin from Aug. 18 to Aug. 19.
Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visited local factories, construction sites, port, commercial and trade service zones and residential districts during his inspection tour.
He urged local officials to speed up efforts to build the Binhai New Area into a northern portal of the country's reform and opening up drive, a base of modern manufacturing and scientific research and application, and an international shipping and logistics center.
The Binhai New Area, a pilot reform zone, consists of the three administrative districts of Tanggu, Hangu and Dagang and eight industrial zones currently under construction.
Li Keqiang , Chinese Vice Premier and member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspects in Huaming Township of Dongli District in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 18, 2008. Li Keqiang paid a visit to Tianjin from Aug. 18 to Aug. 19.
Li stressed the importance of expanding domestic market demands in boosting economic development in an era of global economic uncertainty. He called for greater efforts to raise Chinese people' income through various channels and actively explore the rural consumption markets.
Source: Xinhua
China meets Brazil, Cuba takes on US in Olympic women's volleyball semis
Players of China celebrate their victory over Russia during their Women's Quarterfinals match of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games volleyball event in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. China beat Russia 3-0.
Host China will meet Brazil in the semifinals of the Olympic women's volleyball event, but the teams followed different path in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
The Chinese girls, who claimed the gold medal in an epic final against Russia in the Athens Games four years ago, edged out the same opponents 25-22, 27-25, 25-19 in the one hour and 24 minutes thriller.
In an earlier quarterfinal, world number one team Brazil was hardly tested before blitzing Japan 25-12, 25-20, 25-16 in just 67 minutes.
Megumi Kurihara of Japan spikes the ball during Women's Quanterfinals - Match 34 between Brazil and Japan of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at Capital Gymnasium in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Brazil beat Japan 3-0.
The team, labeled as the heaviest favorite for the gold medal, has now compiled a 6-0 clean sheet since the preliminaries and did not even drop one single set.
"It will be a very difficult match against Russia or China but our team is confident because of the way we have been playing," said Brazilian winger Sheilla Castro, the best scorer of the team.
Players of Cuba celebrate during Women's Quarterfinals - Match 31 between Cuba and Serbia of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at Capital Gymnasium in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Cuba beat Serbia 3-0.
Cuba also pulled off a solid game to beat Serbia 26-24, 25-19, 26-24, and will in the other semifinal take on the United States, who survived a five-set thriller to beat World Cup winner Italy.
Lang Ping, coach of the women's volleyball team of the United States, hugs her team members during the Women's Quarterfinals match U.S. vs Italy of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games volleyball event in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. The U.S. beat Italy 3-2.
The United States twice rallied from one set down to force a tie-breaker, which they won at 15-6.
"I felt very happy with the result, they can always bring me surprise. I am so proud of them," American head coach Lang Ping, a former Chinese player, said after the match.
Cuba, former world champions and Athens bronze medalists, met serious challenge from the Serbian girls in the beginning of the match. The opening set was close as either of the teams could pull away until the set was levelled at 24-all.
Cuban spiker Yumilka Ruiz hit an excellent smash and then an error from Serbia gave Cuba the first set.
It was in the second set that the Cuban girls, who won three straight Olympic gold medals in 1992, 1996 and 2000, have started to take control over the match.
After claiming the set at 25-19, Cuba took their opponents lightly in the third set while Serbia mounted a strong comeback and after two straight blocks from Maja Ognjenovic, the Serbian team overtook the lead at 22 -20.
However, Serbia was not consistent in the remaining time.
"We're pleased with this victory, and with the opportunity to fight for the medals. It was a tough match and Serbia are a tough team," said Cuba head coach Antonio Perdomo Estrella.
"Today's match was very difficult and both teams were under mental pressure. Despite the victory we didn't feel relaxed, and we must play better in the next two matches. All four teams will be feeling the same emotions."
Playing in a repeat of the Athens Games final, China and Russia both needed a win to stay on course especially after they compiled a disappointing 3-2 record in the preliminaries.
"We had chance to win the first and second sets, but we are troubled with our poor attack and the Chinese girls did a good job in blocking," Russian head coach Giovanni Caprara said.
The Russian girls did not give up even when they lost the first set and squandered two set points in the second set.
But in the third set, the team showed some signs of vulnerability when they were up 16-13. Since then, the match turned in China's favor, with the Russian attack stuffed on the net. China used a 12-3 run to take the set and the whole match.
"This was a very important game for us, we are so happy that we won because we knew that Russia is a very strong team," said China captain Feng Kun. "In the quarterfinals there are no weak teams, so we knew we must win every point, so we fought for each point and were successful in the end."
"This victory did not come easily. In the preliminary round we suffered setbacks, we lost two matches and we knew we needed to control our emotions in order to succeed."
Host China will meet Brazil in the semifinals of the Olympic women's volleyball event, but the teams followed different path in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
The Chinese girls, who claimed the gold medal in an epic final against Russia in the Athens Games four years ago, edged out the same opponents 25-22, 27-25, 25-19 in the one hour and 24 minutes thriller.
In an earlier quarterfinal, world number one team Brazil was hardly tested before blitzing Japan 25-12, 25-20, 25-16 in just 67 minutes.
Megumi Kurihara of Japan spikes the ball during Women's Quanterfinals - Match 34 between Brazil and Japan of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at Capital Gymnasium in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Brazil beat Japan 3-0.
The team, labeled as the heaviest favorite for the gold medal, has now compiled a 6-0 clean sheet since the preliminaries and did not even drop one single set.
"It will be a very difficult match against Russia or China but our team is confident because of the way we have been playing," said Brazilian winger Sheilla Castro, the best scorer of the team.
Players of Cuba celebrate during Women's Quarterfinals - Match 31 between Cuba and Serbia of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at Capital Gymnasium in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Cuba beat Serbia 3-0.
Cuba also pulled off a solid game to beat Serbia 26-24, 25-19, 26-24, and will in the other semifinal take on the United States, who survived a five-set thriller to beat World Cup winner Italy.
Lang Ping, coach of the women's volleyball team of the United States, hugs her team members during the Women's Quarterfinals match U.S. vs Italy of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games volleyball event in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. The U.S. beat Italy 3-2.
The United States twice rallied from one set down to force a tie-breaker, which they won at 15-6.
"I felt very happy with the result, they can always bring me surprise. I am so proud of them," American head coach Lang Ping, a former Chinese player, said after the match.
Cuba, former world champions and Athens bronze medalists, met serious challenge from the Serbian girls in the beginning of the match. The opening set was close as either of the teams could pull away until the set was levelled at 24-all.
Cuban spiker Yumilka Ruiz hit an excellent smash and then an error from Serbia gave Cuba the first set.
It was in the second set that the Cuban girls, who won three straight Olympic gold medals in 1992, 1996 and 2000, have started to take control over the match.
After claiming the set at 25-19, Cuba took their opponents lightly in the third set while Serbia mounted a strong comeback and after two straight blocks from Maja Ognjenovic, the Serbian team overtook the lead at 22 -20.
However, Serbia was not consistent in the remaining time.
"We're pleased with this victory, and with the opportunity to fight for the medals. It was a tough match and Serbia are a tough team," said Cuba head coach Antonio Perdomo Estrella.
"Today's match was very difficult and both teams were under mental pressure. Despite the victory we didn't feel relaxed, and we must play better in the next two matches. All four teams will be feeling the same emotions."
Playing in a repeat of the Athens Games final, China and Russia both needed a win to stay on course especially after they compiled a disappointing 3-2 record in the preliminaries.
"We had chance to win the first and second sets, but we are troubled with our poor attack and the Chinese girls did a good job in blocking," Russian head coach Giovanni Caprara said.
The Russian girls did not give up even when they lost the first set and squandered two set points in the second set.
But in the third set, the team showed some signs of vulnerability when they were up 16-13. Since then, the match turned in China's favor, with the Russian attack stuffed on the net. China used a 12-3 run to take the set and the whole match.
"This was a very important game for us, we are so happy that we won because we knew that Russia is a very strong team," said China captain Feng Kun. "In the quarterfinals there are no weak teams, so we knew we must win every point, so we fought for each point and were successful in the end."
"This victory did not come easily. In the preliminary round we suffered setbacks, we lost two matches and we knew we needed to control our emotions in order to succeed."
Public traffic in Beijing
The flood crest of the Huaihe River surpassed the danger mark at Wangjiaba, a hydrological station in east China's Anhui province on Monday, intensifying risks of the river bursting its banks.
The water level monitored at Wangjiaba was 63 cm above the danger mark on Monday morning, when the flow at 3,910 cubic meters per second.
The provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters warned the water level could rise by another 30 cm by Tuesday, when the flood peak was expected to reach Wangjiaba.
More that 20,000 hectares of farmland have been inundated since the river began to swell on Saturday, according to the headquarters, which has mobilized more than 2,700 people to patrol the embankments.
The flood was triggered by heavy rainfall in the catchment area since Wednesday. The weather cleared on Monday and the provincial observatory was forecasting no heavy rain in near future.
The headquarters on Monday called on government institutions to allocate more personnel to flood control efforts along the embankment.
The sixth longest river in China is one of the most flood prone in the country. Its first flood this year was on April 22, and the highest water level monitored at Wangjiaba was 27.78 meters. It was the most extensive spring flooding since 1964.
Source: Xinhua
The water level monitored at Wangjiaba was 63 cm above the danger mark on Monday morning, when the flow at 3,910 cubic meters per second.
The provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters warned the water level could rise by another 30 cm by Tuesday, when the flood peak was expected to reach Wangjiaba.
More that 20,000 hectares of farmland have been inundated since the river began to swell on Saturday, according to the headquarters, which has mobilized more than 2,700 people to patrol the embankments.
The flood was triggered by heavy rainfall in the catchment area since Wednesday. The weather cleared on Monday and the provincial observatory was forecasting no heavy rain in near future.
The headquarters on Monday called on government institutions to allocate more personnel to flood control efforts along the embankment.
The sixth longest river in China is one of the most flood prone in the country. Its first flood this year was on April 22, and the highest water level monitored at Wangjiaba was 27.78 meters. It was the most extensive spring flooding since 1964.
Source: Xinhua
China's Xu wins historic Laser Radial bronze at sailing
Xu Lijia of China competes in the laser radial medal race of the Beijing Olympic Games sailing event in Olympic co-host city Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Aug. 19, 2008. Xu clinched the bronze medal in this event.
Xu Lijia of China celebrates with Chinese national flag after clinched the bronze medal in the laser radial medal race of the Beijing Olympic Games sailing event in Olympic co-host city Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Aug. 19, 2008.
Sailors compete in the laser radial medal race of the Beijing Olympic Games sailing event in Olympic co-host city Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Aug. 19, 2008. Anna Tunnicliffe from the United States claimed the title in this event.
Xu Lijia of China celebrates with Chinese national flag after clinched the bronze medal in the laser radial medal race of the Beijing Olympic Games sailing event in Olympic co-host city Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Aug. 19, 2008.
Sailors compete in the laser radial medal race of the Beijing Olympic Games sailing event in Olympic co-host city Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Aug. 19, 2008. Anna Tunnicliffe from the United States claimed the title in this event.
Shawn Johnson of United States wins beam title at Olympic gymnastics tourney
Shawn Johnson of the United States competes during women's balance beam final of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Shawn Johnson claimed the title of the event with a score of 16.225.
Shawn Johnson of the United States won the gold medal of beam event at Olympic gymnastics tournament on Tuesday.
Shawn Johnson collected 16.225 points for the title, edging her fellow American Nastia Liukin to the second place at 16.025. Cheng Fei of China settled for the bronze medal at 15.950.
Source: Xinhua
Shawn Johnson of the United States won the gold medal of beam event at Olympic gymnastics tournament on Tuesday.
Shawn Johnson collected 16.225 points for the title, edging her fellow American Nastia Liukin to the second place at 16.025. Cheng Fei of China settled for the bronze medal at 15.950.
Source: Xinhua
Zou Kai of China wins horizontal gold medal
Zou Kai of China won the horizontal gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games on Tuesday.
China's Zou Kai competes during men's horizontal bar final of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Zou Kai claimed the title of the event with a score of 16.200.
Zou Kai scored 16.200 points for the gold, the ninth for the Chinese gymnastics team at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The silver medal was taken by Jonathan Horton of the United States at 16.175, followed by Fabian Hambuechen of Germany in the third place at 15.875.
China's Zou Kai celebrates after his performance in men's horizontal bar final of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Zou Kai claimed the title of the event with a score of 16.200.
Source: Xinhua
China's Zou Kai competes during men's horizontal bar final of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Zou Kai claimed the title of the event with a score of 16.200.
Zou Kai scored 16.200 points for the gold, the ninth for the Chinese gymnastics team at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The silver medal was taken by Jonathan Horton of the United States at 16.175, followed by Fabian Hambuechen of Germany in the third place at 15.875.
China's Zou Kai celebrates after his performance in men's horizontal bar final of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Zou Kai claimed the title of the event with a score of 16.200.
Source: Xinhua
Roundup: Gold favorites in beach volleyball final, defending champions out
Men's beach volleyball final at the Beijing Olympics will be played between Brazil and the United States but defending champions from the South American country will miss the gold medal match.
Somewhat unexpectedly, Brazilian defending champions Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos were knocked out in a semifinal on Wednesday.
Their fellow Brazilians, third-placed duo Marcio Araujo and Fabio Magalhaes, terminated their dream of winning title again in straight sets .
"Fabio and Marcio played very well in the match. Their blocks and strikes were excellent and we made a lot of mistakes," commented Santos after the match."We knew the match would be very difficult. We gave 120 percent of our energy in the match, not 100 percent," said Araujo. "We played well in defense and blocks," he said.
Rego and Santos will meet Georgia's Renato Gomes and Jorge Terceiro, who lost to U.S. duo Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser in another semifinal, in the bronze medal match on Friday, while the two Brazilian finalists will face U.S. duo Rogers/Dalhausser in the gold medal match.
As expected, Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser of the United States downed their rivals in another semifinal on Wednesday. They breezed past Renato Gomes/Jorge Terceiro of Georgia in two straight sets 21-11, 21-13.
The Georgian pair, who surprisingly eliminated fifth-seeded Reinder Mummerdor and Richard Schuil of the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, had hardly any resistance in most of time against the U.S. duo, especially the 2.06-meter-tall Dalhausser, whose efficiency at the net is big headache for almost all rivals.
"They are so strong a team, I even didn't know how to concentrate on the game," said Terceiro after the match.
The U.S. duo experienced setbacks in the preliminary round and round of 16 match as they sometimes had to come from behind to win a match but as the matches went on, the Americans have also been playing more solid.
They are five-time FIVB World Tour gold medalists and in 2007 they won the FIVB World Championships.
Dalhausser was FIVB World Tour best blocker in 2006 and 2007 and best hitter in 2007 while his partner Rogers was best FIVB World Tour defensive player in 2006 and 2007.
The Americans entered the Beijing Olympics with a 21-match winning streak this year. They are also placed first on the Olympic qualification rankings.
Both in the men's and women's events, the United States and Brazil have dominated in beach volleyball since the television-friendly sport made its debut at the Olympics in 1996. The United States has won the men's event twice and Brazil was awarded the gold in 2004 Athens Games.
In the women's version, the Americans were champions in 2004 and the Brazilians won the title in 1996.
Among the 12 silvers and bronzes, seven were pocketed by the Americans and Brazilians.
Source:Xinhua
Somewhat unexpectedly, Brazilian defending champions Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos were knocked out in a semifinal on Wednesday.
Their fellow Brazilians, third-placed duo Marcio Araujo and Fabio Magalhaes, terminated their dream of winning title again in straight sets .
"Fabio and Marcio played very well in the match. Their blocks and strikes were excellent and we made a lot of mistakes," commented Santos after the match."We knew the match would be very difficult. We gave 120 percent of our energy in the match, not 100 percent," said Araujo. "We played well in defense and blocks," he said.
Rego and Santos will meet Georgia's Renato Gomes and Jorge Terceiro, who lost to U.S. duo Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser in another semifinal, in the bronze medal match on Friday, while the two Brazilian finalists will face U.S. duo Rogers/Dalhausser in the gold medal match.
As expected, Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser of the United States downed their rivals in another semifinal on Wednesday. They breezed past Renato Gomes/Jorge Terceiro of Georgia in two straight sets 21-11, 21-13.
The Georgian pair, who surprisingly eliminated fifth-seeded Reinder Mummerdor and Richard Schuil of the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, had hardly any resistance in most of time against the U.S. duo, especially the 2.06-meter-tall Dalhausser, whose efficiency at the net is big headache for almost all rivals.
"They are so strong a team, I even didn't know how to concentrate on the game," said Terceiro after the match.
The U.S. duo experienced setbacks in the preliminary round and round of 16 match as they sometimes had to come from behind to win a match but as the matches went on, the Americans have also been playing more solid.
They are five-time FIVB World Tour gold medalists and in 2007 they won the FIVB World Championships.
