We're coming up on 14 months to go until Vancouver, and those who laid out hundreds for VIP ticket packages are finding it difficult to find places to stay. The recently-held Beijing Olympics featured no problems with hotel shortages due to the Chinese government's highly restrictive visa rules, but the recent Olympic tradition of skyrocketing lodging costs will return when the Winter Games commence in February 2010.

Also, the Olympic year 2008 is coming to a close. For those in the United States (or with a web proxy) looking to get back on "the bus" and relive as much of the Beijing Games as possible: the revolutionary free on-demand service that offers thousands of hours of international-feed broadcasts will be shutting down on December 31. You have one month left.

Watching the events of four months ago may remind you of one of the few failures of Beijing 2008, and probably the difference between "remarkable games" and "the best ever." The events were technically sold out, but pictures sent around the world showed thousands upon thousands of empty seats. The International Olympic Committee is taking steps to make sure this doesn't happen again, with the added challenge of a global financial crisis that, if it lasts, will surely depress ticket sales for London 2012. Last week, IOC and LOCOG officials met in London to mull over lessons learned from Beijing.

When London 2012 does arrive, it will be short a few sports. Most know about the banishment of baseball and softball from the Olympic menu, but one of the classic yet underloved events will be missing a discipline. Modern pentathlon, the only sport on the program invented by the modern Games' founder, will be cut to four in the name of streamlining and lowered attention spans. Shooting and running will be combined into a single event.

And it won't get much attention or press until the event actually occurs, but the inaugural Youth Olympic Games are less just nine months away, to be held in Singapore. The bidding is now open for the second edition, to be held in the interim year between London and the as-yet-determined 2016 host. Next week, the IOC will announce the first Youth Winter Olympics host, either Kuopio, Finland or two-time Winter Olympic host Innsbruck, Austria.

Innsbruck hosted in 1976, stepping in when Denver voters rejected a bond measure that would fund the event, won in a 29-20 decision over Sion, Switzerland. Now, more than three decades later, the rapidly-growing Colorado city has begun the process to bid for the 2018 Winter Games. At this point, Denver's bid looks like a 50-50 proposition. If Chicago wins the 2016 Summer Games (a proposition buoyed by local Barack Obama winning the U.S. presidency, then lobbying actively for the bid), Denver's chances are likely dashed. If 2016 goes to Madrid, Tokyo or Rio, Denver 2018 would be a virtual certainty.

Finally, a mascot controversy. Vancouver 2010 originally designated Mukmuk the marmot as a "sidekick" instead of a fully accredited furry ambassador to the upcoming Winter Olympics, relegated passing out literature and cheering in the organizing committee's official videos. Many Canadians complained that Mukmuk is the only real, actual animal (a trio of sasquatch, “sea-bear” and spirit were selected), and for a long time, there was no way for fans and Facebook friends to take a little Mukmuk home. But now, finally, there is merchandise available.

As has been the case over the past month, the biggest news about the Olympics has had less to do with sports and is primarily concerned primarily with financial matters, in the midst of a global economic downturn. Falling oil prices have hurt the Russian economy, which could end up impacting plans for the Sochi 2104 Winter Games. The organizers of London 2012 are scrambling to change venues for certain sports and having difficulty finding available funds as the credit markets remain tight.

The Olympic Delivery Authority and developer Lend Lease Corp. haven't secured bank financing for the 1 billion-pound Olympic Village, a 3,000-apartment complex where athletes will stay during the games, and a 400 million-pound broadcast center to be built by a group led by Carillion Plc.

2012: But it's not all gloom and doom in England as the countdown to the next Summer Games goes on. Tessa Jowell, the minister in charge of Games preparation, maintains London 2012 will be "economic gold in a time of economic need." And one of the country's greatest exports, rock music, will play as key a role in the Opening Ceremony that it did in the preview in Beijing two months ago. Reportedly, the Rolling Stones will play the open, along with David Bowie, Elton John, Phil Collins, Sting and others -- creating the largest rock supergroup in history. Mick Jagger will be 69 years old when the Games begin.

2016: The race to host the Games of the XXXI Olympiad may be defined by the initial negatives of its participants. Consider all of this: the Asian bid from Tokyo is hurt somewhat by the time proximity to this year's Games -- there were five festivals between Tokyo 1964 and Seoul 1988, and another six between that and Beijing 2008, testament to the IOC's desire to spread the Games around the globe. Madrid, a well-regarded close call for 2012 and boasting nearly a full set of venues already, could suffer from the same dynamic, as it would be the third European Games in a row after London and Sochi.

