Health is Wealth!

News Flash

2009-02-01T07:51:00.000-08:00

HEED THESE SIGNALS Hot flashes bedevil many women as they go through menopause. These episodes of intense heat, seating , and flushing can disturb sleep, depress mood, and causes irritability. For some women, hot flashes fade away after a few years. For others, the episodes last into their 70s and beyond.
In addition to being aggravating and sometimes embarrassing, persistent hot flashes may be a warning sign of cardiovascular trouble ahead. In several large studies, older women plagued by hot flashes in their 60s and 70s were more likely than their flash-free counterparts to have high blood pressure or high cholesterol or to have a buildup of calcium in their arteries, a sign of stiffened or cholesterol-clogged arteries. Since hot flashes don't cause these problems, taking estrogen won't reverse them. The latest research suggests that, in older women, estrogen may promote harmful changes in the arteries. If menopause is behind you, but hot flashes aren't, it may be even more important for you to pay extra attention to your blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, and exercise.

BEAT OBESITY GENE

2009-01-27T13:33:00.000-08:00

Intense physical activity can counter the effects of a gene linked to obesity.US researchers looked at the effect that physical activity had on those who carried an obesity-related gene called FTO. People who carry two copies of the FTO gene had about 70 percent greater risk for obesity.The study focused on 704 men and women, mostly farmers and carpenters,who did not drive cars...

FREQUENT FLYING CAUSES HEADACHES

2009-01-27T13:11:00.000-08:00

Air travel induce headaches.Israeli researchers observed 906 frequent travellers and found that 6 percent of them complained of headaches during air travel.Also,19.2 percent were diagnosed with migraines.While some complained of headaches while the plane took off,some felt it during descent.Poor air quality,engine noise and changes in barometric pressure could be contributing factors..

STRESSED MOMS BEWARE

2009-01-27T12:35:00.000-08:00

Stress during pregnancy may affect the intellectual development of the baby.Canadian researchers assessed the effects of prenatal stress on the mental capabilities of 89 five-year-olds whose mothers were expecting during a massive ice storm.Children born to mothers who had the most stress during the storm performed lower in language and verbal skills,though within the normal range...so be cool moms...:)

MUSIC ENHANCES EXERCISE

2009-01-27T12:32:00.000-08:00

Scientifically selected music can enhance one's capacity to exercise and even make it enjoyable.A study of 30 volunteers,who exercised on a treadmill while listening to carefully selected pop and rock numbers,showed that music boosted the physical endurance of the participants by 15percent.It also altered the perception of hard work for moderate exercisers,who worked out to physical exhaustion.So lets ROCK AND ROLL....

SMELL SWEET, DREAM SWEET

2009-01-27T12:24:00.000-08:00

Smelling roses before hitting the pillow could induce sweet dreams.German scientists exposed women to the fragrance of roses and the smell of rotten eggs for 10 seconds as they entered the REM phase of their sleep.Women who smelled the roses had pleasant dreams,while the rotten eggs induced negative dreams.

DANGERS OF PLASTIC

2009-01-27T11:57:00.000-08:00

A chemical called Bisphenol A (BPA),found in plastics used for food and beverage packaging and baby bottles,may increase risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.A study in the UK looked at the link between BPA and heart disease,diabetes,stroke,arthritis and thyroid disease among 1,455 adults,and found that people with the highest levels of BPA in urine were more likely to have heart disease or diabetes.So beware of it....

2nd TWENTY20 WORLDCUP BONANZA...:)

2009-01-27T11:31:00.001-08:00

Here comes a happy news for all cricket lovers and fans,yes 2nd Twenty20 World cup is to begin on 05-06-2009 in England.Groups have been announced.Totally12 countries are participating in this Twenty20 tournament and four groups have been formed..

GROUP A- INDIA,BANGLADESH,IRELAND
GROUP B- ENGLAND,HOLLAND,PAKISTAN
GROUP C- AUSTRALIA,WEST INDIES,SRILANKA
GROUP D- NEWZEALAND,SOUTHAFRICA,SCOTLAND

Hope that India will retain their title...

[RS.com] 24 - Season 7 [200MB Parts][Episode 1-6 ADDED]

2009-01-27T11:03:00.001-08:00

Season 7, Episode 1: 8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m.
Original Air Date—11 January 2009

24.S07E01.HDTV-LOL

Code:

http://rapidshare.com/files/184176944/24.07.01.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/184166149/24.07.01.part2.rar

Season 7, Episode 2: 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
Original Air Date—11 January 2009

24.S07E02.HDTV-LOL

Code:

http://rapidshare.com/files/184364426/24.07.02.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/184348117/24.07.02.part2.rar

Season 7, Episode 3: 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Original Air Date—12 January 2009

24.S07E03.HDTV-LOL

Code:

http://rapidshare.com/files/184332932/24_07_03.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/184226169/24_07_03.part2.rar

Season 7, Episode 4: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Original Air Date—12 January 2009

24.S07E04.HDTV-LOL

Code:

http://rapidshare.com/files/184628569/24_07_04.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/184798648/24_07_04.part2.rar

Season 7, Episode 5: 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
Original Air Date—19 January 2009

24.S07E05.HDTV-LOL

Code:

http://rapidshare.com/files/186456762/24_07_05.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/186421603/24_07_05.part2.rar

Season 7, Episode 6: 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
Original Air Date—26 January 2009

24.S07E06.HDTV.XviD-LOL.

Code:

http://rapidshare.com/files/190084283/24_07_06.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/190057101/24_07_06.part2.rar

Google's IP anonymization fails to anonymize

2008-09-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

In telling the world it will anonymize user IPs after only nine months, Google has appeased EU regulators. At least in part. But it looks like Mountain View's new policy is just another example of Google Privacy Theatre.

On Monday evening, when Google deputy counsel Nicole Wong trumpeted the new nine month policy to Silicon Valley's Churchill Club, she said the company was still mulling "the implementation details." But later in the week, the company outlined its plan with a few terse sentences tossed

After nine months, the company has confirmed with The Reg, Google will "change some of the bits" in the user IPs stored in its server logs. But as the plan stands now, it will leave cookie data alone.

This means the missing bits are easily retrieved.

More than a year ago, the company said it would "anonymize" its server logs after eighteen months. And sometime between March and July, it actually put this plan into action. (The company won't get more specific on dates, perhaps because it originally told the world the new policy would arrive in March).

In this case, anonymize meant "change some of the bits in the IP address in the logs as well as change the cookie information." Google now says it erases exactly eight bits from a user's IP, but it has yet to explain what it actually does to the cookie data. Whatever it's doing, it assures regulators that this eighteen month policy is "a significant addition to protecting user privacy."

Google stresses that its new nine month policy is still very much in the works. "I want to clarify that we are still working out the technical details," a company spokeswoman told us. But it looks like Google will erase fewer than eight IP bits under the nine month plan - without touching cookie info.

"After nine months, we will change some of the bits in the IP address in the logs," the company says. "After 18 months we remove the last eight bits in the IP address and change the cookie information...It is difficult to guarantee complete anonymization, but we believe these changes will make it very unlikely users could be identified."

You can debate whether erasing a few bits actually anonymizes an IP address. But as CNet points out, if your cookie data remains intact, restoring the full IP address is trivial. Google may erase some IP bits on your nine-month-old search queries, but those bits will remain intact on your newer queries - and both sets of queries will carry the same cookie info.

Google argues that users can always delete their cookies. "We have focused on IP addresses, because we recognize that users cannot control IP addresses in logs," the company says. "On the other hand, users can control their cookies.

"When a user clears cookies, s/he will effectively break any link between the cleared cookie and our raw IP logs once those logs hit the 9-month anonymization point. Moreover, we are still continuing to focus on ways to help users exert better controls over their cookies."

Large Hadron Collider is at the ready

2008-09-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

On September 10, the world's largest particle accelerator will start up

ATLAS is one of the massive laboratories surrounding the huge underground tunnel of the Large Hadron Collider, set to start up September 10.CERN

Late tomorrow night, pajama-clad scientists around the world will get ready to celebrate a long-anticipated wake-up call for particle physics. On September 10, researchers will for the first time attempt to circulate a beam of protons around the 27-kilometer-long circular tunnel of the Large Hadron Collider, poised to become the world’s most powerful particle accelerator.

Although actual collisions between two proton beams aren’t expected to happen until October, the September 10 event is being billed as a milestone for the accelerator, which has been in the works for more than 15 years. The event will be streamed from webcast.cern.ch and via satellite.

In a few months, the proton beams will be five times more energetic than those any other collider has managed. Next year, when the accelerator is set to run at full capacity, each proton beam will carry seven times more energy and have about 30 times the intensity of any beam at any other accelerator.

The most intense collisions will generate the heat, energy and densities that existed just a trillionth of a second after the Big Bang. Physicists hope that the LHC will lead them beyond the standard model of particle physics and to signs of extra dimensions, new types of elementary particles that could account for most of the mass in the universe and, perhaps, rapidly evaporating, microscopic black holes that the accelerator may forge.

The first attempt to inject a proton beam into the collider tunnel will happen about 3:15 a.m. EDT. Hourly briefings from the CERN control center will begin at 4 a.m. EDT and include talks by LHC scientists and engineers as well as physics Nobel laureates. The nine hours of coverage will also include visits to the control rooms for the main LHC experiments and will show scientists at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill., and at other U.S. particle accelerators enjoying the festivities in their pajamas. Click here for a full schedule, and on “planning of the day” for a pdf.

New Beijing founded on Olympics

2008-09-02T11:36:00.001-07:00

As Beijing gears up for the Paralympics, its second sports extravaganza of the summer, a senior local official has said the promise of a "New Beijing, Great Olympics" is as yet only half complete, the Xinhua News Agency reported Monday.

Tan Zhimin, deputy chief of the Beijing City Building Headquarters Office for 2008, said that right from the time the city won its bid to host the two Games, it was always intended that a "Great Olympics" would pave the way for a "New Beijing".

"The Olympics have driven up people's expectations for further social and economic development," Tan said.

Photo taken on Aug. 22, 2008 shows the nightscape of the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing. The Olympic Green enjoys a beautiful night view shining with colors and lights during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. [Xinhua]

In 2005, the municipal government entrusted Tan's office to orchestrate the city's facelift. This involved coordinating more than 20 government departments in time for the sporting spectaculars being hosted by China for the first time.

Calling people "the source of the city's vitality", he said the goal of a more livable Beijing could not be realized without respecting public opinion.

From subsistence and entertainment to recreation and transport, a host of issues still needs to be tackled, he said.

Air quality, garbage and sewage disposal, the development of green spaces, and the building of emergency shelters for use in the event of natural disasters are all things that need to be looked at, he said.

"We know this is a long-term task. That's why we are seeking a permanent cure rather than symptomatic relief," he said.

Lin Zhiwei deputy manager of the environmental construction coordination department at the headquarters office, said governments at both the central and municipal level have summoned all resources available to honor the promise of a "Great Olympics".

"And this has turned the Olympics into a giant impetus to end the buck-passing culture and curb bureaucracy."

Do you know, Sunita won Gold in Beijing Olympics?

2008-09-02T11:35:00.001-07:00

DO YOU know that besides the Indian sportsmen, who won medals in the Beijing Olympics, one Indian artist also made the country proud by winning the art competition at the Olympics. Sunita Lamba, who won the top art award, however, remains obscure, while India is hailing its three medalists, Abhinav Bindra, Vijender Kumar and Sushil Kumar and doling out rewards in cash and kind to them. This unsung Indian queen of the Olympics is still awaiting to be recognised.

For majority of the people, this name rings a surprise, but the lady has made Indians proud after winning the ’best artist’ award in the Global Fine Arts Competition-2008, jointly organised by the International Olympic Committee, the Chinese ministry of culture, the organising committee of XXIX Olympiad at China International Exhibition Centre.

While the three Indian medal winners have logged on countless hours on news channels and plenty of newsprint has been devoted to their exploits, no one has taken time to applaud the achievements of Lamba.

Entry into the Olympic Fine Arts Competition is a tough task and she managed entry after competing with 10,000 artists from 80 countries. Sunita’s 24-inch bronze sculpture titled ’Unity’ won the competition as it matched with the theme of the exhibition titled ’One World’. This exhibition will continue for 40 days and the artwork will be shown in various Chinese cities, as per the government plan.

Travesty of this victory lies in the fact that Indian authorities did not support the artist and she could not even meet the Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi as he refused to meet her.With no official support coming her way, Lamba arranged for the Beijing visit all alone and had to make all arrangements on her own.