Dalhausser was FIVB World Tour best blocker in 2006 and 2007 and best hitter in 2007 while his partner Rogers was best FIVB World Tour defensive player in 2006 and 2007.
The Americans entered the Beijing Olympics with a 21-match winning streak this year. They are also placed first on the Olympic qualification rankings.
Both in the men's and women's events, the United States and Brazil have dominated in beach volleyball since the television-friendly sport made its debut at the Olympics in 1996. The United States has won the men's event twice and Brazil was awarded the gold in 2004 Athens Games.
In the women's version, the Americans were champions in 2004 and the Brazilians won the title in 1996.
Among the 12 silvers and bronzes, seven were pocketed by the Americans and Brazilians.
Source:Xinhua
South Korea to dominiate taekwondo featherweight events
Two rookie South Koreans will make their debut on Thursday to defend the honor of the taekwondo powerhouse.
Lim Su-jeong, who celebrated her 22nd birthday Wednesday, will compete in the women's 57kg category, and Son Tae-jin, 20, will fight for the title in men's 68kg division in the Olympic taekwondo events, which began on Wednesday in the University of Science and Technology Beijing gymnasium.
Head coach Kim Sei-hyeok said after the draw that South Korea is to win four golds.
It won't be an easy job for Lim, gold medalist in the world qualification events, to present the ambitious team a good start, as she will face a tough opponent, Su Li-Wen of Chinese Taipei, in the first round during the preliminaries.
Veteran Su, Asian Games gold medalist in women's 63kg category, has already been prepared "physically and mentally no matter who she will fight against", according to head coach Ho Wei-Hsing.
If Lim wins, she will not meet real challenges until fighting against the younger sister of the famous Lopez's, Diana Lopez, in the final if the 2005 world champion can also make it in another pool.
Son Tae-jin will also have a tough fight in the preliminaries and another Lopez, Mark Lopez of the USA, also a 2005 world champion will also be a potential gold contender. The question is whether they can meet in the final competition.
Source:Xinhua
Lim Su-jeong, who celebrated her 22nd birthday Wednesday, will compete in the women's 57kg category, and Son Tae-jin, 20, will fight for the title in men's 68kg division in the Olympic taekwondo events, which began on Wednesday in the University of Science and Technology Beijing gymnasium.
Head coach Kim Sei-hyeok said after the draw that South Korea is to win four golds.
It won't be an easy job for Lim, gold medalist in the world qualification events, to present the ambitious team a good start, as she will face a tough opponent, Su Li-Wen of Chinese Taipei, in the first round during the preliminaries.
Veteran Su, Asian Games gold medalist in women's 63kg category, has already been prepared "physically and mentally no matter who she will fight against", according to head coach Ho Wei-Hsing.
If Lim wins, she will not meet real challenges until fighting against the younger sister of the famous Lopez's, Diana Lopez, in the final if the 2005 world champion can also make it in another pool.
Son Tae-jin will also have a tough fight in the preliminaries and another Lopez, Mark Lopez of the USA, also a 2005 world champion will also be a potential gold contender. The question is whether they can meet in the final competition.
Source:Xinhua
Offcial: Olympic seat occupation on rise as Games roll on
Seat occupancy at the Beijing Olympics is gradually on rise as the Games go on, an official with the Olympic organizers said on Tuesday.
"In the early stages, several events have seen a fairly low seat occupation because of their unfavorable timing - either too early or too late," Yao Hui, a vice director in charge of venue management with the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games told a press conference Tuesday noon.
Yao cited several other factors for the empty seats - no-shows among ticket-holding Olympic sponsors and officials, and fans not staying for the entire program when events last a full day.
"However, as many of the sports events enter their finales, seat occupation is gradually on the rise," he said, adding that "quite a number of sport events are performed in almost full venues".
Preliminary track and field events held at the Bird's Nest over the past few days have seen a 90 percent seat occupation in the morning. There is a full audience at night in the 91,000-capacity stadium, according to Yao.
At least 24 out of 31 venues in Beijing are seeing an average seat occupation rate above 80 percent, he said.
More than 1.3 million people have visited the Olympic Green, the centerpiece zone of the Games where most of the main venues are.
Yao said the Olympic venues are all in smooth operation, with no report of equipment and Olympic venue malfunction disturbing the games so far.
He also spoke highly of Chinese audience present at the Olympic venues for their "enthusiasm and civilized behavior".
"Athletes such as Michael Phelps could not have performed so well without the audience's enthusiasm. I want to say thanks to all the audience from China and around the world," he said, "All of you deserve a gold medal."
With four days left of the Olympics, more than 40 countries have won a total of 205 gold medals by Tuesday noon, as China leads the medal list with 43 golds.
More than 30 world records and 50 Olympic records have been broken during the Games.
Source:Xinhua
"In the early stages, several events have seen a fairly low seat occupation because of their unfavorable timing - either too early or too late," Yao Hui, a vice director in charge of venue management with the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games told a press conference Tuesday noon.
Yao cited several other factors for the empty seats - no-shows among ticket-holding Olympic sponsors and officials, and fans not staying for the entire program when events last a full day.
"However, as many of the sports events enter their finales, seat occupation is gradually on the rise," he said, adding that "quite a number of sport events are performed in almost full venues".
Preliminary track and field events held at the Bird's Nest over the past few days have seen a 90 percent seat occupation in the morning. There is a full audience at night in the 91,000-capacity stadium, according to Yao.
At least 24 out of 31 venues in Beijing are seeing an average seat occupation rate above 80 percent, he said.
More than 1.3 million people have visited the Olympic Green, the centerpiece zone of the Games where most of the main venues are.
Yao said the Olympic venues are all in smooth operation, with no report of equipment and Olympic venue malfunction disturbing the games so far.
He also spoke highly of Chinese audience present at the Olympic venues for their "enthusiasm and civilized behavior".
"Athletes such as Michael Phelps could not have performed so well without the audience's enthusiasm. I want to say thanks to all the audience from China and around the world," he said, "All of you deserve a gold medal."
With four days left of the Olympics, more than 40 countries have won a total of 205 gold medals by Tuesday noon, as China leads the medal list with 43 golds.
More than 30 world records and 50 Olympic records have been broken during the Games.
Source:Xinhua
Official: Beijing Olympics become biggest broadcast event in Olympic history
An official with the International Olympic Committee said here on Wednesday that the Beijing Olympic Games look to be the biggest broadcast event in the Olympic history.
There is an unprecedented amount of Olympic sports content available, with around 5,000 hours of coverage provided for viewers in around 200 countries and regions worldwide through the rights holding broadcast partners, Timo Lumme, managing director of IOC Television and Marketing Services, said at a press conference in the Games' Main Press Center.
During the Beijing Games, these partners are expected to make a combined total coverage which will be around three times that of the Athens Games, Lumme claimed.
He also hailed the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games as a sports-related event with the highest broadcast rating in the history of Chinese television.
"A staggering 842 million people in China tuned in to watch some coverage of the Opening Ceremony," he said.
"Although we won't have the complete definitive global statistics for sometime yet, indications suggested that the figure for the total viewing in the world could be around 1.2 billion people," he said, adding that the figures from the major markets of the world had in general surpassed those for the opening ceremonies of the Sydney and Athens Games.
In the United States, the NBC also registered the largest audience on Saturday night for 18 years as over 40 million viewers tuned in to watch Michael Phelps win his record eighth gold medal at one Games.
In China, over one billion people have already watched some Olympic sports coverage. To cater for this demand, CCTV, IOC's broadcast partner in China, has dedicated nine channels to the Games' overage, Lumme said.
ONLINE COVERAGE
The Beijing Olympic Games also feature an unprecedented level of digital media coverage. Live broadband Internet coverage, including online high definition and mobile phone video clips, is available across the world.
At the Athens Games four years ago, only eight countries and regions in the world experimented with some delayed Internet coverage, said Lumme.
"Taking the United States as an example, our partner in the United States, the NBC's Olympic website is receiving 30 times more video views online than it did in Athens and 12 times more mobile phone clip downloads than it did for the Torino 2006 winter Games," he said.
In China, in the first 12 days of the competition, 102 million people watched live broadcast of the Games online, with another 146 million watching video on demand online.
In addition, the IOC has launched its own online channels to broadcast the Beijing Games in 77 countries and regions across Africa, Asia and the Middle East including India, the Republic of Korea, Nigeria and Indonesia.
There were 12 million online video views on India's Abhnav Bindra winning a shooting gold medal, the first individual Olympic gold for the country, Lumme said.
"This marks the first time that the IOC has produced footages to the end users directly," he claimed.
MAKING OLYMPIC GAMES REACH MORE PEOPLE
"We expected a global reach of approximately 4.5 billion people. As you all know, it is the mission of the IOC to make available the Olympic Games coverage to as many people as possible around the world," Lumme said.
Particular emphasis has been paid on supporting those areas and regions of the world for whom access maybe a little bit more challenging.
"So in that context, we are pleased that in regions such as the sub-Sahara in Africa and in the Caribbean, our respective broadcast partners, the African broadcasting union and the Caribbean broadcasting union, have doubled the amount of coverage for Beijing Olympic Games from that of the Athens Games.
The very big positive effect for the IOC and for the Olympic movement is that the global interest for the Olympic Games is growing, Lumme claimed.
"We always knew that bringing the Games to China of course would open up the Olympic Games. And we are particularly happy that we have been able to work very closely with our partners to harness the technology of media to reach more people than ever before," he said.
Source:Xinhua
There is an unprecedented amount of Olympic sports content available, with around 5,000 hours of coverage provided for viewers in around 200 countries and regions worldwide through the rights holding broadcast partners, Timo Lumme, managing director of IOC Television and Marketing Services, said at a press conference in the Games' Main Press Center.
During the Beijing Games, these partners are expected to make a combined total coverage which will be around three times that of the Athens Games, Lumme claimed.
He also hailed the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games as a sports-related event with the highest broadcast rating in the history of Chinese television.
"A staggering 842 million people in China tuned in to watch some coverage of the Opening Ceremony," he said.
"Although we won't have the complete definitive global statistics for sometime yet, indications suggested that the figure for the total viewing in the world could be around 1.2 billion people," he said, adding that the figures from the major markets of the world had in general surpassed those for the opening ceremonies of the Sydney and Athens Games.
In the United States, the NBC also registered the largest audience on Saturday night for 18 years as over 40 million viewers tuned in to watch Michael Phelps win his record eighth gold medal at one Games.
In China, over one billion people have already watched some Olympic sports coverage. To cater for this demand, CCTV, IOC's broadcast partner in China, has dedicated nine channels to the Games' overage, Lumme said.
ONLINE COVERAGE
The Beijing Olympic Games also feature an unprecedented level of digital media coverage. Live broadband Internet coverage, including online high definition and mobile phone video clips, is available across the world.
At the Athens Games four years ago, only eight countries and regions in the world experimented with some delayed Internet coverage, said Lumme.
"Taking the United States as an example, our partner in the United States, the NBC's Olympic website is receiving 30 times more video views online than it did in Athens and 12 times more mobile phone clip downloads than it did for the Torino 2006 winter Games," he said.
In China, in the first 12 days of the competition, 102 million people watched live broadcast of the Games online, with another 146 million watching video on demand online.
In addition, the IOC has launched its own online channels to broadcast the Beijing Games in 77 countries and regions across Africa, Asia and the Middle East including India, the Republic of Korea, Nigeria and Indonesia.
There were 12 million online video views on India's Abhnav Bindra winning a shooting gold medal, the first individual Olympic gold for the country, Lumme said.
"This marks the first time that the IOC has produced footages to the end users directly," he claimed.
MAKING OLYMPIC GAMES REACH MORE PEOPLE
"We expected a global reach of approximately 4.5 billion people. As you all know, it is the mission of the IOC to make available the Olympic Games coverage to as many people as possible around the world," Lumme said.
Particular emphasis has been paid on supporting those areas and regions of the world for whom access maybe a little bit more challenging.
"So in that context, we are pleased that in regions such as the sub-Sahara in Africa and in the Caribbean, our respective broadcast partners, the African broadcasting union and the Caribbean broadcasting union, have doubled the amount of coverage for Beijing Olympic Games from that of the Athens Games.
The very big positive effect for the IOC and for the Olympic movement is that the global interest for the Olympic Games is growing, Lumme claimed.
"We always knew that bringing the Games to China of course would open up the Olympic Games. And we are particularly happy that we have been able to work very closely with our partners to harness the technology of media to reach more people than ever before," he said.
Source:Xinhua
Pingpong ball: I wanna kiss you, gaze at you
Suraju Saka of Congo serves during the men's singles first round match against Lei Kou of Ukraine at Beijing Olympic Games table tennis event in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Suraju Saka of Congo beat his rival 4-1.
Sharath Kamal Achanta of India serves during the men's singles first round match against Alfredo Carneros of Spain at Beijing Olympic Games table tennis event in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Sharath Kamal Achanta of India beat his rival 4-2.
Sharath Kamal Achanta of India serves during the men's singles first round match against Alfredo Carneros of Spain at Beijing Olympic Games table tennis event in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Sharath Kamal Achanta of India beat his rival 4-2.
Russia's Batirov wins Olympic men's freestyle wrestling 60kg gold
Mavlet Batirov of Russia celebrates victory during the men's freestyle 60kg gold medal match at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games wrestling event in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Mavlet Batirov won the bout over Vasvl Fedoryshyn of Ukraine and got the gold medal.
Russia's Mavlet Batirov defeated Vasyl Fedoryshyn of Ukraine to win the gold medal in the men's freestyle wrestling 60kg category at the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday.
The bronze medals went to Iran's Seyedmorad Mohammadi and Kenichi Yumoto of Japan.
Vasvl Fedoryshyn of Ukraine wrestles with Mavlet Batirov of Russia during the men's freestyle 60kg gold medal match at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games wrestling event in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Mavlet Batirov of Russia won the bout and got the gold medal.
Source: Xinhua
Russia's Mavlet Batirov defeated Vasyl Fedoryshyn of Ukraine to win the gold medal in the men's freestyle wrestling 60kg category at the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday.
The bronze medals went to Iran's Seyedmorad Mohammadi and Kenichi Yumoto of Japan.
Vasvl Fedoryshyn of Ukraine wrestles with Mavlet Batirov of Russia during the men's freestyle 60kg gold medal match at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games wrestling event in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Mavlet Batirov of Russia won the bout and got the gold medal.
Source: Xinhua
Li Xiaopeng of China wins parallel bars gold medal at Beijing Olympics
Li Xiaopeng of China competes during men's parallel bars final of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Li Xiaopeng claimed the title of the event with a score of 16.450.
Li Xiaopeng of China won the gold medal of parallel bars with a winning result of 16.450 points at Beijing Olympic Games on Tuesday.
The silver medal was taken by Yoo Won-chul of South Korea at16.250, followed by Anton Fokin of Uzbekistan in the third place at16.200.
Li Xiaopeng of China competes during men's parallel bars final of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Li Xiaopeng claimed the title of the event with a score of 16.450.
Source: Xinhua
Li Xiaopeng of China won the gold medal of parallel bars with a winning result of 16.450 points at Beijing Olympic Games on Tuesday.
The silver medal was taken by Yoo Won-chul of South Korea at16.250, followed by Anton Fokin of Uzbekistan in the third place at16.200.
Li Xiaopeng of China competes during men's parallel bars final of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Li Xiaopeng claimed the title of the event with a score of 16.450.
Source: Xinhua
CBA chief praises women's coach Maher
Fans should send China's Australian basketball coach Tom Maher thank-you notes after he led the women's team into the semifinals, Chinese hoops boss Li Yuanwei said yesterday.
"I want to write him a thank-you note. He's done a brilliant job," Chinese Basketball Association chief Li said after China outclassed Belarus 77-62 yesterday. "We have trusted Maher 100 percent no matter how difficult our situation has been. Today he paid back my trust in perfect fashion."
Maher's side has been in sizzling form at the Games, wrapping up the preliminary stage with four wins and one loss. Li admitted Maher is the driving force.
"He showed us his depth in coaching," Li said. "He brings the team a lot of new stuff - new training methods, new tactics and the most important thing is a new attitude.
"The team has caught up to international powerhouses not only on the court but also in training. That's very important for us."
Maher, 55, is entering his fourth season as China's coach.
He was recruited by the CBA after the women's team finished ninth at the Athens Olympics in 2004, following a failure to qualify for the Sydney Games in 2000.
Maher earned his stripes coaching the Australian national women's team - another former underperformer - to a bronze medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and a silver medal in Sydney.
Life for Maher in China has not always been so easy. Local media questioned his merits after China finished a humiliating 11th at the 2006 World Championships in Brazil.
He finally started to deflect some of the criticism when he guided China to victory in the "Good Luck Beijing" International Invitational four months ago.
Li acknowledged the hard work Maher has put in over the past four years.
"Some moments were so tough for him," Li said. "It is a lot of pressure to move to a foreign country, listen to a different language and deal with media that has lofty expectations of their athletes.
