Changing China
Giant on the move
Follow that, London!
Sebastian Coe says London is undaunted at having to follow Beijing when it hosts the next Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2012.
“It’s a massive responsibility,” the chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games told a news conference on the eve of the closing ceremony of the Paralympics.
“We don’t find it daunting. I can only relate it to when I was sitting in a stadium when I was still a competitor watching an outstanding performance in my own event,” added the twice Olympic champion middle distance runner.
“I didn’t feel cowed by it, I went out and wanted to emulate it or even better it… Beijing has delivered a spectacular Games and we will also deliver a spectacular Games.”
Click here to read the full story.
PHOTO: Brazil’s Lucas Prado (R) celebrates with his guide after they won the men’s 100M T11 final at the Bird’s Nest, during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, Sept 9, 2008. REUTERS/David Gray
Blade Runner eyes triple gold and a crack at London 2012
Double amputee Oscar Pistorius has put the disappointment of not qualifying for the Beijing Olympics behind him and is confident of snaring three gold medals in the athletics at the Paralympics.
He is also looking forward to an attempt to make the next Olympics in London 2012.
The 21-year-old South African, dubbed the ‘Blade Runner’ because of the prosthetic legs that enable him to sprint, won a legal battle in May for the right to participate in the Olympics, only to then fail to meet the qualifying time.
“I didn’t make the Olympics this time, I’m hoping for the future,” he told me just ahead of the Paralympics.
Click here to read the full interview.
PHOTO: Pistorius runs the men’s 400 meters at the international EAA athletics meeting in Lucerne July 16, 2008. Needing a time of 45.55 seconds to qualify for the Beijing Olympics, Pistorius, 21, failed to qualify, finishing third with a personal best time of 46.25. REUTERS/Michael Buholzer
It is indeed, a depressing matter that, after such die-hard effrts made by Pistorius,did not allow him to qualify in the Olypic 2008.An amputed person who bears such indomitable attitude and does dream to be great one in the next Olympic 2012, is indeed an encouraging example to other sports persons significantly.It can be expected firmly that, Pistorius would win atleast any medal in the forthcoming Olympic game to held in London.A man of such ‘spirit’who can dream so high,must conquer any kinds of challenges or obstructions satisfactorily.Our sincere support and best wishes will be with him always.
China opens Paralympic Games
Beijing opened the Paralympic Games in spectacular fashion on Saturday, the crowd at the Bird’s Nest roaring in approval at the lavish performance overseen by renowned Chinese film director Zhang Yimou.
Particularly well received was a moving ballet performance by a young girl who lost a leg in May’s massive Sichuan earthquake.
Check out the photos and click here to read Ben Blanchard’s view from the Bird’s Nest…
Reuters photos by Jason Lee (top two) and Claro Cortes IV (bottom)
Farewell from the Bird’s Nest
Well, not quite the Bird’s Nest, but from the Reuters office at the Main Press Centre, just down the road.
Thanks for coming by and making this blog such a lively place during the Olympics. It might not quite be the end — the blog will still be here, the comments will remain open and we may well have a few more posts on Games-related issues — but I’m on my way out of Beijing (the office is being dismantled around me, as you can see).
Thanks too to China for hosting such a great Games, and to all my colleagues from Reuters text and pictures who posted here.
If you’re just stumbling across this blog, have a scroll down, check back through previous pages and look at some of the many brilliant pieces from long before the Games started and all the way through to the end. You could while away a good few hours here if you want to relive the Olympics.
If you’re a fan of soccer/football you may want to drop by the Reuters Soccer Blog here. Otherwise, roll on London 2012….
Kevin Fylan
Destiny of the Bird\’s Nest and the World Economy
Bird\’s Nest is an architectural achievement besides the glory it has brought to the Olympics and China. What will happen to the $450M structure? It would be a shame to let it just fade in history. Perhaps this blog and all blogs related to the Bird\’s Nest should direct their comments to creative ideas on how to make use of the Bird’s Nest for the 21st century.
As a starter, I would suggest to the Chinese government (major world traders and UN) to consider offering (asking) it for housing a meaningful UN presence at the Bird’s Nest and an economical stimulus program which is designed to stimulate the weakened global economy and to sustain a healthy world economical development for decades to come.
For this purpose, a recent article, entitled, Global Barter Stimulus Program,
http://www.mwsearch.com/GlobalBarterStim ulusProgram.html,
is a relevant proposal in which it has Presented an idea of stimulating and sustaining the global economy via a country to country large scale bartering program to immediately guarantee credits and trades to each other to stimulate the economy of the participating bartering countries and the global commerce. The use of the Bird’s Nest for such an idea by setting up a permanent world bartering arena, inviting global major trading countries to participate (rotating and continuous) and stimulating global commerce may be a timely idea with immediate effective impact to the global economy. Hence, it may be a worthy proposal for China, major world traders and UN to consider. Bloggers\’ wisdom are called to add their comments to accelerate the realization of a meaningful proposal. Then perhaps, the Bird’s Nest will become a giant hatching nest to hatch deals to sustain global economy and world economical development.