Rio's chances might be dampened by Brazil's hosting of the World Cup in 2014, and hosting both in the space of two years would be an immense burden on the country's economy. Then there's Chicago -- perhaps the frontrunner by proxy, and a city that would receive a major boost if hometown boy Barack Obama wins the United States presidency next week. Active support from heads of state have been key to Olympic bids (Vladimir Putin of Russia's political help to the Sochi 2014 bid the most recent example), which could counteract the chilly relations between the IOC and the U.S. Olympic Committee over money issues.

Chicago will also be the first stop on the IOC's group tour of the four 2016 finalists next spring.

The IOC evaluation commission will visit Chicago from April 4-7, followed by trips to Tokyo from April 16-19, Rio de Janeiro from April 29-May 2 and Madrid from May 5-8. The dates were announced Wednesday by the IOC. The 13-person panel, headed by Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco, will meet with bid leaders and city officials and tour the venue sites during the visits.

Also, there were some controversial comments by Canadian IOC member and Vancouver 2010 board member Dick Pound in a French-language interview during the Beijing Games. Roughly translated:

"We must not forget that 400 years ago, Canada was a land of savages, with scarcely 10,000 inhabitants of European descent, while in China, we're talking about a 5,000-year-old civilization," he said.

Native advocacy groups, a bloc that organizers have taken pains to include in the Winter Games' runup, derided the comments as racist, and Pound, a former IOC vice president, issued an apology, claiming that his use of the multi-definition word sauvages was lost in translation. Some did not accept the apology, and pushed their case to the IOC. Last week, the Olympic governing body ruled out an inquiry.

In Lausanne, Switzerland, the Olympic Movement's capital city, IOC president Jacques Rogge made it official last week and sent a letter seeking a second term. It's not expected that anyone will oppose him, and with the organization flush with cash and coming off a strong Olympic cycle, he's assured of a walkover election next year to add a four-year term to his current eight-year stint.

Another week goes by, technically the eleventh of the 29th Olympiad if you prefer that type of calendar. Vancouver 2010 is just over 15 months away, and in less than a year (October 2, 2009, to be exact) the IOC will name a 2016 host at the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen. Word comes that Mexico will stage its own mini-Olympics (presumably with the blessing of the International Olympic Committee) to coincide with its bicentennial. And don't forget about the inaugural Summer Youth Olympic Games over 12 days in August 2010, one of IOC president Jacques Rogge's favorite pet projects. Those will be held in Singapore.

2016: Those four finalists -- Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo -- are ramping up their bids for the long home stretch. Due to IOC anti-corruption measures put in place after the Salt Lake 2002 bid scandal, IOC members cannot make official visits to any of the aspirant cities. So the organizing committees have to pack up and proclaim their cases around the world, at places like the upcoming Africa National Olympic Committee secretary generals' conference in Kampala, Uganda.

Atletico has denied all claims of racism, insisting that UEFA officials confused chants of ``Kun, Kun, Kun'' - in support of the club's striker Sergio Aguero, whose nickname is ``Kun'' - with monkey cries.

Tokyo, which scored highest of the four in the IOC's evaluation process earlier this year, received the backing of former French president Jacques Chirac last week. Chirac was in charge when Paris was narrowly defeated by London for the 2012 Games three years ago. And Chicago, in its first formal presentation as an 2016 Olympic finalist on Oct. 12, stressed the city's large Latino population in a regional meeting with IOC leaders in Acapulco. And Rio is working on a new high-capacity transit system it hopes will help land the coveted honor of hosting the Olympics after three missed attempts (1936, 2004, 2012).

2014: With the Sochi Winter Games just six and a half short years away (the happy winners are shown above at last year's Guatemala IOC session), Russia named Dmitry Kozak preparations manager for those Games. Russia Today visits the resort area and files an extended video report on local enthusiasm and venue construction.

2012: With bank failures and government bailouts occurring around the world, the London 2012 organizing committee (LOCOG) is trying to find ways to hold a sensibly-budgeted event in four years' time. It's true, as posited by U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Jim Scherr, that gigantic television deals make the Olympics fundamentally recession-proof, but host cities don't have the luxury of living fully inside that insulated bubble -- local morale was shaken by the news of a secret bailout of 95 million pounds for Olympic Village construction, and Wembley Arena may be taking on a larger role as a multi-sport venue. Another recent development is Sport England's plan to sell venues after the Games are over. Included in the sale will be temporary training pools for swimmers, and the entire water polo venue.

