Olympic 2008

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2009-03-02T03:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the inconvenience ple see here

Cricket

2008-11-14T00:45:00.000-08:00

India vs England

India played first and got more than 300 runs

Bejing olympics closing ceremony 2008 pictures china

2008-08-26T00:35:00.000-07:00

The 29th Games of the Olympiad has come to an end. The Beijing 2008 Olympics ended with the putting out of flame and a lot of fireworks. The 30th Games of the Olympiad will be held in London, England in 2012

fireworks in the sky over the National Stadium of Light as counting ends

Boris Johnson waves, the Mayor of London Olympic flag during the closing ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in the National Stadium on 24 August 2008 in Beijing, China.

Australian basketball player Lauren Jackson is in the picture

acques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee for the Olympic flag waves, seen from Boris Johnson, the mayor of London

a dancer's performance during the closing ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on 24 August 2008 in Beijing, China.

artists are in the picture

The general overview of the festival

drummer for display

Photo taken on Aug. 24, 2008 shows the performance of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games closing ceremony in the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, Beijing, capital of China. The closing ceremony began at 8 p.m. sharp on Sunday

taken on Aug. 24, 2008 shows the performance of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games closing ceremony in the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, Beijing, capital of China. The Closing Ceremony began at 8:00 p.m. Sunday.

A general view of the festivities in Beijing National Stadium during the Closing Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 24, 2008 in Beijing, China.

artistes perform on the memory tower in the National Stadium during the Closing Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 24, 2008 in Beijing, China.

5 . A general view of the festivities in the National Stadium during the Closing Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 24, 2008 in Beijing, China

The flags of the participating delegations are ushered into the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony in Beijing, on Aug. 24, 2008. The Closing Ceremony began at 8:00 p.m. Sunday.

A general view of the festivities in the National Stadium during the Closing Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 24, 2008 in Beijing, China

The sacred flame of the Beijing Olympics is extinguished at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony held in the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, China on August 24, 2008. The Closing Ceremony began at 8:00 p.m. (GMT/UTC +8) Sunday

Women's Olympic Fencing - 15 scenes from recent women's fencing matches in Beijing

2008-08-16T05:26:00.000-07:00

fencing competition at the Olympics are often treated to some dramatic, emotional scenes - played out by passionate competitors

15 scenes from recent women's fencing matches in Beijing

China's Zhang Lei reacts to losing the Women's individual Foil round of 16 match to Italy's Maria Valentina Vezzali (unseen) on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center, as part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. Vezzali won 10-7. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

during the Women's individual Foil elimination round of 64 match on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center in Beijing. Indra Angad-Gaur of the Netherlands (L) competes against Egypt's Iman El GammalAngad-Gaur won 13-4. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Mariel Zagunis of the United States celebrates her victory against compatriot Sada Jacobson during the women's individual sabre final match on August 9, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention Center in Beijing. Zagunis won the match and the gold medal. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Italy's Giovanna Trillini (L) hits Korea's Nam Hyunhee during the Women's individual Foil semi-final 1 match on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center. Nam won 15-10. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Zhang Lei of China celebrates her victory against Malgorzata Wojtkowiak of Poland during their women's individual foil fencing competition of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 11, 2008. (REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)

China's Zhang Lei (L) competes with Poland's Malgorzata Wojtkowiak during the Women's individual Foil elimination round on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center. Zhang won 15-8. (PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images)

Maria Valentina Vezzali of Italy celebrates winning the women's fencing individual foil gold medal match over Nam Hyunhee of South Korea (not pictured) at the Fencing Hall on Day 3 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 11, 2008. (Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Italy's Giovanna Trillini (L) competes against Cuba's Misleydis Company during the Women's individual Foil elimination round of 32 match on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center, as part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. Trillini won 15-7. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Italy's Maria Valentina Vezzali (L) competes against China's Zhang Lei during the Women's individual Foil elimination round of 16 match on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center. Vezzali won 10-7. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Italy's Margherita Granbassi looks dejected after losing the Women's individual Foil semi-final 2 match to fellow countrywoman Maria Valentina Vezzali on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center. Vezzali won 12-3. (PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images)

China's Zhang Lei (L) competes against Italy's Maria Valentina Vezzali during the Women's individual Foil round of 16 match on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center, as part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. Vezzali won 10-7. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Korea's Nam Hyunhee celebrates after defeating Italy's Giovanna Trillini (unseen) in the Women's individual Foil semi-final 1 match on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center. Nam won 15-10. (PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images)

Korea's Nam Huynhee (L) competes against Italy's Maria Valentina Vezzali during the Women's individual Foil final match on August 11, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention center. Vezzali won the event ahead of Korea's Nam Huynhee and fellow countrywoman Margharita Granbassi. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Tunisia's Azza Besbes cries on the floor following her quarterfinals defeat in the Womens Individual Sabre at the Fencing Hall of the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Italy's Maria Valentina Vezzali (L) and fellow countrywoman Margherita Granbassi bite their medals on the podium after they respectively won gold and bronze in the Women's individual Foil tournament on August 11, 2008. (PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images)

women's individual foil fencing event at the Fencing Hall

2008-08-16T05:07:00.000-07:00

Giovanna Trillini of Italy and Nam Hyunhee of South Korea compete in the semifinals of the women's individual foil fencing event at the Fencing Hall on Day 3 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 11, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Afternoon Olympic Update -- August 13, 2008 - The latest from the Beijing Olympic Games

2008-08-14T06:03:00.000-07:00

The latest from the Beijing Olympic Games

MEN'S SWIMMING: Sullivan, Bernard trade world record in 100 free

BEIJING (AP) - Eamon Sullivan has taken back the world record in the 100-meter freestyle semifinals at the Beijing Olympics, about two minutes after Frenchman Alain Bernard lowered it.Sullivan won his heat Wednesday morning in 47.05 seconds, topping Bernard's time of 47.20 set in the first semifinal.They both went under the mark of 47.24 set by Sullivan during the leadoff leg of the 400 free relay on Monday.

It's the fifth time this year that Sullivan and Bernard have traded the record.

WOMEN'S SWIMMING: Pellegrini wins Olympic 200 free with world mark

BEIJING (AP) - Federica Pellegrini of Italy has won the 200-meter freestyle at the Beijing Olympics, lowering her own world record set a day earlier.

She won in 1 minute, 54.82 seconds, erasing her previous time of 1:55.45. Sara Isakovic of Slovenia took the silver in 1:54.97. Pang Jiaying of China earned the bronze in 1:55.05, giving the Chinese women their first swimming medal of these games.American Katie Hoff finished fourth in 1:55.78, the first time in three events she failed to medal.

WOMEN'S SWIMMING: Rice wins another IM gold

BEIJING (AP) - Stephanie Rice of Australia has won the 200-meter individual medley at the Beijing Olympics, lowering her own world record and adding to her victory in the 400 IM. She won in 2 minutes, 8.45 seconds, erasing her mark of 2:08.92 set at the Australian trials in March.

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe took the silver in 2:08.59, also below the previous world record. Natalie Coughlin of the United States won the bronze in 2:10.34, her third medal of the games. American Katie Hoff picked up her second fourth-place of the morning, finishing behind Coughlin in 2:10.68. She also was just out of the medals in the 200 freestyle.

MEN'S VOLLEYBALL: Georgia beats Russia in beach volleyball

BEIJING (AP) - Cristine Santanna and Andrezza Martins, native Brazilians playing for Georgia at the Olympics, rallied to a three-set victory over Russia, advancing to the medal round and sending a proud message to their adopted and war-torn homeland. The Georgian team rallied Wednesday from a sloppy 21-10 loss in the first set to win the next two, 22-20 and 15-12, and beat Alexandra Shiryaeva and Natalia Uryadova.

Although they made just a few short visits to the country to obtain their new passports, Santanna and Martins took on the nicknames Saka and Rtvelo, "Georgia," in Georgian, out of affection for the land that allowed them to qualify for the Olympics.

BASEBALL: Taiwanese baseball Olympian fails drug test

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - A Taiwanese baseball player has been banned from participating in the team's first Olympic game after failing a drug test.

Taiwan Baseball Association Secretary-General Lin Tsung-cheng said that third baseman Chang Tai-shan did not suit up for Wednesday's opener against the Netherlands after the International Olympic Committee informed the association of the test results.

Taiwan is one of eight baseball teams participating in the Beijing Games. The sport is widely popular on the island and millions of fans follow the team.

WOMEN'S CYCLING: Armstrong wins time trial gold for United States

BEIJING (AP) - Kristin Armstrong of the United States has won the gold medal in the women's time trial, making her just the second American women's cyclist ever to become an Olympic champion. Armstrong finished the 14.6-mile course in 34 minutes, 51.72 seconds Wednesday, 24.29 seconds better than Emma Pooley of Great Britain. Switzerland's Karin Thuerig was third, almost a minute behind the time set by Armstrong.