"I am very happy to see him overcome all these difficulties and honor his commitment to our players."
Maher's down-to-earth personality has also won the respect of his players.
"He changed everything," said Miao Lijie, who had a game-high 28 points against Belarus. "In addition to his great ideas about modern basketball, he makes us mentally stronger. He pushes us to believe in ourselves, I am very appreciative."
But it is not time to celebrate just yet, as China faces Maher's former team Australia tomorrow in the semifinals. The Boomers routed Czech Republic 79-46 in their last game.
"We are not afraid of them," Miao said. "As long as we play tough basketball like this, we can beat any team on the planet."
China was a women's basketball powerhouse in the 1990s, winning silver medals at the Barcelona Olympics and the World Championships in Australia two years later.
Source: China Daily
"I want to write him a thank-you note. He's done a brilliant job," Chinese Basketball Association chief Li said after China outclassed Belarus 77-62 yesterday. "We have trusted Maher 100 percent no matter how difficult our situation has been. Today he paid back my trust in perfect fashion."
Maher's side has been in sizzling form at the Games, wrapping up the preliminary stage with four wins and one loss. Li admitted Maher is the driving force.
"He showed us his depth in coaching," Li said. "He brings the team a lot of new stuff - new training methods, new tactics and the most important thing is a new attitude.
"The team has caught up to international powerhouses not only on the court but also in training. That's very important for us."
Maher, 55, is entering his fourth season as China's coach.
He was recruited by the CBA after the women's team finished ninth at the Athens Olympics in 2004, following a failure to qualify for the Sydney Games in 2000.
Maher earned his stripes coaching the Australian national women's team - another former underperformer - to a bronze medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and a silver medal in Sydney.
Life for Maher in China has not always been so easy. Local media questioned his merits after China finished a humiliating 11th at the 2006 World Championships in Brazil.
He finally started to deflect some of the criticism when he guided China to victory in the "Good Luck Beijing" International Invitational four months ago.
Li acknowledged the hard work Maher has put in over the past four years.
"Some moments were so tough for him," Li said. "It is a lot of pressure to move to a foreign country, listen to a different language and deal with media that has lofty expectations of their athletes.
"I am very happy to see him overcome all these difficulties and honor his commitment to our players."
Maher's down-to-earth personality has also won the respect of his players.
"He changed everything," said Miao Lijie, who had a game-high 28 points against Belarus. "In addition to his great ideas about modern basketball, he makes us mentally stronger. He pushes us to believe in ourselves, I am very appreciative."
But it is not time to celebrate just yet, as China faces Maher's former team Australia tomorrow in the semifinals. The Boomers routed Czech Republic 79-46 in their last game.
"We are not afraid of them," Miao said. "As long as we play tough basketball like this, we can beat any team on the planet."
China was a women's basketball powerhouse in the 1990s, winning silver medals at the Barcelona Olympics and the World Championships in Australia two years later.
Source: China Daily
Zhang hopes gold will inspire youngsters
Brazilian defending champions Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos were defeated in men's beach volleyball semifinal at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday.
They lost to their Brazilian compatriots, Marcio Araujo and Fabio Magalhaes 20-22 and 18-21.
"Fabio and Marcio played very well in the match. Their blocks and strikes were excellent and we made a lot of mistakes," commented Santos after the match.
"I wish them very good performance in the final and I will cheer for them," he told a press conference.
The defending champions will meet Georgia's Renato Gomes and Jorge Terceiro, who lost to U.S. duo Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser in another semifinal, in the bronze medal match on Friday.
Araujo and Magalhaes said they hadn't expected they could win the match against defending champions.
"We knew it would be very difficult so we put all our energy to play against them and make every ball perfect. We gave 120 percent of our energy, not 100 percent," said Araujo.
"We played well in defense and blocks," he said.
The two Brazilians will face U.S. duo Rogers/Dalhausser in the final.
Araujo and Magalhaes, placed fourth on the Olympic qualification standing, were winners of 11 FIVB World Tour events and gold medallists at the 2005 FIVB World Championships.
The 34-year-old Araujo was named FIVB World Tour best defensive player in 2005, best setter in 2007, and the 29-year-old Magalhaes was FIVB best blocker in 2005 and most improved player that year.
Source:Xinhua
They lost to their Brazilian compatriots, Marcio Araujo and Fabio Magalhaes 20-22 and 18-21.
"Fabio and Marcio played very well in the match. Their blocks and strikes were excellent and we made a lot of mistakes," commented Santos after the match.
"I wish them very good performance in the final and I will cheer for them," he told a press conference.
The defending champions will meet Georgia's Renato Gomes and Jorge Terceiro, who lost to U.S. duo Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser in another semifinal, in the bronze medal match on Friday.
Araujo and Magalhaes said they hadn't expected they could win the match against defending champions.
"We knew it would be very difficult so we put all our energy to play against them and make every ball perfect. We gave 120 percent of our energy, not 100 percent," said Araujo.
"We played well in defense and blocks," he said.
The two Brazilians will face U.S. duo Rogers/Dalhausser in the final.
Araujo and Magalhaes, placed fourth on the Olympic qualification standing, were winners of 11 FIVB World Tour events and gold medallists at the 2005 FIVB World Championships.
The 34-year-old Araujo was named FIVB World Tour best defensive player in 2005, best setter in 2007, and the 29-year-old Magalhaes was FIVB best blocker in 2005 and most improved player that year.
Source:Xinhua
Three times world champion Russia seek to enter final at Beijing Olympic women's handball
After muscling out France in a thrilling two-overtime quarterfinal, three times world titlist Russia seek to beat Hungary on Thursday to reach the final of Beijing Olympic women's handball event.
"Women are mysterious," that was what Russian coach Evgeny Trefilov complained about his team's inconsistency after a preliminary game.
It is true. The Russian handball team is unpredictable. Winning three world titles in 2001, 2005 and 2007, they never managed to book a ticket in the Olympic Games.
Moreover, the Russian squad remained inconsistent in Beijing, with their matches often featured an ill-form half time.
In their opening game against South Korea, Russia enjoyed a comfortable nine points lead midway in the second half. But the world titlist suffered a nightmare in the final quarter of the game, with all the advantage nibbled and both sides tied 29-29 in the end.
In yesterday's quarterfinal, Russia also suffered an early setback, trailing France, fifth placer in 2007 World Champiponship, with a four points deficit in the first half. Luckily the Russians regained their tempi in time to even the score after the break and upset the opponent in the second extra time.
In Thursday's semifinal, Russia will take on Hungary, a team that they trounced 33-24 in the round-robin stage.
But Trefilov's side will not enjoy an easy game, because the Hungarians posed great trouble to them in their previous encounter, only lagging behind with one point in the first half.
European champ Norway and South Korea, runner-up at Athens Games, will fight for the other final berth. Both teams had pinned their hope on the gold, but the Asians held a higher profile.
"I still feel regretful to lose the title to Denmark in Athens four years ago. Our aim in Beijing is still the gold medal. Currently, our players are all in a solid form. We will try our best to bring the gold back to our country," said South Korean pivot Huh Soon-young, who received a silver in the Athens Games.
Source:Xinhua
"Women are mysterious," that was what Russian coach Evgeny Trefilov complained about his team's inconsistency after a preliminary game.
It is true. The Russian handball team is unpredictable. Winning three world titles in 2001, 2005 and 2007, they never managed to book a ticket in the Olympic Games.
Moreover, the Russian squad remained inconsistent in Beijing, with their matches often featured an ill-form half time.
In their opening game against South Korea, Russia enjoyed a comfortable nine points lead midway in the second half. But the world titlist suffered a nightmare in the final quarter of the game, with all the advantage nibbled and both sides tied 29-29 in the end.
In yesterday's quarterfinal, Russia also suffered an early setback, trailing France, fifth placer in 2007 World Champiponship, with a four points deficit in the first half. Luckily the Russians regained their tempi in time to even the score after the break and upset the opponent in the second extra time.
In Thursday's semifinal, Russia will take on Hungary, a team that they trounced 33-24 in the round-robin stage.
But Trefilov's side will not enjoy an easy game, because the Hungarians posed great trouble to them in their previous encounter, only lagging behind with one point in the first half.
European champ Norway and South Korea, runner-up at Athens Games, will fight for the other final berth. Both teams had pinned their hope on the gold, but the Asians held a higher profile.
"I still feel regretful to lose the title to Denmark in Athens four years ago. Our aim in Beijing is still the gold medal. Currently, our players are all in a solid form. We will try our best to bring the gold back to our country," said South Korean pivot Huh Soon-young, who received a silver in the Athens Games.
Source:Xinhua
Maradona says Brazil team is "skimpy and defensive"
Argentine former soccer player Diego Maradona said on Tuesday that since long time ago he did not see "a Brazilian so skimpy and defensive," when referring to the semifinals soccer match at the Olympic Games of Beijing.
Argentina won 3-0 against Brazil, Maradona watched the games from a VIP seat in the Workers' Stadium in Beijing and he said that the Argentine team "was superior in the entire field."
Maradona said that "I felt Brazil could harm us and that the boys would break that barrier at any moment."
"Since long time ago, I didn't see a Brazil so skimpy and defensive. The Sub 23 gave them more skimpiness at the playing time. Nobody gave the ball to Ronaldinho, they didn't have team play. Argentina surpassed them in every meter of the field and the triumph was fair," Maradona said.
Maradona said that "today Nigeria won very good , but we must give credit to Argentina."
After the match, Maradona visited the soccer players at the dress room and he got as present the t-shirts of Lionel Messi, Juan Ramon Riquelme and Sergio "Kun" Aguero.
Source:Xinhua
Argentina won 3-0 against Brazil, Maradona watched the games from a VIP seat in the Workers' Stadium in Beijing and he said that the Argentine team "was superior in the entire field."
Maradona said that "I felt Brazil could harm us and that the boys would break that barrier at any moment."
"Since long time ago, I didn't see a Brazil so skimpy and defensive. The Sub 23 gave them more skimpiness at the playing time. Nobody gave the ball to Ronaldinho, they didn't have team play. Argentina surpassed them in every meter of the field and the triumph was fair," Maradona said.
Maradona said that "today Nigeria won very good , but we must give credit to Argentina."
After the match, Maradona visited the soccer players at the dress room and he got as present the t-shirts of Lionel Messi, Juan Ramon Riquelme and Sergio "Kun" Aguero.
Source:Xinhua
Brazilian president "rages" over failure of football team at Olympics
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he has never been as angry as he was the moment when he saw the failure of the Brazilian football team against Argentina at the Beijing Olympics, local media reported Tuesday.
After watching the match between the two teams, Lula said he "raged" as the Brazilian team showed no desire to win.
"Losing the game to Argentina in this way is really shameful," the president said.
The ordeal was made even harder for the president when an MP teased about approving a government proposal if Lula fires the Brazilian coach Dunga.
The Brazilian football team lost to its arch-rival Argentina Tuesday 0-3, failing to secure a place in the final.
With five World Cup champions in hand, the Brazilian footballers set to win an Olympic gold medal but the dream was again torn apart and they play Belgium for the bronze later.
Source:Xinhua
After watching the match between the two teams, Lula said he "raged" as the Brazilian team showed no desire to win.
"Losing the game to Argentina in this way is really shameful," the president said.
The ordeal was made even harder for the president when an MP teased about approving a government proposal if Lula fires the Brazilian coach Dunga.
The Brazilian football team lost to its arch-rival Argentina Tuesday 0-3, failing to secure a place in the final.
With five World Cup champions in hand, the Brazilian footballers set to win an Olympic gold medal but the dream was again torn apart and they play Belgium for the bronze later.
Source:Xinhua
Nigerian president praises U-23 soccer team in Olympiad
Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has commended the U-23 team for the victory over Belgium in the semifinal of the Beijing Olympcs men's football event.
Nigeria beat Belgium 4-1 in Shanghai on Tuesday to qualify for Saturday's final against Argentina. Yar'Adua urged the team to win the gold medal, as the Presidential Villa erupted in celebrations after the victory over Belgium.
Although Yar'Adua was not able to watch the match as he was busy with the signing of an energy partnership agreement with German officials while the game was on, he was informed of the outcome by his spokesman Olusegun Adeniyi just as the final whistle sounded.
Yar'Adua, who was in company with the Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, said the team would return with gold as a gift for him.
"The President was very excited. He loves football and watches Nigeria's matches but he could not watch today's match because of an official engagement," Adeniyi said.
President of the Senate David Mark said in a goodwill message to the team on Tuesday, "The Nigerian spirit has come alive again."
He said the victory over Belgium had given the country hope and an assurance that Nigeria could repeat the 1996 Olympic feat.
He urged the officials to review the previous games in order to correct whatever lapses were identified ahead of the final.
Mark told the Nigerian contingent to remain steadfast and resolute in their determination to win the competition.
Source:Xinhua
Nigeria beat Belgium 4-1 in Shanghai on Tuesday to qualify for Saturday's final against Argentina. Yar'Adua urged the team to win the gold medal, as the Presidential Villa erupted in celebrations after the victory over Belgium.
Although Yar'Adua was not able to watch the match as he was busy with the signing of an energy partnership agreement with German officials while the game was on, he was informed of the outcome by his spokesman Olusegun Adeniyi just as the final whistle sounded.
Yar'Adua, who was in company with the Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, said the team would return with gold as a gift for him.
"The President was very excited. He loves football and watches Nigeria's matches but he could not watch today's match because of an official engagement," Adeniyi said.
President of the Senate David Mark said in a goodwill message to the team on Tuesday, "The Nigerian spirit has come alive again."
He said the victory over Belgium had given the country hope and an assurance that Nigeria could repeat the 1996 Olympic feat.
He urged the officials to review the previous games in order to correct whatever lapses were identified ahead of the final.
Mark told the Nigerian contingent to remain steadfast and resolute in their determination to win the competition.
Source:Xinhua
Roundup: China meets Brazil, Cuba takes on US in Olympic women's volleyball semis
Players of China celebrate their victory over Russia during their Women's Quarterfinals match of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games volleyball event in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008. China beat Russia 3-0.
Host China will meet Brazil in the semifinals of the Olympic women's volleyball event, but the teams followed different path in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
The Chinese girls, who claimed the gold medal in an epic final against Russia in the Athens Games four years ago, edged out the same opponents 25-22, 27-25, 25-19 in the one hour and 24 minutes thriller.
In an earlier quarterfinal, world number one team Brazil was hardly tested before blitzing Japan 25-12, 25-20, 25-16 in just 67 minutes.
The team, labeled as the heaviest favorite for the gold medal, has now compiled a 6-0 clean sheet since the preliminaries and did not even drop one single set.
"It will be a very difficult match against Russia or China but our team is confident because of the way we have been playing," said Brazilian winger Sheilla Castro, the best scorer of the team.
Cuba also pulled off a solid game to beat Serbia 26-24, 25-19, 26-24, and will in the other semifinal take on the United States, who survived a five-set thriller to beat World Cup winner Italy.
The United States twice rallied from one set down to force a tie-breaker, which they won at 15-6.
"I felt very happy with the result, they can always bring me surprise. I am so proud of them," American head coach Lang Ping, a former Chinese player, said after the match.
Cuba, former world champions and Athens bronze medalists, met serious challenge from the Serbian girls in the beginning of the match. The opening set was close as either of the teams could pull away until the set was levelled at 24-all.
Cuban spiker Yumilka Ruiz hit an excellent smash and then an error from Serbia gave Cuba the first set.
It was in the second set that the Cuban girls, who won three straight Olympic gold medals in 1992, 1996 and 2000, have started to take control over the match.
After claiming the set at 25-19, Cuba took their opponents lightly in the third set while Serbia mounted a strong comeback and after two straight blocks from Maja Ognjenovic, the Serbian team overtook the lead at 22 -20.
However, Serbia was not consistent in the remaining time.
"We're pleased with this victory, and with the opportunity to fight for the medals. It was a tough match and Serbia are a tough team," said Cuba head coach Antonio Perdomo Estrella.
"Today's match was very difficult and both teams were under mental pressure. Despite the victory we didn't feel relaxed, and we must play better in the next two matches. All four teams will be feeling the same emotions."
Playing in a repeat of the Athens Games final, China and Russia both needed a win to stay on course especially after they compiled a disappointing 3-2 record in the preliminaries.
"We had chance to win the first and second sets, but we are troubled with our poor attack and the Chinese girls did a good job in blocking," Russian head coach Giovanni Caprara said.
The Russian girls did not give up even when they lost the first set and squandered two set points in the second set.
But in the third set, the team showed some signs of vulnerability when they were up 16-13. Since then, the match turned in China's favor, with the Russian attack stuffed on the net. China used a 12-3 run to take the set and the whole match.
"This was a very important game for us, we are so happy that we won because we knew that Russia is a very strong team," said China captain Feng Kun. "In the quarterfinals there are no weak teams, so we knew we must win every point, so we fought for each point and were successful in the end."
