Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: August 2008

Like the Five Olympic Rings from which they draw their color and inspiration, Fuwa will serve as the Official Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship and peace -- and good wishes from China -- to children all over the world.

Designed to express the playful qualities of five little children who form an intimate circle of friends, Fuwa also embody the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals -- the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow -- and the Olympic Flame.

Each of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name -- a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow.

When you put their names together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say "Welcome to Beijing," offering a warm invitation that reflects the mission of Fuwa as young ambassadors for the Olympic Games.

Fuwa also embody both the landscape and the dreams and aspirations of people from every part of the vast country of China. In their origins and their headpieces, you can see the five elements of nature -- the sea, forest, fire, earth and sky -- all stylistically rendered in ways that represent the deep traditional influences of Chinese folk art and ornamentation.

In the ancient culture of China, there is a grand tradition of spreading good wishes through signs and symbols. Each of Fuwa symbolizes a different blessing -- and will honor this tradition by carrying their good wishes to the children of the world. Prosperity, happiness, passion, health and good luck will be spread to every continent as Fuwa carry their invitation to Beijing 2008 to every part of the globe.

At the heart of their mission -- and through all of their work -- Fuwa will seek to unite the world in peace and friendship through the Olympic spirit. Dedicated to helping Beijing 2008 spread its theme of One World, One Dream to every continent, Fuwa reflect the deep desire of the Chinese people to reach out to the world in friendship through the Games -- and to invite every man, woman and child to take part in the great celebration of human solidarity that China will host in the light of the flame in 2008.

In China's traditional culture and art, the fish and water designs are symbols of prosperity and harvest. And so Beibei carries the blessing of prosperity. A fish is also a symbol of surplus in Chinese culture, another measure of a good year and a good life.

The ornamental lines of the water-wave designs are taken from well-known Chinese paintings of the past. Among Fuwa, Beibei is known to be gentle and pure. Strong in water sports, she reflects the blue Olympic ring.

Jingjing makes children smile -- and that's why he brings the blessing of happiness wherever he goes. You can see his joy in the charming naivety of his dancing pose and the lovely wave of his black and white fur. As a national treasure and a protected species, pandas are adored by people everywhere. The lotus designs in Jingjing's headdress, which are inspired by the porcelain paintings of the Song Dynasty (A.D.960-1234), symbolize the lush forest and the harmonious relationship between man and nature. Jingjing was chosen to represent our desire to protect nature's gifts -- and to preserve the beauty of nature for all generations. Jingjing is charmingly naïve and optimistic. He is an athlete noted for strength who represents the black Olympic ring.

In the intimate circle of Fuwa, Huanhuan is the big brother. He is a child of fire, symbolizing the Olympic Flame and the passion of sport -- and passion is the blessing he bestows. Huanhuan stands in the center of Fuwa as the core embodiment of the Olympic spirit. And while he inspires all with the passion to run faster, jump higher and be stronger, he is also open and inviting. Wherever the light of Huanhuan shines, the inviting warmth of Beijing 2008 -- and the wishful blessings of the Chinese people -- can be felt. The fiery designs of his head ornament are drawn from the famed Dunhuang murals -- with just a touch of China's traditional lucky designs. Huanhuan is outgoing and enthusiastic. He excels at all the ball games and represents the red Olympic ring.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Final Medal List

Russian team pose during the medal ceremony

Elsewhere, as expected, world champions Russia won the Rhythmic Gymnastics All Around gold medal, scoring 35.550 points in the two-routine final. China earned silver with 35.225 points and Belarus took the bronze medal with 34.900 points.

There was further medal success for the United States -- which won its third Olympic Men's Volleyball title by coming from one set down to beat defending champion Brazil, 3-1. Each set was closely contested with Brazil taking the opener 25-20, but the US bounced to take the next two sets 25-22 and 25-21. The fourth set was a thriller which swung one way then the other before the US nailed victory 25-23.

The American team went the entire tournament without defeat and the result was no surprise as they had already beat Brazil 3-0 to win the FIVB World League for the first time this year. Earlier, Russia won its third Men's Volleyball medal in three consecutive Olympic Games, winning a second straight bronze by beating Italy 25-22, 25-19, 25-23.

Not such a good day for the US in Water Polo, though. Hungary reaffirmed it dominance of Men's Water Polo by claiming its third consecutive, and ninth overall, Olympic gold medal after defeating the United States 14-10. Earlier, Serbia beat Montenegro 6-4 to take the bronze medal.