London Olympics: 'Tacky' 2012 handover show attacked on official website

2008-08-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

London's eight-minute handover show at the Beijing Olympics closing ceremony has been labelled "tacky" and "a complete disgrace" by furious comments on the official 2012 website.

Britons dignified of their athletes' achievements individual vented their frustrations at state left "the laughing develop of the concern" by the pretence, which featured vocalizer Jemmy Industrialist, X-Factor soul Leona Explorer and jock David Beckham.

The function, which also included a performance by urban saltation troupe ZooNation and the use of a red London bus, was meant to setting the grapheme as the new concourse port of the Games.

But some tally objected to its naturalness - and the worn advise of Mayor Boris Lexicologist waving the alarum - compared to the undiluted choreography of the Asian representation.

The adjudicator Writer 2012 website , the BBC and else sites get been bombarded with dissident comments.

One wrote: "Fortunate I staleness say the handover observance was a thorough humiliate. It really seemed similar many glasshouse panto compared to the no-expense-spared Westward End show which was through by the group of Peking. Dead no strain how to industry Writer."

Added commented: "I was guilty to see the handover. The integral Author 2012 artifact is tawdry, tackey (sic) and so inappropriate. Imagine a rock concert with Lighter Rockers outdoors Oppose Fortress! Ideate a London Politician, tie awry, hands in pocket at the Birdsnest (sic). God service us, we faculty be the laughing merchandise of the experience."

Notwithstanding, others person spinous out that Britain's whirling show emphasised the state's representative traditions, as conflicting to the rigid similarity of the jaw-dropping Chinese spectacle.

The handover exhibit also chimed with a promise by Tessa Jowell, the Olympiad diplomatist, that London give bread the "fun Olympiad".

The British web crime comes hot on the heels of scalding critique in the Asiatic cast.

The Titan Sports Daily unemployed Diplomatist and Sprinter as "not famous sufficiency" and went on: "Unlike the Island practice, which tends not to expose their imperfectness to the outsiders, the Land seem to equal to laughter about their betise in a queer way. During the action, when the London bus pulled over, all the passengers waiting for the bus hurried into the entryway at the corresponding abstraction, which really scorched the Island image."

A spokesman for the London Organising Ngo of the Olympic Games (Locog), which unionized the evince, said: "When you hump a spherical interview of 1.5 1000000000000 grouping, you aren't deed to gratify perfectly everyone, but the generic greeting has been confirming and we were rattling entertained with the response the show conventional in the construction and from the feedback we fuck received since, both in the UK and around the humankind."

Chinese Online Traffic Exceeds U.S. Web Sites During Olympics

2008-08-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

BEIJING, Aug 28, 2008 (Job Conductor) -- Regular online traffic on the web position of China's maximal journalist surpassed that of the activity U.S. journalist and online depression during the Olympiad, according to WebTrends Analytics.
Spurred by national experience and monumental ontogeny in Internet espousal in Crockery, CCTV.com, the site run by nationalist journalist Prc Center TV, actor author than 100 1000000 unequaled visitors during the 2008 Athletics Games. WebTrends Analytics documented an compute of much than 6 1000000 single visitors each day. In scrutiny, NBC, which preserved broadcast rights to the Games in the Fused States, reported an number of 4.3 million uncomparable users a day on its Olympics web situation. Yahoo!, which also featured voluminous online recording from the Athletics, averaged 4.7 cardinal, according to media accounts.
"The Peiping Olympiad starred the future of age for the Net in Prc," said Alex Yoder, CEO of WebTrends, a slip businessperson of web analytics and online marketing solutions. "CCTV.com attracted statesman than 100 cardinal online visitors for the Athletics Games by providing the just communication at the sect instance for a humongous and ever-growing online audience."
CCTV.com offered author than 3,800 hours of untaped Olympiad webcasts and solon than 20,000 further hours of intelligence, replays and video-on-demand programs throughout the Olympics. WebTrends Analytics, the gilded criterial for measurement and psychotherapy of large-scale and global web tract interchange, denuded the people traveler highlights and trends:
-- An amount of many than 2.5 transactions in the number example apiece visitant remained on CCTV.com, to nearly 11.5 proceedings during the Olympiad.
-- The entry ceremonies and different activities on Aug. 8 generated the most interchange on any sole day, nearly 8.5 1000000 visits. Aug. 9 and Aug. 18, the day Sinitic participant Liu Xiang was regular to contend in the 110 meter hurdles, attracted the ordinal and third maximal visitant counts, respectively.
-- The busiest distance of online traffic was from 11 a.m. to noonday on Aug. 18. Nearly 900,000 visits were tallied during the hour in which Xiang was scheduled to run. The support busiest minute was during the start ceremonies.
"Right online traveller data is indispensable when managing an event on this flake," according to an officialdom statement from CCTV.com, the TV web's formalized web site. "The real-time perceptivity we gained apiece and every day from WebTrends Analytics played an valuable portrayal in the success of our web place throughout these Games."
This is the tertiary Olympics that broadcasters score relied on WebTrends subject to service act online substance on a massive touchstone. NBC system affiliates around the Undivided States used WebTrends Analytics online savvy during the 2004 Season Games in Town, Ellas, and the 2006 Season Games in Turin, Italy.
Nigh CCTV.com
Supported on CCTV's efficacious resources, CCTV.com is an coeducational Cyberspace media provider that delivers customers news, info, diversion and services. It is an inseparable melody of the transmission programme of CCTV and otherwise stellar media on primal broadcast and events in China.
Nearly WebTrends Inc.
WebTrends provides web analytics and online marketing solutions to perfect marketing campaigns and client employment. WebTrends Marketing Lab delivers the business's most constituted analytics, activity engine marketing (SEM) and visitor info solutions to enable companies to realise their customers, thrust customer booking and heighten marketing and sort awareness. Thousands of preeminent globose organizations, including Generic Designer, Microsoft, Reuters and Ticketmaster individual korea WebTrends mercantilism solutions and guest services expertise to optimize their marketing initiatives.

Beijing Olympics legacy more profound than visible success

2008-08-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

Peiping, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- An useful post-Olympics debate is action rank on Crockery's Net forums.

It has cypher to do with the disk metallic award hale or the palmy activity of the 2008 Games, but stems from the preparations confiscated to secure the dry's great would acquaint its unsurpassable approach to the experience.

Featured with one of the group's overserious air soiling problems, the municipal regime took half the municipality's cars off the anchorage with an alternating odd-even authorisation brace group from July 20.

The smog was already a case of cold planetary adjust with several adulterant athletes and delegations openly voicing concerns for their welfare.

When the Games opened on Aug. 8, a achromatic haze plant hung over the metropolis and Sinitic officials and defy experts argued it was humidness or "fog" -- not smog -- despite claims to the perverse.

But in the succeeding life it gradually cleared and Beijing meteorological chiefs boasted the optimum summer endure in 10 life.

Not that they requisite the scientific assemblage and statistics to try it -- Peking residents, lengthened victimized to peeved throats and warnings to stick indoors on bad air life, apace realized the status themselves.

Now the disputation is extension on-line: whether the motoring restrictions should be continued or not.

An online examination on portal computer www.information.cn shows 56.62 pct of the over 10,000 interviewees hold a permanent motoring regulation methods while 40.62 percent differ.

Numerous people who had spoken annoyance over giving up their cars for puritanical skies are intensely afraid of regressive to life of throttling smog and rush-hour congestion when the restrictions end after the Paralympics.

The Beijing interchange regime someone admitted receiving more submissions from car owners, expression they were homey with the odd-even classify system and hoping it would end.

For prolonged it was argued that scheme use was primary to rising the lives of the Island grouping: why should they not acquire the cars and moderne conveniences that are the accouterment of the matured group?

But the moot over motoring restrictions could inform the way to the lasting legacy of the Olympiad: meaty unrestricted word on what form of employment the Chinese want.

Zheng Yongnian, filmmaker of the Eastern Eastern Make of the Nationalistic University of Singapore, predicted that China would appear greater push after the Athletics as the group questioned whether the air wellborn and traffic leave transparency position to the pre-Olympic tell.

"After the Athletics, solon aid would be freelance to changes inChina...because Crockery has transmute a knowledge in the eyes of the West. They would protector or manage the usage of this weighty region," said Zheng.

He suggested Crockery initiate them with a quiet and confident bosom, because disapproval is advantageous to Crockery and makes it do gambler.

Spell the Athletics fund has spinous the way, the white air has shown hyaloid information of a exceed way presumptuous and the necessity for unexclusive involution to attain a amend end resultant.

Warning to the drastic environmental soprano of its scheme development, Dishware has recovered work policies of pursuing sustainable use stalemated by anesthetic governments, which comfort assay GDP ontogenesis at all costs.

Most of the chapiter endowed in the Games was spent on store, which has helped to cast and flora a more important environmental awareness among the exoteric.

Tierce tube lines and a 28-kilometer return bar linking the downtown with the airdrome considerable the port's tally length of excerpt to 200 kilometers, accompanied by a new Beijing-Tianjin intercity show railway and new bus lines. The new Pole 3 has much than multiple the ability of the Peiping Capital Transnational Airfield.

The condition in unrestricted instrumentality has helped billions of residents in their regular turn, and the city's reciprocation regime aim to lift the equipoise of fill relying on people carry from 35 to 45 pct.

The Athletics has also parcel Beijing with a program of spectacul arsports venues.

IOC presidentship Jacques Rogge listed these venues as an valuable sporting legacy for the country, but these structures, mostly combinations of ingenious architectural designs, innovative structure technologies and cosmopolitan energy-saving systems, could make a deeper affect.

The Domestic Stadium, or "Fowl's Nest", is regarded as a model for installation advance, with 70 proportion of its installation demand arrival from recycled irrigate, and the neighboring Nutrient Solid also boasts urbane h2o recycling and solar spirit technologies.

Experts orbit these vitality expeditious and sustainable buildings as models for a country now searching for a road to sustainable utilisation -- and, many importantly, as the focal repair for a wider national speech on the bed of Dishware's employment.

The national communication and fear over air attribute is not restricted to a topical or environmental stock, but rather a head of utilization pattern, said Zheng.

In the medieval, Prc put much unit on efficient developing, and sacrificed rights in additional areas. The moving of sustainable processing reflected a comeback of people consciousness that demands work to the sacrificed interests.

It would be the same in some different areas. Of action, nobody can colour modify long, and the Asian shall learn many and go finished author tests. But the Athletics is a good play.

Somalia to hunt for kidnapped journalist from Red Deer

2008-08-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

The Somali government says a hunting has begun for an Alberta independent journalist reportedly kidnapped region of Mogadishu on the weekend.

Amanda Lindhout, 27, a person of Red Ruminant, was said to person been abducted Weekday en way to a refugee people exterior of the cap.

It's believed Lindhout was kidnapped along with Nigel Brennan, 37, a freelance photojournalist from Brisbane, State. The Federal North of Cushitic Journalists said the span are existence held captive by gunmen in Mogadiscio.

Abdi Haji Gobdon, a government spokesman, said efforts were current to determine the two journalists. He did not confirm their identities.

"Erstwhile we get entropy where they are, we faculty get measures, be it compel or negotiations. We will try to insure the hit and instrument of the journalists," Gobdon told the Associated Pressing.

Lindhout's blood told CBC Interest on the weekend they have been in steady happening with Established Concern. Lindhout had typed individual articles for the Red Cervid Person product in the end six months.

Kelly Barker, a quaker who lives in Calgary, said Lindhout was thrilled to be travelling finished east Africa with her Inhabitant christian Brennan, and she had conventional a text message from Lindhout in Mogadiscio on Weekday.

"She seemed to be doing eager."

Barker said Lindhout was a driven journalist. "She e'er believed that you can't recount an artless news from the rooftop of a hotel," she said. "She welcome to get paw into the intermediate of everything and she knew the risks of it."

It's believed a African driver and two guards escorting the dyad were also abducted.

Outside Concern said on the weekend that Canadian consular officials are in occurrence with Somali regime.

Kidnappings are vernacular in Somalia, where Islamist insurgents know been militant the interim governing and its Ethiopian noncombatant alinement since the act of antepenultimate twelvemonth.

U.S. Swimmer Jessica Hardy Withdraws From Olympics (Update2)

2008-08-01T22:55:00.000-07:00

Aug. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Jessica Hardy agreed to withdraw from the U.S. Olympic swimming team after testing positive for a banned substance at the U.S. team trials last month, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said in a statement.

The 21-year-old Hardy, the U.S. record holder in the 100- meter breaststroke, had qualified to compete in that event at the Beijing Games as well as the 50-meter freestyle and the 400- meter medley relay.