Armstrong was the only woman close to Pooley at the halfway mark, and erased the gap before reaching the finish at the Great Wall. She joins Connie Carpenter-Phinney as the only American women to win Olympic cycling gold; Carpenter won the road race at Los Angeles 24 years ago.

WOMEN'S SOFTBALL: Osterman, Bustos power US past Australia

BEIJING (AP) - Cat Osterman pitched a no-hitter, Crystl Bustos
hit a two-run homer and the U.S. softball team extended its Olympic
winning streak to 16 games with a 3-0 win over Australia on
Wednesday. The Americans are seeking a fourth straight gold medal.

Osterman was locked in a pitcher's duel for four innings with
Tanya Harding, who had handed the U.S. team two of its four losses
in the games since 1996. Osterman struck out 13 as the Americans
posted their 14th shutout during the winning streak.

Natasha Watley's RBI single off Harding snapped a 0-0 tie in the
fifth, and Bustos connected for her 10th career Olympic homer in
the sixth.

MEN'S DIVING: China makes it 4-for-4 at the diving pool

BEIJING (AP) - China kept up its dominance at the diving pool, completing a sweep of the synchronized events with a runaway win in men's 3-meter springboard Wednesday.Wang Feng and Qin Kai had the highest-scoring dive in each of the six rounds, piling up a total of 469.08 points. The Chinese are halfway to their goal of sweeping all eight diving golds in their home country, where the sport is immensely popular.

Dmitry Sautin, 34 and competing in his fifth Olympics, added an eighth medal to his collection, teaming with 18-year-old Yuriy Kunakov to take silver with a mark of 421.98. Illya Kvasha and Oleksiy Prygorov of the Ukraine claimed the bronze at 415.05.

The Americans, Chris Colwill and Jevon Tarantino, were third going to the final round. But Tarantino botched his entry and they slipped to fourth, 410.73.

MEN'S CYCLING: Cancellara wins men's road time-trial

JUYONGGUAN, China (AP) - Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland has won gold in the Olympic men's road cycling time-trial, completing the 47.3-kilometer (29.4-mile) course in 1 hour, 2 minutes, 11.43 seconds. The medal is the second for world champion Cancellara in Beijing. He took the bronze in the men's road race on Saturday.

Gustav Larsson of Sweden took the silver Wednesday and Levi Leipheimer of the United States the bronze on the course in the shadow of the Great Wall, northeast of Beijing.

Thirty-nine riders from 29 countries took part in Wednesday's competition.

WOMEN'S WEIGHTLIFTING: China's Liu breaks 3 weightlifting records

BEIJING (AP) - Liu Chunhong broke three world records in the women's 69-kilogram division, defending her Olympic title to win China's sixth gold medal in the weightlifting competition. Liu set a new high score of 128 kg (282.2 pounds) in her third attempt in the snatch Wednesday. She then lifted 158 kg (348.3 pounds) to set a new top mark in the clean and jerk.

Her total of 286 kg (630.52 pounds) also was a world record, beating the previous mark by an astounding 10 kg (22.1 pounds).

World champion Oxana Slivenko of Russia was a distant second, lifting a total of 255 kg (562.17 pounds). Ukraine's Natalya Davydova took the bronze.

WRESTLING: Guenot wins 1st French wrestling gold in 84 years

BEIJING (AP) - Steeve Guenot, a railway worker with little government athletic subsidy, has won France's first Olympic wrestling gold medal in 84 years by taking the Greco-Roman 66-kilogram weight class.

Guenot, whose brother Christophe wrestled for a bronze at 74 kg, defeated Kanatbek Begaliev 3-0, 3-1. Begaliev was trying for Kyrgyzstan's first Olympic gold medal. France hadn't won a wrestling gold since Henri Deglane took the 82 kg class in the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Winning the bronzes were Ukraine's Armen Vardanyan and Mikhail Siamionau of Belarus.

The field became wide open when Farid Mansurov, the 2004 Olympic champion from Azerbaijan, lost 3-0, 3-0 to Vardanyan in the first round. Mansurov didn't lose a period while winning last year's world championship.

MEN'S SOCCER: 10-man Cameroon holds Italy to 0-0 draw

TIANJIN, China (AP) - Cameroon held Italy to a 0-0 draw Wednesday despite playing the final 58 minutes with 10 men, a result that sent the Africans to the quarterfinals of the men's Olympic football tournament along with the Azzurrini. Italy, which claimed a bronze at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and finished fifth at Sydney in 2000, already had clinched its place in the final eight. As Group D winner, it will will face the runner-up from Group C on Saturday in Beijing.

Cameroon finished second in the group and will face the Group C winner, likely Brazil, on Saturday in Shenyang.

Both awaited the results of matches later Wednesday to confirm their opponents.

MEN'S SOCCER: South Korea beats Honduras 1-0 but out of Olympics

SHANGHAI, China (AP) - Kim Dong-jin has fired South Korea to a 1-0 victory over Honduras, but it wasn't enough to capture a place in the quarterfinal of the Olympic soccer competition. Kim's 23rd-minute goal at the Shanghai Olympic Stadium meant the South Koreans ended up with four points from their three Group D games but stayed third behind Italy and Cameroon, who qualified for the last eight.

The Koreans missed many more chances against the Hondurans, who finished last in the group after three defeats and without a goal.

MEN'S WRESTLING: Kvirkelia wins Georgia's 1st wrestling gold

BEIJING (AP) - Manuchar Kvirkelia has turned two strong moves into a two-period victory over China's Chang Yongxiang in the Greco-Roman 74-kilogram weight class, giving Georgia its first Olympic wrestling gold medal. Kvirkelia's decisive 6-0, 3-0 victory Wednesday came in the same week Russian troops stormed through Georgia. The gold also was the country's first in Beijing.

Kvirkelia used a 5-point throw to prematurely end the first period. Any period ends when a wrestler takes a 6-0 lead.

He added a 2-point throw on a gut wrench in the second to clearly frustrate Chang, who settled for silver. The bronze medalists were Christophe Guenot, whose brother Steeve won France's first wrestling gold in 84 years at 66 kg minutes before, and 2007 world champion Yavor Yanakiev of Bulgaria.

MEN'S SCOOER: US out after 2-1 Olympic soccer loss to Nigeria

BEIJING (AP) - Promise Isaac and Victor Obinna scored Wednesday to lead Nigeria over 10-man United States 2-1, earning a place in the quarterfinals of the Olympic soccer tournament and eliminating the Americans. Isaac scored in the 39th minute with an easy tap-in off Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi's centering pass, and Obinna curled a right-footed shot into the top of goal in the 80th.

Sacha Kljestan converted an 88th-minute penalty for the Americans and substitute Benny Feilhaber headed onto the post in the 90th, as the United States was eliminated from Group B after the Netherlands beat Japan. The Americans played with 10 men from the third minute when defender Michael Orozco was ejected.

WOMEN'S JUDO: Ueno wins Japan's third judo gold at Olympics

BEIJING (AP) - Masae Ueno won Japan's third gold on the judo mats Wednesday, defending her 2004 Olympic gold with a match-ending throw less than one minute into her final with Cuba's Anaysi Hernandez in the women's 70-kilogram class.

Winning bronze were Ronda Rousey of the United States, who scored early with a yuko and held on to defeat Germany's Annett Boehm, and Edith Bosch of the Netherlands with an ippon throw over Spain's Leire Iglasias.

Rousey's bronze was the first Olympic medal in women's judo for the U.S. since the event was put on the official schedule in 1992.

Judo awards two bronze medals in each weight class.

MEN'S SWIMMING: Phelps qualifies 6th-fastest in Olympic 200 IM

BEIJING (AP) - Michael Phelps has qualified sixth-fastest in the 200-meter individual medley at the Beijing Olympics. The American ended a golden day at the pool by winning his preliminary heat in 1 minute, 58.65 seconds Wednesday night, good enough to move on to the semifinals.

Phelps' teammate Ryan Lochte led all qualifiers in 1:58.15. Laszlo Cseh of Hungary, already a two-time silver medalist behind Phelps in the 400 IM and 200 butterfly, was third in 1:58.79.

Earlier in the day, Phelps claimed two more gold medals, making him 5-for-5 at these games, with world records in each victory. Overall, his 11 career gold medals make him the winningest Olympian in history.

MEN'S WEIGHTLIFTING: South Korea's Sa Jae-hyouk wins weightlifting gold

BEIJING (AP) - Sa Jae-hyouk of South Korea stopped China's gold rush in weightlifting by edging out home crowd favorite Li Hongli to win the men's 77-kilogram division. Sa and Li both lifted a total of 366 kg (806.9 pounds), but Sa got the win because of a lower body weight. Armenia's Gevorg Davtyan took the bronze, totaling 360 kg (793.7 pounds) in the two events.