In the Men's Handball final, France took gold 28-23 to deny Iceland what would have been its first ever Olympic gold medal. Iceland's Olafur Stefansson scored a team-high of five goals out of eleven attempts while Nikola Karabatic nailed eight goals for the French team. Spain beat two-time champions Croatia 35-29 to take their third Olympic Men's Handball bronze medal.

And that was just about that. The final medal table had China on top in terms of gold medals with 51, the USA second with 36, Russia third with 21 and surprisingly, Great Britain, fourth, with 19, ahead of fifth-placed Germany's 16. In terms of overall medals, the US collected 110, in comparison to China's 100 and Russia's 72.

So that was Beijing 2008 – a Games dominated, in the opening week, by the record-breaking feats of swimmer Michael Phelps, whose eight gold medals made him the winner of more gold medals in a single Games than anyone else. The second week belonged to the triple world-record breaking exploits of sprinter Usain Bolt.

It was, of course, an amazing Games for host China, which topped the medal table with some incredible performances on home soil – too many to list here but among them, its divers, weightlifters, table tennis and badminton players in particular.

All that is left is the Closing Ceremony to sit back and enjoy. How about doing this again sometime? Let's make a date for London in 2012.

Day 16 Review: US team 'redeemed' on final day of firsts

The Games of the 29th Olympiad are finally over and concluded with 12 finals including a new Olympic record in the Men's Marathon, China and Mongolia collecting their first-ever Olympic Boxing medals and Russia retaining its Rhythmic Gymnastics All Around crown.

But to most observers there was only one question that remained to be answered before the veil came down on Beijing 2008: could Team USA redeem their country's wounded pride at missing the Men's Basketball gold medal in Athens four years ago?

Indeed, even the star-studded NBA players in their ironically monikered "redeem team" joked they'd better not bother going home unless they had nice new gold medals safely tucked inside their suitcases – few major sports, if any, have one nation in the psychological grip that basketball has over the US public.

And the US Women's team, led by Lisa Leslie who scooped her fourth and almost certainly final consecutive gold medal, also retained their Women's Basketball title yesterday. So there was some pressure on the boys.

Redeemers, dreamers, daydream believers, call them what you will, today they were simply winners -- and Beijing 2008, alongside the big name footballers and tennis players who came here, was all the richer for having these major sporting stars in its midst.

They responded magnificently by weighing in with 118 points to Spain's 107. Not that it was ever a walk in the park against a determined Spanish team which, just like China had done in the US team's opening encounter of the Games, led early on.

But after a shaky start, Team USA soon built a seven point advantage by the end of the first quarter, then a half time of lead 69-61.

Inspired by Marc Gasol, Spain chipped away the US lead in the third and fourth quarters, reducing the deficit to just four points at one stage, but the "redeemers" pulled away for an 11 point victory margin that reflected the overall balance of the game.

As you might expect, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade were the top scorers for Team USA, weighing in with 20 and 27 points each.

Afterwards, Lebron James described the joy within the Team USA camp: "It means everything to me. We're the number one team. We've been so blessed with this opportunity. It's so rewarding to see your hard work pay off. This is something I've waited for, for four years."

Earlier, defending Olympic champion Argentina won the bronze medal after a comfortable victory against Lithuania 87-75 with Carlos Delfino top-scoring with 20 points for Argentina.

Closing Of Olympics

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Kumar claims 66kg bronze

(BEIJING, August 20) -- India's Sushil Kumar claimed bronze in the Men's Freestyle Wrestling 66 kilogram class on Wednesday, August 20.

Kumar took three periods to beat Leonid Spiridonov of Kazakhstan 2-1, 0-1 and 1-0.

Spiridonov finished fourth in the 66kg weight class in Athens, while Kumar took 14th place.

Williams sisters to fight Spain

Serena and Venus Williams of the United States will go against Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain in the Women's Doubles gold medal match on Sunday, August 17, at the Olympic Green Tennis Center.

The Williams sisters, gold medalists at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, will be aiming for a second gold medal here in Beijing.

Serena and Venus will try to follow in the footsteps of Gigi and Mary Jo Fernandez, who won back-to-back Olympic Women's Doubles titles for the United States, at Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996.

Medina Garrigues and Ruano Pascual ended China's hope for Tennis gold when they defeated Yan Zi and Zheng Jie 6-4, 7-6 (5) in their semifinal match.