"This victory did not come easily. In the preliminary round we suffered setbacks, we lost two matches and we knew we needed to control our emotions in order to succeed."
Source:Xinhua
Host China will meet Brazil in the semifinals of the Olympic women's volleyball event, but the teams followed different path in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
The Chinese girls, who claimed the gold medal in an epic final against Russia in the Athens Games four years ago, edged out the same opponents 25-22, 27-25, 25-19 in the one hour and 24 minutes thriller.
In an earlier quarterfinal, world number one team Brazil was hardly tested before blitzing Japan 25-12, 25-20, 25-16 in just 67 minutes.
The team, labeled as the heaviest favorite for the gold medal, has now compiled a 6-0 clean sheet since the preliminaries and did not even drop one single set.
"It will be a very difficult match against Russia or China but our team is confident because of the way we have been playing," said Brazilian winger Sheilla Castro, the best scorer of the team.
Cuba also pulled off a solid game to beat Serbia 26-24, 25-19, 26-24, and will in the other semifinal take on the United States, who survived a five-set thriller to beat World Cup winner Italy.
The United States twice rallied from one set down to force a tie-breaker, which they won at 15-6.
"I felt very happy with the result, they can always bring me surprise. I am so proud of them," American head coach Lang Ping, a former Chinese player, said after the match.
Cuba, former world champions and Athens bronze medalists, met serious challenge from the Serbian girls in the beginning of the match. The opening set was close as either of the teams could pull away until the set was levelled at 24-all.
Cuban spiker Yumilka Ruiz hit an excellent smash and then an error from Serbia gave Cuba the first set.
It was in the second set that the Cuban girls, who won three straight Olympic gold medals in 1992, 1996 and 2000, have started to take control over the match.
After claiming the set at 25-19, Cuba took their opponents lightly in the third set while Serbia mounted a strong comeback and after two straight blocks from Maja Ognjenovic, the Serbian team overtook the lead at 22 -20.
However, Serbia was not consistent in the remaining time.
"We're pleased with this victory, and with the opportunity to fight for the medals. It was a tough match and Serbia are a tough team," said Cuba head coach Antonio Perdomo Estrella.
"Today's match was very difficult and both teams were under mental pressure. Despite the victory we didn't feel relaxed, and we must play better in the next two matches. All four teams will be feeling the same emotions."
Playing in a repeat of the Athens Games final, China and Russia both needed a win to stay on course especially after they compiled a disappointing 3-2 record in the preliminaries.
"We had chance to win the first and second sets, but we are troubled with our poor attack and the Chinese girls did a good job in blocking," Russian head coach Giovanni Caprara said.
The Russian girls did not give up even when they lost the first set and squandered two set points in the second set.
But in the third set, the team showed some signs of vulnerability when they were up 16-13. Since then, the match turned in China's favor, with the Russian attack stuffed on the net. China used a 12-3 run to take the set and the whole match.
"This was a very important game for us, we are so happy that we won because we knew that Russia is a very strong team," said China captain Feng Kun. "In the quarterfinals there are no weak teams, so we knew we must win every point, so we fought for each point and were successful in the end."
"This victory did not come easily. In the preliminary round we suffered setbacks, we lost two matches and we knew we needed to control our emotions in order to succeed."
Source:Xinhua
U.S. gold favorites breeze into beach volleyball final
Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser of the United States breezed past their rivals in a lop-sided beach volleyball semifinal match at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday.
The gold favorites topped Renato Gomes/Jorge Terceiro of Georgia in two sets 21-11, 21-13.
The Georgian pair, who surprisingly eliminated fifth-seeded Reinder Mummerdor and Richard Schuil of the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, had hardly any resistance in most of time against the U.S. duo.
"They are so strong a team, I even didn't know how to concentrate on the game," said Terceiro after the match.
The U.S. duo experienced setbacks in the preliminary round and round of 16 match as they sometimes had to come from behind to win a match but as the matches went on, the Americans have also been playing more solid.
They will fight for the gold medal with the winner of another semifinal match between two Brazilians duos, Emanuel Rego/Ricardo Santos and Marcio Araujo/Fabio Magalhaes.
"Both teams are very tough. We played with each of them some 10 times. We will try our best," said Rogers, nicknamed "the Professor".
The U.S. duo are five-time FIVB World Tour gold medalists and in 2007 they won the FIVB World Championships.
Dalhausser was FIVB World Tour best blocker in 2006 and 2007 and best hitter in 2007 while his partner Rogers was best FIVB World Tour defensive player in 2006 and 2007.
The American duo entered the Beijing Olympics with a 21-match winning streak this year. They are also placed first on the Olympic qualification rankings.
Source:Xinhua
The gold favorites topped Renato Gomes/Jorge Terceiro of Georgia in two sets 21-11, 21-13.
The Georgian pair, who surprisingly eliminated fifth-seeded Reinder Mummerdor and Richard Schuil of the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, had hardly any resistance in most of time against the U.S. duo.
"They are so strong a team, I even didn't know how to concentrate on the game," said Terceiro after the match.
The U.S. duo experienced setbacks in the preliminary round and round of 16 match as they sometimes had to come from behind to win a match but as the matches went on, the Americans have also been playing more solid.
They will fight for the gold medal with the winner of another semifinal match between two Brazilians duos, Emanuel Rego/Ricardo Santos and Marcio Araujo/Fabio Magalhaes.
"Both teams are very tough. We played with each of them some 10 times. We will try our best," said Rogers, nicknamed "the Professor".
The U.S. duo are five-time FIVB World Tour gold medalists and in 2007 they won the FIVB World Championships.
Dalhausser was FIVB World Tour best blocker in 2006 and 2007 and best hitter in 2007 while his partner Rogers was best FIVB World Tour defensive player in 2006 and 2007.
The American duo entered the Beijing Olympics with a 21-match winning streak this year. They are also placed first on the Olympic qualification rankings.
Source:Xinhua
Defending champions out of Olympic beach volleyball final
Brazilian defending champions Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos were defeated in men's beach volleyball semifinal at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday.
They lost to their Brazilian compatriots, Marcio Araujo and Fabio Magalhaes 20-22 and 18-21.
"Fabio and Marcio played very well in the match. Their blocks and strikes were excellent and we made a lot of mistakes," commented Santos after the match.
"I wish them very good performance in the final and I will cheer for them," he told a press conference.
The defending champions will meet Georgia's Renato Gomes and Jorge Terceiro, who lost to U.S. duo Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser in another semifinal, in the bronze medal match on Friday.
Araujo and Magalhaes said they hadn't expected they could win the match against defending champions.
"We knew it would be very difficult so we put all our energy to play against them and make every ball perfect. We gave 120 percent of our energy, not 100 percent," said Araujo.
"We played well in defense and blocks," he said.
The two Brazilians will face U.S. duo Rogers/Dalhausser in the final.
Araujo and Magalhaes, placed fourth on the Olympic qualification standing, were winners of 11 FIVB World Tour events and gold medallists at the 2005 FIVB World Championships.
The 34-year-old Araujo was named FIVB World Tour best defensive player in 2005, best setter in 2007, and the 29-year-old Magalhaes was FIVB best blocker in 2005 and most improved player that year.
Source:Xinhua
They lost to their Brazilian compatriots, Marcio Araujo and Fabio Magalhaes 20-22 and 18-21.
"Fabio and Marcio played very well in the match. Their blocks and strikes were excellent and we made a lot of mistakes," commented Santos after the match.
"I wish them very good performance in the final and I will cheer for them," he told a press conference.
The defending champions will meet Georgia's Renato Gomes and Jorge Terceiro, who lost to U.S. duo Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser in another semifinal, in the bronze medal match on Friday.
Araujo and Magalhaes said they hadn't expected they could win the match against defending champions.
"We knew it would be very difficult so we put all our energy to play against them and make every ball perfect. We gave 120 percent of our energy, not 100 percent," said Araujo.
"We played well in defense and blocks," he said.
The two Brazilians will face U.S. duo Rogers/Dalhausser in the final.
Araujo and Magalhaes, placed fourth on the Olympic qualification standing, were winners of 11 FIVB World Tour events and gold medallists at the 2005 FIVB World Championships.
The 34-year-old Araujo was named FIVB World Tour best defensive player in 2005, best setter in 2007, and the 29-year-old Magalhaes was FIVB best blocker in 2005 and most improved player that year.
Source:Xinhua
Beach volleyball preview: U.S. May-Treanor/Walsh seek to repeat glory
Without losing a single set, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the United States breezed into the beach volleyball final at the Beijing Olympics.
Far more than that. Dubbed as "queens of the beach", the American duo have not been defeated in a single match since last August.
The 1.75-meter May-Treanor and 1.88-meter Walsh play so solid that almost every time when the rivals launch a powerful attack and you expect the Americans to lose a point, they return the ball back, and score directly sometimes.
It's not only about techniques, but experiences as well.
The three-time Olympian May-Treanor said experiences are their advantage and they will use them to gain the upper hand over their rivals in Beijing. "Experience in beach volleyball comes into play in those big matches where fatigue sets in." said May-Treanor.
"We know where each other is going to be and where each other wants the ball. We're relentless. We keep the ball in play and let the other people make the mistakes," said Walsh, who is also for the third time at the Olympics. She played indoor volleyball in the last Games.
The combination of the pair is another factor which has contributed to their outstanding results. Men's beach volleyball legend and three-time Olympic champion of the United States Karch Kiraly also prized the partnership of May-Treanor and Walsh "the best ever".
Strong psychology is another significant weapon for the U.S. duo to perform well. "I will pretend that the crowd was cheering for us," May-Treanor said of the audience's anticipated strong support in the final at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground on Thursday , but not for them.
The U.S. duo will face China's Tian Jia and Wang Jie in the gold medal match.
Tian and Wang said their rivals were "very strong" both in experiences and techniques and they just wanted to do their best in the final match.
The Chinese duo remained unbeaten at the Beijing Games but sometimes they had to come from behind to win a match. Their instability in performance will be meeting the hardest test in the final.
Tian and Wang, who have already made history for China whose previous best Olympics finish was ninth place, are expected to pose some threats to the defending champions with the support of thousands of home crowd but the result may still be that the American duo prolongs its current 107-match winning streak to a 108-match one.
Source:Xinhua
Far more than that. Dubbed as "queens of the beach", the American duo have not been defeated in a single match since last August.
The 1.75-meter May-Treanor and 1.88-meter Walsh play so solid that almost every time when the rivals launch a powerful attack and you expect the Americans to lose a point, they return the ball back, and score directly sometimes.
It's not only about techniques, but experiences as well.
The three-time Olympian May-Treanor said experiences are their advantage and they will use them to gain the upper hand over their rivals in Beijing. "Experience in beach volleyball comes into play in those big matches where fatigue sets in." said May-Treanor.
"We know where each other is going to be and where each other wants the ball. We're relentless. We keep the ball in play and let the other people make the mistakes," said Walsh, who is also for the third time at the Olympics. She played indoor volleyball in the last Games.
The combination of the pair is another factor which has contributed to their outstanding results. Men's beach volleyball legend and three-time Olympic champion of the United States Karch Kiraly also prized the partnership of May-Treanor and Walsh "the best ever".
Strong psychology is another significant weapon for the U.S. duo to perform well. "I will pretend that the crowd was cheering for us," May-Treanor said of the audience's anticipated strong support in the final at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground on Thursday , but not for them.
The U.S. duo will face China's Tian Jia and Wang Jie in the gold medal match.
Tian and Wang said their rivals were "very strong" both in experiences and techniques and they just wanted to do their best in the final match.
The Chinese duo remained unbeaten at the Beijing Games but sometimes they had to come from behind to win a match. Their instability in performance will be meeting the hardest test in the final.
Tian and Wang, who have already made history for China whose previous best Olympics finish was ninth place, are expected to pose some threats to the defending champions with the support of thousands of home crowd but the result may still be that the American duo prolongs its current 107-match winning streak to a 108-match one.
Source:Xinhua
China's Shi Dongpeng sails into men's 110m hurdles semifinals
China's Shi Dongpeng competes with Richard Phillips of Jamaica during the men's 110m hurdles second round competition at the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, during Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Aug. 19, 2008.
China's Shi Dongpeng sailed into the men's 110-meter hurdles semifinals at the Beijing Olympic Games on Tuesday.
Shi, China's No. 2 hurdler following Olympic and world champion Liu Xiang who pulled out of the game due to a tendon injury, finished third in a second round heat in 13.42 seconds.
Source: Xinhua
China's Shi Dongpeng sailed into the men's 110-meter hurdles semifinals at the Beijing Olympic Games on Tuesday.
Shi, China's No. 2 hurdler following Olympic and world champion Liu Xiang who pulled out of the game due to a tendon injury, finished third in a second round heat in 13.42 seconds.
Source: Xinhua
Interview: Scholar in U.S. says Beijing Olympics widen horizon of Americans
The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games "has widened the horizon of Americans," a senior scholar in the United States told Xinhua Tuesday.
Li Cheng, a senior fellow of the Brookings Institution, expressed his appreciation of both the opening ceremony and the organizational excellence of the Beijing Olympics.
"The opening ceremony has widened the horizon of Americans," Li said, adding that while people in the Unites States were already fully aware of China's rising economy, they were able to learn more about its rich and ancient culture through the opening ceremony.
The organizational work also seems to be going well and NBC, as the sole broadcaster of the Beijing Olympics in the United States, has provided mostly positive coverage, also focusing on China's food, tourism and culture. Therefore, the Olympics are expected to make China the latest travel craze, Li added.
He also praised China's audience, who often cheer for foreign athletes even when they compete with Chinese teams. The good manners of the audience have also won appreciation from U.S. media, he said.
In his opinion, the Olympics will not only bring more U.S. tourists to China and allow them to know more about the country, but will also promote cooperation and dialogue between the two nations.
Source:Xinhua
Li Cheng, a senior fellow of the Brookings Institution, expressed his appreciation of both the opening ceremony and the organizational excellence of the Beijing Olympics.
"The opening ceremony has widened the horizon of Americans," Li said, adding that while people in the Unites States were already fully aware of China's rising economy, they were able to learn more about its rich and ancient culture through the opening ceremony.
The organizational work also seems to be going well and NBC, as the sole broadcaster of the Beijing Olympics in the United States, has provided mostly positive coverage, also focusing on China's food, tourism and culture. Therefore, the Olympics are expected to make China the latest travel craze, Li added.
He also praised China's audience, who often cheer for foreign athletes even when they compete with Chinese teams. The good manners of the audience have also won appreciation from U.S. media, he said.
In his opinion, the Olympics will not only bring more U.S. tourists to China and allow them to know more about the country, but will also promote cooperation and dialogue between the two nations.
Source:Xinhua
Chinese passion for Olympics continues with five days of competition to go
As basketballer Miao Lijie stretched China's lead over Belarus to 20 points with a three-point score with three minutes left in the game, the huge ovation rocked the display installed on a sponsor pavilion in the Olympic Green on Tuesday afternoon.
"This is so cool!" said Zhang Yi, a 21-year-old Beijing college student.
"Watching a game here might be less exciting than watching it live in the basketball stadium, but it surely beats seeing it at home."
Despite the 31 degrees Celsius temperature, more than 100 people sat with Zhang in a shaded clearing of about 100 square meters before a big screen on the Samsung promotional pavilion.
Many more chose to stand behind them in the scorching sun.
"This is not about watching a game," yelled Zhang, raising his voice against victorious roars from the crowd, "This is where you feel the Olympics."
Though officials with the Chinese delegation have said the country's charge for gold medals would not be as strong in the following days as in the first half of the Olympics, ordinary citizens showed no less passion toward their home Games.
Each day, tens of thousands of Chinese have flocked to the Olympic Green in northern Beijing just to catch a glimpse of the Games.
Over the past week, the park had received about 50,000 visitors daily, including event spectators and citizens with free tickets that are distributed to 10,000 Beijing residents each day.
"My family lives about 10 minutes walk from the Olympic Green. I practically watched the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube being built," said a woman who identified herself by her surname Xu.
"My husband and I couldn't get our hands on a single ticket to the Olympic Games. But every now and then, we hear the audience's roar in the venues. We just want to be part of it."
Her 10-month-old son was obviously too young to be a fan for sports as "he dozes off from time to time," Xu said. "But still, we like to take him to the park to feel the Olympic spirit, and he does laugh a lot more than at home when he's awake."
Though she was a bit disappointed by Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang's withdrawal on Monday due to injury, "it really did not matter that much," she said.
"I am sure we can win at least 45 or 46 by the end of the Games, and that's a record," she said.
Shi Weihua, a 37-year-old nurse working at a local hospital, was a bit luckier than Xu.
"One of my friends managed to get me two tickets to the handball events the night after tomorrow," said the working mom queuing outside the Coca-Cola pavilion with her fifth-grader son Li Tong.
"It's a pity we couldn't get three, so I decided to let the boy and his father watch the game. Me? I'm lucky enough to be here right now. It's a beautiful place," she said.