A source said: "Everything that is not screwed to the floor will form part of what can be sold off. The venues will be marketed as having had one careful owner."

Not all of London's financial news is of the down variety, however -- Cadbury has signed on to be a tier-two sponsor of the 2012 Games.

2010: The next major Olympic event will be held in Vancouver in February 2010, and the organizers announced that they ran a $40.5 million deficit in fiscal year 2008, after a $51.3 million surplus in the previous annum. The total budget for the Winter Games is $1.3 billion.

And in sports news...

While most of the statistics out of the Olympics have to do with medals, records, times and (in recent years) doping cases, here's another angle. The IOC released a report last week that stated 1,055 athletes were injured in Beijing two months ago -- that's one in every 10 participants. Most were leg and foot issues, and the details of the report showed which were the most likely sports to result in injury.

The sports most dangerous to Olympians' health were boxing, soccer, handball, field hockey, taekwondo and weightlifting. Each reported injuries to around one in seven athletes. Four sports reported that none of its athletes lost training or competition time: flatwater canoeing, diving, sailing and synchronized swimming.

Obviously, this doesn't takie into account the wounded pride of this blog's watchlisted Egyptian synchronized swimmers, who finished dead-last in every discipline.

And, of course, there's doping news too. In a story that looks small and innocuous now but may blow up into something bigger later, 300 drug tests from Beijing 2008 are missing, according to independent observers who filed a report to the World Anti-Doping Agency.

They also uncovered some surprising deviations from normal drug testing procedures, including the fact that the Beijing laboratory couldn't test for one banned substances - insulin. The observers noted that the samples would be stored for eight years and could be retested if the IOC deemed it necessary. Another concern was that the laboratory had failed to detect one of the quality control samples that had contained a prohibited substance.

But by far, the most sensational Olympic story of the past week, the one that made its way into mainstream news reporting, is that of Liu Zhihua. As vice-mayor of Beijing and head of coordinating Olympic venue construction, he was charged with accepting US $1.45 million in bribes -- and passing a portion of that to several mistresses -- before being fired in June of 2006. Over the weekend, his sentence was handed down: death.

Photo: Icon SMI

The countdown to Vancouver 2010 is now just over 480 days, but there are always developments in the Olympic world. Here's the latest.

Nearly two months after China's Olympics, one of the host city's successful environmental experiments will be duplicated going forward. The smog that has covered Beijing since its rapid industry boom disappeared during the second week of the Games, thanks in large part to efforts to curb pollution by keeping half of the city's 3.3 million cars off the road. The city will fine drivers 100 yuan (US $14.70) if they break new rules that aim to keep one-fifth of automobiles off the road each weekday. For instance, cars with license plates ending in 1 or 6 must stay off the local highways.

The massive television rights fees that American networks pay are, undoubtedly, what has helped the Olympic Movement escape its low-budget ebb in the 1960's and 1970's and ushered in an age of Gigantic Games that began with Los Angeles 1984. The chief of that organizing committee, Peter Ueberroth, went on to become the chairman of the United States Olympic Committee, a position he recently relinquished. In his final speech as president, he made prominent mention of the United States' contributions to the cause.

"Who pays the bill for the world Olympic movement?" Ueberroth said Saturday in his final speech as USOC chairman. "Make no mistake about it. Starting in 1988, U.S. corporations have paid 60 percent of all the money, period. Be sure you all understand that. The rest of the world pays 40 percent. It’s pretty simple math."

Ueberroth's comments were in response to June statements by IOC officials that the USOC receives an "immoral amount of [Olympic revenues] compared to what other people get." "Who do they think they are?" asked Hein Verbruggen of the Netherlands. Either way, any IOC-USOC rift could damage the chances of Chicago's candidacy for hosting duties in 2016.

In competition news, more specifically doping developments, the IOC announced last week that it will keep all drug testing samples from 2008 until those 2016 Games are held. The IOC will also retest every sample it collected during the Beijing Olympics to check for a recently discovered blood-boosting drug named CERA, or Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator. It's believed that the drug is gaining favor with endurance athletes who are ditching the now-easily detectable EPO.

The governing body took 4,770 samples (3,801 urine and 969 blood) during the three weeks it superceded all sporting organizations. Six humans failed those tests.

"Our message is very clear. The IOC will not miss any opportunity to further analyse samples retroactively. We hope that this will work as a strong deterrent and make athletes think twice before cheating," said IOC President Jacques Rogge.

