2008 was undoubtedly China's year in the limelight, thanks to the Beijing Olympics. But this year, China's longtime political and diplomatic rival Taiwan gets the World Games

And it's not Taiwan's frenetic, fashionable capital Taipei which will be hosting the event. Instead, the island's second largest city and one of the world's busiest ports, Kaohsiung, will be home to the 16-26 July extravaganza.

The World Games, held under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee, is for some of the sports which don't make the cut for the Olympics. That includes billiards, tug of war, sumo, squash, water skiing and even life saving.

"For the spectators, at the venues as well as in front of TV sets, the particular fascinations of The World Games are found in watching these athletes compete in sports of a kaleidoscopic variety that is without match in the entire Olympic Movement," is how the organisation describes the event.

What I have found most fascinating is the preparations Kaohsiung has been making for the Games, particularly as I covered the Beijing Olympics and the run-up to it.

Beijing was beset by problems, all well-documented, including worries over pollution, media freedom, the poor foreign language skills of its citizens and many, many other issues, though in the end it all went off more or less smoothly.

Having been to Kaohsiung many times over the past decade and several times over the last few months, I have been fascinated to observe their build-up.

Media freedom was never really going to be an issue, as Taiwan is a free-wheeling democracy with a feisty press and little fear of foreign reporters. Pollution used to be a problem in Kaohsiung, but it less so now since many of the factories packed up and moved to much cheaper China.

Kaohsiung's transport infrastructure has been revolutionised by the opening last year of a sleek new subway system, which is not only fully bilingual in Mandarin and English but includes announcements in the Hokkien and Hakka dialects.

The people in Kaohsiung could also not be more friendly and welcoming to foreigners, a trait Taiwan is well known for.

Of course, it has not and will not be all plain sailing, and politics has begun to intrude.

Kaohsiung's city government is run by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, which lost last year's presidential election to the Nationalists, who once ran all of China until being forced to flee to Taiwan at the end of a civil war with the Communists.

The pro-Taiwan independence DPP has been accusing the central government in Taipei of not giving them the money they want for the World Games.

Will Kaohsiung be able to attract that many spectators? The World Games hardly has the draw of the Olympics, and is being held in a city many foreigners have probably never heard of, let alone can pronounce. The global economic downturn could stymie the plans even of those who would like to go.

I for one will be watching with interest to see how the Games turn out, and if they manage to raise Kaohsiung's or Taiwan's international profile.

For a Reuters city guide to Kaohsiung, please click here.

Pictures of Games poster and building of the stadium in Kaohsiung by Pichi Chuang/REUTERS

Was the IOC right to criticise Usain Bolt? What is the most dangerous sport at the Games? And what’s the worst horse joke you could possibly imagine?

Tune in to the latest podcast as I’m joined by Julian Linden, Simon Evans, Ossian Shine and Paul Majendie for a figurative stroll around the Olympic green. 

Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, chided Usain Bolt on Thursday for showing a lack of respect to his rivals after his sprint double at the Beijing Games.

Maybe it’s a generational thing but I doubt if a single person lucky enough to be in the Bird’s Nest on for his 200 metres gold and world record on Wednesday, or when he won his 100 metres in such audacious style, would agree.

“I think he should show more respect, shake hands, give a tap on the shoulder to the other ones. Not making gestures like the one he made in the 100 metres,” Rogge said on Thursday. “He still has to mature. I would love him to show more respect to his competitors. He should learn that he should shake hands with competitors.”

We have discussed on the blog the rights and wrongs of the Jamaican’s “premature” celebrations as he crossed the line in the 100 — creating one of the iconic images of the Games.

But surely nobody could point the finger about the 200. Bolt was deadly serious about not only completing the sprint double but also taking Michael Johnson’s world record, which he did by running right through the line to clock 19.30 seconds.

His opponents were so far behind he would have stiffened up if he had waited around to shake hands and there were 90,000 people, most of them with cameras, who wanted a closer look at their new hero.

Bolt obliged perfectly, smiling, laughing, dancing and posing — to the delight of the fans who repaid the compliment by singing “happy birthday” ahead of him turning 22 today.

Bolt then spent almost an hour talking patiently to TV crews, before facing the hysterical written press in the mixed zone, then sitting down and going over it all again in the news conference.

He earned respect from everyone who saw him, including finalist Kim Collins who said: “He gave us a brutal ass-kicking.”

Rogge wants him to mature, and he is a year older today than when he won the 200, but for the next generation of athletics fans that the sport is desperate to attract, Bolt is pure gold and the officials should recognise and embrace that.

PHOTO: (TOP): Bolt celebrates gold and a world record in the 200m. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

PHOTO (BOTTOM): Bolt crosses the finish line to win the 200m. REUTERS/Hans Deryk

Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou has been barred from competing at the Beijing Olympics over her involvement in the doping scandal that overshadowed the Athens Games.

Thanou came back from her two-year ban to qualify for these Games but she still needed permission from the IOC to compete and that has been emphatically denied.

IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davis told reporters on Sunday the decision was meant “to send a firm signal of the IOC’s moral consideration that this case has brought the Olympic movement very much into disrepute”.

The IOC has just launched “The Best of Us” campaign to promote the main Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. I won’t bore you with the details of the campaign, suffice to say it is without doubt worthy. The best part of it, for my part, is the Alex Puskitas video. It is lovely! Who said the IOC hasn’t a sense of humour (OK they may not have come up with the concept, but they did sanction it!).

The background is: Alex Puskitas is a fictional, underdog athlete that incorporates all we want to express with the “Best of Us” campaign. He is capable of overcoming the odds and ‘bringing out his best’ in order to achieve his goals. He symbolizes the spirit of the athlete - the participation and striving to be your best.  Take a look..