2008 Beijing Olympics Thread

Track the 2008 Olympics here.

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The date is not only catchy but the number 8 is also considered very favourable in Chinese culture. The Chinese pronunciation for ‘eight’ (ba in Mandarin and paat in Cantonese) sounds similar to the word for ‘prosperity’ (fa in Mandarin and faat in Cantonese). The more eights involved in a couple’s lives, the better chance they have for luck and wealth (so get booking!). Numbers play a large role in choosing a wedding date for the Chinese (many Chinese couples are given a selection of auspicious days on which to marry). This applies to any special event in Chinese culture. In fact, the summer Olympics in Beijing will begin on 8/8/08, at 8:08 p.m. Along with the good luck associated with the number eight, 8/8/08 has a few other factors that might make it a desirable day to get married. August is always a popular month for weddings and when the numeral “8″ is turned on its side, it becomes the symbol for infinity — a fitting motif to represent the beginning of a marriage!

Friday, August 8, 2008
U.S. boxer Russell collapses, out of Olympics
Greg Beacham / Associated Press

BEIJING -- Bantamweight Gary Russell Jr. will miss the Olympics after collapsing while trying to make weight, leaving the American boxing team without one of its top medal hopes.

The two-time national champion was found unconscious and severely dehydrated early Friday morning, U.S. coach Dan Campbell said. Russell's roommate, light flyweight Luis Yanez, alerted the American coaches shortly after Russell returned from a run in a final effort to reach his 119-pound weight limit.

Medical personnel at the athletes' village rehydrated Russell. The 20-year-old boxer wasn't hospitalized and rested Friday, unable to participate with his teammates in the pre-Olympic weigh-in.

"We became alarmed a couple of days ago when we saw he wasn't sweating like he should," Campbell said after Friday's draw. "When these kids try to make weight, sometimes they cut corners. What we believe is he did not increase his fluid intake after we told him to."

Russell's weight problems weren't terribly surprising, considering he hadn't competed at 119 pounds since the world championships in Chicago last fall. He has weighed 125 pounds or more in every test event and dual meet since, but Campbell and Russell both thought the fighter would be able to make weight in Beijing.

Russell is the second high-profile boxer to drop out of the Beijing Games with weight-limit issues. British lightweight Frankie Gavin didn't even attempt to make weight, ruling himself out of the Olympics on Thursday after several months of struggles.

The Americans have been working out in a university gymnasium in Beijing where the excessive air conditioning has upset Campbell, who likes hotter gyms to facilitate sweating.

The U.S. team has just eight remaining boxers, its smallest contingent since the 1948 London Olympics. World champions Demetrius Andrade and Rau'shee Warren both made weight Friday.

"We thought he was a very good shot at a medal," Campbell said. "We try to tell the team when we have these types of adversities, we still have eight guys in there, and we're going to try to concentrate on what we've got."

Middleweight Shawn Estrada will lead the U.S. team into competition Saturday. But it won't be the same without Russell, perhaps its most charismatic and exciting fighter. Since he was a 2-year-old prodigy putting on shadowboxing shows at fight clubs in Washington D.C., Russell has dreamed of wearing an Olympic medal even more than a pro career.

"I've just always thought winning a gold medal would mean more than being a world champion, or winning all that money, or anything," Russell told The Associated Press last month. "There's just something about it."

Russell's father, Gary Russell Sr., is among several coaches and parents who have disagreed with Campbell's training methods and his decision to keep the U.S. team in a residency program in Colorado Springs, Colo., for nearly a year.

Russell Sr. has criticized Campbell's conditioning programs, claiming the U.S. team emphasizes the wrong aspects of fight training. Russell Sr., who is in Beijing, couldn't immediately be reached for comment Friday, and Russell Jr. didn't respond to a text message.

"He wants to go home," Campbell said.

Campbell and USA Boxing chief executive Jim Millman planned to meet later Friday to determine whether Russell would leave Beijing.

The Russells raised more than $10,000 to cover the costs of sending the fighter's family to Beijing. Gary Russell Jr. is one of five brothers all named Gary Russell, including promising boxers Allan Russell, who uses his middle name, and Gary Russell III, who's currently competing in the under-19 national championships in Kansas City.

USA Beats Japan 1-0 to open Men's Soccer

TIANJIN, China -- Stuart Holden ended the United States' three-game scoring drought with a goal in the second half, giving the Americans a 1-0 victory over Japan on Thursday in the Olympic opener for both.

The Scottish-born Holden struck a loose ball at the top of the penalty area that Japanese goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa was able to slow, but couldn't keep from trickling over the line in the 47th minute.

This was a welcome change for Holden. He hasn't scored for Houston in 16 Major League Soccer games this season but had three goals in the North American SuperLiga.

