IOC satisfied with Games-time operations

IOC satisfied with Games-time operations



The eighth joint IOC/BOCOG press briefing was held on Monday at the Main Press Center (MPC) after two days break. According to Giselle Davies, IOC director of Communications, the next joint briefing will be held on August 23. The lower frequency of the meetings demonstrates that the IOC is satisfied with the smooth operation of the Games.

"In Athens, we had fewer coordination commissions that were run on a daily basis," reflecting that "the Games are going on very well and we can get out and enjoy the sports," said Davies.

The canceling of press briefings on August 16 and 17 was a joint decision made by IOC and BOCOG. Daily press conferences are not a convention of past Games. Since "transport is working smoothly, people are getting to the venues without any problems, and athletes have competition and give us very positive feedback," the officials remarked that they would rather provide more time for journalists to visit the venues and cover the important events than having them sit in press conferences with the IOC and BOCOG.

Australia's two Emmas seize gold and bronze in Women's Triathlon

Australia's two Emmas seize gold and bronze in Women's Triathlon



Emma Snowsill and Emma Moffatt of Australia won gold and bronze medals in today's Women's Triathlon race. The silver medal went to Vanessa Fernandes of Portugal.

Snowsill won the gold with a time of one hour, 58 minutes and 27.66 seconds. Fernandes finished in a time of one hour, 59 minutes and 34.63 seconds, while Moffatt won the bronze medal with a time of one hour, 59 minutes and 55.84 seconds.

Laura Bennett of the United States led out of the water, followed closely by Magali di Marco of Switzerland and Sarah Haskins of the United States.

On the 40km bike course, two packs came together early to form a leading group of 24 triathletes. After three laps, the leading group was in front of the chasing group by one minute. The margin was widened to nearly two minutes after five laps.

As the women headed out onto the 10km running course, Snowsill and Fernandes immediately surged to the front and opened up a slight gap over the rest of the field, which they maintained till the end.

London 2012 insists have yet to be upstaged

London 2012 insists have yet to be upstaged




After watching the spectacular fireworks and dazzling choreography of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony, many are wondering whether or not it will be possible for future Olympic committees to recreate an equivalently breathtaking show. But 2012 Olympic host London believes they are ready to take on the challenge.

In an interview with the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph released Saturday, chairman of the London Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) Sebastian Coe said London is prepared to match the spectacle and charm of the Beijing Opening Ceremony.

Coe and fellow organizers "weren't cowed at all" after watching the Beijing ceremony, he insisted. At one point in the interview Coe even went as far to say that the London Games can "go further on so many fronts."

But that does not mean the London committee was not duly awed in Beijing; they were impressed. Speaking for his colleagues Coe stressed, "They were more pumped up because it was so good. I think they were quite excited by the challenge." He continued, "But we can do something as good, set in a different context" -- a British one.

Coe kept mentioning two words -- creativity and fun. Both, he claimed, are representations of Britain's unique culture. Creativity, he insisted, is "Britishness in the very best sense of the word."

As far as the fun part goes, London knows how to throw a good party, and that is what they plan to do, Coe beamed. "We're actually quite good at partying," he said. "Let's turn it into a giant party."

Citing the famous string of British pop music and West End stars that are part of the planning team, Coe seemed quite certain that the organizing committee will be able to put on a great super-fun show.

ROK blasts Austria to claim Team Table Tennis bronze

ROK blasts Austria to claim Team Table Tennis bronze


The Republic of Korea steamrolled Austria 3-1 to capture the Men's Team bronze medal at the Table Tennis tournament at the Beijing Olympic Games Monday.

Chen reclaims Rings gold for China

Chen reclaims Rings gold for China



Chen Yibing won China's first gold medal in the Men's Rings since the legendary Li Ning shared gold with Japan's Gushiken Koji at Los Angeles 1984. Chen scored 16.600 to win the gold medal.

The silver medal was won by China's Yang Wei, who scored 16.425. The bronze medal was won by Ukraine's Oleksandr Vorobiov, who scored 16.325.

Chen, 23, was the favorite going into the event and did not disappoint his home crowd. The seventh out of eight gymnasts to perform, Chen thrilled the crowd with his near-perfect execution. The gold medal is Chen's second gold medal of the Games, along with his gold medal in the Team event.

Yang performed the most difficult routine, which was enough for him to snare the silver medal. The silver medal is Yang's third medal of the Games, along with his gold medals in the Team and All-Around events.

Bronze medalist Vorobiov combined a fairly difficult routine with excellent execution, which allowed him to receive a slightly better score than Italy's Andrea Coppolino and France's Danny Pinheiro Rodrigues who both received a score of 16.225.

'Super Dan' lives up to his World No. 1 rank

'Super Dan' lives up to his World No. 1 rank



Men's Singles World No. 1 Lin Dan of China thrashed Malaysia's World No. 2 Lee Chong-wei 21-12, 21-8 to win the gold in the Beijing Olympic Badminton tournament on Sunday, August 17.

The anticipated heart-pounding dream final turned out to be a frustrating exit for Lee, who was bidding for Malaysia's first Olympic gold.

"I suffered a lot of pressure tonight but I do not want to use it as an excuse for my defeat," he said.

Maybe it was the pressure that made a normally sharp Lee lose his edge on court and essentially provide no match for Super Dan's quickly-adapted strategies and crosscourt smashes.

In the first game Lin raced into a 7-1 lead. Eager to close the gap, Lee made too many unforced errors, enabling the World No. 1 to stretch his winning margin to 16-8 before closing out the game 21-12.

Lin continued to attack Lee in the second game, opening up an 8-0 lead and forcing his opponent to chase shuttles to all four corners of the court before killing rallies off with his smash. As the game progressed, Lee simply had no answers to Lin's speed and the Chinese left-hander closed out the match in just 41 minutes.

"I have tried my best but Lin Dan played perfectly tonight," said Malaysian sport icon Lee. "I couldn't match his shuttle speed. He was much stronger than me and controlled the whole match."

"At the end of the match it is not who is playing at a higher level, it is all about who is mentally stronger," Lee commented on his loss.

"I felt a lot of pressure playing in front of my home crowd," said an exhilarated Lin. "I thought it would be difficult to play the match and the pressure of the crowd might even be to my disadvantage, but I played well.

Liu Xiang withdraws from Men's 110m Hurdles

Liu Xiang withdraws from Men's 110m Hurdles



The first round competition of Men's 110m Hurdles took place at the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, on August 18, 2008. Defending Olympic champion Liu Xiang of China dropped out after getting injured.




Liu Xiang takes off his jersey prior to the first round.