The vice president of the IOC, Thomas Bach, also has threatened to remove men's road cycling from the Olympic menu due to its long and growing history of EPO and CERA abuse.

It was definitely a busy week for the Olympic gatekeepers, as the IOC officially approved the venues for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. But the remainder of the world of the Games has been dealing with the rapidly-increasing global financial crisis. The London 2012 organizers have been forced to mull over the idea of cutting back on venue construction, as the credit crunch is "hitting the Olympics hard," according to John Armitt, the chairman of the London Delivery Authority. Temporary venues for basketball and shooting may be scrapped.

Despite current money problems, London mayor Boris Johnson is promising free hand-held television sets to visitors to the 2012 Games. Johnson hopes for an open and fun event, instead of what he refers to as "great soulless piazzas" of Beijing.

Finally, economic problems have sunk the bid of Tromsoe, Norway to host the 2018 Winter Games. It could be argued, successfully so, that the Lillehammer 1994 event marked a turnaround in the fortunes in the Olympic snow and ice festival, proof positive that a winter host city could balance a big budget and small-town warmth.

Image: © Icon SMI

"The FIG has shared its conclusions with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which originally requested the inquiry. It is considered that the case is now concluded," FIG said in the statement. "Originals of official documents received from the Chinese Gymnastics Association, specifically passports, identity cards and family booklets or 'Household Registers', confirm the ages of the athletes."

Dong's official birthdate is listed as Jan. 20, 1983. But her accreditation information for the Beijing Olympics, where she worked as a national technical official, lists her birthdate as Jan. 23, 1986, said Andre Gueisbuhler, the FIG's secretary general. "If that document is the correct one, that would suggest she was 14 years old at the Sydney Olympic Games," Gueisbuhler said.

As he had with the two Olympic ceremonies and the Paralympic opening, film director Zhang Yimou crafted a fourth distinctive and powerful show on the final night of these games. He had spoken of his desire to build "four ceremonies out of an organic whole," and this ceremony's theme touched on the paper and document themes touched on in the Opening Ceremony on 8/8/08, which now seems a lifetime ago.

The Paralympics' closing, like their opening 11 days ago, was preceded by the athletes' parade, a rare gesture that allowed them to watch the artistic portion, titled "A Letter to the Future." Millions of petals floated down from the Bird's Nest. And, as should have been expected, there were miles and miles of beautiful fireworks. The ceremony can be viewed in its entirety at this link, and many great wire service pictures can be seen at the New York Times website.

London will be the next host of this gigantic two-stage festival in four years' time when Beijing 2008's letter to the future finally arrives by post. While the city's Closing Ceremony presentation -- Leona Lewis, David Beckham and a bus full of grass -- met with decidedly mixed reviews in the next host country, a guitar player dressed up as a glam-rock version of the one-armed 1st Viscount Nelson (picture here) undoubtedly sent British cynics into paroxysms.

London mayor Boris Johnson, who was besieged by Chinese media for his hands-in-pocket, one-handed-flagbearing, open-jacket slouching at the Olympic closing, was on better behavior.

Yang Wei, a 10-year-old deaf Chinese child, signed the words "Sacred flame, you are burning in my heart; are you hearing me? I'm singing for you." And then the torch was extinguished, this time for good.