China had previously won all six of the weight categories in which it had participated.

Sa was 3 kg (6.6 pounds) behind Li after lifting 163 kg (359.4 pounds) in the snatch, but stunned the Chinese crowd by heaving 203 kg (447.5 pounds) in his second clean and jerk.

It was South Korea's first gold in the weightlifting competition.

BASEBALL: South Korea spoils Americans' Olympic opener

BEIJING (AP) - Lee Jong-wook hit a sacrifice fly with one out and South Korea answered the Americans' ninth-inning rally with one of its own, beating the United States 8-7 on Wednesday night in a thrilling Olympic baseball opener. Lee Taek-keun's slide home easily beat the throw for the winning run, and he celebrated on his knees for a long while before getting up to join his jubilant teammates. The South Koreans then tipped their caps to all the enthusiastic fans from their homeland. The supporters were on their feet in the bleachers all night.

The Americans had seemed poised for the comeback victory after Matt Brown hit a go-ahead two-run single with two outs in the top of the ninth, but South Korea rallied against closer Jeff Stevens

MEN'S SOCCER: Argentina beats Serbia 2-0 in Olympic soccer

BEIJING (AP) - Ezequiel Lavezzi and Diego Buonanotte each scored Wednesday night to wrap up Argentina's perfect group start to the Olympic soccer tournament with a 2-0 victory over Serbia. Ezequiel Lavezzi scored from the penalty spot in the 13th minute, and Buonanotte curled in a free kick in the 81st as defending champion Argentina, which had already qualified for the last eight, topped Group A with nine points.

Argentina will next play Group B runner-up and European Under-21 champion Netherlands at Shanghai Stadium on Saturday.

Serbia finished tied with Australia on one point, while Ivory Coast was runner-up in the group with six points.

MEN'S FENCING: Germany's Kleibrink wins men's foil fencing gold

BEIJING (AP) - Benjamin Kleibrink of Germany won the gold medal in men's foil fencing with a convincing victory over Japan's Yuki Ota on Wednesday night.Kleibrink defeated Ota 15-9. After the win he dashed toward his coach and jumped into his arms before returning to the strip. He then returned to the coach and was again hoisted into the air.

The crowd was entertained when Ota got his sword tangled in the cord to Kleibrink's uniform near the end of the match.

Salvatore Sanzo of Italy got the bronze with a 15-14 win over China's Zhu Jun. After the last point, Zhu angrily tossed his helmet off and it rolled off the strip. He quickly composed himself, retrieved it and shook Sanzo's hand.

Missing from the event was Italy's foil star Andre Baldini, who lost his spot in the Olympics after testing positive for a banned
substance.

WOMEN'S FENCING: Germany's Heidemann wins gold in women's epee

BEIJING (AP) - Britta Heidemann has won the gold medal in women's epee, giving Germany its second first-place fencing finish in one night. Heidemann defeated Romania's Ana Maria Branza 15-11 on Wednesday. Fellow German Benjamin Kleibrink got the gold in men's foil in an earlier match. Heidemann was still holding her sword as several people hugged and congratulated her. One person then draped a German flag over her shoulders. Heidemann took gold in the 2007 world championships and was part of the team that won the silver medal in Athens.

Hungary's Ildiko Mincza-Nebald got the bronze with a 15-11 win over Li Na of China.

Li lost 15-10 to Heidemann in the semifinals. Heidemann also beat Li in the finals of the 2007 world championships.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Leslie perfect as US routs Mali in women's hoops

BEIJING (AP) - Lisa Leslie sets U.S. Olympic record going 7-for-7 from the field as the women's team continues its unblemished run through the Beijing Games with a 97-41 victory against Mali. Leslie finished with 16 points Wednesday night as the U.S. has now won 28 straight Olympic contests. The last loss was to the Unified Team in the semifinals of the 1992 Barcelona Games. The Americans have run over their first three opponents winning by an average of 47 points. They routed the Czech Republic, China, and now Mali.

The Americans play Spain next on Friday.

Time shedule for Beijing 2008 olympic game .

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See this Sheduled image shows the upcoming olympic events based on their date...

OLYMPIC GAMES SCHEDULE - Beijing 2008 : THURSDAY, AUGUST 14

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* Artistic Gymnastics

* Synchronised Swimming

* Fencing

* Archery

* Tennis: Quarter Final and Semi Final

* Hockey:Women's Preliminaries

* Handball

* Water Polo

* Shooting: Women's Pairs Final

* Softball

* Basketball: Men's group games

* Baseball: Men's group games

* Rowing

* Canoe/Kayak: Slalom - Men's Doubles Semi Final; C2 Canoe Double; Women's Semi Final K1 Kayak Single; Men's Doubles Final C2 Double Final; Women's Final K1 Kayak Final

* Volleyball

* Table Tennis

* Wrestling

* Judo

* Volleyball

* Badminton

* Boxing

* Beach Volleyball

* Sailing: Team event

* Equestrian: Individual and Team Dressage Grand Prix Day 2

China's Chen wins gold in women's 25m pistol

2008-08-13T06:23:00.000-07:00

China's Chen Ying won the Olympic gold medal in the women's 25m pistol shooting on Wednesday.

Chen had a magnificent final round to move up from third place to clinch gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Bulgaria's Maria Grozdeva, who won the gold medal in both the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, finished fifth

Chen set a final Olympic record with a score of 793.4.

Gundegmaa Otryad of Mongolia was second with a final mark of 792.2. She equaled an Olympic record by scoring 590 in the qualifying round.

Germany's Munkhbayar Dorjsuren captured bronze with a score of 789.2.

China's Fei Fengji was fourth and Maria Grozdeva of Bulgaria fifth. Grozdeva was trying for her third straight Olympic gold medal in the event and sixth Olympic medal overall, having also won bronze in the 10m air pistol in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996 and four years ago in Athens. A mother of three, Grozdeva was first in the 25m pistol at this year's World Cup in Brazil.

"I lost concentration during the precision shooting," said Grozdeva. "That was the big difference between others who participated in the final."

Elizabeth Callahan failed to make the final round and was 25th overall, while U.S. teammate Rebecca Snyder was 28th.

The 30-year-old Chen, who finished fourth in the pistol at the 2004 Olympics, wasn't as enthusiastic immediately after winning the gold.

"To others this might be a supreme glory, but I just took it as a competition," she said.

This was the third Olympics in the 25m pistol for the 39-year-old Dorjsuren, who was born in Mongolia. She was the bronze medalist in 1992

US Swimmers Shatter Records To Win Gold - Natalie Anne Coughlin

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Just the third American woman to win five Olympic medals at one meet, including two gold in the 100-meter backstroke and as a member of the world record-setting 4x200-meter freestyle relay . first woman to swim the 100 back in less than one minute, and became the first woman to swim the 100 back in under 59 seconds (58.97 - world record) at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Time Trials in Omaha, Neb. broke her own 5-year-old world record in the 100 back at the 2007 World Championships

Full name: Natalie Anne Coughlin
Nationality:United States
Stroke(s):Backstroke
Date of birth:August 23, 1982 (1982-08-23) (age 25)
Place of birth:Vallejo, California, United States
Height:1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Medal record - Women's Swimming-Olympic Games
Gold 2004 Athens 100 m backstroke
Gold 2004 Athens 4×200 m freestyle relay
Silver 2004 Athens 4×100 m freestyle relay
Silver 2004 Athens 4×100 m medley relay
Bronze 2004 Athens[1] 100 m freestyle
Gold 2008 Beijing 100 m backstroke
Silver 2008 Beijing 4×100 m freestyle relay
Bronze 2008 Beijing 200 m indiv medley
World Championships
Gold 2001 Fukuoka 100 m backstroke
Silver 2001 Fukuoka 4×100 m medley relay
Bronze 2001 Fukuoka 50 m backstroke
Gold 2003 Barcelona 4×100 m freestyle relay
Silver 2003 Barcelona 4×100 m medley relay
Gold 2005 Montreal 4×200 m freestyle relay
Silver 2005 Montreal 4×100 m medley relay
Bronze 2005 Montreal[2] 100 m freestyle
Bronze 2005 Montreal 100 m backstroke
Bronze 2005 Montreal 4×100 m freestyle relay
Gold 2007 Melbourne[3] 100 m backstroke
Gold 2007 Melbourne 4×200 m freestyle relay
Silver 2007 Melbourne 4×100 m freestyle relay
Silver 2007 Melbourne 4×100 m medley relay
Bronze 2007 Melbourne 100 m butterfly

USA's Michael Phelps makes Olympic history - new gold standard

2008-08-13T05:04:00.000-07:00

Phelps breaks Olympic gold record

US swimmer Michael Phelps broke the record for Olympic gold medals won by taking his 10th and 11th in a double victory on Wednesday,Phelps, 23, won his fourth gold of the Beijing Olympics and 10th of all time with victory in the 200m butterfly.A day after etching his name alongside Mark Spitz and Carl Lewis with gold No. 9, Phelps set a standard all of his own.when he won the 200-meter butterfly Wednesday morning. An hour later, he swam the leadoff of a runaway victory by the U.S. 800 freestyle relay team, which shattered the old world mark by more than four seconds.