"It's always a good feeling to get a goal," Holden said. "MLS is on the side right now. It's great to get a goal not only personally, but to get a win."

A victory was critical for both teams with the more heavily favored Dutch and Nigerians yet to play in Group B.

"It was very important," U.S. midfielder Freddy Adu said. "Now we have to go against Holland, then Nigeria. I couldn't be happier. The guys couldn't be happier. Peter (Nowak, the coach) couldn't be happier."

Marvelle Wynne was critical in creating the U.S. goal, using sheer speed down the right side to get a half step on Yuto Nagatomo and send his low drive into the goal box. Japanese captain Hiroki Mizumoto deflected the ball out to the top of the penalty area, where Holden ran onto it unchallenged.

The Americans entered the game not having scored a goal since a 3-0 victory over Canada in the semifinals of CONCACAF Olympic qualifying. It lost the final to Honduras. The Americans also failed to score against Cameroon and Ivory Coast last week at the ING Cup in Hong Kong.

"It was a relief to get our first goal," American midfielder Robbie Rogers said. "We created a lot of chances and we were dangerous in the final third."

Maurice Edu was a force in the center of the American backline. Normally a midfielder for Toronto FC, he was paired with Michael Parkhurst in the middle of the U.S. defense and repeatedly stymied Japanese threats.

Japan is one of only three teams at the Olympics with a strictly under-23 team and no overage players. Its squad is nearly entirely composed of domestic based players with only Keisuke Honda of Dutch club VVV Venlo and Takayuki Morimoto of Italy's Catania not playing in Japan.

The United States had more possession in the first half but Japan created the more dangerous opportunities. While the crowd appreciated the Americans' passing and dribbling, the Japanese exploited a corner kick and counterattacks.

A short corner kick in the 21st minute resulted in Atsuto Achida's cross through the goalbox that Masato Morishige heeled wide of the far post. The Japanese found space on the American left flank that twice resulted in crosses by Hiroyuki Taniguchi, one in the 40th minute that Wynne had to race in from his right back spot to knock over for a corner.

"Today we tried to attack from the sides," Mizumoto said. "We did have some good cooperation, but we made mistakes."

The Japanese applied late pressure, with their best chance coming in the 80th minute when Honda was able to shoot from near the top of the goal box. But with Edu marking Tanaguchi, the shot was blocked, and the ball rolled harmlessly until cleared.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2007-2008, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

As for the format of soccer (football), there are 16 teams in 4 groups of 4. Everyone plays the other 3 teams in their group. The top 2 in each group (8 total teams) advance to the single-elimination quarterfinals.

USA is in Group B:
1. United States (1-0)
2. Netherlands (0-0-1)
2. Nigeria (0-0-1)
4. Japan (0-1)

The US Woman's team lost to Norway to open their tournament. The women's tournament is slightly different. There are 3 groups of 4. The top 2 in each group advance and 2 of the 3 3rd place teams advance. The 8 team quarterfinal works like the men's one.

USA is in Group G:
1. Norway (1-0)
2. Japan (0-0-1)
2. New Zealand (0-0-1)
4. USA (0-1)

Go Misty May!

Olympics open with extravagant ceremony in Beijing

BEIJING -- Once-reclusive China commandeered the world stage Friday, celebrating its first-time role as Olympic host with a stunning display of pyrotechnics and pageantry -- topped by the unworldly sight of a flying gymnast, traversing the heights of the stadium to light the flame and begin the Summer Games.

Now ascendant as a global power, China welcomed scores of world leaders to an opening ceremony watched by 91,000 people at the eye-catching National Stadium and a potential audience of four billion worldwide. It was depicted as the largest, costliest extravaganza in Olympic history, bookended by barrages of some 30,000 fireworks.

It ended in spectacular fashion, when China's first Olympic superstar, 1984 gymnastics triple gold medalist Li Ning, was hoisted by wires to the top of the stadium, circled the entire circumference as though he was spacewalking, then used his torch to send a torrent of flame spiraling upward to light the Olympic flame in a huge cauldron overlooking Beijing.

That was preceded by the parade of athletes, climaxing with the entry of the 639-strong Chinese team; It was led by flag-bearer and basketball idol Yao Ming alongside a 9-year-old schoolboy who survived May's devastating earthquake in Sichuan province.

The welcome -- by a frenzied, chanting, flag-waving crowd that sought to cool itself with paper fans in the stifling heat -- was thunderous. And moments later, the crowd erupted again when President Hu Jintao declared the games open.

President Bush and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin were among the glittering roster of notables who watched China make this bold declaration that it had arrived. Bush, rebuked by China after he raised human-rights concerns this week, is the first U.S. president to attend an Olympics on foreign soil.

