Within the week, the Games of the 29th Olympiad begin. The last few pre-Games events are being wrapped up, and more and more atheltes are moving into the Olympic Village. Here's what's going on as preparations reach their final phase.
ATHLETICS: Great Britain's Paula Radcliffe (above), the world-record holder in the women's marathon, has won marathons around the world but has no Olympic gold. Despite a calf injury in 2004, she led the Athens 2004 event for nearly 22 miles before collapsing. Known for her non-standard running style, Radcliffe sustained another injury earlier this year that has made her Beijing status questionable. But she announced yesterday that she's pretty much going to compete unless her leg falls off.
BASKETBALL: At the women's Diamond Ball tournament in Haining, China, a long-awaited showdown between the United States and Russia took place. Becky Hammon was not named to her national team in the U.S. and opted to take a deal from the Russian Federation to become a naturalized citizen. Hammon put her hand over her heart during the American national anthem, but she scored 10 points and was overwhelmed by Diana Taurasi (21 points) in the backcourt. The United States won handily, 93-58.
If you've seen the U.S. men or women play, you've undoubtedly noticed the intricate design on the backs of their uniforms. It's part of an illustration entitled "We the People" by design firm Tweeqim.
BOXING: Cuba has dominated Olympic pugilism in recent years, earning 55 medals in 10 Olympiads. But the 2008 squad will be far from fearsome due to defections; for the first time in four decades, Cuba will not be represented in all 11 weight classes. The country's economic situation is such that Olympic champions are selling their gold medals for food.
"Gold medals are wonderful, but athletes can't eat their gold medals," said Miami-based boxing trainer Roberto Quesada, who coached in Cuba from 1980 to 1991 before defecting.
And in China...
The Olympic flame made its way through devastated regions in Sichuan province, where a recent earthquake killed 70,000 people. From there, the torch will move on to Beijing in time for the Opening Ceremony.
Two major reported incidents related in some way to the Games. In the northwest Xinjiang province, a grenade attack killed 16 policemen in one of the bloodiest incidents in the region's history. This area has been a hot zone in the months leading up to the Olympics, as Muslim groups pressing for an independent state of "East Turkestan" are threatening to sabotage the Games. The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is a terrorist group, according to China, the U.S. and the United Nations.
Closer to the venues, a protest in central Beijing over Olympics development that pushed many residents from their homes. Twenty demonstrators claimed they had not been compensated as promised for being evicted, and were surrounded by police.
"We don't oppose the Olympics. But it's wrong for them to demolish our house. It's wrong," protester Liu Fumei told the Associated Press, which filmed her screaming and scuffling with women in civilian clothes.
In other construction-related news, some sidewalks around the Bird's Nest stadium are caving in.
The local government had announced requirements for demonstrators to apply five days ahead of time if they want to use the officially sanctioned Olympic protest zones. According to one report, a representative from a property owners' group was detained when she submitted her application.
The haze and smog has returned to Beijing, after several days of clear skies. One BBC writer tested the air by running a 10 kilometer loop around the city. Tom Fordyce's results don't bode well for Radcliffe and others who will compete in the distance events in two weeks.
The only other time my lungs have felt this bad was when I got stuck behind a brigade of belching buses while foolishly cycling down Oxford Street.By the final few miles I'm dragging my legs along like sandbags. There could be several reasons for that - seven hours of jet-lag, the cannonball-like lump of egg-fried rice lodged halfway down my digestive tract, a delusional attitude towards my own fitness - but I've also taken it incredibly easy.
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Sportswriter 
