Summer Olympics News

I read this interesting article today about how runners are preparing for dealing with the poor air quality at the Olympics in China. Precautions include everything from breathing gear to arriving at the last possible moment. Marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie, who is asthmatic, won’t even be running the marathon, although he will still be competing in a shorter race. Some athletes are more concerned about the heat and humidity than the pollution in Beijing.

So, what can be done about Beijing’s smog issues at this point? Not a whole lot. I do believe they’re taking every possible measure to clear the air in time for the Olympics. But it seems to be a day late and a dollar short. It’s unfortunate that world class athletes have to compete under such conditions, especially as this should have been a foreseeable problem.

Contrary to earlier assurances that journalists would have free access to the internet during the China Olympics, journalists who have arrived early for the Games have found that many websites about sensitive subjects, such as freedom for Tibet, have been blocked. Initially, Chinese officials blamed the problems on the site hosts but eventually admitted that those sites were being blocked by China. Apparently the IOC had agreed to the limitations behind the scenes. You can read more about the situation here.

This couple is trading Olympic rings for wedding rings— hopefully after he brings home a medal to join hers. Ian Waltz will be competing in discus at the China Olympics this summer. Stacy Dragila missed going to the Olympics but has already won a gold. They got engaged in February.

Citing concerns that his broken hand had not healed enough to allow him to defend his Olympic title, Paul Hamm announced that he was leaving the U.S. men’s Olympic gymnastics team. His twin, Morgan Hamm, will still compete. Paul Hamm will be replaced on the team by Raj Bhavsar.

This is a neat little video of them putting up the Olympic rings in Hong Kong.

We just put up a new poll…

Should everyone boycott the Olympics in China?

Quite frankly, I have been wondering if the Olympics should have ever been given to China in the first place. I doubt seroiusly that China will ever host another Olympics. What do you think?

Let us know your thoughts about boycotting the Olympics by voting in our new poll.

Perhaps you’ve read that Beijing is, um, a bit smoggy these days. Officials have taken drastic measures, including shutting down factories and clearing half the cars off the road, in order to try to cut down on the smog. But perhaps you’re thinking, “What’s the big deal? It’s just a little smog”. Watch the following video to see just how heavy the smog is. I live in Houston, and we certainly don’t have great air quality, but I’ve never seen anything quite like this.

The city of Des Moines, Iowa wants you to move there. And to encourage you to do so, they give you an opportunity to send a personalized phone call from Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson. When you visit the site you can enter your friend or family member’s hobbies and more and create a personalized message from Shawn Johnson, which will ultimately encourage them to come to Des Moines (Shawn Johnson’s hometown). It’s a little cheesy but fun. You can send the message by email or phone. The site doesn’t ask for a lot of personal information, either, so you don’t have to worry about being spammed with a million emails.

I just found about a great way you can support Team USA in the Summer Olympics. AT&T has put together a soundtrack called the “AT&T Team USA™ Soundtrack” to benefit and encourage U.S. Olympic Team members.

Nelly, Sheryl Crow, Kate Voegele, Colbie Caillat and 3 Doors Down are among some of the top artists recording exclusive tracks for the Soundtrack.

The music will debut during the NBC and Telemundo television broadcasts of the 2008 Olympics. So if you are US supporter, then click here to go visit the site during the Olympics to download exclusive tunes and support Team USA!

Last weekend USA Gymnastics filled the final four positions on the US Gymnastics Olympic team. Joining Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin, who earned spots at the Olympic Trials, are Chellsie Memmel, Alicia Sacramone, Bridget Sloan and Samantha Peszek. Favorite Shayla Worley failed to make the team after breaking her leg at the selection camp.

Earlier today some of the US Olympians visited the White House before heading off to Beijing China for the 2008 Summer Olympics. US President George Bush gave a speech to encourage the Olympians in their quest for medals. Too see George Bush’s encouraging speech watch the video below:

Two people were killed in bus bombings in Southern China yesterday, heightening concerns over potential terrorist activities leading up to the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Even though Chinese authorities are well aware of terrorist concerns, will they be able to do anything to stop an attack? The bus bombings yesterday only serve to highlight the ease with which someone determined to cause harm can.

I first read about this on the telgraph.

If China’s seismic monitoring network can be trusted, China should be earthquake free for the Olympics (of course, do you really think they’d broadcast it if they were expecting an earthquake?). There are over 100 earthquake monitoring stations in a 150,000 square kilometer area. They are capable of detecting earthquakes as light as a magnitude 1.0.

In case of an unexpected quake, the Olympic venues have been made to withstand an earthquake up to magnitude 8. Additionally, 31 earthquake refuge areas have been set up which can hold up to 3 million people.

The earthquake monitoring system is not perfect, as it can only predict certain kinds of earthquakes. The major earthquake which occurred in May was not predicted by the system.

Obviously, everyone hopes that the system is correct and that there will be no major disasters of ANY KIND during the Olympics.

When Kirsty Coventry brought home medals in swimming in the 2004 Summer Olympics, she became the first athlete from Zimbabwe to medal in 25 years. Kirsty will be competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as well, and could well repeat her 2004 performance. However, no man from Zimbabwe has EVER won an Olympic medal. So, if you’re looking for an underdog in the Beijing Olympics to root for, root for someone from Zimbabwe, especially if they’re male.

Babies and banners. The Chinese Olympic organizers have put out a spectator’s guide book that includes some common sense bans: drunkenness, nudity, and gambling, to name a few. But also included in the ban are banners supporting individual athletes or teams. That’s right. You’ll be seeing no “Go Phelps” signs at swim meets. No “Way to Go Shannon” posters at gymnastics events.

While babies aren’t completely banned, parents are encouraged to leave them at home.

As a homeschooling Mom, I’m always on the lookout for educational opportunities. The Olympics provides a lot of them. From teaching your kids about other countries (including geography, popular activities, etc.) to educating them on current events (the Olympics, Tibet, etc.), you could spend every day from now until the end of the Olympics and beyond studying subjects related to the summer Olympics.

Here are a few links to help you out if you need ideas:

Article with really good recommendations on using unusual sports to study other cultures

Lots of summer Olympics activities

Brief, kid-friendly summary of summer Olympic sports

Scholastic Olympic research tools

Feel free to share your favorite learning ideas or educational websites related to the Olympics in the comment section.

When you’re getting ready for your first Olympics, you would think that would be the most important thing going on in your life. But that’s not the case for U.S. Olympic Swimmer Eric Shanteau. A week before the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, Eric got a call from his doctors telling him that a lump they thought might be a benign cyst was, in fact, testicular cancer.

Had he not made the Olympics, Eric would immediately have gone home and had surgery. But when he qualified for the Beijing Olympics in the 200-meter breaststroke, he faced a difficult decision. Fight on for his Olympic dreams or start the fight of his life. After doctors cleared him to compete as long as he is frequently checked to make sure the cancer hasn’t spread, Eric chose to continue his preparations for Beijing.

We wish Eric best wishes in his quest for the gold and with his health.