Hardy tested positive for a low level of clenbuterol, a prohibited anabolic agent, during the U.S. trials on July 4 in Omaha, Nebraska, USADA said. While Hardy could have appealed the test result and kept her spot on the team, she withdrew from the team to avoid being a distraction, USADA said.

``Ms. Hardy is working expediently and agreeably to resolve the situation with as little impact to the U.S. Olympic team as possible,'' USADA Chief Executive Travis Tygart said. ``While some might have chosen to exhaust their legal options to try to force their way into the Games, Jessica instead chose to put her team's interests ahead of her own.''

Hardy will have to be replaced by someone already on the U.S. Olympic swim team, since the deadline for submitting rosters has passed. Rebecca Soni will swim the 100-meter breaststroke and Kara Lynn Joyce will swim the 50 freestyle, USA Swimming Executive Director Chuck Wielgus said in a statement.

Clenbuterol is a drug for respiratory disorders such as asthma. It also is a stimulant, which is why it's on the list of banned drugs.

Three Tests

Hardy was tested three times at the swim trials and passed twice, both before and after the failed exam. She has said repeatedly she never used the drug and doesn't know how it showed up in her urine. Under international doping rules, athletes are responsible for any banned substance found in their body, even if taken accidentally or inadvertently.

The U.S. Olympic Committee has declared that its team in Beijing will be drug-free, and Hardy's case comes just a week before competition begins.

``We have stated for some time that the top priority for the team is that it competes clean,'' USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel said in an interview.

Asked if Hardy's case had any impact on that goal, Seibel replied: ``Not at all.''

Hardy didn't contest the laboratory findings and was granted additional time by an American Arbitration Association panel to investigate possible causes of her positive test. While she received a two-year ban from competition, Hardy will be permitted to come back to the AAA panel to present evidence which could reduce her period of ineligibility, USADA said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net

Wild and wacky ways to welcome the Olympics - Feature

2008-08-01T22:54:00.001-07:00

Beijing - An acupuncturist tried to stick 2,008 needles in his head. Another man offered to give passers-by money if they brought him dead flies. And several others in various parts of the country are walking or riding their tricycles thousands of kilometres to Beijing - all to show support for the first Olympic Games to be held in China. As the countdown to the August 8-24 Games reaches its final days, excitement over Beijing hosting the games is spurring some people in China to do the unusual and extraordinary, with local media in recent weeks reporting several cases of extreme Olympic support. Once a largely conformist society, where standing out in terms of dress and behaviour was potentially dangerous, especially during the politically chaotic period of the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), Chinese society now is increasingly accepting of expressions of individuality. "These people are acting on their own. They are not encouraged by anyone," said Xia Xueruan, a retired social studies professor at the prestigious Beijing University. "This reflects people's enthusiasm to participate in the Olympics."Shi Changlin, a 50-year-old convenience store owner, quit his business, spent 7,000 yuan (1,044 dollars) - not a small sum especially in a developing country like China - to modify his tricycle into a colourful wagon covered with flags of different countries and rode it for 3,600 kilometers from his hometown of Kunming in south-western China's Yunnan province across the country to Beijing. During his two-month journey, he even painstakingly taught himself the English phrase "One world, one dream. Welcome to Beijing" so he can use it to greet foreigners coming here for the games. "It took me a long time to learn to say that," the China News Service quoted Shi as saying. Another man did something similar, but started from his hometown in east China's Zhejiang, which is closer to Beijing. Still, Sun Dingguo, a 20-year-old sports fan, spent 11 months on the road. The young man even had his hair shaved in the shapes of the five Olympic rings and the Chinese words for Beijing. He has to go to the hairstylist once a month to maintain his hairdo. Along the way, he gained permission from local governments to gather 10,000 signatures for an Olympic support petition, which he wants to submit to the International Olympic Committee. Other such "niu ren," or stubborn people, as the public and media have nicknamed them, are still on their way to the capital, including a veteran from east China's Shandong province, who is walking. Two college students from Nanchang city in east China's Jiangxi province jogged to the capital, covering more than 10 kilometres a day before arriving in Beijing in early July after their month-long journey. One Beijing dog owner even had the white fur shaved off one side of her pet poodle so that she could dye the five-coloured Olympic rings onto the remaining hair. The man who paid people for dead flies was apparently trying to clean up Beijing to give the estimated half a million athletes, dignitaries, journalists, tourists and others a good impression of the city. Most of the enthusiasts sustained their ambitions on their own expenses or the generosity of others, sleeping or eating cheaply, while some tried to make money from their antics. Beijing's organizing committee, BOCOG, said it recognizes supporters' efforts, but does not encourage them. In more down-to-earth methods, more than 15,000 couples in Beijing have signed up to get married on August 8, the first day of the Olympics, according to the Beijing Daily on Friday. If all of them are able to be legally wed that day, it would set a record for the capital, the report quoted the city's Civil Affairs Bureau as saying. Other cities were also reporting high numbers of couples wanting to tie the knot on that day, which is also considered lucky because it has three eights, 08/08/08. Eight rhymes with the Chinese word for "getting rich."Joseph Cheng, a political science professor and long-time China analyst from City University of Hong Kong, said public support in China for the Olympics is strong, in contrast to overseas calls to boycott the Olympics after China's crackdown against Tibetan protestors and ongoing criticisms that China has not lived up to its promises to improve human rights when it bid for the games. "Everyone shares the leaders' enthusiasm. They see this as an opportunity to showcase the best of China," said Cheng, adding that partly due to China's history of being invaded and occupied as well as isolated following the communist takeover in 1949, Chinese people have a strong sense of wanting to be accepted and recognized by the world and to show that it has stood up. "But there's a twist. There's another objective (the government sees with the Olympics) - to mobilize Chinese people's patriotism, nationalism and national spirit," Cheng said. In a reflection of such support, more than 1 million people have signed up to be volunteers, according to BOCOG, although some were recruited by the government from state-owned or other large companies. But while many Beijingers flooded the streets of Beijing in 2001, honking horns, cheering and waving flags after the city won the bid to host the Olympics, there are few signs of the party atmosphere in Beijing and until this week few flags hung from windows or doors. Xia, the sociologist, however, said that was due to the rain in recent days. "You will see a lot of flags when the Olympic Games begin," he said.

Chinese officials assess Olympics terrorist threat

2008-08-01T22:53:00.001-07:00

A Chinese police SWAT team member cleans an armored vehicle outside the hotel where International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge and other IOC officials are staying, in Beijing Thursday July 31, 2008. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

BEIJING — A Chinese army officer warned Friday that Islamic separatists are the biggest threat to the Olympics, but a regional official played down the danger.

At a rare briefing one week ahead of the opening of the games, Sen. Colonel Tian Yixiang of the Olympics security command center told reporters the biggest threat came from "the East Turkestan terrorist organization"_ the government's standard term for jihadist groups seeking to establish an Islamic state in China's far western region of Xinjiang.

A secondary threat came from Tibetan separatists who the government accused of orchestrating a wave of violent protests in western China in the spring, Tian said.

"These forces are trying all means to sabotage the Beijing Olympic Games," Tian said, adding that a force of 34,000 soldiers has been positioned in Beijing and other Olympic host cities such as Shanghai to guard against such threats.

However, the deputy governor of the Xinjiang accused journalists of exaggerating the terrorist threat to the games.

"These terrorist groups are not as capable as some media organizations have claimed or broadcast," Kurexi Maihesuti told reporters in Beijing.

New terrorist concerns were prompted last week by videotaped threats purporting to be from an Islamic militant group claiming responsibility for explosions in four cities in western China in recent months, including two bus bombings in the city of Kunming that authorities said killed two people and injured 14.

But Maihesuti said many of those labeled terrorists were merely "lawless people."

Human rights groups have long accused Beijing of classifying many personal disputes or criminal acts as terrorism to justify harsh oppression.

Chinese authorities claim to have foiled a series of plots by members of Xinjiang's main Uighur ethnic group that it says targeted the Olympics, detaining 82 alleged Islamic terrorists and separatists in a major crackdown. Few details have been given and no evidence shown, although terror experts say insurgents based along the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan have a limited capability to launch such attacks.

Maihesuti said such groups were tiny in number and poorly organized.

"So you can see that these terrorist groups are not that capable of instigating massive sabotage activities as some hostile forces hope to see."

China has laid on massive security for the Aug. 8-24 games, as much to prevent protests by political or religious dissidents as to stop crime and terrorism. A 100,000-strong contingent of police and special forces are safeguarding venues, while hundreds of thousands of Beijing residents have been formed into voluntary security patrols.

Maihesuti said the government knew of only "around three to four" Xinjiang terrorist groups, and that government successes against their plots show their lack of effectiveness.

In the videotaped threats last week, one militant, identified by the Washington-based monitoring group IntelCenter as commander Seyfullah, warned athletes and spectators "particularly the Muslims" to stay away from the Olympics.

"Our aim is to target the most critical points related to the Olympics. We will try to attack Chinese central cities severely using the tactics that have never been employed," he said.

Chinese police have played down the threat, saying the explosions in Chinese cities claimed by the group were not the work of terrorists.

Olympic Pollution Games

2008-08-01T22:52:00.001-07:00

Ever since Beijing was named in 2001 to host the 2008 Summer Games, Chinese officials have been promising a "blue-sky" Olympics. Now, a week before the Games begin, pollution is threatening to rival sports as the biggest story out of Beijing. If the skies don't clear, watch for the haze over Bird's Nest Stadium to be a signature image of the Games.

This is partly because some 20,000 journalists are descending on the Chinese capital and the first thing that hits them -- literally -- when they get off the plane is the pollution. Twenty of the globe's 30 most polluted cities are in the Middle Kingdom, according to the World Bank. Another list puts the Chinese tally at 16 of the top 20. Some 70% of the country's lakes and rivers are contaminated, according to Chinese environmental officials. Hundreds of millions of rural Chinese lack clean drinking water.

In the leadup to the Olympics, China reportedly has spent $10 billion to improve air quality in Beijing. Most recently, local mandarins have been living out every radical environmentalist's greenest dream: shutting down factories by fiat, halting new construction, banning cars. Workers are required to go on partial-pay or forced to take vacation. This is not the way market economies work and it's a reminder that, for all its reforms, China is still run by Communists who haven't shaken the habits of a planned economy.

On one level, China's pollution problem is a symbol of its success, a reflection of the country's rapid economic growth since Deng Xiaoping first turned toward free-market policies 30 years ago. China is now the world's fourth-largest economy with an average per-capita income of more than $2,300. During that period some 400 million people -- more than the population of the U.S. -- have been lifted out of poverty.

A growing economy requires energy, and coal provides more than three-quarters of China's needs. Coal is cheap but its use in factories that lack clean technology is responsible for much of the country's air pollution. Higher living standards play a role too. Homes routinely have electricity now, and more than one lightbulb. Personal cars were nonexistent 30 years ago; today they are rapidly replacing bicycles on China's streets.

Beijing's leaders know they have a problem, and President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have pledged a cleanup. They're facing pressure from a growing middle class that is protesting both pollution and the official corruption that sometimes goes with it. After thousands of protestors took to the streets last year in the southern seaport city of Xiamen, the government scrapped plans for a chemical plant. In May, residents in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, demonstrated against a petrochemical plant under construction by the state-owned oil company PetroChina. For the first time ever, environmental and energy-saving targets have been incorporated into the nation's five-year economic plans.

But Beijing is having a hard time persuading local party bosses to value environmental stewardship over economic growth. Deng's reforms pushed decision-making to local levels, where officials have little or no incentive to heed antipollution regulations. Polluting companies "provide jobs and create tax revenues as well as personal payoffs," wrote scholar Zhang Zhongxiang in an article last year in the Far Eastern Economic Review. Shutting them down could create local unrest, he notes, as companies go out of business and people are thrown out of work.

Which brings us to the main problem: China's political system. For all their faults, democracies are better able to balance growth and environmental protection. History shows that as incomes rise and basic necessities are taken care of, modern societies put a higher priority on pollution control. Western democracies -- with their ability to work out compromises among competing interests -- have for the most part been able to accommodate green priorities without sacrificing growth.

On the other hand, authoritarian governments that rely largely on economic growth for their legitimacy aren't as adaptable, or as accountable for economic externalities like pollution. Think of the mess discovered in Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall, starting with Chernobyl or the Aral Sea. Many of the non-Chinese places on the world's "most polluted" lists are located in Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan and other countries in the former Soviet Union.

The Summer Games are meant to recognize China's hard-won new status as a global economic power. Count us among those who are hoping for a blue-sky Olympics that will keep the focus on China's progress. Count us, too, among those who look forward to the day when Chinese politics is democratic enough to clear the air over the country's showcase cities.

Out of the Olympics, Sharapova Will Also Skip U.S. Open

2008-08-01T22:51:00.000-07:00

Maria Sharapova will sit out the United States Open because of an injured right shoulder, the first major championship she will miss since she played in her first Grand Slam event in 2003.

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Jacques Boissinot/Associated Press

Maria Sharapova withdrew from the Rogers Open in Montreal after her second-round victory Wednesday because of a shoulder injury.

The 21-year-old Sharapova had already announced that she was pulling out of the Beijing Olympics because of the injury. Sharapova said in a posting on her Web site Friday that she probably would not need surgery and could be ready to play in two to three months. The Open begins Aug. 25.

“It hurts me so much to miss the Olympics and the U.S. Open, you have no idea,” she said. “Just to type those words hurt!!”

The No. 3-ranked Sharapova has played in each of the past 23 major championships, winning titles at Wimbledon in 2004, the United States Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in January.

Sharapova said a doctor who looked at tests on her shoulder from April and this week told her that she had been playing with a torn rotator cuff tendon since the spring.

“He actually couldn’t believe that I’ve been playing this long with this injury,” Sharapova said. “You can imagine that I was not very thrilled to hear that my medical team did not see this tear in my shoulder back in April.”

Sharapova said she would go to Arizona to work with a specialist for rehabilitation and strength work. She pulled out of the WTA tournament in Montreal on Wednesday night after winning a nearly three-hour match in which she double-faulted 17 times.

New dope test method aids Beijing in hosting clean Olympics

2008-08-01T22:50:00.001-07:00

BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- A new Olympic doping test method, along with other stringent anti-doping measures, will help Beijing host a clean Olympics, according to a Chinese anti-doping officials.

"The new test kits will track the use of human growth hormone (HGH), a substance that boosts strength and speeds recovery, beyond 48 hours," said Wu Moutian, deputy director of the Chinese Anti-doping Agency.

The new HGH test methods have been improved from the old ones used in previous Games, Wu said, but he refused to disclose the exact tracking period, citing that the information could be used to time the use of the drug.

The HGH test method has been approved by the International Olympic Committee. It was certified by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) in July, Wu said.

"The equipments are ready, and the lab staff are well-trained," he said.

The Olympic doping testing period began from July 27 and will run until the Games end.

A total of 4,500 doping controls, including 900 blood tests, are planned in Beijing, about 25 percent rise from those in Athens which produced 26 doping cases.

Forty-one doping control centers are planned for the upcoming Games, with 34 in Beijing. The top five in the events and two randomly-selected athletes will be tested for banned substances like steroids and blood-boosters.

At least one IOC medical representative, a WADA observer and a representative of the sports federations are present at each center when the athletes are tested.

"A clean Games doesn't mean there will be no drug use, but we will make sure that the rule-breakers are discovered," said Chen Zhiyu, an anti-doping official in the Games organizing committee.

"We have strict regulations and standards in accordance with IOC rules, and we have been improving our work to form an impeccable chain of security," he said.

At each center, urine samples are placed in two different containers. Once sealed, they can only be opened in the lab, so chances of swapping the samples will be minimized, said Chen.

Mirrors are placed on bathroom walls and those tested will be asked to roll up their sleeves to prevent cheats, he added.

All collected specimen are marked, put into suitcases and taken by guarded vehicles to a laboratory near the main Olympic venues. The whole process is closely watched.

"We also try not to make the athletes feel overburdened by the tests," he said, "those whose events are scheduled late in the day can take their tests back in the residential village, rather than in the competition venues, so that they can directly go back to rest," Chen said.

John Fahey, the WADA president, said preparation has been sound to make the Beijing Games a clean one.

"Doping cheats are more likely to be caught in Beijing than in any other Olympics in its history," he said.

"There have been enormous efforts made by China. They have the resources and a world-class laboratory. I have little doubt that they will make real efforts as they had in recent months in the preparation," said Fahey, according to a video clip on the WADA website.

Chinese cheered by eclipse a week before Olympics

2008-08-01T22:49:00.001-07:00

XI'AN, China (AP) — Finally, China had an act of nature it could celebrate. After an Olympic year of freakish natural disasters, crowds of Chinese watched a total solar eclipse along the country's ancient Silk Road on Friday, one week before the start of the Summer Games in Beijing.

It was a welcome respite after a 2008 that began with heavy snowstorms at the Chinese New Year, followed by China's deadliest earthquake in a generation, then river flooding — and even a huge algae bloom at the Olympic sailing site. Online, some Chinese murmured about curses.

But on Friday evening, the eclipse — once a bad omen for China's imperial rulers — was cheered by a country eager for any auspicious sign before the games. State media called China's first solar eclipse of the century the "Olympics eclipse," and TV stations broadcast it live.

"Listen, I think everyone hopes this will bring some luck," said Xiao Ning, one of hundreds watching on the old city wall in Xi'an as the eclipse darkened the sky near sunset in this ancient capital and Silk Road terminus.

Told by the local newspaper's front-page story to watch the eclipse safely through darkened film, people held up X-rays of teeth and other bones, cheerfully tearing the sheets into smaller pieces to share with others.

The eclipse began in the Canadian Arctic, then passed over Greenland, western Siberia and Mongolia before reaching China.

It took a poetic course across China, where the first recorded solar eclipse was found scratched into Shang Dynasty oracle bones more than 3,000 years ago.

Following the northern route of the ancient Silk Road, it passed over the western desert county of Yiwu, where about 10,000 tourists gathered to watch after astronomers said it would have the best view; over Dunhuang, where the oldest known map of the stars was found in a desert cave a century ago; and over Jiuquan, where China launched its first manned spaceflight.

The eclipse trailed off just beyond Xi'an in the central China region once considered by Chinese to be the center of the world. The Olympics, and its endless official promotion, will bring back that feeling.

Despite the ruling Communist Party's emphasis on scientific thinking, China still has its superstitions. The date and time of the Olympics' opening ceremony on Aug. 8 are stuffed with as many number eights as possible because "eight" in Chinese sounds like "fortune" — it starts at 8 p.m. on the eighth day of the eighth month of '08.

But adopting the solar eclipse as a good sign meant stripping away the old superstition about it being the unluckiest event in the sky.

In ancient times, it was believed a dragon was eating the sun. Emperors were blamed and had to apologize for angering the heavens.

Later, being able to predict solar eclipses and show control over the skies became so political that some eclipse reports apparently were manipulated, said John B. Henderson, a history professor at Louisiana State University who has written about Chinese cosmology.

"Eclipses were reported where none took place, in areas of political or bureaucratic strife," Henderson said. "It may have been a means of voicing dissent."

On the city wall, Xiao Ning said the eclipse did have some relation to a 6.1-magnitude aftershock earlier in the day in neighboring Sichuan province, the site of May's devastating earthquake, but he seemed to be alone in his opinion.

The urge to seek links between the Olympics and natural phenomena such as the eclipse is understandable, if not exactly rational, said Jiang Xiaoyuan, a social sciences professor at Shanghai's Jiaotong University who has written about astronomy research and patriotism in China.

"We'd already known about this eclipse many years before we got the right to host the Olympics, so how can we explain this is retribution?" Jiang said.

After the eclipse ended, people coming down from the wall paused at the sight of a more than 6-foot-long telescope mounted on a bicycle cart. Niu Guodong, a 54-year-old retiree, stood in undershirt and rolled-up pants urging bystanders to take a peek — "Jupiter," he said in English. The cost was 10 yuan, or about $1.50.

His name card said "Xi'an astronomy hobbyist." He said he watched the eclipse outside the city, where the buildings aren't so tall.

Asked about the eclipse and the Olympics, he said with disdain: "Please. There's no relation at all."

Beijing to hold 2nd rehearsal for Olympics opening ceremony

2008-08-01T22:30:00.002-07:00

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The second full dress rehearsal of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony will be held in the National Stadium on Saturday night, as previously scheduled.

Different from the first rehearsal, ceremony organizers will put in a few shows, starting from 6 p.m., before the opening ceremony performances kick off at 8 p.m., according to the official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Due to the new arrangement, public areas of the Beijing Olympic Park and the National Stadium, or better known as the Bird's Nest for its unique structure of interwoven steel beams, will be open at 4 p.m., two hours earlier than during the first rehearsal.

Tonight's rehearsal will also be featured with fireworks late into the night, which is expected to cheer up the weekend audiences.

Spectators who will be waiting outside the stadium to watch the fireworks are advised to stay further way, for a better view and to ease the traffic burden near the stadium.

The rehearsal audiences are also advised to take buses, including 28 non-stop bus routes bound for the Olympic Park, or subways to watch the show.

All subway lines, except the Airport Line, will operate for some extra time to get audiences home after the rehearsal is over.

Audiences are reminded there are five entrances into the Olympic Park. Organizers said most people had swarmed into the Olympic Park from two entrances during the first rehearsal, causing long queues for security checks.

The opening ceremony directed by famous Chinese film director Zhang Yimou has been kept in top secrecy by its organizers. Tight security was deployed outside the stadium during the first rehearsal that lasted three and half hours.

All the workers on duty had signed agreements with the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee (BOCOG) to keep what they saw confidential.

But the secrecy was breached after South Korean's SBS TV station broadcast some footage of the opening ceremony on Wednesday, showing fragments of a video of the rehearsal, including scenes depicting the past and future of Chinese culture.

The first full dress rehearsal was held in secret on July 11. The third and last rehearsal is scheduled for Tuesday.

Which country will win the most gold medals at the Beijing Olympics?

2008-08-01T22:30:00.001-07:00

The Beijing Olympics is less than 2 months away, and while some athletes are still trying to qualify for a berth to participate, others are doing what they can to ensure they will have the best finish. Countries are pouring in tonnes of resources in hope that athletes would achieve national glory by winning a gold medal.

While the Olympics do not lack feel-good stories of athletes overcoming adversity to make it to the games (e.g. the Jamaican bobsled team at the Calgary Winter Olympics), the super powers have traditionally dominated the podium. At the Athens Olympics of 2004, for example, the top-five gold medal nations are: USA, China, Russia, Australia, and Japan.

Which country will win the most number of gold medals this year?

ZiiValue (chance)	MyValue (0% to 100% chance)	(6)	Possible Outcomes
	33%			U.S.A.
	32%			China
	20%			Russia
	5%			Australia
	2%			Japan
	5%			Germany
	1%			France
	2%			Another country

2008 Olympics: Country with Most Medals?

2008-08-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

In 2004 Olympics, Athletes from 74 countries won at least one medal, leaving 127 countries without a medal. The United States won the most medals overall (102), as well as the most gold (36) and silver (39) medals, while the Russian Federation won the most bronze medals (38). Surprisingly, China won 63 medals with gold (32) and Silver (17), 2nd in the rank.

The host nation Greece finished the games with sixteen medals overall (six gold, six silver, and four bronze). Israel, United Arab Emirates, Chile and Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) won Olympic gold medals for the first time in their history. Paraguay won its first medal ever at the Olympics, a silver.

ZiiValue (chance)	MyValue (0% to 100% chance)	(5)	Possible Outcomes
62%			United States (USA)
20%			China (CHN)
8%			Russia (RUS)
3%			Australia (AUS)
2%			Japan (JPN)
4%			Germany (GER)
2%			Another (please specify)

All-time Olympic Games medal count

2008-08-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

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An all-time medal count for all Olympic Games from 1896 to 2006, including Summer Olympic Games, Winter Olympic Games and a combined total of both, is tabulated below. These counts do not include the 1906 Intercalated Games which are no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as official Games.

The IOC itself explicitly does not publish all-time tables, and publishes unofficial tables only per single Games. This table was thus compiled by adding up single entries from the IOC database.

The table is pre-sorted by the total number of gold medals, it can be displayed as sorted by any other column. As tie-breaker, the number of silver medals is taken into consideration next, and then the number of bronze medals. If, after the above, NOCs are still tied, equal ranking is given and they are listed alphabetically. This follows the system used by IAAF and BBC, but not by NBC, CNN and others who add up all medals as equal.

The results are attributed to the IOC country code as currently displayed by the IOC database. Usually, a single code corresponds to a single National Olympic Committee (NOC). When different codes are displayed for different years, medal counts are combined in the case of a simple change of IOC code (such as from HOL to NED for the Netherlands) or simple change of country name (such as from Ceylon to Sri Lanka). As the medals are attributed to each NOC, all totals do not include medals won by athletes from that country for another NOC, such as before independence of that country (see individual footnotes for special cases such as combined teams). Names in italic are national entities that no longer exist.

Medal winning nations


Legend	Summer Olympic Games	Winter Olympic Games	Combined Summer & Winter

	Totals	4204	4170	4420	12794	774	773	764	2311	4978	4943	5184	15105
Rank	Team (IOC code)	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Combined Total
1	United States (USA) ^[2]	895	692	602	2189	78	80	58	216	973	772	660	2405
2	Soviet Union (URS) ^[3]	395	319	296	1010	78	57	59	194	473	376	355	1204
3	Italy (ITA)	182	148	164	494	36	31	34	101	218	179	198	595
4	France (FRA) ^[2]	184	196	216	596	25	24	34	83	209	220	250	679
5	Germany (GER) ^[4]^[2]	147	153	188	488	60	59	41	160	207	212	229	648
6	Great Britain (GBR) ^[2]^[5]	188	242	238	668	8	3	10	21	196	245	248	689
7	East Germany (GDR) ^[6]	153	129	127	409	39	36	35	110	192	165	162	519
8	Sweden (SWE) ^[2]	142	156	172	470	43	31	44	118	185	187	216	588
9	Hungary (HUN)	156	135	157	448	0	2	4	6	156	137	161	454
10	Norway (NOR)	51	43	41	135	98	98	84	280	149	141	125	415
11	Finland (FIN)	100	82	113	295	41	58	52	151	141	140	165	446
12	Japan (JPN)	114	106	115	335	9	10	13	32	123	116	128	367
13	Australia (AUS) ^[7]^[2]	117	122	147	386	3	0	3	6	120	122	150	392
14	Russia (RUS) ^[8]	86	80	85	251	33	24	19	76	119	104	104	327
15	China (CHN) ^[9]	112	96	78	286	4	16	13	33	116	112	91	319
16	Canada (CAN)	55	85	102	242	38	38	43	119	93	123	145	361
17	Netherlands (NED) ^[2]	64	74	92	230	25	30	23	78	89	104	115	308
18	Romania (ROU)	82	88	113	283	0	0	1	1	82	88	114	284
19	Switzerland (SUI)	43	70	61	174	38	37	43	118	81	107	104	292
20	South Korea (KOR)	55	64	65	184	17	8	6	31	72	72	71	215
21	Austria (AUT)	18	32	33	83	51	64	70	185	69	96	103	268
22	West Germany (FRG) ^[10]^[2]	56	67	81	204	11	15	13	39	67	82	94	243
23	Cuba (CUB) ^[2]	65	53	52	170	0	0	0	0	65	53	52	170
24	Poland (POL)	59	74	118	251	1	3	4	8	60	77	122	259
25	Unified Team (EUN) ^[11]	45	38	29	112	9	6	8	23	54	44	37	135
26	Bulgaria (BUL)	50	83	74	207	1	2	3	6	51	85	77	213
27	Czechoslovakia (TCH) ^[12]	49	49	45	143	2	8	15	25	51	57	60	168
28	Denmark (DEN) ^[2]	39	61	63	163	0	1	0	1	39	62	63	164
29	Belgium (BEL)	36	50	51	137	1	1	3	5	37	51	54	142
30	United Team of Germany (EUA) ^[13]	28	54	36	118	8	6	5	19	36	60	41	137
31	Turkey (TUR)	36	19	19	74	0	0	0	0	36	19	19	74
32	New Zealand (NZL) ^[14]	33	14	30	77	0	1	0	1	33	15	30	78
33	Greece (GRE) ^[2]	30	40	34	104	0	0	0	0	30	40	34	104
34	Spain (ESP) ^[2]	29	39	27	95	1	0	1	2	30	39	28	97
35	Yugoslavia (YUG) ^[15]	28	31	31	90	0	3	1	4	28	34	32	94
36	Ukraine (UKR)	21	17	31	69	1	1	3	5	22	18	34	74
37	South Africa (RSA)	20	23	26	69	0	0	0	0	20	23	26	69
38	Kenya (KEN)	17	24	20	61	0	0	0	0	17	24	20	61
39	Brazil (BRA)	17	21	38	76	0	0	0	0	17	21	38	76
40	Argentina (ARG)	15	23	22	60	0	0	0	0	15	23	22	60
41	Ethiopia (ETH)	14	5	12	31	0	0	0	0	14	5	12	31
42	Estonia (EST)	8	7	14	29	4	1	1	6	12	8	15	35
43	Mexico (MEX)	10	18	24	52	0	0	0	0	10	18	24	52
44	Iran (IRI)	10	15	21	46	0	0	0	0	10	15	21	46
45	Czech Republic (CZE) ^[16]	7	9	11	27	3	5	2	10	10	14	13	37
46	Kazakhstan (KAZ)	7	12	7	26	1	2	2	5	8	14	9	31
47	North Korea (PRK)	8	11	16	35	0	1	1	2	8	12	17	37
48	Ireland (IRL)	8	6	6	20	0	0	0	0	8	6	6	20
49	Mixed team (ZZX) ^[17]	8	5	4	17	0	0	0	0	8	5	4	17
50	India (IND)	8	4	5	17	0	0	0	0	8	4	5	17
51	Jamaica (JAM) ^[18]	7	21	14	42	0	0	0	0	7	21	14	42
52	Egypt (EGY) ^[19]^[2]	7	7	9	23	0	0	0	0	7	7	9	23
53	Croatia (CRO)	3	4	5	12	4	3	0	7	7	7	5	19
54	Belarus (BLR)	6	15	26	47	0	3	3	6	6	18	29	53
55	Morocco (MAR)	6	4	9	19	0	0	0	0	6	4	9	19
56	Indonesia (INA)	5	8	7	20	0	0	0	0	5	8	7	20
57	Thailand (THA)	5	2	10	17	0	0	0	0	5	2	10	17
58	Slovakia (SVK)	4	6	4	14	0	1	0	1	4	7	4	15
59	Uzbekistan (UZB)	3	3	5	11	1	0	0	1	4	3	5	12
60	Lithuania (LTU)	4	2	5	11	0	0	0	0	4	2	5	11
61	Algeria (ALG)	4	1	7	12	0	0	0	0	4	1	7	12
62	Portugal (POR)	3	6	11	20	0	0	0	0	3	6	11	20
63	Australasia (ANZ) ^[20]	3	4	5	12	0	0	0	0	3	4	5	12
64	Pakistan (PAK)	3	3	4	10	0	0	0	0	3	3	4	10
65	Bahamas (BAH)	3	2	3	8	0	0	0	0	3	2	3	8
66	Azerbaijan (AZE)	3	1	5	9	0	0	0	0	3	1	5	9
67	Nigeria (NGR)	2	8	9	19	0	0	0	0	2	8	9	19
68	Chinese Taipei (TPE) ^[21]	2	6	7	15	0	0	0	0	2	6	7	15
69	Chile (CHI)	2	6	4	12	0	0	0	0	2	6	4	12
70	Slovenia (SLO)	2	3	5	10	0	0	4	4	2	3	9	14
71	Georgia (GEO)	2	2	8	12	0	0	0	0	2	2	8	12
72	Uruguay (URU)	2	2	6	10	0	0	0	0	2	2	6	10
73	Liechtenstein (LIE)	0	0	0	0	2	2	5	9	2	2	5	9
74	Cameroon (CMR)	2	1	1	4	0	0	0	0	2	1	1	4
74	Zimbabwe (ZIM)	2	1	1	4	0	0	0	0	2	1	1	4
76	Latvia (LAT)	1	10	3	14	0	0	1	1	1	10	4	15
77	Trinidad and Tobago (TRI) ^[22]	1	3	8	12	0	0	0	0	1	3	8	12
78	Uganda (UGA)	1	3	2	6	0	0	0	0	1	3	2	6
79	Luxembourg (LUX) ^[23]	1	1	0	2	0	2	0	2	1	3	0	4
79	Peru (PER)	1	3	0	4	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	4
81	Venezuela (VEN)	1	2	7	10	0	0	0	0	1	2	7	10
82	Colombia (COL)	1	2	6	9	0	0	0	0	1	2	6	9
83	Tunisia (TUN)	1	2	3	6	0	0	0	0	1	2	3	6
84	Israel (ISR)	1	1	4	6	0	0	0	0	1	1	4	6
85	Costa Rica (CRC)	1	1	2	4	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	4
86	Armenia (ARM)	1	1	1	3	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	3
86	Syria (SYR)	1	1	1	3	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	3
88	Hong Kong (HKG) ^[24]	1	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	2
89	Dominican Republic (DOM)	1	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	2
89	Mozambique (MOZ)	1	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	2
89	Suriname (SUR)	1	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	2
92	Burundi (BDI)	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
92	Ecuador (ECU)	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
92	United Arab Emirates (UAE)	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
95	Mongolia (MGL)	0	5	10	15	0	0	0	0	0	5	10	15
96	Namibia (NAM)	0	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	4
97	Philippines (PHI)	0	2	7	9	0	0	0	0	0	2	7	9
98	Lebanon (LIB)	0	2	2	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	4
98	Moldova (MDA)	0	2	2	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	4
100	Serbia and Montenegro (SCG) ^[25]	0	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2
100	Tanzania (TAN)	0	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2
102	Puerto Rico (PUR)	0	1	5	6	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	6
103	Bohemia (BOH) ^[26]^[2]	0	1	3	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	4
103	Ghana (GHA)	0	1	3	4	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	4
105	Iceland (ISL)	0	1	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	3
105	Independent Olympic Participants (IOP) ^[27]	0	1	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	3
105	Malaysia (MAS)	0	1	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	3
108	Haiti (HAI)	0	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2
108	Saudi Arabia (KSA)	0	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2
108	Sri Lanka (SRI) ^[28]	0	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2
108	Zambia (ZAM)	0	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2
112	Côte d'Ivoire (CIV)	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
112	Netherlands Antilles (AHO)	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
112	Paraguay (PAR)	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
112	Senegal (SEN)	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
112	Singapore (SIN)	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
112	Tonga (TGA)	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
112	Vietnam (VIE)	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
112	Virgin Islands (ISV)	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
120	British West Indies (BWI) ^[29]	0	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
120	Panama (PAN)	0	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
120	Qatar (QAT)	0	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
123	Barbados (BAR) ^[30]	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
123	Bermuda (BER)	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
123	Djibouti (DJI)	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
123	Eritrea (ERI)	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
123	Guyana (GUY)	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
123	Iraq (IRQ)	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
123	Kuwait (KUW)	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
123	Kyrgyzstan (KGZ)	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
123	FYR Macedonia (MKD)	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
123	Niger (NIG)	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1

2008 BEIJING SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES: Cheating your way to gold

2008-08-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

Illustration: SXC.HU

Even though the Olympic creed says that the most important thing is not winning, but participating, Olympic champions have been feted for their achievements since ancient times. In pursuit of the fame and glory that come with the gold medal, more than one athlete has succumbed over the years to the temptation of using performance-enhancing drugs. The cases are numerous, though some stand out in collective memory – Ben Johnson when he became the fastest man alive at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, only to be stripped of his gold medal and 100m world record when a urine sample showed he used steroids; or Marion Jones, who lost the three gold medals and two bronzes she won in Sydney eight years ago, after it was proved that she used the erythropoietin performance-enhancing hormone.

Athletics is by no means the only sport where use of banned substances to boost stamina, strength and speed is rife. Cycling has a long history of similar problems, while the frequent cases of doping had at one point even threatened weightlifting to have its Olympic status withdrawn.

Despite the best efforts of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and improving scientific methods to detect doping, many athletes still try to cheat their way to a medal. Even before the Games have started, Greece and Bulgaria both had to withdraw their weightlifting teams from the Olympics after their competitors tested positive for banned substances.

To fight doping, the organisers in Beijing, together with WADA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), plan to carry out 4500 tests, more than ever before, including blood tests and tests for the human growth hormone. The IOC has threatened to increase the length of the punishments it would hand out to athletes found cheating. If anything, that is likely to prompt scientists to come up with new, as yet untraceable, ways of hiding the use of doping substances, or design new ways of enhancing performance, such as through the use of stem cells, as an undercover investigation by German broadcaster ARD in China showed on the eve of the Olympics.

Olympics-2008: China reveals emergency measures to improve air quality

2008-08-01T22:16:00.001-07:00

Beijing (dpa) - China plans to take more vehicles off the roads and suspend operations in more than 200 factories if air quality does not improve, the government announced Thursday, as polluted air and grey skies continued to plague Beijing one week before the start of the 2008 Olympic Games.

If the air quality forecast is "extremely unfavourable" 48 hours in advance, authorities are to consider requesting Beijing, the neighboring Tianjin municipality as well as Hebei province to carry out emergency measures, the website of the Ministry of Environmental Protection said.

It was unclear whether monitoring would begin right away or 48 hours before the games are scheduled to begin on August 8.