Already an economic juggernaut, China is given a good chance of overtaking the U.S. atop the gold-medal standings with its legions of athletes trained intensely since childhood. One dramatic showdown will be in women's gymnastics, where the U.S. and Chinese teams are co-favorites; in the pool, Chinese divers and U.S. swimmers are expected to dominate.

The run-up to the games had epic story lines -- China investing $40 billion to build the needed infrastructure, reeling from the catastrophic earthquake in May, struggling right up to Friday to diminish Beijing's stubborn smog. China's detentions of political activists, its crackdown on uprisings in Tibet and its economic ties to Sudan -- home of the war-torn Darfur region -- fueled relentless criticisms from human rights groups and calls for an Olympic boycott.

Second-guessed for awarding the games to Beijing, the International Olympic Committee stood firmly by its decision. It was time, the committee said, to bring the games to the homeland of 1.3 billion people, a fifth of humanity.

"For a long time, China has dreamed of opening its doors and inviting the world's athletes to Beijing for the Olympic Games," IOC President Jacques Rogge said in his speech. "Tonight, that dream comes true."

Rogge mentioned the Sichuan earthquake, saying the world was moved "by the great courage and solidarity of the Chinese people." And he exhorted the assembled athletes, as role models for the world's youth, to "reject doping and cheating."

Later, he would laud the pageant: "It was an unforgettable and moving ceremony that celebrated the imagination, originality and energy of the Beijing Games."

The story presented in Friday's pageantry sought to distill 5,000 years of Chinese history -- featuring everything from the Great Wall to opera puppets to astronauts, and highlighting achievements in art, music and science. Roughly 15,000 people were in the cast, all under the direction of Zhang Yimou, whose early films often often ran afoul of government censors for their blunt portrayals of China's problems.

He produced some majestic and ethereal imagery -- at one point a huge, translucent globe emerged from the stadium floor, and acrobats floated magically around it to the accompaniment of the games' theme song, One World, One Dream.

The show's script steered clear of modern politics -- there were no references to Chairman Mao and the class struggle, nor to the more recent conflicts and controversies. The ceremony was taped for broadcast 12 hours later in the United States.

A record 204 delegations paraded their athletes through the stadium -- superstars such as tennis great Roger Federer and basketball's Kobe Bryant, as well as plucky underdogs from Iraq, Afghanistan and other embattled lands. The nations were marching not in the traditional alphabetical order but in a sequence based on the number of strokes it takes to write their names in Chinese. The exceptions were Greece, birthplace of the Olympics, which was given its traditional place at the start, and the Chinese team, which lined up last.

Athletes from Japan, an old foe and current economic rival of China, were greeted coolly by the crowd even though they waved tiny Chinese flags. But cheers erupted for the next delegation, Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province that should reunite with the mainland.

The U.S. team -- second-largest after China's with nearly 600 members -- was welcomed loudly, with many in crowd recognizing the basketball stars who brought up the rear. Bush rose from his VIP seat to wave at the athletes, nattily dressed in white trousers, blue blazers, red-white-and-blue-striped ties and white caps.

"It was a breathtaking experience walking into the stadium," said Oganna Nnamani, a volleyball player from Bloomington, Ill. "I am thankful to be part of this moment."

"This is the biggest stage," said LeBron James, who hopes to lead the U.S. basketball team to a gold medal.

The American flag-bearer was 1500-meter runner Lopez Lomong, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, who spent a decade of his youth in a refugee camp in Kenya. He's a member of the Team Darfur coalition, representing athletes opposed to China's support for Sudan. On Friday he avoided any criticism and said the Chinese "have been great putting all these things together."

Abroad, human rights activists were less generous.

"The Chinese government and the International Olympic Committee have wasted a historic opportunity to use the Beijing Games to make real progress on human rights in China," said Sophie Richardson of Human Rights Watch.

For Chinese dissidents who have dared to challenge the Communist Party's monopoly on power, the start of the Olympics meant tighter surveillance and restrictions.

"It's not my Olympic Games," said Jiang Tianyong, a human rights lawyer. "It's not the games for the ordinary people."

By all indications, however, most Chinese have embraced the games, buying up tickets at a record pace, volunteering by the thousands for Olympic duties, nursing expectations of triumphs by their home team.

To their eyes, the omens were good. The ceremony began at 8 p.m. on the eighth day of the eighth month of 2008 -- auspicious in a country where eight is the luckiest number.

"It not easy to meet with such a date," said Wang Wei, secretary general of Beijing Organizing Committee. "Hopefully this lucky day will bring luck."

USA OLYMPIC BASEBALL TEAM SCHEDULE
All times ET

Aug. 8	Workout at Wukesong Stadium, 1:30-3:30 a.m.
Aug. 8	Workout at Wukesong Stadium, 9-10:30 p.m.
Aug. 9	Opening Ceremonies, National Stadium, 8 a.m.
Aug. 10-11	Workout at Wukesong Stadium, 11:15-1:15 a.m.
Aug. 12	Workout at Wukesong Stadium, 6-8 a.m.
Aug. 13	Workout at Wukesong Stadium, 5:20-6:50 a.m.
Aug. 25	Closing Ceremonies, National Stadium, 8 a.m.
All times ET.