Ruano Pascual played in the Women's Doubles final with Conchita Martinez of Spain in Athens in 2004, losing to Li Ting and Sun Tiantian of China.

Spain has never won an Olympic gold medal in Tennis, but has two chances to do so on Sunday as Rafael Nadal will be on the court for the Men's Singles final.

Yan and Zheng will take on Alona Bondarenko and Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine in the bronze medal match, also scheduled for Sunday.

INDIA's Vijendra....

BOXING

The first day of the Olympic Boxing tournament will see 24 bouts in the Round of 32, with 12 bouts respectively in both the Middleweight and Light-heavyweight divisions.

In the 75kg division (Middleweight), the main favorite is Russia's Matvey Korobov. Korobov, the gold medalist at the 2005 and 2007 Chicago World Championships, will run into Sweden's Naim Terbunja in his first bout. It is unlikely that Terbunja will make any trouble for Korobov.

Korobov has plans to turn professional after the Olympics: "I have spent a long time in amateur Boxing, and it is a long career. After the Olympics, I will relax and maybe I will become a pro after this Olympic Games," Korobov said after a training session in Beijing on August 6.

Another favorite Alfonso Blanco of Venezuela, the Middleweight runner-up in Chicago 2007 has a bye in the first round and will automatically advance to the Round of 16. The two Middleweight bronze medalists of Chicago, Artayev Bakhtiyar of Kazakhstan and Sergiy Derevyanchenko of Ukraine will face Morocco's Said Rachidi and China's Wang Jianzheng.

Light-heavyweight champion of Chicago 2007, Abbos Atoev of Uzbekistan will fight for a place in the Round of 16 with Tajikistan's Kurbanov Djakhon, who finished 17th in Chicago. Russia's Artur Beterbiev, runner up in Chicago, will meet the unknown Kennedy Katende of Sweden, who has not attended any World Championships.

The first bout is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. local time.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

HELP FOR TICKET BUYERS..

Most of Southern and Northwestern China has suffered from an extended period of low temperatures, snow, rain and freezing weather recently. The severely inclement weather has resulted in a range of inconveniences for many people in these parts of the country. Thus, the Beijing Olympic Ticketing Center has decided to postpone the deadline for the submission of Photo IDs and personal information to February 22, 2008, for Olympic ceremonies ticket buyers. The ticketing center will be closed during the public holidays of the Spring Festival, from February 6 to 12.

Those who have purchased tickets for the Olympic ceremonies can submit their photos and ID information at the Bank of China.

Any questions about the photos and ID information can be directed to the ticketing call center of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games or the customer service hotline of the Bank of China.

The number of the ticketing call center: 8610-952008

The number of the customer service hotline of the Bank of China: 8610-95566

Olympics tickets in Beijing.

More than 140,000 Olympic tickets (more than half of the remaining number of tickets available in Beijing) were sold at nineteen ticket booths across Beijing on July 25, the first day of the fourth phase of Olympics tickets sales. Fourteen Olympic venues in Beijing have sold all of their tickets.

Lines at ticket booths began appearing several days and nights before the start of ticket sales, demonstrating the high level of enthusiasm that people in the city are showing toward watching Olympic events.

Event tickets still available as of 8:00 p.m., July 25, include: Athletics and Baseball tickets at the main ticket booths of Beijing Olympic Center, Hockey tickets sold at the Olympic Green, Volleyball tickets sold at Capital Indoor Stadium, Handball tickets at Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium and Boxing tickets at Beijing Workers' Gymnasium.

It is expected that the remaining tickets will be quickly sold out on the second day of sales.

Ticket buyers are reminded to follow closely the updated ticket information available online at Tickets.beijing2008.cn

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Chinese pupils create mosaics

An art contest featuring Olympic Games' posters is being carried out in 500 primary schools around China with an aim to spread Olympic culture among the country's young people.

Sponsored by the International Olympic Committee and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), the campaign was launched on Thursday at Fuxue Primary School and will end on July 10. Participants can enter as individuals or groups.

Olympic posters are important symbols that represent the knowledge of the Games held by different countries. The theme of the posters so far has covered the Olympic torch, mascots, venues, sports and host cities, among others.

148 fiber optic light pipes

the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) Gymnasium,the venue for the judo and taekwondo events of the Beijing Olympic Games has been finished. Comprising a main gymnasium and a 50 m X 25 m standard-sized swimming pool, the gymnasium has a total building area of 24,662 sq m.