At 11 years old, Li was an even more enthusiastic fan than his parents.
"It's summer vacation, and he spends every minute of his time in front of the TV for the Olympic events. He always pops out sports terms we have never heard," Shi said.
Li said he was a huge fan of Lin Dan, the Chinese gold medalist in the men's singles badminton.
"He looks so handsome when he plays."
Aside from the sports venues and the Olympic spirit drenching the Olympic Green, the promotional pavilion of the Games' sponsors are also a hot attraction.
At least 1,000 people queued outside the Coca-Cola pavilion at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, one of the hottest time of the day, for the chance to grab the Olympic torch for a few seconds.
"The Coca-Cola pavilion offers chances to take photos with a real Olympic torch in their hands and has thus become a hot favorite among visitors," said Li Xiaomei, an Olympic volunteer from the Beijing University of Posts and Communications.
Li, who offers guide and translation services at a crossing near the pavilion, said at least 10,000 people visited the temporary display daily.
Meanwhile, the Johnson and Johnson pavilion included five of the ancient terra cotta warrior statues from Xi'an and the GE pavilion had an artificial waterfall that spurted water in the shape of the Olympic rings, both attracting huge line-ups despite the scorching heat.
"You can see the same number of people queuing in front of the gift shop and the post office in the park. You will have to wait at least one hour to finally make your purchase or to send your loved ones a postcard," Li said.
Source:Xinhua
"This is so cool!" said Zhang Yi, a 21-year-old Beijing college student.
"Watching a game here might be less exciting than watching it live in the basketball stadium, but it surely beats seeing it at home."
Despite the 31 degrees Celsius temperature, more than 100 people sat with Zhang in a shaded clearing of about 100 square meters before a big screen on the Samsung promotional pavilion.
Many more chose to stand behind them in the scorching sun.
"This is not about watching a game," yelled Zhang, raising his voice against victorious roars from the crowd, "This is where you feel the Olympics."
Though officials with the Chinese delegation have said the country's charge for gold medals would not be as strong in the following days as in the first half of the Olympics, ordinary citizens showed no less passion toward their home Games.
Each day, tens of thousands of Chinese have flocked to the Olympic Green in northern Beijing just to catch a glimpse of the Games.
Over the past week, the park had received about 50,000 visitors daily, including event spectators and citizens with free tickets that are distributed to 10,000 Beijing residents each day.
"My family lives about 10 minutes walk from the Olympic Green. I practically watched the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube being built," said a woman who identified herself by her surname Xu.
"My husband and I couldn't get our hands on a single ticket to the Olympic Games. But every now and then, we hear the audience's roar in the venues. We just want to be part of it."
Her 10-month-old son was obviously too young to be a fan for sports as "he dozes off from time to time," Xu said. "But still, we like to take him to the park to feel the Olympic spirit, and he does laugh a lot more than at home when he's awake."
Though she was a bit disappointed by Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang's withdrawal on Monday due to injury, "it really did not matter that much," she said.
"I am sure we can win at least 45 or 46 by the end of the Games, and that's a record," she said.
Shi Weihua, a 37-year-old nurse working at a local hospital, was a bit luckier than Xu.
"One of my friends managed to get me two tickets to the handball events the night after tomorrow," said the working mom queuing outside the Coca-Cola pavilion with her fifth-grader son Li Tong.
"It's a pity we couldn't get three, so I decided to let the boy and his father watch the game. Me? I'm lucky enough to be here right now. It's a beautiful place," she said.
At 11 years old, Li was an even more enthusiastic fan than his parents.
"It's summer vacation, and he spends every minute of his time in front of the TV for the Olympic events. He always pops out sports terms we have never heard," Shi said.
Li said he was a huge fan of Lin Dan, the Chinese gold medalist in the men's singles badminton.
"He looks so handsome when he plays."
Aside from the sports venues and the Olympic spirit drenching the Olympic Green, the promotional pavilion of the Games' sponsors are also a hot attraction.
At least 1,000 people queued outside the Coca-Cola pavilion at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, one of the hottest time of the day, for the chance to grab the Olympic torch for a few seconds.
"The Coca-Cola pavilion offers chances to take photos with a real Olympic torch in their hands and has thus become a hot favorite among visitors," said Li Xiaomei, an Olympic volunteer from the Beijing University of Posts and Communications.
Li, who offers guide and translation services at a crossing near the pavilion, said at least 10,000 people visited the temporary display daily.
Meanwhile, the Johnson and Johnson pavilion included five of the ancient terra cotta warrior statues from Xi'an and the GE pavilion had an artificial waterfall that spurted water in the shape of the Olympic rings, both attracting huge line-ups despite the scorching heat.
"You can see the same number of people queuing in front of the gift shop and the post office in the park. You will have to wait at least one hour to finally make your purchase or to send your loved ones a postcard," Li said.
Source:Xinhua
Roundup: World champion Russia into Olympic women's handball semifinals
Three-time world champion Russia edged out France 32-31 in a thrilling two-overtime-game to enter the semifinals at the Beijing Olympic women's handball tournament on Tuesday.
"Russia is one of the top favorites in Beijing. But I hope France can beat them in the quarterfinal. Compared with Russia, we would rather to play against France," said Hungarian coach Janos Hajdu after his team ruled out Romania 34-30 in an earlier quarterfinal.
Hajdu's hope almost came true, when France, fifth placer in 2007 World Championship, stunned Russia in the first half with a margin of four points. But the world titlist in 2001, 2005 and 2007 nibbled France's advantage after the break and evened the score 24-24, owing to Ekaterina Andryushina's last minute equalizer.
The first overtime ended with another draw with both sides netted home four times respectively. And Russia's solid defence in the last minute of the second overtime ensured their narrow win, leaving the disappointed French players weeping in the empty court.
"French is a very experienced team. We anticipated a tough game but no one could anticipate the two overtimes,"said Russia coach Evgeny Trefilov in a post-game conference.
Meanwhile, French coach Olivier Krumbholz blamed their defeat on the two referees. "I don't think they are qualified to referee an Olympic game. Maybe after the match, they should resign."
With the hard-earned victory, Russia will meet the Hungarian side, who finished fifth at 2004 Athens Games.
Left back Tonje Larsen scored twice in the first five minutes to give Norway a 4-0 start in their 31-24 victory over Olympic debutant Sweden. The Swedish side, appearing a little tense in the court, waited for six minutes to see their opening goal and legged behind with a six points deficit by the interval.
"We did not play well from the beginning of the game. It is tough to change things with Norway leading the first half with six goals. But I am satisfied with the second half, we played aggressively," said Swedish coach Ulf Schefvert in a post-match conference.
Norway did know how to keep their advantage, grabbing the second half firmly in control and never giving Sweden any chance to narrow the gap. Although top scorer Gro Hammerseng finished the game empty-handed, she contributed to the team with a series of beating all assists.
"Of cause we want to win a medal, but we have to focus on the semifinal game first," said Norway coach Marit Breivik, whose team will take on South Korea in the semifinals.
Norway did not want to talking about the medal plan, but their opponent did. After upsetting host China 31-23 in the quarterfinal today, Athens Games runner-up South Korea has already pinned the hope on its third Olympic gold medal.
"I still feel regretful to lose the title to Denmark in Athens four years ago. Our aim in Beijing is still the gold medal. Currently, our players are all in a solid form. We will try our best to bring the gold back to our country," said South Korean pivot Huh Soon-young, who received a silver in the Athens Games.
The South Korean team lost the Olympic title in the final of 2004 Athens Games, conceding 36-38 to Denmark after two periods of extra time and a penalty shootout. And the team also had to see the retirement of several seasoned key players after the heroic loss.
"Both South Korean and Norwegian teams have players playing in Danish handball league. So we are familiar with the opponents. We will not feel too much pressure when facing Norway," said Huh Soon-young, who converted five goals out of six shots today.
Source:Xinhua
"Russia is one of the top favorites in Beijing. But I hope France can beat them in the quarterfinal. Compared with Russia, we would rather to play against France," said Hungarian coach Janos Hajdu after his team ruled out Romania 34-30 in an earlier quarterfinal.
Hajdu's hope almost came true, when France, fifth placer in 2007 World Championship, stunned Russia in the first half with a margin of four points. But the world titlist in 2001, 2005 and 2007 nibbled France's advantage after the break and evened the score 24-24, owing to Ekaterina Andryushina's last minute equalizer.
The first overtime ended with another draw with both sides netted home four times respectively. And Russia's solid defence in the last minute of the second overtime ensured their narrow win, leaving the disappointed French players weeping in the empty court.
"French is a very experienced team. We anticipated a tough game but no one could anticipate the two overtimes,"said Russia coach Evgeny Trefilov in a post-game conference.
Meanwhile, French coach Olivier Krumbholz blamed their defeat on the two referees. "I don't think they are qualified to referee an Olympic game. Maybe after the match, they should resign."
With the hard-earned victory, Russia will meet the Hungarian side, who finished fifth at 2004 Athens Games.
Left back Tonje Larsen scored twice in the first five minutes to give Norway a 4-0 start in their 31-24 victory over Olympic debutant Sweden. The Swedish side, appearing a little tense in the court, waited for six minutes to see their opening goal and legged behind with a six points deficit by the interval.
"We did not play well from the beginning of the game. It is tough to change things with Norway leading the first half with six goals. But I am satisfied with the second half, we played aggressively," said Swedish coach Ulf Schefvert in a post-match conference.
Norway did know how to keep their advantage, grabbing the second half firmly in control and never giving Sweden any chance to narrow the gap. Although top scorer Gro Hammerseng finished the game empty-handed, she contributed to the team with a series of beating all assists.
"Of cause we want to win a medal, but we have to focus on the semifinal game first," said Norway coach Marit Breivik, whose team will take on South Korea in the semifinals.
Norway did not want to talking about the medal plan, but their opponent did. After upsetting host China 31-23 in the quarterfinal today, Athens Games runner-up South Korea has already pinned the hope on its third Olympic gold medal.
"I still feel regretful to lose the title to Denmark in Athens four years ago. Our aim in Beijing is still the gold medal. Currently, our players are all in a solid form. We will try our best to bring the gold back to our country," said South Korean pivot Huh Soon-young, who received a silver in the Athens Games.
The South Korean team lost the Olympic title in the final of 2004 Athens Games, conceding 36-38 to Denmark after two periods of extra time and a penalty shootout. And the team also had to see the retirement of several seasoned key players after the heroic loss.
"Both South Korean and Norwegian teams have players playing in Danish handball league. So we are familiar with the opponents. We will not feel too much pressure when facing Norway," said Huh Soon-young, who converted five goals out of six shots today.
Source:Xinhua
Dutch van Grunsven wins Olympic dressage gold
Netherlandish rider Anky Van Grunsven rides her horse Salinero during the dressage individual grand prix freestyle of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games equestrian events in Hong Kong, China, Aug. 19, 2008. Anky Van Grunsven won the gold medal of the event with the score of 78.680.
Anky van Grunsven of the Netherlands scored 78.68 points to win the Olympic dressage gold medal on Tuesday.
Germany's Isabell Werth scored 76.65 points for the silver and Heike Kemmer, also of Germany, took the bronze in 74.455.
Netherlandish rider Hans Peter Minderhoud rides his horse Nadine during the dressage individual grand prix freestyle of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games equestrian events in Hong Kong, China, Aug. 19, 2008.
Source:Xinhua
Anky van Grunsven of the Netherlands scored 78.68 points to win the Olympic dressage gold medal on Tuesday.
Germany's Isabell Werth scored 76.65 points for the silver and Heike Kemmer, also of Germany, took the bronze in 74.455.
Netherlandish rider Hans Peter Minderhoud rides his horse Nadine during the dressage individual grand prix freestyle of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games equestrian events in Hong Kong, China, Aug. 19, 2008.
Source:Xinhua
Tennis: Frenchmen suffer unexpected defeat in men's singles
Two French players suffered unexpected defeat to lower-ranked opponents in the Olympic men's table tennis singles competition Tuesday.
Christophe Legout, ranked 52nd, lost to 223rd-ranked Doan Kien Quoc of Vietnam 4-2 in the men's singles first round, while 39-year-old Patrick Chila, who won a doubles bronze at the Sydney Games, blew a 3-0 lead, losing to a 96th-ranked Hungarian Janos Jakab.
A disappointed Chila announced his retirement afterwards, saying "this was my last international table tennis game, though it wasn't the best way to finish."
Chila has been a regular member of the French national team for 20 years and played his first world championships in 1989.
The other Frenchman, Damien Eloi, reached the second round, by beating an Egyptian opponent 4-3.
Sweden's second best Jens Lundqvist also suffered a 4-2 upset when the 58th-ranked player lost to Australia's William Henzell, who trained in Europe for years and is ranked 145th.
David Zhuang, the only U.S. player in the men's singles, was knocked out by Nigeria's Segun Toriola 4-3.
On the women's side, only one European-born player reached the third round of the singles competition on Tuesday, remaining on track to challenge the top 16 Asians.
Viktoria Pavlovich of Belarus, ranked 34th in the world, had little difficulty in demolishing 61st-ranked Elizabeta Samara of Romania 4-1 in the second round.
Three former Chinese, Dang Ye-seo of South Korea, Li Jie of the Netherlands and Hu Melek of Turkey, also advanced to the third round.
Participants in the singles event include 78 men and 77 women. The top 16 women, all of whom are Asians, will not take to the tables until the third round begins on Wednesday.
Among the 16, 12 are Chinese by birth, with the other four being Japanese and South Koreans.
Source:Xinhua
Christophe Legout, ranked 52nd, lost to 223rd-ranked Doan Kien Quoc of Vietnam 4-2 in the men's singles first round, while 39-year-old Patrick Chila, who won a doubles bronze at the Sydney Games, blew a 3-0 lead, losing to a 96th-ranked Hungarian Janos Jakab.
A disappointed Chila announced his retirement afterwards, saying "this was my last international table tennis game, though it wasn't the best way to finish."
Chila has been a regular member of the French national team for 20 years and played his first world championships in 1989.
The other Frenchman, Damien Eloi, reached the second round, by beating an Egyptian opponent 4-3.
Sweden's second best Jens Lundqvist also suffered a 4-2 upset when the 58th-ranked player lost to Australia's William Henzell, who trained in Europe for years and is ranked 145th.
David Zhuang, the only U.S. player in the men's singles, was knocked out by Nigeria's Segun Toriola 4-3.
On the women's side, only one European-born player reached the third round of the singles competition on Tuesday, remaining on track to challenge the top 16 Asians.
Viktoria Pavlovich of Belarus, ranked 34th in the world, had little difficulty in demolishing 61st-ranked Elizabeta Samara of Romania 4-1 in the second round.
Three former Chinese, Dang Ye-seo of South Korea, Li Jie of the Netherlands and Hu Melek of Turkey, also advanced to the third round.
Participants in the singles event include 78 men and 77 women. The top 16 women, all of whom are Asians, will not take to the tables until the third round begins on Wednesday.
Among the 16, 12 are Chinese by birth, with the other four being Japanese and South Koreans.
Source:Xinhua
Palestinian swimmer beats all odds
Zakia Nassar, the 21-year-old Palestinian swimmer who last week fulfilled her lifelong ambition to compete at the Olympics, deserves a gold medal for her tenacity.
Having had neither a coach nor access to an Olympic-sized pool for the past year, Nassar, who is currently studying dentistry, had no option but to train on her own at a 12 m public pool.
The coach Nassar had a year ago left her to her own devices when the 25 m pool in Bethlehem closed down.
"There is no pool in Jenin where I am studying," she said.
"So I can swim only once or twice a month when I go back to my parents' home in Bethlehem."
There is a 50 m pool in nearby Nazareth, but the Israeli government does not permit her to use it.
Nassar said it was often embarrassing trying to train at the public pool, with other people swimming and splashing around.
"Sometimes people cut across me, and others would get angry when I swam into them. But quite a few made way for me," she said.
"I got so depressed sometimes I couldn't help crying, but my parents and friends encouraged me, reminding me that I had to keep training if I really wanted to go to the Olympics."
It was only when Nassar arrived in China a month ago that she finally got the opportunity to swim in a 50 m pool and enjoy the benefits of having a coach.
When she at last took part in the Games, she swam the 50 m in 31.97 seconds, an improvement of 7 seconds on her personal best.
Despite her time being good enough only for 79th place, Nassar said it was "the most beautiful moment" of her life.
"Participating in a race at the Olympics was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," she said.
"It felt like I was flying."
But she is not sure if she will go to the next Olympics.
"I won't compete unless I've done the right training. But as swimming is in my soul, I'll probably be a coach in my spare time," she said.
Source: China Daily
Having had neither a coach nor access to an Olympic-sized pool for the past year, Nassar, who is currently studying dentistry, had no option but to train on her own at a 12 m public pool.
The coach Nassar had a year ago left her to her own devices when the 25 m pool in Bethlehem closed down.