Dr. Wordman, NY, USA
Http://www.mwsearch.com/GlobalBarterStim ulusProgram.html
Snapshot Beijing, 7: Bolt breaks the unbreakable world record
My abiding memory from these Games will be watching Usain Bolt give everything he had to break a world record most of us had thought unbreakable.
Michael Johnson’s time of 19.32 in the 200 metres had never been seriously challenged before the Jamaican sprinter, a headline writer’s dream, decided it was finally time to get down to some serious work.
Bolt had won the 100 metres, and broken the world record, with ridiculous ease on the Saturday to set the Games alight. He was running so well that he had time to ease up well before the line and still record a commanding win.
Wednesday was different. Again, he had the race won well before the line, thanks to a brilliant bend, but there was no question of him slacking off as he hurtled down the straight. I could see him grimacing with pain as he neared the finish line before looking over to check the time.
The clock stopped on 19.31 but times are often rounded up or rounded down and there was a second or two to wait before we would find out whether he had broken Johnson’s world record or merely equalled it.
Those seconds seemed a long time for me — heaven knows what Bolt must have been feeling — but eventually the time was rounded down to 19.30. It was an incredible achievement for the Jamaican and a memory I will treasure.
This is the seventh and last in our series of Beijing snapshots — moments from the Games that will live long in the memories of all who witnessed them.
Read Snapshot Beijing, 1: Matt Emmons, by Erik Kirschbaum here.
Read Snapshot Beijing, 2: Matthias Steiner, by Sophie Hardach here.
Read Snapshot Beijing, 3: Usain Bolt in the 100m, by Paul Majendie here.
Read Snapshot Beijing, 4: Matthew Mitcham, by Emma Graham-Harrison here.
I think above the players had practiced heavely and its confidence will give them a prizes.
A pleasant surprise in Beijing
I’d expected the worst when I got to Beijing three weeks ago. I remember what it was like in another Communist country — East Germany with its suppressed and scared people coupled with deplorable service and shoddy quality everywhere you turned.
That’s roughly what I had in mind for China, although I knew Beijing itself would certainly be a more prosperous and modern place than East Germany, and with a bit of window dressing for the Olympics.
But China has turned out to be a lot different than I imagined. Even if it is perhaps a facade for the multitudes of foreign journalists like me getting their first taste of China, the single-most overwhelming aspect for me has been the wholehearted friendliness of the people.
I’ve been looking everywhere for that proverbial half-empty glass and the fly in my soup ever since I got here but instead have found mostly kind, helpful and friendly Chinese people who have been doing perfect 10-score back-flips to keep me and the fraternity of curmudgeon-like journalist colleagues from Seattle to Saigon happy.
I’m sure they’ve been drilled on how to be friendly and helpful to Lao Wai (foreigners) like me. The volunteers in Athens were all pretty friendly too, until the last day of the Olympics when they started ignoring my questions and the smiles disappeared. Here they haven’t stopped smiling or being helpful yet.
It doesn’t mean there haven’t been angry, tense, frustrating moments. And no one here can forget the ostracised and punished dissidents in China (you wonder why free speech runs into limits in such a powerful and proud country with so much going for it).
I’ve also had a few minor run-ins with rather inflexible local officials. But there is still no escaping the kindness, smiles and friendliness of the Chinese people everywhere you turn. It’s contagious.
Oh My GOD!
It is fine to respectfully congratulate the chinese on their culture and the games. However, facism may make the trains run on time and the Parks stay clean. But, do not unconditionally praise facist society unless you would be happy to live in one yourself!
Snapshot Beijing, 6: Michael Phelps wins eight golds
Michael Phelps trouncing his rivals is always something fantastic to see, and here in Beijing it took your breath away to watch him so often leave everyone else for dead.
But the races which stick most vividly in my mind are the two in which gold appeared to have escaped him.
First of those was the 4×100 freestyle relay. I thought the race was lost for the U.S. when Frenchman Alain Bernard turned for the last length nearly a second up. But Jason Lezak had other ideas and snatched victory with the swim of a lifetime. I’ll never forget the sight of Phelps roaring his joy and release.
Then there was Miroslav Cavic reaching for gold in the 100 fly, only for Phelps, charging through the faster, to swing his arms over, hit the wall first in that final lunge and win by just one hundredth of a second. I’d expected Phelps to catch him earlier but thought, at the death, he’d run out of time to do it.
The next day Phelps made it eight in the medley relay and I had been lucky enough to witness each movement of his swimming symphony.
Swimming is my sporting passion. I’d been in Munich for my first Olympics in 1972 but was covering gymnastics and couldn’t get to the pool nearby to see any of Mark Spitz’s seven golden swims. Thirty-six years on, it was all the sweeter to watch Phelps take his place as arguably the greatest Olympian of them all.