The final medal count for the 2008 Paralympics, ruled in every possible way by the host Chinese, follows. With the final fencing (dominated by China and Hong Kong), athletics and 5-a-side football events accounted for, 473 podium ceremonies were held over 11 days. A total of 1,431 medals were awarded, far more than the 958 given out at the Olympics last month for 302 events. The difference was due to many different events held for various disability classes -- for instance, there were five separate marathons held on the games' final day.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	China	89	70	52	211
2	Great Britain	42	29	31	102
3	United States	36	35	28	99
4	Ukraine	24	18	32	74
5	Australia	23	29	27	79
6	South Africa	21	3	6	30
7	Canada	19	10	21	50
8	Russia	18	23	22	63
9	Brazil	16	14	17	47
10	Spain	15	21	22	58
11	Germany	14	25	20	59
12	France	12	21	19	52
13	South Korea	10	8	13	31
14	Mexico	10	3	7	20
15	Tunisia	9	9	3	21
16	Czech Republic	6	3	18	27
17	Japan	5	14	8	27
18	Poland	5	12	13	30
19	Netherlands	5	10	7	22
20	Greece	5	9	10	24
21	Belarus	5	7	1	13
22	Iran	5	6	3	14
23	Cuba	5	3	6	14
24	New Zealand	5	3	4	12
24	Sweden	5	3	4	12
26	Hong Kong	5	3	3	11
27	Kenya	5	3	1	9
28	Italy	4	7	7	18
29	Egypt	4	4	4	12
30	Nigeria	4	4	1	9
31	Algeria	4	3	8	15
32	Morocco	4	1	2	7
33	Austria	4	1	1	6
34	Switzerland	3	2	6	11
35	Denmark	3	2	4	9
36	Ireland	3	1	1	5
37	Croatia	3	1	0	4
38	Azerbaijan	2	3	5	10
39	Slovakia	2	3	1	6
40	Finland	2	2	2	6
41	Thailand	1	5	7	13
42	Portugal	1	4	2	7
43	Norway	1	3	3	7
44	Cyprus	1	2	1	4
45	Latvia	1	2	0	3
46	Singapore	1	1	2	4
46	Venezuela	1	1	2	4
48	Saudi Arabia	1	1	0	2
49	Hungary	1	0	5	6
50	Chinese Taipei	1	0	1	2
50	Turkey	1	0	1	2
52	Mongolia	1	0	0	1
53	Israel	0	5	1	6
54	Angola	0	3	0	3
55	Jordan	0	2	2	4
56	Lithuania	0	2	0	2
56	Serbia	0	2	0	2
58	Argentina	0	1	5	6
59	Slovenia	0	1	2	3
60	Bulgaria	0	1	1	2
60	Iraq	0	1	1	2
60	Colombia	0	1	1	2
63	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0	1	0	1
63	Pakistan	0	1	0	1
63	Papua New Guinea	0	1	0	1
63	Romania	0	1	0	1
63	United Arab Emirates	0	1	0	1
68	Lebanon	0	0	2	2
69	Belgium	0	0	1	1
69	Estonia	0	0	1	1
69	Jamaica	0	0	1	1
69	Laos	0	0	1	1
69	Malaysia	0	0	1	1
69	Namibia	0	0	1	1
69	Puerto Rico	0	0	1	1
69	Syria	0	0	1	1

(Photo credit: Reuters)

Today is the final day of the 2008 Paralympic Games. With 465 medal events complete, all that's left to do is wrap up the five-a-side football tourney (in which China and Brazil will square off) and fencing, and end the track meet at the Bird's Nest. As in the Olympics, the marathon closes the show, but here there are four separate marathons -- for blind and wheelchair athletes.

And then, the closing ceremony, which will take place tonight.

RUGBY: Australia only had one upset in them on Day 10. The United States, dominant in this sport but still stinging from an upset in the 2004 semis, rolled over the Aussies by a 53-44 score in the wheelchair rugby final. The other "redeem team" clung to a three-goal lead in the third quarter, but put the hammer down in the final eight-minute period.

After the game, co-captain Brian Kirkland (who had trouble containing his excitement in the final moments) talked about the accomplishment and the sport's growing profile.

"I've been playing this sport for 17 years, and it used to be that people had no idea what I did," he said. "But most definitely more and more people have become aware of it in the last few years. And these Paralympics in Beijing have done a lot for disabled sports in general, no question."