Aug 13	vs. Korea	LOST 7-8
Aug 13	vs. Netherlands	WON 7-0
Aug 14	vs. Cuba	LOST 4-5 in 11 innings
Aug 15	vs. Canada	WON 5-4
Aug 18	vs. China	7:00 a.m.
Aug 19	vs. Chinese Taipei	7:00 a.m.
Aug 20	vs. Japan	7:00 a.m.
Aug 22	Olympic Semifinals
Aug 23	Olympic Medal Round

Team USA sweeps the medals in Women's Sabre Fencing.

GOLD: Mariel Zagunis (USA)
Silver: Sada Jacobson (USA)
Bronze: Rebecca Ward (USA)

That's the way

more info

USA beat Czech Republic in women's basketball opener 97-57.

SoulRat wrote:

Go Misty May!

Women's Volleyball:

USA beats Japan 3 games to 1.

Pool A Standings (top 4 advance to quarterfinals)
1. China (1-0)
2. Cuba (1-0)
3. United States (1-0)
4. Japan (0-1)
5. Poland (0-1)
6. Venezuela (0-1)

UPDATED MEDAL COUNT (Gold-Silver-Bronze-Total):

1. China (2-0-0-2)
2. USA (1-1-1-3)
3. South Korea (1-1-0-2)
4. 3 nations have 1 gold.
7. 5 nations have 1 silver.
12. 8 nations have 1 bronze.

In the qualifying of the 400m. individual medley, Michael Phelps sets an Olympic Record. As this is his best even, that's not much of a surprise. The finals are tonight and she get his first gold medal.

While on the subject of swimming...
Bats, kangaroos, and ostriches can swim. Giraffes, porcupines, and apes cannot.

SoulRat wrote:

Go Misty May!

NOW I get it :haha: She married Matt Treanor.

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

Go Misty May!

NOW I get it :haha: She married Matt Treanor.

Are you serious?
I think I knew that!

Michael Phelps wins the gold medal in the 400 meter individual medley and shatters the world record (which he previously held) in the process

6 more golds to tie Spitz...

Omg. I am watching the womens rowing heats (they are rowing doubles)... these people are amazing rowers. They are perfectly on time without even paying attention. This is so cool, I want to be able to row like that!
---
Okay now mens doubles.... these guys are fast!

I'm pretty sure these are lightweight. Yes, the are. Lightweight double skulling guys...

America's mens lightweight 4 SUCKS

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

Go Misty May!

NOW I get it :haha: She married Matt Treanor.

And they won their first match woo hoo

There is a guy from University of Michigan in this heat....

SoulRat wrote:

And they won their first match woo hoo

They've won over 100 straight matches so that's no surprise.

102 I think they said last night.

SoulRat wrote:

102 I think they said last night.

They'll win gold If they don't it's treason.

They also said they'll retire (at least temporarily) after the Olympics to start families. How selfish.

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

102 I think they said last night.

They'll win gold If they don't it's treason.

They also said they'll retire (at least temporarily) after the Olympics to start families. How selfish.

:haha: They were talking to them about a month ago. Misty said they never see their families at all during the season. That's gotta suck. Her and Treanor will probably get divorced if they have to spend any time together :haha:

SoulRat wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

102 I think they said last night.

They'll win gold If they don't it's treason.

They also said they'll retire (at least temporarily) after the Olympics to start families. How selfish.

:haha: They were talking to them about a month ago. Misty said they never see their families at all during the season. That's gotta suck. Her and Treanor will probably get divorced if they have to spend any time together :haha:

On the plus side May and Treanor's kids will probably be good athletes. Scratch that, good American athletes. They better not be baseball players though as that won't be an Olympic sport. They should work on something the US sucks at like table tennis or badminton.

In men's soccer...

USA ties the Netherlands who is one of the better teams out there. Unfortunately USA blew a 2-1 lead in the 93rd minute. Group standings with 1 game left....

1. USA (1-0-1) Goal Differential: +1
1. Nigeria (1-0-1) Goal Differential: +1
3. Netherlands (0-0-2) Goal Differential: 0
4. Japan (0-2-0) Goal Differential: -2

Japan is eliminated. USA plays Nigeria in their final game. 2 teams advance.

catbox_9 wrote:

On the plus side May and Treanor's kids will probably be good athletes. Scratch that, good American athletes. They better not be baseball players though as that won't be an Olympic sport. They should work on something the US sucks at like table tennis or badminton.

They will be cute kids anyways. Hopefully they take after their mother in her sport :haha: