Eight days until an Opening Ceremony date that was specifically chosen for its fortunate eight-ness (08/08/08)... so it must be a lucky day indeed. Except for media members at the International Broadcast Center, who are blocked from many websites (including, as per an e-mail received yesterday, this one). As journalists and athletes continue to stream into Beijing for the Games of the 29th Olympiad, here are the latest developments.
ATHLETICS: With rosters set and most athletes resting up, the majority of track and field news this week concerns doping. Yesterday, the IAAF banned six female competitors from Russia from Beijing, accusing them of submitting urine samples in 2007 that did not match those taken at the world championships. Among the six, who were each expected to contend for gold, are two-time 1500m world champion Tatyana Tomashova and middle-distance expert Yelena Soboleva, formerly a 800-1500 double hope.
And this week is filthy with last-minute court cases as well. German triple jumper Charles Friedek, a former world champion in his sport, had his appeal for inclusion on the country's Olympic team rejected yesterday. The German athletics federation requires its athletes to meet the Olympic qualifying distance twice, but ruled that Friedek had jumped the standard distance twice at the same meet, and had missed the mark in all other competitions.
BASEBALL: This sport is very protective about its rhythms and rules (take, for example, the three-decade debate about the "designated hitter"). Now, a softball-style rule change that would place two men on base in the 11th inning and thereafter is being defended by the world federation's president. The change was instituted just last week, and Japan has sent in an angry letter about it.
BASKETBALL: Video game website IGN.com simulated the Olympic tournament with NBA Live '09 (how did they get a copy of that?) The United States did not win (Spain did).
FOOTBALL: It amounts to another reiteration, but world governing body FIFA announced yesterday that European clubs must release their under-23 players for the Games. FC Barcelona, which had blocked Ronaldinho (28) from Brazil's squad before he was transferred to AC Milan, had kept Argentine 21-year-old Lionel Messi from playing for his national team. Each side may have three over-23 players, and clubs are still not required to release them.
SWIMMING: In a decision that had some in the U.S. swimming community holding their collective breath, Nike announced that it would allow American swimmers the company has endorsement contracts with to wear the Speedo LZR suit in Beijing. The grey and black supersuits have been widely credited with many world record performances since their debut this past February.
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Iraq, recently reinstated to the Olympic family after government meddling in its national committee, will send two rowers next week. These, along with the pair of track athletes allowed to compete as part of the resolution reached yesterday with the IOC.
This is too cool to leave out: researchers have determined that a mechanical brass device discovered in a Greek shipwreck was an ancient comp-u-tron that calculated the dates until the next Olympics.
Speaking of Greece, birthplace of both the ancient and modern Games, is still reeling from doping scandals and giant debts from the 2004 Games. Few in the country are excited about the start of the new Olympiad. "These are not our Games," said a former organizing committee spokesman.
Foreign Policy magazine lists the countries that have underperformed at the Olympics despite their populations and economies. India, Venezuela and Israel are among those named.
And in China...
Beijing's Olympic etiquette campaign has been far-reaching, comprehensive and unprecedented. One of the sections of a book distributed to 4 million area households concerns what not to wear.
There should be no more than three color groups in your clothing, the book published by Zheng [Mojie]'s committee advises, and wearing pajamas and slippers to visit neighbors, as some elderly Beijing residents like to do, is also out. It recommends dark-colored socks, and says white socks should never be worn with black leather shoes.
This blog believes this is all good advice for anybody anywhere, especially the part about the white socks.
BOCOG is still trying to figure out how a South Korean TV network got its hands on Opening Ceremony footage (you might have noticed the YouTube link from yesterday is now defunct). SBS also spilled the beans on how the torch will be lit (spoiler alert). Olympic organizers promise an investigation.
The controversy still rages over the IOC's secret deal to allow the Chinese government to censor the Internet, and the general erosion of press freedoms despite previous promises to the contrary. Some, though, have found humor in the difficult job covering the Games will be -- journalists often do. Found "at the back of a sofa" at Hong Kong's Foreign Correspondents Club, a "A Reporter's Guide to Covering the Olympics":
Lastly, please remember: Chinese who love their country are called "nationalists." Never use this word for Americans, French, Tibetans and other civilized peoples who love their country or territory. When demonstrators protest over Tibet they are acting in a heartfelt, spontaneous way, waving pretty flags you would be happy to see woven into your granny's bedspread. When Chinese counter-demonstrate, they are always "bussed in," the mood is "ugly", and they are draped in intimidating red flags that can be made to look a bit Hitler Jugend-ish with the right kind of photo.
(Photo © Icon SMI)
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