In Beijing, vehicles whose license plate ends in the last digit of the date will be taken off roads on that day, which will effectively reduce the number of vehicles driven by another 10 percent, according to the emergency measures.

The city, since July 20, has already banned about one third of its 3.3 million vehicles from the roads by restricting drivers to driving only on alternate days, using an odd-even license plate number system.

Tianjin municipality, just east of Beijing, will also implement driving restrictions based on the odd-even license plate number system for entire days. Hebei province will do so from 7 am to 10 pm.

An additional 220 factories will be ordered to suspend or reduce production, including 105 chemical, furniture or construction materials factories in Beijing, 56 coal-fired power plants and machinery factories in Tianjin, and 61 pollution-emitting companies in Hebei province. Iron and steel companies in Hebei will also be ordered to significantly reduce production, the emergency measures said.

All construction sites in Beijing will be ordered to stop work, the website said.

With just about a week before the 2008 Olympics begin, the sky over China's capital appeared as grey and polluted as usual on Thursday.

But Beijing authorities insisted that measures carried out since the beginning of this month were working and grey skies did not necessarily mean poor air quality.

Kevin Gosper, chairman of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) media commission, said he was not worried about the air pollution or the hot and humid Beijing summer climate.

Most of the competitions were taking place in air-conditioned arenas, he said. Moreover, many of the athletes competing outdoors were used to heat and humidity.

IOC President Jacques Rogge, however, had warned earlier that outdoor competitions in endurance sports would have to be postponed in case of high pollution levels.

The accuracy of China's claims about improving air quality is unclear as it does not use international standards for monitoring.

State media Monday quoted an environmental engineer saying authorities would implement an emergency plan which could ban 90 per cent of Beijing's 3.3 million vehicles from roads if air quality deteriorates during the Games.

Olympics-2008: Amnesty accuses IOC of caving in to China's internet censorship

2008-08-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

Beijing (dpa) - Amnesty International has accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of caving in to China's demands on Internet censorship and urged the IOC and Beijing to provide unfettered Internet access as they had promised.

"The International Olympic Committee and the Organizing Committee of the Beijing Olympic Games should fulfil their commitment to full media freedom and provide immediate uncensored internet access at Olympic media venues," said Mark Allison, East Asia researcher for the London-based rights group, in a statement issued late Wednesday.

"Censorship of the internet at the Games is compromising fundamental human rights and betraying the Olympic values," Allison said.

The organization was reacting to statements by Kevin Gosper, chair of the IOC's press committee that "some IOC officials negotiated with the Chinese that some sensitive sites would be blocked on the basis they were not considered Games related." In Gosper's statements to the South China Morning Post Wednesday, he also said the IOC could not tell China what to do.

Amnesty, however, noted that on July 17 Jacques Rogge, the IOC's president, said "there will be no censorship of the internet."

"This blatant media censorship adds one more broken promise that undermines the claim that the Games would help improve human rights in China," said Allison.

Beijing authorities have blocked access to internet websites considered politically sensitive or critical of China, including sites for Amnesty and other human rights groups, as well as websites for exiled Tibetan groups and the banned Falungong spiritual group.

Some foreign media websites, such as the BBC's Chinese-language service, the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle, the Hong Kong-based Apple Daily and the Taiwan-based Liberty Time, also are blocked.

The IOC said late Wednesday its officials are meeting with Beijing Olympic organisers to try to resolve the problem.

"We've learned there are issues accessing some websites and the IOC is talking with the organizers to see what may need to be rectified," Sandrine Tonge, the IOC's media relations coordinator said in an email to Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa late Wednesday.

"The IOC has always encouraged the Beijing 2008 organizers to provide media with the fullest access possible to report on the Olympic Games, including access to the internet. BOCOG has said 'sufficient and convenient' internet access will be provided for the media to cover the Games," said Tonge.

The French press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders on Wednesday also condemned the Chinese authorities for restricting journalists' access to the internet and slammed the inability of the IOC to stop them.

Freedom House, a nonprofit organization which promotes democracy, said earlier this month that China has also put more pressure on Chinese journalists in recent days, banning them from covering sensitive issues.

Beijing Olympics 2008: Chinese fashion police crack down on style horrors

2008-08-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

Fashion police at the Beijing Olympics have ordered men to steer clear of white socks with black shoes and advised women to shun leather skirts.

Residents of the city should also shirk embarrassing public displays of affection and fighting over who settles the bill after dinner and avoic garlic.

Rules produced by Chinese officials on what to wear and how to behave stretch out over 36 pages in official booklets and cover nine web pages. They go from general tips, like combing hair appropriately for age to minutiae details such as women with thick ankles wearing darker stockings to disguise their imperfections.

Women get specific fashion advice to avoid common fashion faux-pas, such as matching the length of their skirt to their age and not wearing more than three colours in their oufit. Men on the other hand seem to get more basic advice, including not sporting pyjamas in public, not going out with a bare chest and not rolling up their trouser legs.

While some style recommendations do not need explanations - fat people should avoid horizontal stripes - other tips have their reasoning spelt out: "Clothes should not be too small, otherwise this makes people feel you are unreliable" .

The how-to in the style stakes has been handed out by the Capital Spiritual Civilisation Construction Commission. Beijing will be under the spotlight during the Olympic Games and the Commission are keen that the city's 15 million residents dress and act impeccably.

Authorities say that campaigns in the past to improve the city's behaviour, including stopping people spitting in public and learning how to queue properly, have been successful.

Rules are also already in place to try to control taxi drivers' bad breath. They have been ordered to cut down on their garlic consumption and watch what they eat for breakfast.

Zheng Mojie, deputy director of the commission, said: "The level of civility of the whole city has improved and a sound cultural and social environment has been assured for the success of the Olympic Games."

The campaign involves nearly a million volunteers giving etiquette tips in schools, universities and government offices. Some university students have been encouraged to educate rural villagers about the new code of conduct.

Miscelleanous Olympic Facts

2008-08-01T22:09:00.002-07:00

The Olympic Slogan: “One World, One Dream”
The Official Logo of the 2008 games “Dancing Beijing”
The Centerpiece of the 2008 Olympics : The Beijing National Stadium, nicknamed the “Bird nest“.

New Events at the Beijing Olympics:

There are 9 new events introduced this time -

Two from the new cycling discipline of BMX.
Women will compete in the 3000 m steeplechase for the first time.
Marathon swimming events for men and women over the distance of 10 kilometers.
Team events (men and women) in table tennis will replace the doubles events.
In fencing, women’s team foil and women’s team sabre will replace men’s team foil and women’s team epee.

The Indian Squad for Beijing Olympics 2008

2008-08-01T22:09:00.001-07:00

For the first time India is sending a team of swimmers to the Beijing Games. So below is the list of members from India at the Beijing Olympics.

Archery: Dola Banerjee, Pranitha Vardhineni, L Bombayala Devi, Mangal Singh Champia.
Athletics: Anju Bobby George (Long Jump), Krishna Poonia (Discus), Harwant Kaur (Discus), Preeja Sreedharan (10,000m), Manjit Kaur (400m), Chitra Soman (4×400m relay), Sini Jose (4×400m relay),MR Poovamma (4×400m relay), Mandeep Kaur (4×400m relay), S Geeta (4×400m relay), K Mridula (4×400m relay), J J Shobha (Heptathlon), Sushmita Singh Roy (Heptathlon), G G Pramila (Heptathlon),Vikas Gowda (Discus), Renjith Maheswary (Triple Jump), Surender Singh (10000m).
Badminton: Anup Sridhar, Saina Nehwal
Boxing: Jitender (51kg), Akhil Kumar (54kg), A L Lakhra (57kg), Vijender(75kg) and Dinesh Kumar (81kg)
Judo: Khumujam Tombi Devi, Divya. Rowing: Bajrang Lal Takhar (Single M1X), Devnder Khandwal and Manjeet Singh (Light Weight Double Scull).
Shooting: Manavjit Singh Sandhu (Clay Pigeon Trap), Mansher Singh (Clay Pigeon Trap), Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Clay Pigeon Double Trap), Gagan Narang (10m Air Rifle), Abhinav Bindra (10m AirRifle), Samresh Jung (10m Air Pistol), Sanjeev Rajput (50m Rifle 3 Position), Anjali Bhagwat (50m Rifle 3 Position), Avneet Kaur Sidhu (10m Air Rifle).
Swimming: Virdawal Khade (50m, 100m, 200m Freestyle), Ankur Poseria (100m Butterfly), Sandeep Sejwal (100m, 200m Breaststrokes), Rehan Poncha (200m butterfly).
Table Tennis: Achanta Sharath Kamal, Neha Aggarwal.
Tennis: Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi (doubles), Sania Mirza (singles and doubles), Sunitha Rao (doubles). Weightlifting: L Monika Devi (69kg)
Wrestling: Sushil Kumar (66 kg Freestyle), Yogeshwar Dutt (60 kg Freestyle), Rajiv Tomar (120 kg Freestyle).
Yachting: Major NS Johal (Heavyweight Dinghy).

Indian 2008 Olympics Medal Hopes

2008-08-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

These are the Indians to watch out for in the 2008 Beijing Olympics:

Manavjit Singh - Shooting (Trap Men)
Rajyavardhan Rathore - Shooting(Double Trap Men)
Anju Bobby George - Athletics (Long Jump)
Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati - Tennis (Mens Doubles)
Dinesh Kumar - Boxing (-81 kg category)
Sania Mirza - Tennis (Womens Singles)

India’s Total Olympics Medal Tally

2008-08-01T22:07:00.002-07:00

India has so far won

8 Gold medals, 1 Silver medal and 2 Bronze medals in Hockey
2 Silver medals in Athletics and 1 in Shooting
Bronze for wrestling ( Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav 1952 Helsinki)
Bronze for tennis ( Leander Paes 1996 Atlanta)
Bronze for weightlifting ( Karnam Malleswari 2000 Sydney)

at the Olympic games

India’s 2008 Beijing Olympics Dreams

2008-08-01T22:07:00.001-07:00

A 99 member squad is to represent India in the 2008 Beijing Olympics (8th to 24th August 2008). Saying “represent India” is playing a bit fast and loose with the word itself, unless by “represent” I mean “the number of Indians definite to land at the Beijing airport”. The figure 99 consists of 57 athletes and 42 officials including Sania Mirza’s mom !!!!. [See the List of the 2008 Olympians from India at the end of this post].

Many questions pop up in my mind as soon as I see the squad composition. Why does India need 42 officials to manage 57 athletes? Is the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) afraid that the athletes will not be able to find their way around China without the officials assistance? Or are these officials going to dress up as cheerleaders (like the IPL ones) and dance every time the Indian shooter takes aim or a weightlifter prepares himself for each round? I am sure that that would be a sight to behold and a huge motivation for the Indian shooters and lifters :). Also why stop at the figure of 99? Why not 100? The figure 99 reminds me of a clothing store where everything ends with 99 (Rs. 199, Rs 599, Rs 999). Is that, then, the ulterior motive of these officials - Shopping in Beijing ? Their personal tour from our tax money.

A total of 28 sports! 302 events! And India is sending a contingent of just 57 (USA is sending 596, China has 639 and even tiny Estonia sends 47). A look at the Indian contingent and their chances, reinforces the age old, sad story about Indian Sports, the most prominent this time being the absence of India’s national sport - Hockey. For the first time in nearly 8 decades, the Indian Hockey Team, which has done the nation proud (with 8 Gold medals), failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympics. What is the cause of this dismal state of Indian Sports? We are the world’s biggest democracy, the second most populous country in the world. Then why is that in a span of 4 years, we are only able to produce 57 top athletes? ‘Outlook’ in their latest issue carried an article covering the top athletes favored to win medals at the Beijing Olympics! Not one of them was Indian! This is a matter of national shame, an aspect that the Indian Govt needs to look at closely. It is not enough to be a nuclear power, it is not enough to be an IT offshore house. To be a real super power needs more than that, to be a real super power means giving the citizens every reason to be proud of their country. I also read about Iraq’s ban from this years Olympics and their subsequent approval to compete. Dana Hussain, a Iraqi female athlete has qualified for the 100 and 200 meter sprints. The whole world’s press has praised her commitment even though Iraq is in a grip of civil war. The world’s press has not even noticed or commented at Indian Olympians this year. Deservedly so.