Full name:Michael Fred Phelps
Nickname(s):The Baltimore Bullet
Nationality:United States
Stroke(s): Butterfly, Individual Medley, Freestyle, Backstroke
Club: Club Wolverine,
University of Michigan
Date of birth:June 30, 1985 (1985-06-30) (age 23)
Place of birth:Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:195 pounds (88 kg)

Medals and Rewards
Gold 2008 Beijing 400 m individual medley
Gold 2008 Beijing 4 x 100 m freestyle relay
Gold 2008 Beijing 200 m freestyle
Gold 2008 Beijing 200 m butterfly
Gold 2008 Beijing 4 x 200 m freestyle relay
Gold 2004 Athens 100 m butterfly
Gold 2004 Athens 200 m butterfly
Gold 2004 Athens 200 m individual medley
Gold 2004 Athens 400 m individual medley
Gold 2004 Athens 4 x 200 m freestyle relay
Gold 2004 Athens 4 x 100 m medley relay
Bronze 2004 Athens 200 m freestyle
Bronze 2004 Athens 4 x 100 m freestyle relay

Gold 2001 Fukuoka 200 m butterfly
Gold 2003 Barcelona 200 m butterfly
Gold 2003 Barcelona 200 m individual medley
Gold 2003 Barcelona 400 m individual medley
Gold 2003 Barcelona 4 x 100 m medley relay
Gold 2005 Montreal 200 m freestyle
Gold 2005 Montreal 200 m individual medley
Gold 2005 Montreal 4 x 100 m freestyle relay
Gold 2005 Montreal 4 x 200 m freestyle relay
Gold 2005 Montreal 4 x 100 m medley relay
Gold 2007 Melbourne 200 m freestyle
Gold 2007 Melbourne 100 m butterfly
Gold 2007 Melbourne 200 m butterfly
Gold 2007 Melbourne 200 m individual medley
Gold 2007 Melbourne 400 m individual medley
Gold 2007 Melbourne 4 x 100 m freestyle relay
Gold 2007 Melbourne 4 x 200 m freestyle relay
Silver 2003 Barcelona 100 m butterfly
Silver 2003 Barcelona 4 x 200 m freestyle relay
Silver 2005 Montreal 100 m butterfly
World Championships - Short Course
Gold 2004 Indianapolis 200 m freestyle
Pan Pacific Championships
Gold 2002 Yokohama 200 m individual medley
Gold 2002 Yokohama 400 m individual medley
Gold 2002 Yokohama 4 x 100 m medley relay
Gold 2006 Victoria 200 m butterfly
Gold 2006 Victoria 200 m individual medley
Gold 2006 Victoria 400 m individual medley
Gold 2006 Victoria 4 x 100 m freestyle relay
Gold 2006 Victoria 4 x 200 m freestyle relay
Silver 2002 Yokohama 200 m butterfly
Silver 2002 Yokohama 4 x 200 m freestyle relay
Silver 2006 Victoria 200 m backstroke

2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony - Beijing - Photo Gallery - Set 3

2008-08-13T02:47:00.000-07:00

The Olympic rings are illuminated during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Artists underneath movable boxes perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Martial arts dancers perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Lighted dancers perform during the opening ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Friday, Aug. 8, 2008. (AP Photo/David Phillip)

Drummers perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images)

2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony - Beijing - Photo Gallery - Set 2

2008-08-13T01:31:00.000-07:00

Percussionists take part in the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

Percussionists hit their Fou drums at the start of the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. (AFP PHOTO / Joe Klamar )

Artists perform around an illuminated Globe during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Artists perform during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony on August 8, 2008 at the National Stadium in Beijing. Over 10,000 athletes from some 200 countries are going to compete in 38 differents disciplines during the event, between August 9 to 24. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)

2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony - Beijing - Photo Gallery - Set 1

2008-08-13T00:32:00.000-07:00

Simply we can say..Its Awesome..!!! No More explanation needed..!!

A dancer performs during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Drummers perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

An artist in a space suit performs during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Fireworks explode over the National Stadium during the Opening Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the National Stadium on August 8 in Beijing. (Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Artists perform during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at the National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest", on August 8, 2008. The three-hour show at Beijing's iconic national stadium was set to see more than 15,000 performers showcase the nation's ancient history and its rise as a modern power. (AFP PHOTO / Olivier Morin)

Zhong gives China first fencing gold after 24 years - Olympic 2008 beijing

2008-08-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

China's Zhong Man celebrates after winning the men's individual sabre final match over France's Nicolas Lopez (unseen) on August 12, 2008 at the Fencing Hall of National Convention Center at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Zhong, 25, gave China their second Olympic fencing title, 24 years after Luan Jujie won the foil in Los Angeles in 1984. [Agencies]

The Asian champion's victory over the silver-medallist from Athens four years ago means Zhong becomes only the second Chinese fencer to take Olympic gold. Luan Jujie achieved the feat in the women's foil at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

Zhong Man's golden sabre lit up Chinese hearts, but it was the men's gymnastics team that triggered spontaneous celebrations Tuesday. In the pool, Michael Phelps set another world record to keep his eight-gold hopes alive. His third win in Beijing with the six in Athens makes him only the fourth man to win nine Olympic golds. Zhong won China's first Olympic fencing gold in men's sabre fencing beating Nicolas Lopez of France 15-9.

"My coach told me to be more aggressive and more active in attacking and so I did it and the rest of the bout went smoothly," said Zhong, who is coached by Frenchman Christian Bauer.

"I feel as though I am dreaming and now I'm more confident about the team event."

The fencing competition continues Wednesday with two medal events up for decision, the men's foil where Lei Sheng is a medal hope for China, and the women's epee.

India Team at Beijing Olympics 2008 china

2008-08-12T05:45:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things about this years Beijing Olympics

Beijing Olympics would be held from August 8-24. The slogan for the games is “One World One Dream”.he official logo for the games is titled “Dancing Beijing”. It is estimated that there are around 1,00,000 volunteers for the games which is the highest ever compared to the past.

Some of the performers Indians could watch out for in the Beijing Olympics are :
Rajyavardhan Rathore - Shooting(Double Trap Men)

Awards and Recognitions

# 2003-2004 - Arjuna award
# 2004-2005 - the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (India's the highest sporting honour of India).
# Rathore is a recipient of the Padma Shri, a civilian award from the Government of India
# Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), a non-gallantry award for exceptional service, presented by the government. He is the first officer (from the Indian Army) below the rank of brigadier to be awarded the AVSM.
# Rathore was the chosen flag bearer for India during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China

Anju Bobby George - Athletics (Long Jump)

She received the prestigious Arjuna award in 2002-2003 for eminent sports persons from the government of India and the country's highest sporting honour, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2003-2004 after her success in the World Athletic meet. She was conferred Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award in 2004. Anju was ranked 28th in the February 12, 2007 rankings of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)(She was once ranked World No. 4).

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati - Tennis (Mens Doubles)

Leander has 3 wins(2 Doubles 1 singles) and no losses in the Davis Cup

Dinesh Kumar - Boxing (-81 kg category)

He didn't compete in the 2007 World Championships. At the first Olympic qualifier he lost to Zhang Xiaoping 7:25, at the second he beat two fighters to qualify even though he lost the final to Mehdi Ghorbani.