China won the gold column at the Olympics last month, but its dominance was still open to interpretation due to the United States' lead in podium finishes. During the Paralympics, however, the host nation has left no doubt in any respect. With 20 overall medals won on Day 10 (seven gold), the Chinese team has more than doubled second-place Great Britain in golds, silvers and overall medals. China won 141 medals in Athens four years ago (63 gold), so this will be the second consecutive Paralympics at which they've won the medal race.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	China	87	68	52	207
2	Great Britain	42	29	31	102
3	United States	36	34	28	98
4	Ukraine	24	18	31	73
5	Australia	22	29	27	78
6	South Africa	21	3	5	29
7	Canada	19	10	21	50
8	Russia	18	23	21	62
9	Spain	15	21	22	58
10	Brazil	15	13	17	45
11	Germany	14	25	20	59
12	France	11	21	19	51
13	South Korea	10	8	13	31
14	Tunisia	9	9	3	21
15	Mexico	9	3	7	19
16	Czech Republic	6	3	18	27
17	Poland	5	12	13	30
18	Japan	5	12	7	24
19	Netherlands	5	10	7	22
20	Greece	5	9	10	24
21	Belarus	5	7	1	13
22	Iran	5	6	3	14
23	Cuba	5	3	6	14
24	New Zealand	5	3	4	12
24	Sweden	5	3	4	12
26	Kenya	5	3	1	9
27	Hong Kong	5	2	3	12
28	Italy	4	7	5	16
29	Egypt	4	4	4	12
30	Nigeria	4	4	1	9
31	Algeria	4	3	8	15
32	Morocco	4	1	2	7
33	Denmark	3	2	4	9
34	Austria	3	1	1	5
34	Ireland	3	1	1	5
36	Croatia	3	1	0	4
37	Azerbaijan	2	3	5	10
38	Slovakia	2	3	1	6
39	Switzerland	2	2	5	9
40	Finland	2	2	2	6
41	Thailand	1	4	7	12
42	Portugal	1	4	2	7
43	Norway	1	3	3	7
44	Cyprus	1	2	1	4
45	Latvia	1	2	0	3
46	Singapore	1	1	2	4
46	Venezuela	1	1	2	4
48	Saudi Arabia	1	1	0	2
49	Hungary	1	0	5	6
50	Chinese Taipei	1	0	1	2
50	Turkey	1	0	1	2
52	Mongolia	1	0	0	1
53	Israel	0	5	1	6
54	Angola	0	3	0	3
55	Jordan	0	2	2	4
56	Lithuania	0	2	0	2
56	Serbia	0	2	0	2
58	Argentina	0	1	4	5
59	Slovenia	0	1	2	3
60	Bulgaria	0	1	1	2
60	Iraq	0	1	1	2
62	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0	1	0	1
62	Pakistan	0	1	0	1
62	Papua New Guinea	0	1	0	1
62	Romania	0	1	0	1
62	United Arab Emirates	0	1	0	1
67	Lebanon	0	0	2	2
68	Belgium	0	0	1	1
68	Colombia	0	0	1	1
68	Estonia	0	0	1	1
68	Jamaica	0	0	1	1
68	Laos	0	0	1	1
68	Malaysia	0	0	1	1
68	Namibia	0	0	1	1
68	Puerto Rico	0	0	1	1
68	Syria	0	0	1	1

(Photo credit: Xinhua)

Wheelchair rugby is a four-on-four sport designed for quadriplegics. It's a wince-inducing, teeth-grinding sport to watch -- all the repeated metal-on-metal scrapes and collisions with the specially-designed wheelchairs that look like they have Roman shields attached to the wheels.

The United States team, profiled in the aptly-titled documentary Murderball, escaped the same fate that gave that movie an unhappy ending. In Athens 2004, a semifinal loss sent them to bronze. On Monday, the U.S. murderballers edged Great Britain in the 2008 semis with a 35-32 win (above). They'll face Australia in the final.

VOLLEYBALL: Iran had a difficult sporting weekend -- between the basketball team's sudden and controversial withdrawal from the tourney to the country's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordering a full investigation into the "miserable" performance of Iranian athletes at last month's Olympics (two medals, one gold in taekwondo), there hasn't been much good news. On Monday, there was nothing miserable about the Islamic republic's gold medal victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the men's sitting volleyball tournament in a 25-22, 18-25, 17-16 three-setter. It was Iran's fifth Paralympic gold medal in its history.

BASKETBALL: The United States women's team, showing the same level of dominance as has their able-bodied compatriots, won its second consecutive Paralympic gold medal with a 50-38 win over Germany. No German player scored more than six points in the Americans' defensive lockdown.

TENNIS: The wheelchair version of this sport is played on a regulation court, and allows two bounces instead of one. The Beijing games were another triumph for Esther Vergeer, a Dutch player who had full use of her body until age six, but lost control of her legs when surgery for a brain hemorrhage went wrong. As she grew older, Vergeer became a powerful wheelchair tennis player. Vergeer and partner Jiske Griffioen lost in the gold medal doubles match on Day 9. But after winning the women's singles, she has a match streak of 349, making her one of the most dominant athletes in the world.

With two days remaining in the 2008 Paralympics, China has built an unassailable lead over the rest of the field. Second-place Great Britain did not hear its anthem played once on Day 9, but the host nation collected 17 gold medals to nearly double the Brits' total. China collected 28 total medals yesterday.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	China	80	60	47	187
2	Great Britain	41	27	28	96
3	United States	33	33	26	92
4	Ukraine	23	17	29	69
5	Australia	20	26	25	71
6	Canada	18	9	20	47
7	Russia	17	20	20	57
8	South Africa	17	2	5	24
9	Spain	14	20	21	55
10	Germany	13	23	20	56
11	Brazil	13	12	16	41
12	France	10	21	15	46
13	Tunisia	9	9	2	20
14	South Korea	9	8	13	30
15