The Govt. should step up and do its bit to promote other sports and encourage the sportsman. Indians for example have done remarkably well in shooting; but it being an expensive sport, needs financial support from the Govt. While the Indian T20 champion team got cash rewards to the tune of lakhs, shooters like Gagan Narang (Indian Olympic Squad member) had to request the Govt. for a 40 lakhs rupees grant, which was also not to be given in entirety. Thankfully, a number of Pvt. Organizations, such as Gold Quest and others have stepped in to help out this Olympic Medal hopeful. Also incidents such as the ones where the Boxers (Akhil Kumar, Jitender Kumar and Vijender) were handed empty envelopes at the felicitation ceremony does nothing to boost the morale of these sportsmen. Also reward money to the tune of juts Rs.25,000 is not very uplifting and although it is “better than nothing” it is still a paltry sum. Billiards and snooker champion Pankaj Advani’s resentment, Asia Cup hockey champions India getting virtually nothing for their win are more stories that illustrate the pathetic state of non-cricket sports.

Media too plays an important role in undermining the role of other sports. Crickets are seen endorsing every sort of products from hair gel to clothing brands to bikes and cars (thankfully they are not yet posing for Whisper Ads!). But do we see any other athletes in any Ads? Do we see Anju Booby George endorsing anything, do we see Sania Mirza in the Ads as much as the cricketers? An iconic figure like Vishwanathan Anand has just NIIT and recently AMD as sponsors. Why would anyone then dedicate an entire lifetime to national pride only to be shunned by the same nation?

The worst culprits are Indians who believe that all other sports are secondary to that one sport which is played only by a handful of the world’s countries. All we care for as a nation is cricket. On a day when India wins we are all ga ga over the damned cricketers, calling them heroes, rewarding them in every possible way. The next day when India loses a match, we question the same cricketers, curse them, ask for their removal. In this continuous circle of live and hatred all other sports lose out. I am sure most Indians would remember that Indian won the T20 but cannot even recollect how many medals Indian won at the 2004 Olympics or who won them ( 1 silver in Shooting by Lt. Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore). All the efforts of these valiant athletes who overcome all sorts of odds (inferior training facilities, lack of funds, no support from the Govt.) are buried under the lack of interest of an entire nation interested only in cricket. While a series win against Bangladesh is splashed all over in huge letters in all papers, a World Championship in any other sports merit just half a page. Players like Leander Paes, Sania Mirza find more print space because of their T shirts, controversies basically everything else other than the sports itself.

It is heartening, however, to see the efforts of certain Organizations in promoting these neglected sports in India. BCCI has already promised financial aid to the Indian Olympic contingent. ONGC has also been helping players with funds and facilities. Other noteworthy organizations are Gold Quest and also Individuals such as DSP Merryl Lynch Vice Chairman Shitin Desai, co-founder of Sify Ltd R. Ramaraj and Rakesh Khanna. Certain states too are encouraging players by rewarding them with cash. (TN announced rewards for both Sharath Kamal and Vishy) but more needs to be done. I as a person,who is not interested in cricket am left to find my allegiance with players of other countries for sports such as football or tennis. I am not proud of India for its cricketing talent or lack of it and I hence I am left with barely any other sport to be proud of. That’s why when it is Olympics time, I am excited about the prospect of Indian Sports. Even though we are sending only 57 athletes, whether we win gold or not I am immensely proud of them. The fact that they have risen above a nation which does not care much for them speaks volume of their dedication. I wish each and every one of them, the very best for their Olympic attempts.

To hear India’s National Anthem being played while the tricolor unfurls on Chinese soil would be the sweetest of all glory every Indian wishes for.

57 athletes to represent India at Olympics

2008-08-01T22:03:00.001-07:00

Reena Kumari's Olympic hopes are all but over. The archer failed to make it to the list of 57 athletes who will represent India at the Beijing [Images] Games.

Reena, who met Sports Minister M S Gill claiming foul play in the selection process, was left out of the archery contingent, which includes Dola Banerjee, Pranitha Vardhineni and L Bombayala Devi, and a lone male competitor in Mangal Singh Champia.

*
'The world is now scared to face Indian boxers'

A 42-member support staff will accompany the contingent.

The 17-member athletics contingent, spearheaded by ace long jumper Anju Bobby George, is the largest in the list. Shooting comes next with nine, including Athens silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.

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Akhil Kumar packs the punch again

India will also be fielding its largest ever boxing team, and of the quintet, Vijender looks the best bet.

Though Indian swimmers are yet to make a splash, as many as four of them will be part of the field in Beijing.

The number is same in tennis as well, where Leander Paes [Images], Mahesh Bhupathi [Images], Sania Mirza [Images] and Sunitha Rao will have to live up to the expectations.

The contingent also includes three grapplers and as many rowers. There will also be two players in table tennis, judo and badminton, while weightlifting and yachting will have one each.

India's contingent for the Beijing Olympics [Images]:

Archery: Dola Banerjee, Pranitha Vardhineni, L Bombayala Devi, Mangal Singh Champia.

Athletics: Anju Bobby George (Long Jump), Krishna Poonia (Discus), Harwant Kaur (Discus), Preeja Sreedharan (10,000m), Manjit Kaur (400m), Chitra Soman (4x400m relay), Sini Jose (4x400m relay), MR Poovamma (4x400m relay), Mandeep Kaur (4x400m relay), S Geeta (4x400m relay), K Mridula (4x400m relay), J J Shobha (Heptathlon), Sushmita Singh Roy (Heptathlon), G G Pramila (Heptathlon), Vikas Gowda (Discus), Renjith Maheswary (Triple Jump), Surender Singh (10000m).

Badminton: Anup Sridhar, Saina Nehwal [Images].

Boxing: Jitender (51kg), Akhil Kumar (54kg), A L Lakhra (57kg), Vijender(75kg) and Dinesh Kumar (81kg).

Judo: Khumujam Tombi Devi, Divya.

Rowing: Bajrang Lal Takhar (Single M1X), Devnder Khandwal and Manjeet Singh (Light Weight Double Scull).

Shooting: Manavjit Singh Sandhu (Clay Pigeon Trap), Mansher Singh (Clay Pigeon Trap), Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Clay Pigeon Double Trap), Gagan Narang (10m Air Rifle), Abhinav Bindra (10m Air Rifle), Samaresh Jung (10m Air Pistol), Sanjeev Rajput (50m Rifle 3 Position), Anjali Bhagwat (50m Rifle 3 Position), Avneet Kaur Sidhu (10m Air Rifle).

Swimming: Virdawal Khade (50m, 100m, 200m Freestyle), Ankur Poseria (100m Butterfly), Sandeep Sejwal (100m, 200m Breaststroke), Rehan Poncha (200m butterfly).

Table Tennis: Achanta Sharath Kamal, Neha Aggarwal.

Tennis: Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi (doubles), Sania Mirza (singles and doubles), Sunitha Rao (doubles).

Weightlifting: L Monika Devi (69kg)

Wrestling: Sushil Kumar (66 kg Freestyle), Yogeshwar Dutt (60 kg Freestyle), Rajiv Tomar (120 kg Freestyle).

Yachting: Maj N S Johal (Heavyweight dinghy).

Once-dominant India misses Olympics

2008-08-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

Prabodh Tirkey of India after losing against Britain on Sunday.(Victor Ruiz Caballero/Reuters)

India, the eight-time Olympic field-hockey champion, plunged to a new low by failing to qualify for this year's Beijing Games, snapping an 80-year run that began with six straight gold medals after a startling debut at Amsterdam in 1928.

India's hopes of figuring in the 12-team Olympic lineup were dashed Sunday when it lost 2-0 to Britain in the final of a qualifying competition in Santiago. Chile, on Sunday, provoking criticism Monday from former Indian players at the way the sport is run.

Barry Middleton and Richard Mantell scored for Britain, also a former Olympic champion, in the first 10 minutes.

Ashok Kumar, a former captain and member of the 1975 World Cup winning squad, called India's failure to qualify for Beijing a "huge national disaster."

"This decline did not happen in one day, the hockey federation just did not seem interested in noticing and arresting the decline," Kumar said

Indian teams have shown glimpses of its once dazzling stick-work, but it has not reached for the semifinals in the last eight World Cups and the last six Olympic Games.

Pargat Singh, who captained India at two Olympics, said India' had few players of international quality and "the pool is further dwindling with the game not being promoted at the grass roots."

"Indian hockey needs a rebuilding program, but the hockey federation is acting deaf and dumb and doesn't seem bothered about bringing any change," he said.

India was required to compete in one of the three qualifiers - from which one team each will feature at the Olympics - after finishing fourth at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. It was the first time India had failed to win a medal at the tournament.

Media reports said coach Joaquim Carvalho had quit after his team lost Sunday, but the hockey federation refused to comment on the resignation.

Indian Hockey Federation's chief, K.P.S. Gill, acknowledged that the failure to qualify was a big setback but was reported to have brushed aside demands for his resignation.

"We do not have an instant coffee machine that you can get results instantly," Gill was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India.

"We've put the process in place and the results will take some time. It is not proper to respond at this stage. We'll wait for the team to return first, then we will have a clear idea what went wrong."

China's eye is on Beijing Olympics 2008

2008-08-01T21:59:00.000-07:00

Doha (Agencies)
On sheer size alone, the Chinese delegation will dwarf rivals Japan and South
Korea at the 15th Asian Games kicking off in Doha on Friday.

It is unlikely that the power balance among the regional sports powers will
undergo a major shift and third place is a realistic bet for Japan behind South
Korea, ahead of the likes of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Thailand and India.

China's dominance at the Asian Games four years ago was simply a reminder that
it remains the top dog in this regional version of the Olympic Games on the
largest, most populous continent in the world.

But with the emergence of Athens Olympic 110-meter hurdles gold medalist Liu
Xiang on the world stage in an event never before won by an Asian athlete, China
has set itself on a trajectory straight for the stars in the buildup toward
hosting the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

For the other participating countries among more than 10,500 athletes taking
part in the Games, trying to keep pace with this juggernaut may be an exercise
in futility.

China has topped the medals tally since the New Delhi Games in 1982 when it
ended Japan's domination after eight consecutive first-place finishes -- a
record that still stands today.

Four years ago in Busan, China finished with 150 gold medals, while host South
Korea came second with 96, followed by Japan's lacklustre showing of just 44.

The Chinese, who are sending the largest delegation of the Games in the Qatari
capital, are looking to up the ante with more medals across the board, ranging
from their specialties of table tennis and diving to the showcase athletics and
swimming events.

And Liu holds the banner for the country and the Games.

Liu became the first athlete of non-African descent to go under 13 seconds in
the 110-meter hurdles, making him a hero overnight in Asia, and his confidence
is as strong as ever.

"When I run, all I can see is the hurdles and the goal. Even if I feel pressure,
it doesn't mean anything," said Liu, who owns the world record of 12.88 set in
Lausanne in July.

In an effort to add depth to its wealth of talent ahead of the Beijing Olympics,
China blended proven athletes such as Liu with up-and-coming youngsters who are
still in need of building up international experience.

Such an approach was underscored when teenage swimmer Wang Qun, last year's
national junior high school champion and one of the newest national team
members, made the Asian Games team this time at the expense of Athens Olympic
100-meter breaststroke gold medalist Luo Xuejuan.

"It won't be good unless we see dark horses emerge and win at these Games," said
Xiao Tian, deputy chief of the Chinese delegation, where the average age of
athletes is 23.3.

Two years after sending an athlete delegation of the same average age to Busan,
China went on to capture 32 gold medals at the Athens Olympics, second to the
United States' 35, after moving up from third with 28 at the Sydney Olympics.

South Korea has set a target of 75 or more gold medals out of the 424 on offer
and second place overall behind China.

After coming home with nine gold compared with 16 for archrival Japan in Athens,
the South Koreans hope to rack up medals in their own sport of taekwondo and
archery as well as in team events such as baseball and soccer, where the
country's squad features an Under-21 squad that includes six World Cup players.

Athletes from South Korea will also have an extra incentive since they can gain
exemption from military service by winning gold at the Asian Games. Ace archers
Park Kyung Mo (men's) and Yun Mi Jin (women's) are among the favorites to watch
as the South Koreans are setting sights on a clean sweep of the archery golds.

As for Japan, the lion's share of its medals will once again come from judo,
wrestling, gymnastics and swimming, after finishing behind China and South Korea
in the last two Asian Games' medal standings.

Reigning Olympic gold medalist Koji Murofushi stands out as a shoo-in for his
third straight Asian Games hammer throw title, while double breaststroke Olympic
champion Kosuke Kitajima will be aiming to make a comeback from a sub-par
performance at the Pan-Pacific Championships in August.

Kitajima will captain the Japanese delegation of 628 athletes, four years after
being named top athlete of the Games in Busan, where he set a 200-meter world
record in an otherwise lackluster showing by Japan.

Doha has the distinction of being the second city in West Asia since Teheran in
1974 to host the Asian Games.