"There is no pool in Jenin where I am studying," she said.
"So I can swim only once or twice a month when I go back to my parents' home in Bethlehem."
There is a 50 m pool in nearby Nazareth, but the Israeli government does not permit her to use it.
Nassar said it was often embarrassing trying to train at the public pool, with other people swimming and splashing around.
"Sometimes people cut across me, and others would get angry when I swam into them. But quite a few made way for me," she said.
"I got so depressed sometimes I couldn't help crying, but my parents and friends encouraged me, reminding me that I had to keep training if I really wanted to go to the Olympics."
It was only when Nassar arrived in China a month ago that she finally got the opportunity to swim in a 50 m pool and enjoy the benefits of having a coach.
When she at last took part in the Games, she swam the 50 m in 31.97 seconds, an improvement of 7 seconds on her personal best.
Despite her time being good enough only for 79th place, Nassar said it was "the most beautiful moment" of her life.
"Participating in a race at the Olympics was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," she said.
"It felt like I was flying."
But she is not sure if she will go to the next Olympics.
"I won't compete unless I've done the right training. But as swimming is in my soul, I'll probably be a coach in my spare time," she said.
Source: China Daily
U.S. beats Italy to reach last four at Olympic women's volleyball
Host China will meet Brazil in the semifinals of the Olympic women's volleyball event, but the teams followed different path in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
The Chinese girls, who claimed the gold medal in an epic final against Russia in the Athens Games four years ago, edged out the same opponents 25-22, 27-25, 25-19 in the one hour and 24 minutes thriller.
In an earlier quarterfinal, world number one team Brazil was hardly tested before blitzing Japan 25-12, 25-20, 25-16 in just 67 minutes.
The team, labeled as the heaviest favorite for the gold medal, has now compiled a 6-0 clean sheet since the preliminaries and did not even drop one single set.
"It will be a very difficult match against Russia or China but our team is confident because of the way we have been playing," said Brazilian winger Sheilla Castro, the best scorer of the team.
Cuba also pulled off a solid game to beat Serbia 26-24, 25-19, 26-24, and will in the other semifinal take on the United States, who survived a five-set thriller to beat World Cup winner Italy.
The United States twice rallied from one set down to force a tie-breaker, which they won at 15-6.
"I felt very happy with the result, they can always bring me surprise. I am so proud of them," American head coach Lang Ping, a former Chinese player, said after the match.
Cuba, former world champions and Athens bronze medalists, met serious challenge from the Serbian girls in the beginning of the match. The opening set was close as either of the teams could pull away until the set was levelled at 24-all.
Cuban spiker Yumilka Ruiz hit an excellent smash and then an error from Serbia gave Cuba the first set.
It was in the second set that the Cuban girls, who won three straight Olympic gold medals in 1992, 1996 and 2000, have started to take control over the match.
After claiming the set at 25-19, Cuba took their opponents lightly in the third set while Serbia mounted a strong comeback and after two straight blocks from Maja Ognjenovic, the Serbian team overtook the lead at 22 -20.
However, Serbia was not consistent in the remaining time.
"We're pleased with this victory, and with the opportunity to fight for the medals. It was a tough match and Serbia are a tough team," said Cuba head coach Antonio Perdomo Estrella.
"Today's match was very difficult and both teams were under mental pressure. Despite the victory we didn't feel relaxed, and we must play better in the next two matches. All four teams will be feeling the same emotions."
Playing in a repeat of the Athens Games final, China and Russia both needed a win to stay on course especially after they compiled a disappointing 3-2 record in the preliminaries.
"We had chance to win the first and second sets, but we are troubled with our poor attack and the Chinese girls did a good job in blocking," Russian head coach Giovanni Caprara said.
The Russian girls did not give up even when they lost the first set and squandered two set points in the second set.
But in the third set, the team showed some signs of vulnerability when they were up 16-13. Since then, the match turned in China's favor, with the Russian attack stuffed on the net. China used a 12-3 run to take the set and the whole match.
"This was a very important game for us, we are so happy that we won because we knew that Russia is a very strong team," said China captain Feng Kun. "In the quarterfinals there are no weak teams, so we knew we must win every point, so we fought for each point and were successful in the end."
"This victory did not come easily. In the preliminary round we suffered setbacks, we lost two matches and we knew we needed to control our emotions in order to succeed."
Source:Xinhua
The Chinese girls, who claimed the gold medal in an epic final against Russia in the Athens Games four years ago, edged out the same opponents 25-22, 27-25, 25-19 in the one hour and 24 minutes thriller.
In an earlier quarterfinal, world number one team Brazil was hardly tested before blitzing Japan 25-12, 25-20, 25-16 in just 67 minutes.
The team, labeled as the heaviest favorite for the gold medal, has now compiled a 6-0 clean sheet since the preliminaries and did not even drop one single set.
"It will be a very difficult match against Russia or China but our team is confident because of the way we have been playing," said Brazilian winger Sheilla Castro, the best scorer of the team.
Cuba also pulled off a solid game to beat Serbia 26-24, 25-19, 26-24, and will in the other semifinal take on the United States, who survived a five-set thriller to beat World Cup winner Italy.
The United States twice rallied from one set down to force a tie-breaker, which they won at 15-6.
"I felt very happy with the result, they can always bring me surprise. I am so proud of them," American head coach Lang Ping, a former Chinese player, said after the match.
Cuba, former world champions and Athens bronze medalists, met serious challenge from the Serbian girls in the beginning of the match. The opening set was close as either of the teams could pull away until the set was levelled at 24-all.
Cuban spiker Yumilka Ruiz hit an excellent smash and then an error from Serbia gave Cuba the first set.
It was in the second set that the Cuban girls, who won three straight Olympic gold medals in 1992, 1996 and 2000, have started to take control over the match.
After claiming the set at 25-19, Cuba took their opponents lightly in the third set while Serbia mounted a strong comeback and after two straight blocks from Maja Ognjenovic, the Serbian team overtook the lead at 22 -20.
However, Serbia was not consistent in the remaining time.
"We're pleased with this victory, and with the opportunity to fight for the medals. It was a tough match and Serbia are a tough team," said Cuba head coach Antonio Perdomo Estrella.
"Today's match was very difficult and both teams were under mental pressure. Despite the victory we didn't feel relaxed, and we must play better in the next two matches. All four teams will be feeling the same emotions."
Playing in a repeat of the Athens Games final, China and Russia both needed a win to stay on course especially after they compiled a disappointing 3-2 record in the preliminaries.
"We had chance to win the first and second sets, but we are troubled with our poor attack and the Chinese girls did a good job in blocking," Russian head coach Giovanni Caprara said.
The Russian girls did not give up even when they lost the first set and squandered two set points in the second set.
But in the third set, the team showed some signs of vulnerability when they were up 16-13. Since then, the match turned in China's favor, with the Russian attack stuffed on the net. China used a 12-3 run to take the set and the whole match.
"This was a very important game for us, we are so happy that we won because we knew that Russia is a very strong team," said China captain Feng Kun. "In the quarterfinals there are no weak teams, so we knew we must win every point, so we fought for each point and were successful in the end."
"This victory did not come easily. In the preliminary round we suffered setbacks, we lost two matches and we knew we needed to control our emotions in order to succeed."
Source:Xinhua
Globetrotters impressed in Beijing
Indian couple Omprakash and Prem Mundra make it a point to attend most major international sporting events.
Their Beijing trip took three years in the planning and has proved to be well worth it, they said.
Omprakash, a 58-year-old steel industrialist from the central Indian city of Nagpur, and his wife, have attended two Soccer World Cups, five Cricket World Cups, three Olympic Games; Sydney, Athens and Turin, and the Doha Asian Games.
The couple started planning for the Beijing Olympics right after they returned home from Athens. They booked their hotel online, made hundreds of phone calls, and sent countless e-mails to the Beijing Olympic Games Organizing Committee.
"I doubt there are many people like us who make such plans and trips," Omprakash said. "And since the day we arrived in China, everything has been unbelievably smooth and comfortable."
Although getting a ticket to an event could mean holding a "ticket wanted" sign in the streets, the couple has managed to attend as many events as possible.
With the help of the Indian Olympic Committee and their bargaining skills, the Mundras have watched 20 events and spent more than 7,800 yuan on tickets.
Sometimes, they have three events to attend in a day, which means skipping meals and sleep.
"When I stand in the crowds, I don't feel hungry," Omprakash said.
Besides the Games, the couple said the best part of their stay in China is the hospitality of the people. They have encountered nothing but kindness.
People have directed them to their hotel at 1.30 in the morning, shared seats with them on trains, offered homes to stay for the night on missing their trains, and offered free Games' tickets.
"The people and the young volunteers have been lovely and fantastic. And they have always be ready to extend all help to us," Omprakash said.
Source: China Daily
Their Beijing trip took three years in the planning and has proved to be well worth it, they said.
Omprakash, a 58-year-old steel industrialist from the central Indian city of Nagpur, and his wife, have attended two Soccer World Cups, five Cricket World Cups, three Olympic Games; Sydney, Athens and Turin, and the Doha Asian Games.
The couple started planning for the Beijing Olympics right after they returned home from Athens. They booked their hotel online, made hundreds of phone calls, and sent countless e-mails to the Beijing Olympic Games Organizing Committee.
"I doubt there are many people like us who make such plans and trips," Omprakash said. "And since the day we arrived in China, everything has been unbelievably smooth and comfortable."
Although getting a ticket to an event could mean holding a "ticket wanted" sign in the streets, the couple has managed to attend as many events as possible.
With the help of the Indian Olympic Committee and their bargaining skills, the Mundras have watched 20 events and spent more than 7,800 yuan on tickets.
Sometimes, they have three events to attend in a day, which means skipping meals and sleep.
"When I stand in the crowds, I don't feel hungry," Omprakash said.
Besides the Games, the couple said the best part of their stay in China is the hospitality of the people. They have encountered nothing but kindness.
People have directed them to their hotel at 1.30 in the morning, shared seats with them on trains, offered homes to stay for the night on missing their trains, and offered free Games' tickets.
"The people and the young volunteers have been lovely and fantastic. And they have always be ready to extend all help to us," Omprakash said.
Source: China Daily
'Weak child' to king of rings
Olympic champion Chen Yibing was so delicate as a child that his parents sent him to a gymnastics training camp at the Tianjin Amateur Physical School to build him up.
On Monday they were rewarded, when the 24-year-old won gymnastics gold in Beijing in the rings event.
"Chen has always kept a low profile and is modest," Chen's childhood coach at Tianjin, Zhao Qi, told China Daily.
"But his achievements in gymnastics prove his talent," he said.
Before the Olympics started, however, Chen said he was less talented than his teammates in the national squad, as it took him much longer to master new moves.
But Zhao said Chen was just being modest. "When Chen came to train with me at the age of 5, many of the others in the class had already been training for quite a while.
"But he soon went past them all," he said.
As well as being very hard working and self-disciplined, Chen is easy-going, Zhao said.
"That's was why the school president and I both recommended him for the national squad in 2001," Zhao said.
Chen proved Zhao right when the gymnast won gold in the rings event at the World Championships of 2006 and last year.
With another gold medal secured, Zhao said he is now looking ahead to the next Olympic Games in London.
"By 2012, Chen will be 28, but if he maintains his form I can't see any reason why he shouldn't win gold again," he said.
Source: China Daily
On Monday they were rewarded, when the 24-year-old won gymnastics gold in Beijing in the rings event.
"Chen has always kept a low profile and is modest," Chen's childhood coach at Tianjin, Zhao Qi, told China Daily.
"But his achievements in gymnastics prove his talent," he said.
Before the Olympics started, however, Chen said he was less talented than his teammates in the national squad, as it took him much longer to master new moves.
But Zhao said Chen was just being modest. "When Chen came to train with me at the age of 5, many of the others in the class had already been training for quite a while.
"But he soon went past them all," he said.
As well as being very hard working and self-disciplined, Chen is easy-going, Zhao said.
"That's was why the school president and I both recommended him for the national squad in 2001," Zhao said.
Chen proved Zhao right when the gymnast won gold in the rings event at the World Championships of 2006 and last year.
With another gold medal secured, Zhao said he is now looking ahead to the next Olympic Games in London.
"By 2012, Chen will be 28, but if he maintains his form I can't see any reason why he shouldn't win gold again," he said.
Source: China Daily
China beats Belarus 77-62 in Olympic women's basketball quarterfinal
Host China roared into the Olympic women's basketball semifinals for the first time in 16 years on Tuesday, beating Belarus 77-62 in the quarterfinal.
Miao Lijie scored a game-high 28 points from a 10-of-14 field goals including a 3-of-5 three-pointers for China, who took silver at the Barcelona Olympics 16 years ago but never reached the last four since then.
"We have not played like this for a long time," Miao told the news conference. "We played with a very good teamwork and did all together just like one person. I am satisfied with the result and will try our best in the semifinals."
The Chinese will fight for a berth of final with current world champion Australia who crushed the Czech Republic 79-46 in Tuesday's another quarterfinal.
China took the lead early and finished the first period 19-13 after a 12-7 run and led as many as 13 points with two minutes to play in the second quarter.
The host led 38-25 at halftime and expanded it to 54-32 with a 16-7 spurt with 4:30 left in the third quarter.
Belarus never gave in and cut the cap to 47-56 on Yelena Leuchanka's layup with 7:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.
China regained the game as Miao scored seven to help China to a 15-4 run for a 71-51 lead, the biggest margin of the game. Belarus managed to close but never fewer than 11 points.
The Chinese shot 46 percent for 26-of-54 from the field goals including 4-of-9 out of long range to Belarus's 43 percent and forced the opponent to 27 turnovers, 15 of them in the first half.
Chen Xiaoli added 15 points for China, who was outrebounded 22- 41 by Belarus, who took part in the Olympic basketball for the first time.
Tatyana Troina led Belarus with 15 points, Anastasiya Verameyenka adden 13 and 10 rebounds and Olga Leuchanka hit 13 and grabbed 13 rebounds.
"I feel quite release now," said Tom Maher, the Chinese head coach. "It's not an easy way for us to win the game. I have to thank to Miao Lijie, who played great in the crucial time and lead the team for the victory."
Source: Xinhua
Miao Lijie scored a game-high 28 points from a 10-of-14 field goals including a 3-of-5 three-pointers for China, who took silver at the Barcelona Olympics 16 years ago but never reached the last four since then.
"We have not played like this for a long time," Miao told the news conference. "We played with a very good teamwork and did all together just like one person. I am satisfied with the result and will try our best in the semifinals."
The Chinese will fight for a berth of final with current world champion Australia who crushed the Czech Republic 79-46 in Tuesday's another quarterfinal.
China took the lead early and finished the first period 19-13 after a 12-7 run and led as many as 13 points with two minutes to play in the second quarter.
The host led 38-25 at halftime and expanded it to 54-32 with a 16-7 spurt with 4:30 left in the third quarter.
Belarus never gave in and cut the cap to 47-56 on Yelena Leuchanka's layup with 7:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.
China regained the game as Miao scored seven to help China to a 15-4 run for a 71-51 lead, the biggest margin of the game. Belarus managed to close but never fewer than 11 points.
The Chinese shot 46 percent for 26-of-54 from the field goals including 4-of-9 out of long range to Belarus's 43 percent and forced the opponent to 27 turnovers, 15 of them in the first half.
Chen Xiaoli added 15 points for China, who was outrebounded 22- 41 by Belarus, who took part in the Olympic basketball for the first time.
Tatyana Troina led Belarus with 15 points, Anastasiya Verameyenka adden 13 and 10 rebounds and Olga Leuchanka hit 13 and grabbed 13 rebounds.
"I feel quite release now," said Tom Maher, the Chinese head coach. "It's not an easy way for us to win the game. I have to thank to Miao Lijie, who played great in the crucial time and lead the team for the victory."
Source: Xinhua
China advances to semifinals after beating Belarus in Olympic basketball
China beat Belarus on Tuesday and advanced to the semifinals of the Olympic women's basketball tournament for its first time for 16 years since 1992 Olympic Games.
Mial Lijie scored a game-high 28 points from a 10-of-14 field goals including a 3-of-5 from long range for China, who took silver at the Barcelona Olympics 16 years ago but never reached the last four since then.
"We have not played like this for a long time," Miao told the news conference. "We played with a very good teamwork and did all together just like one person. I am satisfied with what we played and will try our best in the semifinals no matter whoever we will meet."
The Chinese will fight for the berth of gold medal final with the winner between world champion Australia and the Czech Republic in Tuesday's another semifinals.
China took the lead early and finished the first period 19-13 after a 12-7 run and led as many as 13 points with two minutes to play in the second quarter.
The host led 38-25 at halftime and expanded it to 54-32 with a 16-7 spurt with 4:30 minutes left in the third quarter.
Belarus never gave in and cut the cap to 47-56 on Yelena Leuchanka's layup with 7:40 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
China regained the game as Miao scored seven to help China to a 15-4 run for a 71-51 lead, the biggest margin of the game. Belarus managed to close but never fewer than 11 points.