The biggest highlight of the USTB Gymnasium lies in the installation of 148 fiber optic light pipes that are 530 mm in diameter -- more than any other Beijing Olympic venue so far. On days with strong sunlight, the light pipes will be able to meet the lighting needs for sports training in the gymnasium. At night, the light pipes will transmit light through the gymnasium' s roof, creating an attractive nightscape effect.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Beijing Olympic Opening ceremony

Photo Gallary Of Beijing Olympics

Jingjing

Jingjing makes children smile -- and that's why he brings the blessing of happiness wherever he goes. You can see his joy in the charming naivety of his dancing pose and the lovely wave of his black and white fur. As a national treasure and a protected species, pandas are adored by people everywhere. The lotus designs in Jingjing's headdress, which are inspired by the porcelain paintings of the Song Dynasty (A.D.960-1234), symbolize the lush forest and the harmonious relationship between man and nature. Jingjing was chosen to represent our desire to protect nature's gifts -- and to preserve the beauty of nature for all generations. Jingjing is charmingly naïve and optimistic. He is an athlete noted for strength who represents the black Olympic ring.

China Says..

我们认为同学们应该对这些竞赛场馆有更深一步的了解，而不应该对它们有个马马虎虎的印象。但是，从我的问卷中发现到大多数的学生们对北京奥运的竞赛场地一知半解，有的甚至一窍不通。他们的通常反应就是说奥运竞赛场地都是大同小异而不需要对它们有更深的理解，这就是错的想法。

因此我们将在这报告里，介绍并透彻地研究各竞赛场地独特的方面。我们将会从网上资料寻找有关北京奥运竞赛场地的地点，建筑面积，场地类型，赛事用途，座位数等资料。我们在报告里也会谈谈两个重要的竞赛场地。那就是国家体育场（鸟巢）和国家游泳中心。这两个竞赛场地在其它的广场之内是比较独特的。同时我们对其他重要比赛场馆也会作出研究，从赛场设施，科技，结构等方面入手，对他们如何体现“绿色奥运、科技奥运、人文奥运”提出看法。

Current Olympic Records: Athletics (Women)

Event	Name	NOC	Result	Date	Location
100m	Florence GRIFFITH JOYNER	USA	10.62	24 Sep 1988	Seoul, KOR
200m	Florence GRIFFITH JOYNER	USA	21.34	29 Sep 1988	Seoul, KOR
400m	Marie-José PÉREC	FRA	48.25	29 Jul 1996	Atlanta, GA, USA
800m	Nadezhda OLIZARENKO	URS	1:53.43	27 Jul 1980	Moscow, URS
1500m	Paula IVAN	ROM	3:53.96	26 Sep 1988	Seoul, KOR
5000m	Gabriela SZABO	ROM	14:40.79	25 Sep 2000	Sydney, AUS
10000m	Derartu TULU	ETH	30:17.49	30 Sep 2000	Sydney, AUS
Marathon	Naoko TAKAHASHI	JPN	2:23:14	24 Sep 2000	Sydney, AUS
100m Hurdles	Joanna HAYES	USA	12.37	24 Aug 2004	Athens, GRE
400m Hurdles	Faní HALKIÁ	GRE	52.77	22 Aug 2004	Athens, GRE
4 x 100m Relay	Romy MÜLLER	GDR	41.60	01 Aug 1980	Moscow, URS
	Bärbel WÖCKEL
	Ingrid AUERSWALD
	Marlies GÖHR
4 x 400m Relay	Tatyana LEDOVSKAYA	URS	3:15.17	01 Oct 1988	Seoul, KOR
	Olga NAZAROVA
	Mariya PINIGINA
	Olga BRYZGINA
20km Walk	Liping WANG	CHN	1:29:05	28 Sep 2000	Sydney, AUS
High Jump	Yelena SLESARENKO	RUS	2.06	28 Aug 2004	Athens, GRE
Long Jump	Jackie JOYNER-KERSEE	USA	7.40	29 Sep 1988	Seoul, KOR
Pole Vault	Yelena ISINBAYEVA	RUS	4.91	24 Aug 2004	Athens, GRE
Triple Jump	Inessa KRAVETS	UKR	15.33	04 Aug 1996	Atlanta, GA, USA
Shot Put	Ilona SLUPIANEK	GDR	22.41	24 Jul 1980	Moscow, URS
Discus Throw	Martina HELLMANN	GDR	72.30	29 Sep 1988	Seoul, KOR
Hammer Throw	Olga KUZENKOVA	RUS	75.02	25 Aug 2004	Athens, GRE
Javelin Throw	Osleidys MENÉNDEZ	CUB	71.53	27 Aug 2004	Athens, GRE
Heptathlon	Jackie JOYNER-KERSEE	USA	7291	24 Sep 1988	Seoul, KOR