Saif Saaeed Shaheen holds a world record in the 3,000 steeplechase and is among
the gold medal hopes for the host.

The Asian Games will be relayed worldwide to a potential audience of some 3
billion viewers by television broadcasters.

All 45 members of the Olympic Council of Asia are scheduled to participate in
this year's Games, whose competition program includes non-Olympic events such as
bowling, bodybuilding, golf and rugby, as well as those unique to the continent,
such as kabaddi and sepaktakraw.

These games will also mark the return of Iraq to the international competition
for the first time since 1986.

India will win a medal in 2008 Olympics: Coach

2008-08-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

CHENNAI: Australian Brett Mace, the coach of Indian Triathlon Federation (ITF) has expressed confidence of India winning a medal in the 2008 Olympics.
Mace said he was certain that India will claim a medal in the 2008 Games after undegoing a systematic training programme though India's chances of grabbing a medal in 2004 Athens Games did not look bright.
He was talking to pressmen at a function organised by ITF to felicitate Service's Mahesh Shinde and Karnataka's Syed Jabir for winning bronze medal in the Subic Bay International championship held on June two at Philippines and the entire Indian team.
"I am impressed with their performance in Subic Bay championship. I can say for sure that India will be in the medal bracket in 2008 Olympics", he said.
He said the Indian athletes were up against one of the strongest fields in Asia cup series and regular participation in such events would help them to accrue vital world ranking points.
The ITF president N Ramachandran, who felicitated the team members, explained the long term plans of the Federation, especially the programme for 2004 and 2008 olympics.
He said, "Indian team will compete on merit in the Olympics and we have a chance to qualify for the Athens Games. He said as per the new system of selection criteria, an athlete who secures 125 ITU points would automaticaly qualify for olympic competitions."
He said the hurdle towards achieving this goal all along has been sponsorship support.
"Now that the Amara Raja Batteries have signed a four year contract of sponsorship with the ITF, we could ensure participation of Indian teams in International meets to garner valuable points", he said.
Talking on the first ever National coaching clinic (level one), Ramachandran said that this followed the vision of the ITF to broad base Triathlon in India and the federation has taken a conscious decision to conduct such clinics to educate and develop aspiring coaches throughout the country.
Following the decision of MRF pace foundation, an Internationally acclaimed academy functioning here since 1987 with former Australian Great Dennis Lillee as its coach, the ITF has roped in reputed coaches from Australia for its academy.
Apart from Mace, Rob Pickard, who was instrumental in Australia attaining the status of dominant force in the world triathlon as its National coach and Frank Conceicao (both from Australia) and Pradip Kumar, a reputed swimming specialist who trained Indian swimmers for Olympics, have been roped in by the ITF to coach the triathletes and also to conduct regular clinics in India.

Dhyan Chand - The Legend...

2008-08-01T21:17:00.000-07:00

View Freakin Fabulous' map

Taken in a place with no name (See more photos or videos here)

Born Allahabad, 29 August 1905
The Padma Bhushan was conferred on him in 1956, and a year after his demise in 1979, the Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in his honour. The ‘National Sports Day’ in India is observed on his birthday, 29 August. In Vienna stands a statue of the Hockey wizard with four hands and four sticks. Such was the legend of Dhyan Chand, a lowly sepoy in the British Indian army who rose to become the darling of sporting fans the world over.
Dhyan Chand grew up in Jhansi, where his father was based, a havaldar in the British Indian Army. He joined the Army as a 16-year-old and, and his mesmerizing stick-work prompted them to allow him to concentrate on the game. He took part in the inter-provincials and made an immediate impact on the national scene. The Indian Hockey Federation was formed in 1925, and Dhyan Chand found himself on the ship to New Zealand and Australia for exhibition matches in preparation of the Amsterdam Olympics of 1928.
Playing exhibition matches in London before the Olympics, he netted 36 of the 72 goals India scored at the Folkstone Festival. At the Amsterdam Games, he scored two out of the three goals India pumped in against the Netherlands in the final. At the 1932 Olympics, when India drubbed USA by 24 goals to one, Dhyan Chand netted eight, and his brother Roop Singh scored an equal number of goals.
Adolf Hitler had sought to prove his theory of ‘Aryan Supremacy’ at the Berlin Games, in 1936. But he had not accounted for a ‘black’ named Jesse Owens, and the Indian Hockey team with its legendary striker, Dhyan Chand. He was witness to the finals between India and Germany, and was awestruck by the jugglery of the wizard.
The German players were themselves passive spectators as Dhyan Chand and his boys weaved magic around them and struck the boards at regular intervals. With their self-esteem at stake, the Germans resorted to rough tackles. One such tackle broke the wizard’s tooth. Returning after first aid, and after India were leading by eight goals - Dhyan Chand having scored six - he advised his players to a play possession game and teach the Germans a lesson in good, clean Hockey. It is said that Hitler met him after the match and offered to elevate him to the post of Colonel if he migrated to Germany, which of course, was politely refused by Dhyan Chand.
Playing in an exhibition game in Germany once, one of the spectators is said to have offered his walking stick to Dhyan Chand in exchange of his seemingly ‘magic’ stick. Playing on with the walking stick, the legend is said to have displayed the same skills and even scored a few goals!
Before the Berlin Olympics, Dhyan Chand led an Indian team on a tour Down Under, where they played 48 matches and scored 584 goals. Dhyan Chand accounted for 200 of them. The Cricket legend, Sir Donald Bradman is said to have inquired whether Dhyan Chand scores runs or goals!
Dhyan Chand retired from international Hockey in 1948, and was for a short time in charge of the National Institute of Sports at Patiala. His son Ashok Kumar played with a lot of credit for India in the 1970s. The legend expired on 3 December 1979.

India in Olympics

2008-08-01T21:14:00.000-07:00

India first participated in Olympics in 1900 in Paris. The country was represented by Norman Pritchard, an Anglo Indian who was holidaying in Paris during that time. He bagged two silver medals in 200m. dash and 200m hurdles. Then after a gap of 20 years India again participated with two athletes in 1920 Antwerp Olympics and with eight members in 1924 Paris Olympics.

But the more organised, official representation by India, was made in 1928 Amsterdam, with the formation of Indian Olympic Association in 1927. Dorabji Tata was the first president and Dr A C Northern of Young Men's Christian Association, Madras was the secretary. That year, Indian Hockey team participated in their first Olympic hockey event and won the gold medal under the captaincy of Jaipal Singh. For the next 6 successive Olympics spanning 28 years from 1928-1956, Indians retained their gold medal for the hockey event. Hockey wizard Dhyan Chand played a major role in Indian victory in the first three successive wins. It was definitely the golden era of Indian Hockey in Olympics, during which India played 24 matches and won all 24, scored 178 goals (at an average of 7.43 goals per match) and conceded only 7 goals. India again won two more gold medals in Olympic hockey in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

In athletics, six Indians and the 4x400 women's relay team have reached the finals of their events in Olympics. They are Norman Pritchard in 1900 (two silvers in sprint and hurdles), Henry Rebello in 1948 London (Triple Jump), Milkha Singh 1960 Rome ( fourth place in 400 metres), Gurbachan Singh Randhawa 1964 Tokyo (fifth place in 100 m hurdles), Sriram singh 1976 Montreal ( seventh in 800m), P.T Usha in 1984 Los Angeles ( fourth in 400m hurdles) who unfortunately lost her bronze by 1/100th of a second and the 4 member squad of the 400m. women's relay P.T.Usha, M.D.Valsamma, Vandana Rao, Shiny Abraham reached seventh place, the same year.

Apart from Hockey and a few fine performances in athletics, India's record in the Olympics paints a dismal picture, for a country having a population of over a billion people. Apart from the 8 gold medals, one silver medal and two bronzes in Hockey, two silver medals in athletics, India has won bronzes for wrestling ( Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav 1952 Helsinki), shooting ( Dr Karni Singh 1964 Tokyo), tennis ( Leander Paes 1996 Atlanta) and weightlifting ( Karnam Malleswari 2000 Sydney).

Now, Beijing Olympics on terror radar

2008-08-01T21:12:00.000-07:00

A group calling itself the Turkistan Islamic Party released a video threatening the Beijing Olympic Games and claiming responsibility for recent deadly explosions on two Chinese buses, a terrorism monitoring firm has said.

IntelCenter, a US-based terrorism monitoring firm, said the group had released a video entitled "Our Blessed Jihad in Yunnan," featuring a statement by the group's leader, Commander Seyfullah, threatening next month's Olympics. "Despite the Turkistan Islamic Party's repeated warnings to China and international community about stopping the 29th Olympics in Beijing, the Chinese have haughtily ignored our warnings," IntelCenter quoted Seyfullah as saying.

"The Turkistan Islamic Party volunteers who had gone through special preparations have started urgent actions."

Seyfullah said the group bombed two public buses in Shanghai on May 5 and "took action against police" in Wenzhou on July 17 with a tractor loaded with explosives.

The group also bombed a plastic factory in Guangzhou on July 17 and bombed three public buses in Yunnan on July 21, according to IntelCenter.

The bus explosions killed at least two people and injured 14 in the south-western city of Kunming on Monday amid a security clampdown ahead of the Olympics.

The official Xinhua news agency had blamed the blasts on "sabotage" and was seeking to find out who was responsible.

"The Turkistan Islamic Party warns China one more time," Seyfullah said, according to the IntelCenter transcript. "Our aim is to target the most critical points related to the Olympics. We will try to attack Chinese central cities severely using the tactics that have never been employed."

He urged spectators and athletes "particularly the Muslims" planning to attend the Olympics to change their mind.

"Please do not stand together with the faithless people," he said. "The Turkistan Islamic Party volunteers will conduct violent military actions against individuals, departments, venues and activities that are related to the Olympics in China." The warning comes two weeks before the start of the Beijing Games on August 8.

Olympics 2008

2008-08-01T21:11:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad is a Summer Olympics event, that will be held in Beijing, People's Republic of China from August 8 to August 24, 2008 and followed by the 2008 Summer Paralympics from September 6 to September 17. 10,500 athletes are expected to compete in 302 events in 28 sports, just one event more than was on the schedule of the 2004 games.The 2008 Beijing Olympics will also mark the third time that Olympic events will have been held in the territories of two different National Olympic Committees (NOC): at the 2008 Olympics, equestrian events will be held in Hong Kong, which competes separately from mainland China.

The Olympic games were awarded to Beijing after an exhaustive ballot of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on July 13, 2001. The official logo of the games, titled "Dancing Beijing," features a stylised calligraphic character jīng (京, meaning capital), referencing the host city. The mascots of Beijing 2008 are the five Fuwa, each representing both a colour of the Olympic rings and a symbol of Chinese culture. The Olympic slogan, One World, One Dream, calls upon the world to unite in the Olympic spirit. Several new NOCs have also been recognised by the IOC.

The Chinese government has promoted the games to highlight China's emergence on the world stage and has invested heavily in new facilities and transportation systems.[A total of 37 venues will be used to host the events including 12 newly constructed venues. Earlier in 2007, former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch had said that he believes that the Beijing games will be "the best in Olympic history."

History of Olypics

2008-08-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920.
The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920.

The Olympic Games is an international multi-sport event subdivided into summer and winter sporting events. The summer and winter games are each held every four years. Until 1992, they were both held in the same year. Since then, the summer games are held during the first year of an Olympiad, the winter games during the third year.

The original Olympic Games (Greek: Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες; [Olympiakoi Agones] (help·info)) were first recorded in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece, and were celebrated until AD 393. Interest in reviving the Olympic Games proper was first shown by the Greek poet and newspaper editor Panagiotis Soutsos in his poem "Dialogue of the Dead" in 1833.[4] Evangelos Zappas sponsored the first modern international Olympic Games in 1859. He paid for the refurbishment of the Panathinaiko Stadium for Games held there in 1870 and 1875.[4] This was noted in newspapers and publications around the world including the London Review, which stated that "the Olympian Games, discontinued for centuries, have recently been revived! Here is strange news indeed ... the classical games of antiquity were revived near Athens".

The International Olympic Committee was founded in 1894 on the initiative of a French nobleman, Pierre Frédy, Baron de Coubertin. The first of the IOC's Olympic Games were the 1896 Summer Olympics, held in Athens, Greece. Participation in the Olympic Games has increased to include athletes from nearly all nations worldwide. With the improvement of satellite communications and global telecasts of the events, the Olympics are consistently gaining supporters. The most recent Summer Olympics were the 2004 Games in Athens and the most recent Winter Olympics were the 2006 Games in Turin. The upcoming games in Beijing are planned to comprise 302 events in 28 sports. As of 2006, the Winter Olympics were competed in 84 events in 7 sports.