Sania Mirza - Tennis (Womens Singles)

* 2008 Australian Open, lost in the final of Australian Open mixed doubles with partner Mahesh Bhupati.
* 2008 Australian Open, seeded 31st in the tournament, loses to Venus Williams in the third round 7–6(0), 6–4. Reached Finals of mixed doubles with Mahesh Bhupati.
* 2007 U.S. Open, seeded 26th in the tournament, reaches the third round defeating US veteran Laura Granville 6–3, 7–5, before losing to Anna Chakvetadze 2–6, 3–6.
* 2007 Pilot Pen Tennis tournament, won the doubles title partnering Italian Mara Santangelo, beating the top seeds Liezel Huber and Cara Black 6–1, 6–2.
* 2007 East West Bank Classic, beats Martina Hingis for the second time in a row in the second round 6–2, 2–6, 6–4.
* 2007 Acura Classic, reaches quarter-finals after defeating two Top 20 players Shahar Pe'er and Dinara Safina. However, she lost to top-seed Maria Sharapova 6–2, 6–1.
* 2007 Bank of the West Classic, reached third career final after defeating Akiko Morigami, Tatiana Golovin, Patty Schnyder and Sybille Bammer, but lost to Anna Chakvetadze 6–2 6–3. Claimed the Doubles title with partner Shahar Pe'er, beating Anna Chakvetadze and Victoria Azarenka 6–4, 7–6.
* 2007 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open, won the doubles title with Bethanie Mattek as the 1st seeds. In the final they defeated Alina Jidkova and Tatiana Poutchek 7–6 7–5.
* 2007 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open, reached the semifinals as the 3rd seed, finally losing to 1st seeded, and eventual champion, Anna Chakvetadze 2–6, 7–5, 3–6.
* 2006 15th Asian games, Doha, Qatar: Mixed doubles - won gold medal for India partnering Leander Paes. They beat Japan's Satoshi Iwabuchi and Akiko Morigami 7–5, 5–7, 6–2
* 2006 15th Asian games, Doha, Qatar: Singles - won silver medal losing to China's Jie Zheng 4–6, 6–1, 1–6
* 2006 15th Asian games, Doha, Qatar: Team Tennis - won Silver medal for India pairing Shikha Uberoi. They lost to Chinese Taipei team.
* 2006 Sunfeast Kolkata Open singles: reached semi-finals, losing to eventual champion, Martina Hingis 6–1 6–0
* 2006 Sunfeast Kolkata Open]] doubles: Won the tournament partnering Liezel Huber. They beat Yulia Fedak and Yuliana Beygelzeimer 6–4 6–0
* 2006 Bangalore Open (Hyderabad Open in the previous years) doubles: Won the tournament (partnering with Liezel Huber)
* 2006 Won Silver medal in Qatar Asian Games 2006 Women's singles final and Gold medal in mixed doubles (partnering with Leander Paes)
* 2005 Japan Open: reaches the semi-finals of women's singles and doubles (partnering Shahar Peer of Israel); reaches her highest doubles ranking of 114.
* 2005 U.S. Open: reaches 4th round by defeating Marion Bartoli of France in straight sets (7–6(4), 6–4) before losing to top seed Maria Sharapova 6–2, 6–1. Voted Best Player of the day on the 3rd day for winning her 2nd round match despite bleeding toes.
* 2005 Forest Hills Women's Tennis Classic, New York: reaches her second WTA final but fails to win.
* 2005 Acura Classic: upsets Nadia Petrova in 2nd round but loses in the third round to Akiko Morigami of Japan (2–6,6–4,4–6). By beating the 8th-ranked Petrova, she breaks into top 50 in world rankings for the first time ever.
* 2005 Dubai Tennis Championships: Upset reigning US Open Champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–4, 6–2 in 2nd round to reach the quarter-finals
* 2005 Hyderabad Open singles: Won the tournament defeating Alyona Bondarenko of Ukraine 6–4, 5–7, 6–3 in the final and became the first Indian woman to capture a WTA singles title.
* 2005 Australian Open singles: 3rd round: Became first Indian woman to reach the 3rd round of a Grand Slam tournament.
* 2004 Hyderabad Open doubles: Won the tournament (partnering with Liezel Huber) to become the youngest Indian to win a WTA or ATP tour title and the first Indian woman to capture a WTA tour title. entered the singles as wild card but lost in the first round to the eventual winner Nicole Pratt.
* 2003 Wimbledon Championships Juniors doubles: Won the tournament (partnering with Alisa Kleybanova) to become the youngest Indian and the first Indian woman to win a junior Grand Slam title.
* 2003 Afro-Asian Games: won four gold medals - Women's singles, Mixed doubles (with Mahesh Bhupathi), Women's doubles and Women's team events (the last two golds in partnership with Rushmi Chakravarthy).

Abhinav Bindra won Gold Medal in Olympics 2008 : Gangrats him

2008-08-12T04:54:00.000-07:00

India’s first Gold Medal (individual event) in Olympic games. Abhinav Bindra won the Gold Medal in Olympics 2008 in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle.his is India’s First Olympic gold in 28 years. The last time India won gold was at the 1980 Moscow Olympics for Hockey

Abhinav Bindra Wiki: Abhinav Bindra (born September 28, 1983) is a shooting sports person from India specialising in the field of Air rifle. He was the youngest Indian participant at the 2000 Olympic Games. He won six gold medals at various international meets in 2001.

The calm and composed 2006 world champion shooter entered the final in fourth place (100,99,100,98,100 and 99) but held his nerves until the end.He shot a near bulls eye and then Hakkinen buckled under pressure of Bindra’s brilliance and the prayers of a million Indian glued to the TV screen. My mom had tears of joy and I leaped in ecstasy. India was on the Gold Medal Tally Score Board .In the Air rifle event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, Manchester, he won Gold in the Pairs event and Silver in the individual event. At the 2004 Olympic Games, he broke the Olympic record but failed to win a medal.

Say Congrats to Abhinav Bindra by Commenting here

Updates 11 Aug 2008 From Beijing Olympics

2008-08-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

Updates From The Beijing Summer Olympic Games:

TRACK:Katerina Thanou barred from Beijing 2008 china Olympics

Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou has been barred from the Beijing Olympics for her role in a drug-testing scandal at the Athens Games four years ago.The International Olympic Committee announced the ban Sunday after it investigated Katerina Thanou's selection for the 100 meters for the Greek team.Thanou and fellow Greek sprinter Kostas Kenteris missed doping tests on the eve of the 2004 opening ceremony, claiming they were injured in a motorcycle accident.
The pair withdrew from the games and returned their Olympic accreditations. The IOC did not sanction them but they were later suspended for two years by track and field's ruling body.

WOMEN'S DIVING: China wins first diving medal at Beijing Olympics

Guo Jingjing and Wu Minxia of China won the first diving gold medal of the Beijing Games, putting the host country on a path toward a possible sweep of the eight medals.

Guo and Wu, the current world champions, defended the 3-meter synchronized springboard title they won four years ago in Athens, finishing with 343.50 points.

They led through all five rounds of the competition, and were cheered wildly by their red flag-waving countrymen in the Water Cube.

Julia Pakhalina and Anastasia Pozdnyakova of Russia took silver with 323.61.

Ditte Kotzian and Heike Fischer of Germany earned the bronze with 318.90.

MEN'S TRAP: Kostelecky perfect in final round to win trap Eds: APNewsNow.

David Kostelecky of the Czech Republic won the Olympic gold medal in trap shooting Sunday, hitting all 25 targets in a rainy final round.Kostelecky finished with a final score of 146. Giovanni Pellielo of Italy won the silver, and Alexey Alipov of Russia took the bronze.

Alipov defeated Michael Diamond of Australia in a shoot-off for the final medal.

Kostelecky and Alipov were tied for first place after qualifying, but the Czech shooter turned in the only perfect final round. Nobody else hit more than 23 targets in the final.Karsten Bindrich of Germany, the world record holder, finished seventh after losing a three-way shoot-off to advance to the final. Bret Erickson, the top American, finished 22nd.

WOMEN'S WEIGHTLIFTING:Thailand wins women's 53 kg weightlifting gold Eds: APNewsNow.
Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon of Thailand won the weightlifting gold medal in the women's 53 kilogram category, setting an Olympic record.South Korea's Yoon Jinhee finished in second place and Natassia Novikava of Belarus got the bronze.Jaroenrattanatarakoon lifted a total of 221 kilograms in Sunday's competition. She pulled off 95 kgs in the snatch and an Olympic high score of 126 kgs in the clean and jerk.Her total was 8 kgs better than Yoon and Novikava. Yoon got the silver because of a lower body weight.

WOMEN'S CYCLING: Cooke wins women's road cycling race

Nicole Cooke of Britain has won the gold medal in Olympic women's road cycling, a race held in torrential rain on a course that started in Beijing and ending at the Great Wall.Cooke won a sprint of five riders who had broken away in the final lap. She came in ahead of Emma Johansson of Sweden and Tatiana Guderzo of Italy.Sixty-six women from 33 countries took part in Sunday's 126.4-kilometer (78.5-mile) race.

WOMEN'S ARCHERY: South Korea wins again in women's archery
South Korea won another Olympic women's archery title Sunday, beating China 224-215 for the gold medal in the team competition.The South Korean women are 6 for 6 in the team event since its inception in 1988, and the country has won 15 gold medals overall in archery. China won the silver, and France took the bronze.South Korea's team of Park Sung-hyun, Yun Ok-hee and Joo Hyun-jung routed France 213-184 in the semifinals before beating China. Park, Yun and Joo are the top three seeds in the individual tournament, which begins Tuesday.