It's official, the 2008 Olympics have begun and Beijing celebrated the start of the games with a spectacular opening ceremony. The ceremony began at 8 p.m. Friday (local time) at the National Stadium, also known as the bird's nest. Check out some pictures from the ceremony, to see the entire gallery, click on any image.
(CHINA OUT) A couple pose with their marriage certificate after they register for marriage at a marriage registry office on August 8, 2008 in Beijing, China. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese across the country got married today, an auspicious day when the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be held.
It's finally here ladies and gents. The Olympic ceremony, the one that was so hush-hush, kicked off the 2008 Beijing Olympics some time during the night when we were fighting off the effects of cheap wine and late night Scotch. You can see the replay tonight on NBC around 7:30 EST and it's scheduled to last a mind-numbing four hours. So, we thought we'd help all of you by supplying a few photos from the event so you're at least left confident a bathroom break and/or Tecate run won't make you miss the dudes roaming around the stadium floor with boxes. No really. Artists are draped in white boxes that move throughout the stadium floor.

USTB Gymnasium

(BEIJING, November 15) -- The University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) Gymnasium is completed. Comprising a main gymnasium and a 50 m X 25 m standard-sized swimming pool, the gymnasium has a total building area of 24,662 sq m.

The main gymnasium contains a 60 m x 40 m competition area and 8,012 spectator seats, including 4,080 permanent seats and 3,932 temporary seats. The venue will hold the Judo and Taekwondo competitions of the Olympic Games and Wheelchair Rugby and Wheelchair Basketball competitions of the Paralympic Games next year. The gymnasium meets all the competition requirements for these sports.

The USTB Gymnasium belongs to the Olympics, but moreover, it belongs to the university, emphasized Zhuang Weimin, the venue's designer. Zhuang, the dean of the Architectural Design and Research Institute at Tsinghua University, explained that since the early stages of designing the gymnasium, a major goal was to have the gymnasium complement its green surroundings.

The gymnasium takes full advantage of sunlight, rainwater, fresh air, and other renewable resources to address the power, air conditioning, and water supply needs, he said. The gymnasium also has a solar-powered hot water system, an adjustable frequency air conditioning system, and a reclaimed water system.

The biggest highlight of the USTB Gymnasium lies in the installation of 148 fiber optic light pipes that are 530 mm in diameter -- more than in any other Beijing Olympic venue so far. On days with strong sunlight, the light pipes will be able to meet the lighting needs for sports training in the gymnasium. At night, the light pipes will transmit light through the gymnasium' s roof, creating an attractive nightscape effect.

Throughout the entire construction process, making the gymnasium people-friendly was a top priority. Zhuang said that full consideration was given to making the venue accessible to people with a disability.

After the Games, the USTB Gymnasium will become the university's main education and entertainment venue. It will also be used for major international sports competitions.

Venue Of Olympics..

Venue: Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium
Location: Beijing Science and Technology University (Search the map)
Total land surface: 23,993 sq m

Olympic events: Judo, Taekwondo

Seating: 8,000

Paralympics events: Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

Olympic dates: August 9-15 (Judo); August20-23 (Taekwondo)

Opening hours: Two hours prior to start of competition

Walking distances:

South gate to Gymnasium: approximately 200 meters

North gate to Gymnasium: approximately 300 meters

West gate to Gymnasium: approximately 400 meters

Western China

Like all antelopes, Yingying is fast and agile and can swiftly cover great stretches of land as he races across the earth. A symbol of the vastness of China's landscape, the antelope carries the blessing of health, the strength of body that comes from harmony with nature. Yingying's flying pose captures the essence of a species unique to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the first animals put under protection in China. The selection of the Tibetan Antelope reflects Beijing's commitment to a Green Olympics. His head ornament incorporates several decorative styles from the Qinghai-Tibet and Sinkiang cultures and the ethnic design traditions of Western China. Strong in track and field events, Yingying is a quick-witted and agile boy who represents the yellow Olympic ring.