The Chinese shot 46 percent for 26-of-54 from the field goals including 4-of-9 out of long range to Belarus's 43 percent and forced the opponent to 27 turnovers, 15 of them in the first half.
Chen Xiaoli added 15 points for China, who was out rebounded 22-41 by Belarus, who took part in the Olympic basketball for the first time.
"I feel quite release now," said Tom Maher, the Chinese head coach. "It's not an easy way for us to win the game. I have to thank to Miao Lijie, who played great in the crucial time and lead the team for the victory."
Source: Xinhua
Mial Lijie scored a game-high 28 points from a 10-of-14 field goals including a 3-of-5 from long range for China, who took silver at the Barcelona Olympics 16 years ago but never reached the last four since then.
"We have not played like this for a long time," Miao told the news conference. "We played with a very good teamwork and did all together just like one person. I am satisfied with what we played and will try our best in the semifinals no matter whoever we will meet."
The Chinese will fight for the berth of gold medal final with the winner between world champion Australia and the Czech Republic in Tuesday's another semifinals.
China took the lead early and finished the first period 19-13 after a 12-7 run and led as many as 13 points with two minutes to play in the second quarter.
The host led 38-25 at halftime and expanded it to 54-32 with a 16-7 spurt with 4:30 minutes left in the third quarter.
Belarus never gave in and cut the cap to 47-56 on Yelena Leuchanka's layup with 7:40 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
China regained the game as Miao scored seven to help China to a 15-4 run for a 71-51 lead, the biggest margin of the game. Belarus managed to close but never fewer than 11 points.
The Chinese shot 46 percent for 26-of-54 from the field goals including 4-of-9 out of long range to Belarus's 43 percent and forced the opponent to 27 turnovers, 15 of them in the first half.
Chen Xiaoli added 15 points for China, who was out rebounded 22-41 by Belarus, who took part in the Olympic basketball for the first time.
"I feel quite release now," said Tom Maher, the Chinese head coach. "It's not an easy way for us to win the game. I have to thank to Miao Lijie, who played great in the crucial time and lead the team for the victory."
Source: Xinhua
World record holder Robles cruises into 110m hurdles semifinals
World record holder Dayron Robles breezed through the second round of the men's 110 meters hurdles on Tuesday night at the Beijing Olympic Games.
The Cuban clocked 13.19 seconds in heat 2. After defending Olympic champion Liu Xiang of China pulled out of the race on Monday morning due to a tendon injury, Robles became almost unbeatable in the event.
Robles said after the race, "It's a shame what happened to Liu. I feel bad for him. I would have liked to race against him." He considered Americans being his strongest rivals in the final which is scheduled for Aug. 21.
David Payne of the United States, who also got through the second round, spoke of Liu, "It's unfortunate. He's one of the greatest hurdlers out there."
Shi Dongpeng, Liu's teammate and the only Chinese who is going to line up for the semifinals, said, "It is a pity for Liu Xiang to quit the competition. I hope he will get well as soon as possible."
"Before the competition," Shi said, "Liu Xiang gave me a call to encourage me."
Source: Xinhua
The Cuban clocked 13.19 seconds in heat 2. After defending Olympic champion Liu Xiang of China pulled out of the race on Monday morning due to a tendon injury, Robles became almost unbeatable in the event.
Robles said after the race, "It's a shame what happened to Liu. I feel bad for him. I would have liked to race against him." He considered Americans being his strongest rivals in the final which is scheduled for Aug. 21.
David Payne of the United States, who also got through the second round, spoke of Liu, "It's unfortunate. He's one of the greatest hurdlers out there."
Shi Dongpeng, Liu's teammate and the only Chinese who is going to line up for the semifinals, said, "It is a pity for Liu Xiang to quit the competition. I hope he will get well as soon as possible."
"Before the competition," Shi said, "Liu Xiang gave me a call to encourage me."
Source: Xinhua
Zou Kai concludes China's brilliant gymnastic show with horizontal bar gold
China's Zou Kai won the horizontal bar gold medal at the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday, putting a perfect ending to the host country's brilliant gymnastic show.
China garnered a total of nine golds in the top-class gymnastic competitions, setting its best result in the discipline at one Olympic Games. It was also the first Olympic gold captured by a Chinese gymnast in horizontal bar.
Meanwhile, it was another gain in Zou's medal haul after he has won the floor exercise and the men's team titles in Beijing. That enabled Zou to equal the record set by China's gymnastic legend Li Ning of winning three golds in one Olympic Games. Li made the marvelous achievement in the Los Angelas Olympic Games in 1984.
"I am very excited and want to cry. I have practiced most in the horizontal bar as it is the weakest part for Chinese men gymnasts. I fought for the gold with my highest difficulty. It was also the first time for me to use the routine in a competition. I was nervous but finished it according to my rhyethm," said Zou after the final.
The bronze medalist, Fabian Hambuechen from Germany, told reporters, "Mistakes in previous competitions made me sad and disappointed. I am happy now."
"I chose the difficulty of 6.8, rather than 7.0 in the qualification because I thought it was strong enough. I just took forward to the next Olympics," said Hambuechen.
Before the final, Hambuechen has suffered continuous setbacks by falling off the horizontal bar twice, respectivly in the team final and the men's individual all-around final. But this time he did not let the chance slip away.
Zou ranked only the fifth in the qualification. The 20-year-old gymnast remained quite calm in the final, although reigning world champion Hambuechen as the first one to compete, impressed the judges with high-quality twists and turns on the bar.
Zou chose a routine with the difficulty zenith of 7.2 among eight finalists to show his potential in which China has been transitionally weak.
A successful execution gave Zou a score of 16.200 points, securing the leading position to the very end of the competition. Jonathan Horton from the United States got the silver by gaining 16.175 points. The bronze went to Hambuechen who garnered 15.875 points.
Japan's leading gymnast Hiroyuki Tomita staged a routine with the difficulty of 6.6, comparatively low among the eight contenders. The score of 15.225 placed him the sixth in the final.
Yann Cucherat from Fance, the silver medalist at the 2005 World Championshps in horizontal bar, fell from the bar and ranked the eighth in the final.
"I fell, I don't know why. I gave my max. It's my dream, my goal - the Olympics are amazing." said Cucherat.
Source: Xinhua
China garnered a total of nine golds in the top-class gymnastic competitions, setting its best result in the discipline at one Olympic Games. It was also the first Olympic gold captured by a Chinese gymnast in horizontal bar.
Meanwhile, it was another gain in Zou's medal haul after he has won the floor exercise and the men's team titles in Beijing. That enabled Zou to equal the record set by China's gymnastic legend Li Ning of winning three golds in one Olympic Games. Li made the marvelous achievement in the Los Angelas Olympic Games in 1984.
"I am very excited and want to cry. I have practiced most in the horizontal bar as it is the weakest part for Chinese men gymnasts. I fought for the gold with my highest difficulty. It was also the first time for me to use the routine in a competition. I was nervous but finished it according to my rhyethm," said Zou after the final.
The bronze medalist, Fabian Hambuechen from Germany, told reporters, "Mistakes in previous competitions made me sad and disappointed. I am happy now."
"I chose the difficulty of 6.8, rather than 7.0 in the qualification because I thought it was strong enough. I just took forward to the next Olympics," said Hambuechen.
Before the final, Hambuechen has suffered continuous setbacks by falling off the horizontal bar twice, respectivly in the team final and the men's individual all-around final. But this time he did not let the chance slip away.
Zou ranked only the fifth in the qualification. The 20-year-old gymnast remained quite calm in the final, although reigning world champion Hambuechen as the first one to compete, impressed the judges with high-quality twists and turns on the bar.
Zou chose a routine with the difficulty zenith of 7.2 among eight finalists to show his potential in which China has been transitionally weak.
A successful execution gave Zou a score of 16.200 points, securing the leading position to the very end of the competition. Jonathan Horton from the United States got the silver by gaining 16.175 points. The bronze went to Hambuechen who garnered 15.875 points.
Japan's leading gymnast Hiroyuki Tomita staged a routine with the difficulty of 6.6, comparatively low among the eight contenders. The score of 15.225 placed him the sixth in the final.
Yann Cucherat from Fance, the silver medalist at the 2005 World Championshps in horizontal bar, fell from the bar and ranked the eighth in the final.
"I fell, I don't know why. I gave my max. It's my dream, my goal - the Olympics are amazing." said Cucherat.
Source: Xinhua
Feature: Li Xiaopeng repeats Olympic glory after bumpy journey
History repeated. Victories came again.
As the last one to compete on parallel bars, China's ace gymnast Li Xiaopeng did not let nerves catch him, but distinguished himself with next-to-perfect execution and wrapped up his routine with a solid landing.
The multiple world champion garnered 16.450 points, a sizable margin of 0.200 ahead of the silver medalist Yoo Won-chul from South Korea. Witnessing Li's crowning triumph, spectators soaked the parallel bars king with ovation and applause.
The glorious scene of the 2000 Sydney Olympics just emerged again at the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday.
It was the eighth Olympic title claimed by the Chinese gymnastic team in Beijing. After this, Li accumulated four Olympic golds, becoming one of the Chinese athletes who collected the most Olympic titles.
For Li, it was also a repetition of his feat in Sydney eight years ago: a team gold and a parallel bar gold.
"It took me four years, or even longer, to train for this medal. Coach Chen cried when I gave him a hug, because we devoted so much effort and time. The gold medal deserves our pride," said Li after the final.
"The gold is heavy. I will value it as many people have made efforts for the achievement."
The journey to the Olympic podium was not an easy circle but an eight-year long march full of pains and tears.
Li was China's leading gymnast of a new generation after Li Ning and Li Xiaoshuang at the Sydney Olympics. The then 19-year-old boy defeated Russian ace Alexei Nemov and gained the title in parallel bars. His impressive performance helped China power to top spot in the team final as well.
After the Sydney Olympics, Li won not only the love of Chinese gymnastic fans but also the title of "China's new gymnastic prince". He continued to shine in the 2003 World Championships by claiming titles in team, vault and parallel bars finals.
Out of expectation, greeting the prince in the 2004 Athens Olympics were not laurels but heartbreaking memories. Due to severe foot injury, Li lost all the titles there and captured only a bronze on parallel bars. He had to stay away from gymnastics arena for more than one year after the Athens Olympics, receiving a foot operation.
The blow did not defeat Li but make him more mentally strong.
His perseverance paid back. Last year, Li made a successful return to the peak form at the World Cup Series, winning golds in parallel bars twice, one on home soil and the other in Germany.
With only a bit more than one year left before the Beijing Olympics, it was too hard for Li to develop a new second vault in accordance with the new rule. He gave up his chance to compete on vault, but contributed to China's gold glory in the team final at the Beijing Olympics. On Tuesday, Li outclassed the field again with a brilliant performance on parallel bars.
Li said after the triumph, "The gymnastics experience for years let me know: After stumbling, you must stand up and move forward. "
Source:Xinhua
As the last one to compete on parallel bars, China's ace gymnast Li Xiaopeng did not let nerves catch him, but distinguished himself with next-to-perfect execution and wrapped up his routine with a solid landing.
The multiple world champion garnered 16.450 points, a sizable margin of 0.200 ahead of the silver medalist Yoo Won-chul from South Korea. Witnessing Li's crowning triumph, spectators soaked the parallel bars king with ovation and applause.
The glorious scene of the 2000 Sydney Olympics just emerged again at the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday.
It was the eighth Olympic title claimed by the Chinese gymnastic team in Beijing. After this, Li accumulated four Olympic golds, becoming one of the Chinese athletes who collected the most Olympic titles.
For Li, it was also a repetition of his feat in Sydney eight years ago: a team gold and a parallel bar gold.
"It took me four years, or even longer, to train for this medal. Coach Chen cried when I gave him a hug, because we devoted so much effort and time. The gold medal deserves our pride," said Li after the final.
"The gold is heavy. I will value it as many people have made efforts for the achievement."
The journey to the Olympic podium was not an easy circle but an eight-year long march full of pains and tears.
Li was China's leading gymnast of a new generation after Li Ning and Li Xiaoshuang at the Sydney Olympics. The then 19-year-old boy defeated Russian ace Alexei Nemov and gained the title in parallel bars. His impressive performance helped China power to top spot in the team final as well.
After the Sydney Olympics, Li won not only the love of Chinese gymnastic fans but also the title of "China's new gymnastic prince". He continued to shine in the 2003 World Championships by claiming titles in team, vault and parallel bars finals.
Out of expectation, greeting the prince in the 2004 Athens Olympics were not laurels but heartbreaking memories. Due to severe foot injury, Li lost all the titles there and captured only a bronze on parallel bars. He had to stay away from gymnastics arena for more than one year after the Athens Olympics, receiving a foot operation.
The blow did not defeat Li but make him more mentally strong.
His perseverance paid back. Last year, Li made a successful return to the peak form at the World Cup Series, winning golds in parallel bars twice, one on home soil and the other in Germany.
With only a bit more than one year left before the Beijing Olympics, it was too hard for Li to develop a new second vault in accordance with the new rule. He gave up his chance to compete on vault, but contributed to China's gold glory in the team final at the Beijing Olympics. On Tuesday, Li outclassed the field again with a brilliant performance on parallel bars.
Li said after the triumph, "The gymnastics experience for years let me know: After stumbling, you must stand up and move forward. "
Source:Xinhua
Canadian diver Despatie: silver medal is golden for me
Canadian top diver Alexandre Despatie battled injuries and bad luck to get a silver medal at the Beijing, and he sees that as no less than a gold.
The 22-year-old scored 536.65 points in men's three-meter springboard final here on Tuesday evening, won by China's He Chong.
"I'm very, very, very happy about my performance today, I had an extremely difficult year," Despatie told reporters after the performance.
The diver has been gnawed by back injuries in months leading to the Games and, adding to agony, he fractured his right foot in April. In the World Cup competitions in February in Beijing, the Athens silver medallist slipped to the fifth.
Despatie came to the Olympics thinking his bad luck was not yet over. In Monday's preliminaries, an unfortunate error dropped him to the ninth to make the semifinals. "Starting the event with a really bad preliminary, this made it all very very difficult," he said.
"There was nothing good about this year, but I managed to come through and stay focused. I'm sitting here and I couldn't be happier," he said.
"Four years ago, I could say I had the perfect preparation. I had won every single competition in the season. I was very fit, injury free and I felt great," he said.
After all that had happened this year, the second Olympic silver is just as golden, he added.
The Montreal native was popularly known as the golden boy for showing talent at a fairly young age. After weathering numerous competitions as a professional athlete, he has become more mature, visibly seen in his moustache.
He said competing in Beijing was a privilege. "Diving is so popular here and so appreciated. To be able to live this kind of emotion and with the crowd is very special to me. It's an fulfilling experience for me here," he said.
Despatie also competed in the synchronized three-meter springboard dive, pairing up with Arturo Miranda, and finished fifth.
Source:Xinhua
The 22-year-old scored 536.65 points in men's three-meter springboard final here on Tuesday evening, won by China's He Chong.
"I'm very, very, very happy about my performance today, I had an extremely difficult year," Despatie told reporters after the performance.
The diver has been gnawed by back injuries in months leading to the Games and, adding to agony, he fractured his right foot in April. In the World Cup competitions in February in Beijing, the Athens silver medallist slipped to the fifth.
Despatie came to the Olympics thinking his bad luck was not yet over. In Monday's preliminaries, an unfortunate error dropped him to the ninth to make the semifinals. "Starting the event with a really bad preliminary, this made it all very very difficult," he said.
"There was nothing good about this year, but I managed to come through and stay focused. I'm sitting here and I couldn't be happier," he said.
"Four years ago, I could say I had the perfect preparation. I had won every single competition in the season. I was very fit, injury free and I felt great," he said.
After all that had happened this year, the second Olympic silver is just as golden, he added.
The Montreal native was popularly known as the golden boy for showing talent at a fairly young age. After weathering numerous competitions as a professional athlete, he has become more mature, visibly seen in his moustache.
He said competing in Beijing was a privilege. "Diving is so popular here and so appreciated. To be able to live this kind of emotion and with the crowd is very special to me. It's an fulfilling experience for me here," he said.
Despatie also competed in the synchronized three-meter springboard dive, pairing up with Arturo Miranda, and finished fifth.
Source:Xinhua
Boxing roundup: China secures two more boxing medals
China's light flyweight boxer Zou Shiming and light heavyweight Zhang Xiaoping routed their respective opponents at Beijing Olympic Games on Tuesday night and sailed into the last four, securing two more medals for the Chinese boxing team.
Zou, bronze medalist at the Athens Olympic Games and China's biggest hope for the first Olympic boxing gold, advanced into the semifinals of the Beijing Olympics, after beating Birzhan Zhakypov from Kazakhstan 9-4.