I may have missed the seven but I got the eight.
Kevin Fylan adds: This is the sixth in our series of snapshots from the Beijing Games, where Reuters reporters give their thoughts on what it was like to be there at the key moments of the Olympics.
Read Snapshot Beijing, 1: Matt Emmons, by Erik Kirschbaum here.
Read Snapshot Beijing, 2: Matthias Steiner, by Sophie Hardach here.
Read Snapshot Beijing, 3: Usain Bolt, by Paul Majendie here.
Read Snapshot Beijing, 4: Matthew Mitcham, by Emma Graham-Harrison here.
Beijing bustling again already
As Olympic visitors started to worry on Sunday about airport return traffic, cars in Beijing were being parked on sidewalks again.
Night clubs were open after an anti-prostitution blitz a few weeks ago. Once banished vendors scrummed on sidewalks to sell Olympic pins, the collection of which had grown to a competitive roar among locals close to the Games.
In shopping districts, you’d win gold for walking 100 metres in under an hour, a silver to stay standing amid shoves and a bronze to hear yourself talk on the phone.
China’s athletic dominance at a terrorism-free Olympics motivated celebratory locals to re-emerge into the streets over the final days of the Games, clogging venues with bodies and cars, basically returning to life as usual.
The coming-out followed a chill over Beijing orchestrated earlier this summer to reduce the risk of upsets during the country’s signature event.
“There’s a happy atmosphere now in Beijing,” said Sky Zhou, 23, a government employee, on Sunday as he joined crowds of police, military and athletes in lining up for the closing ceremonies. “Two weeks ago there was an atmosphere of anticipation.”
Before the Olympics, Beijing sent migrant workers home, removing the ubiquitous din of hammers and the smell of poured cement at construction sites. Beijing car owners can drive only on alternate days, hollowing out once gridlocked intersections the size of small sports fields.
Olympic fever hits London
Riding a wave of sporting euphoria after its best Olympic performance in a century, Britain accepted Olympic host-nation status from China on Sunday with a huge street party in front of Buckingham Palace.
Owen Wyatt catches up with Olympic gold medallists Michael Phelps and Bradley Wiggins as London throbbed with 40,000 partygoers at a live concert to start the countdown to the London 2012 Olympics.
Britan is the next host nation to organize the Olympic 2012,is really auspicious matter to the Briton.The sports lovers from every corner of the world will remain eager as well as avid that, how the sports person of Britain will perform in Managing the numbers of medals? Also it will be asked that,whether the scoring of Britain will be significant as compared to China or not? It is although expeced that,Britain must do better as being host-nation.
Snapshot Beijing, 5: Fair play gets forgotten
It was everything the event was not supposed to be. The Olympics should embody sportsmanship and fair play. Taekwondo is about discipline and civility in a fight.
Unfortunately Cuba’s Angel Vaoldia Matos forgot about both in the heat of his bronze medal bout.
Matos was leading 3-2 against Kazakhstan’s Arman Chilmanov when he slumped to the floor rubbing his leg. When he was disqualified for exceeding a minute’s injury time, his coach rushed on to the mat and Matos exploded in anger, reacting to the referee’s call by clocking him with a well-aimed kick to the head.
The discipline of the taekwondo mat descended into chaos as both Matos and coach stormed out, with the head of the World Taekwondo Federation in hot pursuit.
The sport’s governing body reacted swiftly and strongly. Both were banned for life from the sport for what the federation said was behaviour that strongly violated “the spirit of taekwondo and the Olympic Games.”
Matos’s bouts in Beijing were struck from the Olympic record. Order was restored.
Kevin Fylan adds: This is the fifth in our series of snapshots from the Beijing Games, where Reuters reporters give their thoughts on what it was like to be there at the key moments of the Olympics.
Read Snapshot Beijing, 1: Matt Emmons, by Erik Kirschbaum here.
Read Snapshot Beijing, 2: Matthias Steiner, by Sophie Hardach here.
Read Snapshot Beijing, 3: Usain Bolt, by Paul Majendie here.
Read Snapshot Beijing, 4: The greatest dive in Olympic history, by Emma Graham-Harrison here.
Fair play in the Chinese Games? Give me a break. If those baby girl gymnasts do not get officially busted for China’s international fraud and cynical deceit (there were many Chinese tricks, but this is the biggie), then other gymnsasts will have been cheated out of their rightfully earned medals.
We’ve learned a lot about China during these games, and it’s mostly quite unpleasant. They will scratch, bite and claw their way to the top every chance they get.
The governing board of the IOC needs to ditch their spineless performance so far and take action.
I am certain the Brits will offer a fantastic event, the same as the Chinese have.It is sad to see even a sports article being used as a nation bashing arena. We as a global economy need to pull together, recognize the differences we all have and move forward towards ending poverty and acheiving global prosperity.