SOCCER: Obinna, Anichebe score to give Nigeria 2-1 victory Eds:

Victor Obinna scored one goal and set up another to lead Nigeria to a 2-1 victory over Japan on Sunday, bolstering the Africans' claim for a place in the men's Olympic soccer quarterfinals.

Obinna found the net in the 58th minute and set up Victor Anichebe to score on another counterattack in the 74th minute as Japan's defense was exposed on each flank.Second-half substitute Yohei Toyoda scored for Japan in the 79th minute and his team continued to create chances, but heavy rain from a thunderstorm for the final 10 minutes of the match hampered its chances.The victory gave Nigeria four points in Group B with one game remaining, while Japan was left with zero and virtually no chance of advancing.

SOCCER: Cameroon edges Honduras 1-0

Midfielder Stephane Mbia scored in the second half Sunday to lift Cameroon to a 1-0 victory over Honduras in men's soccer at the Beijing Olympics.Mbia collected the ball 25 yards out in the 74th minute and hit a low right-footed drive past the outstretched arms of Honduras goalkeeper Kevin Hernandez and inside the left post.The win gives Cameroon four points and keeps the team's quarterfinal hopes alive heading into its final Group D match against Italy. Sunday's defeat was the Hondurans' second, and knocks them out of the tournament.

SOCCER: Argentina beats Australia 1-0 in Olympic soccer

Ezequiel Lavezzi ended Australia's stubborn resistance and led Argentina to a 1-0 victory Sunday to put his team into the quarterfinals of the Olympic soccer competition.After Lionel Messi had missed three chances, Lavezzi ended a well-worked move to score a 78th-minute goal to give Argentina six points from two games. The Argentines also beat Ivory Coast 2-1.The Aussies have one point after a 1-1 draw with Serbia.

JUDO: Xian wins women's 52-kg, gives China 1st judo gold

Athens champion Xian Dongmei has won China's first gold medal in judo at the Beijing Olympic Games, defeating An Kum Ae of North Korea in the women's 52-kilogram division.Xian brought the sellout crowd to its feet Sunday when she outscored An in an aggressive match, which had followed a series of winning throws that got her through to the final with little danger.Algeria's Soraya Haddad defeated Kazakhstan's Sholpan Kaliyeva on points in a lopsided match, and Japan's Misato Nakamura pinned South Korea's Kim Kyong-ok to take the bronzes.

SOCCER: Brazil beats Kiwis 5-0, makes soccer quarterfinals

Ronaldinho scored two second-half goals Sunday to lead Brazil to a 5-0 rout over New Zealand and a spot in the quarterfinals of the Olympic soccer tournament.Ronaldinho netted his first goal of the tournament with a free kick in the 54th minute, and added another with a penalty kick in the 61st. The two-time FIFA Player of the Year hadn't scored for Brazil in an official competition in nearly a year.Anderson opened the scoring less than three minutes in. Alexandre Pato scored in the 34th and Rafael Sobis added another goal in second-half injury time to keep Brazil on track for its first gold medal in soccer.The victory at Shenyang Olympic Stadium secures Brazil one of the top two spots in Group C and a trip to the second round.

MEN'S TRACK: Gay says he's pain-free after workout Sunday

U.S. sprinter Tyson Gay says he's "injury-free" after completing a workout at Beijing Normal University.The defending world champion in the 100 and 200 meters showed no obvious signs of discomfort Sunday while running at a track near the U.S. training center. Gay completed sprints of 60, 80 and 100 meters during a workout that was open to reporters.Gay hurt his left hamstring while running in preliminary heats in the 200 during last month's U.S. trials. He already had qualified for the 100.After the workout, Gay said he felt no pain and was "pretty confident."

SWIMMING: Phelps qualifies 4th-fastest in Olympic 200 free

Michael Phelps has advanced out of the Olympic 200-meter freestyle preliminaries, qualifying fourth-fastest about nine hours after the American won a gold medal in the 400 individual medley.Phelps never led in his heat and touched in 1 minute, 46.48 seconds, well off his world record set at last year's world championships.Dominik Meichtry of Switzerland led the way in 1:45.80. Jean Basson of South Africa was second-quickest in 1:46.31, followed by Canadian Brent Hayden.American Peter Vanderkaay also moved on to Monday's semifinals.

JUDO: Japan's Uchishiba wins half-lightweight judo gold

Japan's Masato Uchishiba has won his second straight Olympic gold medal, pinning France's Benjamin Darbelet just seconds into their final match in the men's 66-kilogram division and bringing Japan its first judo gold of the Beijing Games.Uchishiba exploded into Darbelet and threw him to the ground shortly after the bout began Sunday. Darbelet managed to twist enough to keep the fall from ending the match, but Uchishiba then grabbed an armlock and Darbelet had to concede.Darbelet was still grimacing in pain as Uchishiba bowed in victory.Taking the bronzes were Cuba's Yordanis Arencibia, who defeated Russia's Alim Gadanov on points, and North Korea's Pak Chol Min, who outscored Mirali Sharipov of Uzbekistan with a waza ari.

WOMEN'S FIELD HOCKEY: US ties second-ranked Argentina

Angie Loy scored in the 64th minute, and the United States tied Argentina 2-2 in its opening match at the women's field hockey tournament Sunday.It was a surprising result in the rain for the United States against the No. 2 team in the world. The Americans entered the tournament ranked 11th.Argentina's Carla Rebecchi scored two goals in the first 12 minutes, and her team threatened to score several more times before the U.S. replied. Keli Smith scored after a penalty corner to cut Argentina's lead to 2-1 18 minutes into the game. The Americans continued to control play for the remainder of the first half, but they missed on their next two penalty corners, and Argentina maintained its lead.

TENNIS: Ivanovic withdraws at Olympics

Top-seeded Ana Ivanovic withdrew from Olympic tennis Sunday because of inflammation in her right hand that has bothered her for several weeks.Ivanovic said she hasn't been able to practice because of the injury, which began to bother her last month. She was expected to play her first-round match for Serbia on Monday, but after consulting with a doctor, she said she needs more rest."It's one of the hardest moments in my career," Ivanovic said. "I'm very, very disappointed."

Ivanovic said the injury may take two weeks to heal, and she still hopes to play in the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 25.She was already assured of losing the top spot in the women's rankings Monday to No. 2 Jelena Jankovic. Ivanovic has led the rankings since June 9, the day after winning the French Open.

SWIMMING: US men set world record in 400 free relay heats

The United States has set a world record in the men's Olympic 400-meter freestyle relay preliminaries.The team of Nathan Adrian, Cullen Jones, Ben Wildman-Tobriner and Matt Grevers won their heat Sunday night in 3 minutes, 12.23 seconds, erasing the old mark of 3:12.46 set by the U.S. at the 2006 Pan Pacific championships in Victoria, British Columbia.The U.S. has not won the event at the Olympics since 1996, taking silver in 2000 and bronze in 2004.

Jones was part of the team that owned the previous record, becoming the first black swimmer to set a long-course world mark.

MEN'S WEIGHTLIFTING: China's Long wins men's 56 kg weightlifting gold

Seventeen-year-old Long Qingquan has taken China's second weightlifting gold at the Beijing Olympics, winning the men's 56-kg category by lifting 292 kgs (643.7 pounds) in his international debut.Hoang Anh Tuan of Vietnam finished second just 2 kgs (4.4 pounds) behind, with Indonesia's Eko Irawan grabbing the bronze.Backed by a chanting home crowd, Long lifted 132 kgs (291 pounds) in the snatch and 160 kgs (352.7 pounds) in the clean and jerk. He failed only one lift - his final clean and jerk at 164 kgs (361.6 pounds) when the gold was already in the bag.Chen Xiexia won China's first gold medal in the Beijing Games when she dominated the women's 53-kg competition on Saturday.

MEN'S FENCING: Tagliariol gives Italy a fencing gold

Matteo Tagliariol of Italy won the gold medal in men's epee Sunday, beating Fabrice Jeannet of France 15-9.Jeannet won the silver, and Jose Luis Abajo of Spain took the bronze.The final pitted representatives from two of the world's top fencing nations. Tagliariol took control with an early six-point run to lead 8-3, and never looked back.Tagliariol won Italy's first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics, and gave Italian fencing fans something to cheer about. Andrea Baldini, Italy's men's foil star, lost his spot on the Olympic team because of a positive test for a banned substance.

Italy has a chance to add another gold in fencing Monday in the women's individual foil. The top three seeds in that event are all Italian.

