http://summerolympicsnews.com Fri, 16 May 2008 14:56:48 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The IOC is sending 1 million dollars (US) in aid to help the victims of the recent earthquake in China. China has recently reported that as many as 50,000 people could be dead from the 7.9-magnitude quake that struck the Sichuan province on Monday. It was a very nice gesture by ... http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080516-international-olympic-committee-ioc-sends-1-million-dollars-in-earthquake-aid-to-china/ Will the Dalai Lama Attend the 2008 Summer Olympics? I just read on Yahoo news that China is considering the idea of inviting the Dalai Lama to attend the games in Beijing. I can't imagine that the Tibetan leader will actually go, but I suppose it is possible. What do you think... ... http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080512-will-the-dalai-lama-attend-the-2008-summer-olympics/ Tickets for the 2008 Summer Olympics in China have sold out for all the events being held in Beijing. The only tickets left are for some of the football (soccer to us Americans) matches being played outside of Beijing. So, if you were planning on going to the Olympics this year ... http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080507-2008-summer-olympics-tickets-almost-sold-out/ Just in time for the 2008 Summer Olympics, Amnesty International UK has released a video which depicts the torture of Olympic cartoon characters. I was given the following press release about the new campaign. My only only comment is that parents should watch the video for themselves before letting your ... http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080501-beijing-china-olympics-amnesty-international-releases-controversial-cartoon/ The Beijing Forbidden palace housed 24 of China's emperors prior to the end of imperial rule in 1911. It has been undergoing major restoration efforts that are on schedule to be completed by 2020. State media has reported that many of the key areas will be ready for tourists just ... http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080424-parts-of-forbidden-city-ancient-palace-will-reopen-in-time-for-2008-beijing-summer-olympics/ March 10th was the deadline for submitting a song to be used as the theme song for the 2008 Biejing Summer Olympics. Over 50,000 songs have been submitted. They are looking for 25 songs for the main Summer Olympic Games, and 10 songs for the Paralympics games. "Chris Babida" was already ... http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080414-2008-summer-olympics-theme-song/ British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced that he will be skipping the opening ceremony for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing China. Although, he did say that he will attend the closing ceremonies. Other major world leaders are considering skipping the games. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has already announced that he ... http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080409-british-prime-minister-will-skip-open-ceremonies-of-2008-summer-olympics/ Do you wonder what route the Olympic Torch is taking in 2008? Well, I just found out that you can track it's path and find out exactly where it is today, by visiting the Google Maps Olympic Torch relay page. From the map you can see where the torch is, where it ... http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080408-track-the-2008-olympic-torch-on-its-way-to-beijing/ I just came across this hilarious news article. Here are my two favorite quotes from the article: Chinese President Hu Jintao issued a statement stating that the People's Republic of China will not send a team to Beijing to participate in the Olympics. Jintao cited China's poor record on human rights and ... http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080403-china-to-boycott-the-summer-olympics/ The United States State Department released an Olympic "fact sheet" that discussed some of the dangers of the Beijing Olympics. One of the most interesting warnings was about Chinese government surveillance. The department's Bureau of Consular Affairs said: "All hotel rooms and offices are considered to be subject to on-site or ... http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080321-us-warning-about-2008-summer-olympics-in-beijing/ If you are looking for the 2008 Summer Olympics Schedule I just created a page with that has a list of all the events scheduled. You can click here to see the current schedule for the 2008 Olympic Games. http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080319-2008-summer-olympics-schedule/ I just created a new page on this website called, "2008 Summer Olympics Facts". I plan on keeping it up to date with fun facts about the upcoming 2008 Summer Olympics. http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080318-2008-summer-olympic-facts/ Officially known as the National Aquatics Center, the Watercube is a truly beautiful building. We posted a video about the construction of the Watercube and several other venues back in April. The completed product was revealed Monday. Below is a video about the unveiling. http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080129-china-officially-unveils-the-watercube/ Shawn Johnson won't be an official member of the U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Team until the Olympic trials in June. But as the reigning world champion, it's hard to imagine she won't make the team. I recently read a nice profile on Shawn that I though I'd share with ... http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080125-olympic/ Oscar Pistorius, a double-amputee dubbed the fastest man on no legs, will most likely be banned from pursuing his Olympic dreams. Tests conducted show that his prosthetic legs give him a competitive advantage. He plans to appeal the decision and request additional testing. I understand the IAAF's ... http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080116-handicapped-runner-banned-from-olympic-competition/ I'm going to start writing a periodic feature called unlikely athletes, which will bring you stories of athletes chasing their Olympic dreams, despite hurdles such as age and physical challenges. If you know of an athlete who should be featured, please tell me about it in the comment section ... http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080111-unlikely-athletes-tim-barnes/ Highlighting concerns about China's human rights' violations, ticket broker Ticketfinder.com has decided to boycott the 2008 Summer Olympics. CEO David A Boitano had this to say on the subject: The Olympics symbolize peace, harmony and oneness and a country which has such widespread Human Rights violations, I believe, cannot do justice to ... http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20080109-online-olympics-tickets-may-be-harder-to-come-by/ He's supposed to retire (we've heard that before), but Roger Clemens would definitely consider foregoing retiring for a chance to pitch for the U.S. Olympic baseball team next year in Beijing. MLB.com reported that his agent said he is looking into his options. The decision will need to ... http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20071120-roger-clemens-considers-pitching-for-team-usa/ Roger Federer is one of the hottest players in tennis. He's won 12 Grand Slam Tournaments. But one thing he's never won is an Olympic medal. In this recent article, he talks about what it would mean to him to bring home the gold. http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20071113-roger-federer-hopes-to-break-olympics-losing-streak/ I read an article this week about Chinese children who are being pushed to unbelievable lengths to stand out in China, leading up to the Olympics. From an 8 year old who runs 40 miles per day to a 4 year old swimming prodigy riding a beluga whale, ... http://summerolympicsnews.com/index.php/20071111-are-chinese-children-being-pushed-too-far/