Both boxers were cautious in the ring at the beginning of the bout, as the first round ended with Zou getting only one point and Zhakypov none. Zou initiated attacks in the next two rounds and took an 8-3 lead when the third round concluded. Zhakypov tried to keep up with Zou in the fourth round, but his efforts ended in vain as Zou blocked the coming punches.
With this victory, Zou has at least reproduced his last Olympic feat, and is now trying to go beyond it for a better gold.
In other light flyweight matches, Irish Paddy Barnes easily beat his Polish opponent Lukasz Maszczyk 11-5. Hope of Thailand Amnat Ruenroeng couldn't defend his world champion bronze medal, and was outscored by Mongolian Serdamba Purevdorj by 2-5. Without any surprise, Cuban Yampier Hernandez crushed Brazilian Paulo Carvalho with an impressive score of 21-6.
Another victory came to the unprepared Chinese light heavyweight Zhang Xiaoping. When fighting Algerian Abdelhafid Benchabla in the ring, Zhang appeared calm and relaxed. Unlike other Chinese boxers who tend to adopt a defense-then-attack tactic, Zhang struck first and gave his rival a surprise.
Though lagging a few points behind, Zhang didn't get impatient, but managed to catch up with the Algerian and then outscored him in the third round. In the last round, Zhang protected himself tightly against the storming attacks from the Algerian, and denied the latter a comeback. The Chinese finally beat the Algerian 12-7.
The victory was even a surprise for Zhang himself, who ranked 9th in last year's world championships. "I'm not that famous and so I just tried my best. I'm glad I won this bout," said the overjoyed Zhang.
In his category, Briton Tony Jeffries washed out Hungarian Imre Szello with a 10-2. Irish Kenny Egan outscored Brazilian Washington Silva by eight net points, giving no chance to the Brazilian to score even once. Kazakh Yerkebulan Shynaliyev, world championships bronze medalist, comfortably defeated Tajik Dzhakhon Kurbanov 12-6.
Unlike his winning peers, Chinese lightweight boxer Hu Qing suffered elimination in a quarterfinal against Frenchman Daouda Sow. Hu was leading 6-5 when the third round ended, but after he was given a two-point penalty for holding, the Chinese couldn't chase the French and lost the game 6-9.
The other three lightweight matches witnessed Russian Alexey Tishchenko, Athens Olympic gold medalist, crush Colombian Darleys Perez 13-5, Cuban Yordenis Ugas unsurprisingly kick Romanian Georgian Popescu out of the game by 11-7, and Armenian Hrachik Javakhyan enjoy a walkover due to rival South Korean Baik Jongsub's sickness.
Source:Xinhua
Zou, bronze medalist at the Athens Olympic Games and China's biggest hope for the first Olympic boxing gold, advanced into the semifinals of the Beijing Olympics, after beating Birzhan Zhakypov from Kazakhstan 9-4.
Both boxers were cautious in the ring at the beginning of the bout, as the first round ended with Zou getting only one point and Zhakypov none. Zou initiated attacks in the next two rounds and took an 8-3 lead when the third round concluded. Zhakypov tried to keep up with Zou in the fourth round, but his efforts ended in vain as Zou blocked the coming punches.
With this victory, Zou has at least reproduced his last Olympic feat, and is now trying to go beyond it for a better gold.
In other light flyweight matches, Irish Paddy Barnes easily beat his Polish opponent Lukasz Maszczyk 11-5. Hope of Thailand Amnat Ruenroeng couldn't defend his world champion bronze medal, and was outscored by Mongolian Serdamba Purevdorj by 2-5. Without any surprise, Cuban Yampier Hernandez crushed Brazilian Paulo Carvalho with an impressive score of 21-6.
Another victory came to the unprepared Chinese light heavyweight Zhang Xiaoping. When fighting Algerian Abdelhafid Benchabla in the ring, Zhang appeared calm and relaxed. Unlike other Chinese boxers who tend to adopt a defense-then-attack tactic, Zhang struck first and gave his rival a surprise.
Though lagging a few points behind, Zhang didn't get impatient, but managed to catch up with the Algerian and then outscored him in the third round. In the last round, Zhang protected himself tightly against the storming attacks from the Algerian, and denied the latter a comeback. The Chinese finally beat the Algerian 12-7.
The victory was even a surprise for Zhang himself, who ranked 9th in last year's world championships. "I'm not that famous and so I just tried my best. I'm glad I won this bout," said the overjoyed Zhang.
In his category, Briton Tony Jeffries washed out Hungarian Imre Szello with a 10-2. Irish Kenny Egan outscored Brazilian Washington Silva by eight net points, giving no chance to the Brazilian to score even once. Kazakh Yerkebulan Shynaliyev, world championships bronze medalist, comfortably defeated Tajik Dzhakhon Kurbanov 12-6.
Unlike his winning peers, Chinese lightweight boxer Hu Qing suffered elimination in a quarterfinal against Frenchman Daouda Sow. Hu was leading 6-5 when the third round ended, but after he was given a two-point penalty for holding, the Chinese couldn't chase the French and lost the game 6-9.
The other three lightweight matches witnessed Russian Alexey Tishchenko, Athens Olympic gold medalist, crush Colombian Darleys Perez 13-5, Cuban Yordenis Ugas unsurprisingly kick Romanian Georgian Popescu out of the game by 11-7, and Armenian Hrachik Javakhyan enjoy a walkover due to rival South Korean Baik Jongsub's sickness.
Source:Xinhua
China miss out top-eight in Olympic men's hockey
China was hindered from entering top-eight with a 3-1 loss to Belgium in the final day of the Olympic men's hockey preliminary stage at Beijing Olympic Games on Tuesday.
With one draw and four losses, China ranked bottom in Pool A with only one point. It was Belgium's first win after three losses and one draw.
China's head coach Kim Sang-ryul said he was very unhappy from the beginning to now. "In very match we started well, but one person made a stupid mistake which gave the opponents chances and more mistakes were made, and suddenly the match turned over," said the South Korean man, "but it was experience."
He also noted his team only deserved 60 scores for their performance in the Olympics.
Captain Song Yi converted a penalty corner which gave China a 4th-minute lead.
Xavier Reckinger evened the score for Belgium in the 28th minute. The other two goals came from Gregory Gucassoff in the 32nd and John-John Dohmen in the 48th.
Chinese defender Luo Fangming said they allowed many chances for Belgium in the midfield to make breakthroughs and they got plenty of time passing the ball. They also made several mistakes in organising attacks. "When playing against European teams, we often find ourselves falling short of physical strength, especially in the second half," he said.
"We are lacking in experience in major competitions. But there is nothing wrong with the coach's plan and tactics," Luo added.
China now play against South Africa for the 11th-12th place. Belgium, ranked fifth in the pool, face Canada in the 9th-10th playoff.
Source:Xinhua
With one draw and four losses, China ranked bottom in Pool A with only one point. It was Belgium's first win after three losses and one draw.
China's head coach Kim Sang-ryul said he was very unhappy from the beginning to now. "In very match we started well, but one person made a stupid mistake which gave the opponents chances and more mistakes were made, and suddenly the match turned over," said the South Korean man, "but it was experience."
He also noted his team only deserved 60 scores for their performance in the Olympics.
Captain Song Yi converted a penalty corner which gave China a 4th-minute lead.
Xavier Reckinger evened the score for Belgium in the 28th minute. The other two goals came from Gregory Gucassoff in the 32nd and John-John Dohmen in the 48th.
Chinese defender Luo Fangming said they allowed many chances for Belgium in the midfield to make breakthroughs and they got plenty of time passing the ball. They also made several mistakes in organising attacks. "When playing against European teams, we often find ourselves falling short of physical strength, especially in the second half," he said.
"We are lacking in experience in major competitions. But there is nothing wrong with the coach's plan and tactics," Luo added.
China now play against South Africa for the 11th-12th place. Belgium, ranked fifth in the pool, face Canada in the 9th-10th playoff.
Source:Xinhua
Roundup: World top four teams qualify men's hockey semifinals
Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, the world top four teams have shot into the semifinals of the Olympic men's hockey tournament in Beijing on Tuesday.
Top-ranked Australia, drawing Britain 3-3, finished the preliminary competition second in Pool B with 11 points.
The Netherlands, ranked third in the world, beating Pakistan 4-2 which added one more win to their tally, topped Pool B with 13 points.
In Pool A, the second-ranked Germany upset New Zealand 3-1 to finish second with 11 points, one point behind Spain who defeated South Korea 2-1.
Hosts China missed out their top-eight goal with a 3-1 defeat to Belgium. With one draw and four losses out of five, China ranked bottom in Pool A with only one point.
China's head coach Kim Sang-ryul said he was very unhappy from the beginning to now. "In the match we started well, but one person made a stupid mistake which gave the opponents chances and the more mistakes were made, and suddenly the match turned over," said the South Korean man.
The day also saw Canada downed South Africa 5-3. South Africa rank bottom of Pool B with five losses. They will meet China for the 11th and 12th place.
In the semifinals, Australia play Spain and the Netherlands clash with Germany on Thursday.
Source:Xinhua
Top-ranked Australia, drawing Britain 3-3, finished the preliminary competition second in Pool B with 11 points.
The Netherlands, ranked third in the world, beating Pakistan 4-2 which added one more win to their tally, topped Pool B with 13 points.
In Pool A, the second-ranked Germany upset New Zealand 3-1 to finish second with 11 points, one point behind Spain who defeated South Korea 2-1.
Hosts China missed out their top-eight goal with a 3-1 defeat to Belgium. With one draw and four losses out of five, China ranked bottom in Pool A with only one point.
China's head coach Kim Sang-ryul said he was very unhappy from the beginning to now. "In the match we started well, but one person made a stupid mistake which gave the opponents chances and the more mistakes were made, and suddenly the match turned over," said the South Korean man.
The day also saw Canada downed South Africa 5-3. South Africa rank bottom of Pool B with five losses. They will meet China for the 11th and 12th place.
In the semifinals, Australia play Spain and the Netherlands clash with Germany on Thursday.
Source:Xinhua
Lithuanian PM: Beijing sets high-level example for future Olympic hosts
Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas on Tuesday hailed the Beijing Olympics, saying it set a high-level example for other cities to host future Games.
Kirkilas, who came here for the Games, highly praised the organization of the Beijing Olympics and the performance of Chinese athletes.
After arriving in Beijing, Kirkilas watched some events including weightlifting and cycling and visited the Olympic Village. He also planned to see the canoeing flatwater race and visit the National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest".
"There is no problem with transportation in Beijing. We saw excellent infrastructure, very good conditions in the Olympic Village. China made a lot of efforts to improve the environment for the Olympic Games.
"The Beijing Olympic Games sets a very good example for other cities in future to organize Games. It depicts the spirit of real Olympic Games," he added.
China's basketball team, with Lithuanian head coach Jonas Kazlauskas, will face Lithuania, the bronze medalist at the 2007 FIBA European Championships, in the men's quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Kirkilas said he would "definitely" go to see that, expecting his team to win.
"The Chinese team has left me with a very good impression during the Games. If they win the game, we would be glad to see that as well."
Citing sports as a bridge linking the two nations, Kirkilas said Lithuania and China had developed good relations featuring high-ranking visits and booming economic cooperation since the 1991 establishment of diplomatic ties.
"China today has a fast-developing economy. We hope to further strengthen economic cooperation in fields like transportation and bio-technology, among others."
According to Kirkilas, the Lithuania was now discussing with concerned department of China about a plan to establish the first Confucius Institute in Lithuania.
"Chinese culture, language and history have attracted many people in Lithuania. They want to know more about China. We will continuously push forward exchanges between our two peoples."
Source:Xinhua
Kirkilas, who came here for the Games, highly praised the organization of the Beijing Olympics and the performance of Chinese athletes.
After arriving in Beijing, Kirkilas watched some events including weightlifting and cycling and visited the Olympic Village. He also planned to see the canoeing flatwater race and visit the National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest".
"There is no problem with transportation in Beijing. We saw excellent infrastructure, very good conditions in the Olympic Village. China made a lot of efforts to improve the environment for the Olympic Games.
"The Beijing Olympic Games sets a very good example for other cities in future to organize Games. It depicts the spirit of real Olympic Games," he added.
China's basketball team, with Lithuanian head coach Jonas Kazlauskas, will face Lithuania, the bronze medalist at the 2007 FIBA European Championships, in the men's quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Kirkilas said he would "definitely" go to see that, expecting his team to win.
"The Chinese team has left me with a very good impression during the Games. If they win the game, we would be glad to see that as well."
Citing sports as a bridge linking the two nations, Kirkilas said Lithuania and China had developed good relations featuring high-ranking visits and booming economic cooperation since the 1991 establishment of diplomatic ties.
"China today has a fast-developing economy. We hope to further strengthen economic cooperation in fields like transportation and bio-technology, among others."
According to Kirkilas, the Lithuania was now discussing with concerned department of China about a plan to establish the first Confucius Institute in Lithuania.
"Chinese culture, language and history have attracted many people in Lithuania. They want to know more about China. We will continuously push forward exchanges between our two peoples."
Source:Xinhua
5.0-magnitude quake hits Yunnan, China
An earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale jolted Yingjiang county, Dehong Dai-Jinpo Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, at 5:35 a.m. Wednesday.
The epicenter of the quake, about 10 km underground, was at 25.1 degrees north latitude and 97.9 degrees east longitude, according to the National Earthquake Network Center.
No casualties have been reported so far.
Source: Xinhua
The epicenter of the quake, about 10 km underground, was at 25.1 degrees north latitude and 97.9 degrees east longitude, according to the National Earthquake Network Center.
No casualties have been reported so far.
Source: Xinhua
Beijing Olympic medals among best in history: officials and producers
The medals around the necks of the victorious athletes at the Beijing Olympics are among the best in Games' history, organizing officials and medal producers said on Tuesday.
Zhao Dongming, the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games cultural activities director, said there were 302 events in 28 sports at the Beijing Olympics. In total, a 1,000 each of gold, silver and bronze medals were made according to the stipulations of the International Olympic Committee .
The medals were made according to the design standard, Zhao said. He cited reports by authorities including the National Center of Quality Supervision and Inspection on Gold-Silver Products and Shanghai Research Institute of Materials.
Tests on the medals awarded at the Beijing Games showed the purity of gold and silver reached 99.9 percent, he said.
The medals, which incorporated jade from northwestern Qinghai Province, were made by the Shanghai Mint under the China Banknote Printing and Minting Corp.
"We adopted advanced technologies and enhanced management during the production," said Luo Yonghui, a senior designer at the mint. "We are confident that the medals at the Beijing Olympics are the best in Olympic history."
"To ensure that each gold medal contains at least six grams of pure gold, we weighed each one before, during and after the medal was gilded. As the medals incorporate precious jade, we made 45 experiments on each medal. The jade never fell off."
The IOC has strict stipulations on the material, identification, weight, size and etchings on the medals. Each must be at least 70 mm across and six mm thick. The gold and silver medals must contain at least 92.5 percent silver, and at least 6 grams of 24-carat gold must coat each gold medal. Bronze medals are mostly made of copper.
The raw materials for the Beijing Olympic medals were provided by the Australia-based BHP Billiton. The company's mining sites in Chile and Australia provided 13.04 kg of gold, 1,340 kg of silver and 6,930 of kg copper.
"All the raw materials passed examination and the reports were submitted to the IOC," Zhao added.
Source:Xinhua
Zhao Dongming, the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games cultural activities director, said there were 302 events in 28 sports at the Beijing Olympics. In total, a 1,000 each of gold, silver and bronze medals were made according to the stipulations of the International Olympic Committee .
The medals were made according to the design standard, Zhao said. He cited reports by authorities including the National Center of Quality Supervision and Inspection on Gold-Silver Products and Shanghai Research Institute of Materials.
Tests on the medals awarded at the Beijing Games showed the purity of gold and silver reached 99.9 percent, he said.
The medals, which incorporated jade from northwestern Qinghai Province, were made by the Shanghai Mint under the China Banknote Printing and Minting Corp.
"We adopted advanced technologies and enhanced management during the production," said Luo Yonghui, a senior designer at the mint. "We are confident that the medals at the Beijing Olympics are the best in Olympic history."
"To ensure that each gold medal contains at least six grams of pure gold, we weighed each one before, during and after the medal was gilded. As the medals incorporate precious jade, we made 45 experiments on each medal. The jade never fell off."
The IOC has strict stipulations on the material, identification, weight, size and etchings on the medals. Each must be at least 70 mm across and six mm thick. The gold and silver medals must contain at least 92.5 percent silver, and at least 6 grams of 24-carat gold must coat each gold medal. Bronze medals are mostly made of copper.
The raw materials for the Beijing Olympic medals were provided by the Australia-based BHP Billiton. The company's mining sites in Chile and Australia provided 13.04 kg of gold, 1,340 kg of silver and 6,930 of kg copper.
"All the raw materials passed examination and the reports were submitted to the IOC," Zhao added.
Source:Xinhua
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