SOCCER: Belgium beats China 2-0 to put hosts in tough spot

Strikers Moussa Dembele and Kevin Mirallas scored a goal each to give Belgium a 2-0 win over nine-man China, putting the host in difficult position to advance in the Olympic soccer tournament.Dembele opened the scoring in the eighth minute, escaping from three defenders inside the area before firing a low left-footer past China goalkeeper Qiu Shengjiong. Mirallas sealed the win with a shot from the top of the area as China was already playing two men down.

Defender Tan Wangsong was red-carded in the 52nd for a vicious foul and midfielder Zheng Zhi in the 63rd for elbowing an opponent.Sunday's victory leaves Belgium in sole possession of second place in Group F with 3 points. China has one point and needs to beat leader Brazil in its the last group match.

SOCCER: Italy dominates South Korea 3-0 in Olympic soccer

Italy secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the men's Olympic soccer tournament Sunday, beating South Korea 3-0 on goals from Giuseppe Rossi, Tommaso Rocchi and Riccardo Montolivo.The Italians dominated a tough South Korea side that was undefeated in Olympic qualifying.Rossi scored in the 15th, pouncing on the deflection of a shot from Rocchi and slotting a left-footed strike past South Korea goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong from 10 yards.Rocchi doubled the lead in the 32nd when he knocked in a cross from defender Marco Motta, while Montolivo finished off the scoring with an injury-time goal.The win gives Italy six points and assures it one of the top two spots in Group D.

SOCCER: Ivory Coast beats Serbia 4-2 in Olympic soccer

Ivory Coast has beaten Serbia 4-2 to revive its chances of reaching the quarterfinal of the Olympic soccer competition.Sekou Cisse gave the Ivorians a third minute lead at the Shanghai Olympic Stadium on Sunday and, although Milan Mrdakovic equalized in the 16th, Serb defender Slobodan Rajkovic headed the ball into his own net in the 24th and Salomon Kalou added a third goal in the 69th.Djordje Rakic scored a second for Serbia with a minute to go but the Ivorians added a fourth in injury time through Gervinho.The result gives Ivory Coast three points after its 2-1 loss to Argentina and the Serbs have one from a 1-1 draw with Australia.

SOCCER: Injury time goal gives Dutch 2-2 draw with US

Gerald Sibon converted a free kick in the third minute of injury time and salvaged a 2-2 tie for the Netherlands against United States on Sunday, keeping Dutch hopes alive for advancing in the Olympic football tournament.Sibon's low drive from 25 meters eluded U.S. keeper Brad Guzan and sent the Dutch to their final game against winless Japan with renewed hopes of reaching the quarterfinals.The Americans fell into a tie atop Group B with Nigeria with four points each, two better than the Netherlands.

Only two teams advance from the group stage and the Americans will face off against the Nigerians on Wednesday in the final group game for both.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: President Bush hits US-China hoops

President Bush had a pre-game meeting with the U.S. men's basketball team in a corridor of the stadium, posing for pictures and joining the players in a cheer, "One, two, three, U.S.A. go!"Bush's father, former President Bush, also attended the game, giving a hug to Kobe Bryant and getting a "What's up, pops?" from LeBron James.Joining the president and his father in the stands were first lady Laura Bush, their daughter Barbara and China's foreign minister.

MEN'S BASKETBALL: US beats China 101-70 in Olympic opener

The U.S. Olympic basketball team treated President Bush and perhaps a billion more fans to a game to remember.With LeBron James and Dwyane Wade soaring for dunks that thrilled the raucous crowd at Beijing's basketball arena, the United States pulled away for a 101-70 victory against host China on Sunday night.Wade scored 19 points and James had 18 for the Americans in one of the most highly anticipated events of these Summer Games.

Houston Rockets All-Star Yao Ming scored 13 points for China.

SWIMMING: Zimbabwe's Coventry sets world mark in 100 back

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe has set a world record in the 100-meter backstroke semifinals at the Beijing Olympics.Coventry touched in 58.77 seconds Monday morning, breaking the mark of 58.97 set by American Natalie Coughlin at last month's U.S. trials. Coughlin won her semifinal heat in 59.42.Coventry is the leading qualifier and Coughlin second-fastest going into Tuesday morning's final. Coughlin won the gold medal four years ago in Athens and Coventry took the silver.It was the fourth world record set at the Water Cube during the games.

SWIMMING: Phelps advances to 200 free final at Olympics

Michael Phelps has advanced to the 200-meter freestyle final at the Beijing Olympics.The American qualified fourth-fastest in his Monday morning semifinal, touching in 1 minute, 46.28 seconds. Phelps lost his heat to teammate Peter Vanderkaay, whose time of 1:45.76 made him the leading qualifier for Tuesday morning's final.Park Tae-hwan of South Korea was second fastest, followed by Jean Basson of South Africa.

Phelps finished third in the 200 free four years ago in Athens, losing to Aussie rival Ian Thorpe and Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband in what was billed as the "Race of the Century."

SWIMMING: Trickett wins 100 fly, just off record pace

Libby Trickett of Australia has won the women's 100-meter butterfly, capturing her first Olympic gold by holding off American Christine Magnuson.Trickett was under world-record pace at the turn, but she finished in 56.73 seconds - just 0.12 off the word record. Magnuson was second in 57.10, while another Aussie, Jess Schipper, took bronze in 57.25.

SWIMMING: Japan's Kitajima sets world mark in 100 breast

Kosuke Kitajima of Japan has defended his 100-meter breaststroke title at the Beijing Olympics, smashing the world record by 0.22 seconds.Kitajima rallied from third after 50 meters to win in 58.91 seconds Monday, bettering the old mark of 59.13 set by American Brendan Hansen two years ago.Alexander Dale Oen of Norway took the silver in 59.20. Hugues Dugoscq of France earned the bronze in 59.37. Hansen was second halfway through the race, but faded to fourth. Six of the eight finalists swam under 1 minute.

SWIMMING: Katie Hoff upset in Olympic 400 freestyle

Katie Hoff of the United States has been upset in the 400-meter freestyle, losing the Olympic gold medal to RebeccaAdlington of Britain.Adlington overhauled Hoff down the stretch to win in 4 minutes, 3.22 seconds Monday. Hoff took the silver in 4:03.29. Adlington's teammate Joanne Jackson earned the bronze in 4:03.52. Defending champion Laure Manaudou finished eighth and last.

Hoff is 0-for-2 in finals so far, taking a bronze in the 400 individual medley.

CYCLING: Spanish cyclist kicked out of Olympics for doping

Spanish cyclist Maria Isabel Moreno has been kicked out of the Beijing Olympics after testing positive for EPO.She is the first athlete to fail a drug test during the official Olympic doping control period.The International Olympic Committee said Monday that Moreno was tested in the athletes' village on July 31 and left China later the same day before learning the result.

The IOC expelled Moreno from the games and asked cycling's world governing body to follow up for any further sanctions.She had been scheduled to compete in the women's individual time trial.

SHOOTING: India's Bindra wins gold in 10-meter air rifle

Abhinav Bindra won the gold medal in the 10-meter air rifle Monday, giving India its first medal of the Olympics.The 2006 world champion entered the final in third place but overtook China's Zhu Qinan and Finland's Henri Hakkinen by scoring 104.5 points for the title.Bindra finished with 700.5 points, edging out Zhu who had 699.7 points for the silver. Zhu won the gold medal in 2004. Hakkinen got the bronze with 699.4.Zhu's second place finish gives the Chinese three medals in the shooting competition after Guo Wenjun won the women's 10-meter air pistol and Pang Wei took the men's.

MEN'S ARCHERY: Archery semis: Italy-Ukraine, China-South Korea

Italy will play Ukraine, and China will meet South Korea in the semifinals of the Olympic men's team archery competition.South Korea is the big favorite in an event it has won at the past two Olympics. It fought off a strong challenge from Poland in the quarterfinals before a boisterous South Korean crowd. The South Korean women's team took the gold in their event Sunday.

Ukraine, the 2004 bronze medalist, eliminated silver medalist Taiwan. Italy beat Malaysia, and China ousted Russia.

The semifinals and medal matches take place later Monday.

WOMEN'S TRAP: Finland's Makela-Nummela wins women's trap

BEIJING (AP) - Satu Makela-Nummela of Finland has won the gold medal in women's trap shooting, hitting 21 targets in the finals to set an Olympic record.Makela-Nummela hit the first 11 targets of the finals Monday before missing two in a row. She got back on track after that, missing two shots the rest of the way. Makela-Nummela finished with a final score of 91.Zuzana Stefecekova of Slovakia, who was tied for the lead with Makela-Nummela entering the finals, finished with 89 targets for the silver.

Four shooters qualified for a shoot-off for the bronze medal. Daina Gudzineviciute of Lithuania, Elena Struchaeva of Kazakhstan and Japan's Yukie Nakayama missed before American Corey Cogdell hit the target to nab third place.
Cogdell was the youngest shooter in the finals at 21 years old. She entered the finals one off the lead, struggled early but finished strong to force the shootout. It was a good performance from the Alaskan who finished 50th at the 2007 World Championships.

WOMEN'S WEIGHTLIFTING: Chen wins China's 3rd gold in weightlifting

BEIJING (AP) - Chen Yanqing has easily defended her Olympic gold medal in the women's 58-kilogram category, winning China's third weightlifting gold medal and breaking two Olympic records.Maria Shainova of Russia was second and North Korea's O Jong Ae got the bronze.Chen lifted a total of 244 kilograms (537.9 pounds) Monday, shattering her previous Olympic record from four years ago by 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds).She lifted 106 kilograms (233.7 pounds) in the snatch and 138 kilograms (304.2 pounds) in the clean jerk, another Olympic high score.

China continued to dominate weightlifting after Chen Xiexia won the women's 53-kilogram competition on Saturday and 17-year-old Long Qingquan followed up with a second gold on Sunday in the men's 56-kilogram category.

MEN'S ARCHERY: South Korea wins men's archery team competition

BEIJING (AP) - South Korea has taken the gold medal in the Olympic men's team archery competition, matching the feat of its women a day earlier.The team of Im Dong-hyun, Lee Chang-hwan and Park Kyung-mo won South Korea's the third consecutive Olympic gold in this event. They defeated Italians Mauro Nespoli, Ilario Di Buo' and Marco Galiazzo by 227 points to 225.Chinese archers Jiang Lin, Li Wenquan and Xue Hai Feng, seeded 12th and last after the ranking round, raised their game throughout the day and defeated Ukraine for the bronze medal, having earlier seen off Russia and Australia

SWIMMING: Pellegrini breaks world record in women's 200 free

BEIJING (AP) - Federica Pellegrini of Italy has set a world record in the 200-meter freestyle preliminaries at the Beijing Olympics.She won her heat Monday night in 1 minute, 55.45 seconds, lowering the old mark of 1:55.52 set by Laure Manaudou of France in March 2007.Manaudou, the current world champion, did not attempt to qualify for the event at the French trials.

It was the eighth world record set during the swimming competition.

SWIMMING: Phelps easily moves on in 200 butterfly prelims

Michael Phelps has advanced to the semifinals of the 200-meter butterfly at the Beijing Olympics.The American won his preliminary heat in 1 minute, 53.70 seconds Monday night, lowering his own Olympic record of 1:54.04 set four years ago in Athens.Phelps was third after the first 100 meters, moved up to second at the 150, and then cruised home.The race marked the end of a busy day for Phelps, who swam the leadoff leg on the gold medal-winning 400 freestyle relay that set a world record in the morning finals. He is 2-for-2 in his bid to break Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in a single games.

MEN'S WEIGHTLIFTING: Zhang wins China's 4th weightlifting gold

China's Zhang Xiangxiang grabbed the weightlifting gold medal in the men's 62-kilogram division, extending the host nation's winning streak in the sport.Zhang took 143 kilograms (315.3 pounds) in the snatch and 176 kilograms (388 pounds) in the clean and jerk Monday to clinch China's fourth weightlifting gold at the Beijing Olympics.Colombia's Diego Salazar won the silver medal, 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds) ahead of bronze medalist Triyatno of Indonesia.Ji Hunmin of South Korea and Im Young Su of North Korea were second and third after the snatch but both bombed out in the clean and jerk.

It was Zhang's second Olympic medal. He got bronze in Sydney 2000 in the 56-kilogram division.

WOMEN'S FENCING: Vezzali wins another gold in women's foil

Maria Valentina Vezzali of Italy won the gold medal in women's foil Monday, her third straight Olympic gold in the event.

She took the lead on a touch with 4 seconds left and held off South Korean Nam Hyun-hee 6-5. After the emotional victory, Vezzali fell to the floor and broke down. She stood and pumped her fist.Vezzali, who has won six Olympic medals since 1996, also won team foil gold medals in 1996 and 2000 and silver in the individual event in 1996.Vezzali beat fellow Italian Margherita Granbassi to get to the finals. Nam finished eighth in Athens.Granbassi won the bronze, her first Olympic medal, denying fellow Italian Giovanna Trillini her eighth. Granbassi, the 2006 world champion, won 15-12.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Thompson sparks 23-0 run as US routs China

The U.S. women's basketball team quickly dashes any hopes China had of an upset, avenging a loss in April with the second American drubbing of the Chinese in as many nights.Tina Thompson scores 13 of her 27 points during a 23-0 run in the first quarter of a 108-63 rout of China Monday night.Trailing by one midway through the first quarter, Thompson took over. She made two 3-pointers, a jumper from the corner, two layups, and three free throws during the spurt.

The Official Mascots of the China - Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

2008-08-11T06:10:00.000-07:00

Like the Five Olympic Rings from which they draw their color and inspiration, Fuwa will serve as the Official Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship and peace,In their origins and their headpieces, you can see the five elements of nature -- the sea, forest, fire, earth and sky

A set of five doll mascots for the 2008 Olympic Games were unveiled in Beijing on November 11, exactly 1,000 days before the event's opening ceremony.

Spreading Traditional Chinese Blessings Wherever They Go

1 . Beibei

Each of the Five Friendlies symbolizes a different blessing.This tradition shows their blessings to the children of the world. Prosperity, happiness, passion, health and good luck will be spread to every continent as the Five Friendlies carry their invitation to Beijing 2008 to every part of the globe.

This Beibei carries the blessing of prosperity

2 . jingjing

makes children smile. You can see his joy in the charming naivety of his dancing pose and the lovely wave of his black and white fur

It symbolize the lush forest and the harmonious relationship between man and nature

3 . Huanhuan

Huanhuan is the big brother. He is a child of fire, symbolizing the Olympic Flame and the passion of sport

4 . Yingying

Yingying's flying pose captures the essence of a species unique to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the first animals put under protection in China

5 . Nini

Nini's figure is drawn from this grand tradition of flying designs. Her golden wings symbolize the infinite sky and spread good-luck as a blessing wherever she flies.

Opening Ceremony Of Beijing Olympics 2008 : Spectacle Photos

2008-08-11T00:40:00.000-07:00

Opening Ceremony Of Beijing Olympics 2008

2008-08-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

Updated:2008-08-11 11:30:01: Olympic 2008 Beijing:china :Bronze Metal won Countries

2008-08-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

	COUNTRY	BRONZE
3	USA - United States	4
4	AUS - Australia	2
4	JPN - Japan	2
6	GBR - Great Britain	1
8	ITA - Italy	1
9	ESP - Spain	1
9	NED - Netherlands	1
13	RUS - Russian Fed.	1
14	FRA - France	2
15	PRK - DPR Korea	2
16	CUB - Cuba	1
24	ALG - Algeria	1
24	ARG - Argentina	1
24	BLR - Belarus	1
24	CRO - Croatia	1
24	GEO - Georgia	1
24	GER - Germany	1
24	INA - Indonesia	1
24	SUI - Switzerland	1
24	TPE - Chinese Taipei	1
24	UZB - Uzbekistan	1

Updated:2008-08-11 11:30:01: Olympic 2008 Beijing:china :Silver Metal won Countries

2008-08-10T22:37:00.000-07:00

	COUNTRY	SILVER
1	CHN - China	2
2	KOR - Korea	2
3	USA - United States	4
4	AUS - Australia
4	JPN - Japan
6	GBR - Great Britain
7	CZE - Czech Republic
8	ITA - Italy	2
9	ESP - Spain
9	NED - Netherlands
11	ROU - Romania
11	THA - Thailand
13	RUS - Russian Fed.	3
14	FRA - France	2
15	PRK - DPR Korea	1
16	CUB - Cuba	1
17	AUT - Austria	1
17	HUN - Hungary	1
17	NOR - Norway	1
17	SWE - Sweden	1
17	TUR - Turkey	1
17	VIE - Vietnam	1
17	ZIM - Zimbabwe	1

Updated:2008-08-11 11:30:01: Olympic 2008 Beijing:china :Gold Metal won Countries

2008-08-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

	COUNTRY	GOLD
1	CHN - China	6
2	KOR - Korea	3
3	USA - United States	2
4	AUS - Australia	2
4	JPN - Japan	2
6	GBR - Great Britain	2
7	CZE - Czech Republic	2
8	ITA - Italy	1
9	ESP - Spain	1
9	NED - Netherlands	1
11	ROU - Romania	1
11	THA - Thailand	1

Game Olympic 2008 China

2008-08-09T07:21:00.000-07:00

In the lead up to the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the emblem will attract more and more people from around the world to Beijing and China to join the great.

Have a great Olympic days