Beijing preserves cultural heritage while achieving modernization

(BEIJING, July 30) -- The Chinese government has succeeded in transforming Beijing into a modern, cosmopolitan city while protecting its 3,000-year cultural heritage, Kong Fanzhi, director, and Yu Ping, deputy director, of the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage, told reporters at a press conference at 11:00 a.m. on July 30.
Beijing has long been faced with the complex responsibility of protecting the cultural heritage, relics and artifacts that have accumulated in the past 3,000 years. The task has been made all the more difficult for the central and municipal governments, as modernization of the urban environment in the city has been equally essential.
As it has in developing its economy, Beijing has also been attempting to take into account the experience of developed countries in preserving its heritage.
Kong introduced the government's approaches to preserving historical and cultural heritages in the city. By preserving the core essence of the city, it is preserving the sites of the Ming and Qing Dynasties that have existed for more than 500 years. The 7.8-kilometer Central Axis running from Yongdingmen, crossing through Zhengyangmen, the Forbidden City, Jingshan Park and then to the Bell and Drum Towers, still remains intact. The imperial city area (8.6 square meters), including the imperial garden, is well preserved, and its original pattern in a reversed capitalized T remains unchanged.
Moreover, Beijing spreads the scope of preservation to the cultural houses and hutong in a large area and the more than 1,000 heritage buildings within the ancient city.
For effective protection, a series of rules, regulations and laws have been passed to protect the famous historical and cultural city. Kong named the laws protecting the imperial city and the imperial palace as examples.
For modern buildings, high-rises in particular, a limit was in place on the height of new buildings built prior to 2004; now there is control on both the height and number of buildings.
Kong revealed that the government's investment in heritage protection reached 930 million yuan in 2000-2007 and it will increase to 1.2 billion yuan in 2008-2015. Before 1990, the total annual investment was only around one million yuan. In addition, society has invested five billion yuan into those protection projects. In the past eight years, 139 projects have been completed, of which 78 projects increased the number of areas open to the public. The Summer Palace, for example, after renovation, has opened up the western part to the public, with 20 hectares of accessible garden.
Moreover, the government has put in one billion yuan for the renovation of hutong and siheyuan to improve the living conditions of local residents.
Finally he introduced the protection efforts in the planning and construction of the Olympic venues and installations.

Source: http://en.beijing2008.cn/live/pressconference/mpc/n214489296.shtml

Games tickets for Beijing venues sold out

July 28, 2008 11:26 IST
Olympic tickets for events in host city Beijing have completely sold out, Games organisers said, leaving only tickets for competitions in co-host cities still available.

Organisers released the final tranche of 820,000 tickets on Friday, prompting chaotic scenes at ticket booths in Beijing, where queues of tens of thousands of people strained to break heavy police cordons.

"With a heated participation of ticket buyers, Games-time competition tickets of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games venues in Beijing have been sold out," the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games said on its website late on Sunday.

Some 250,000 of the final tranche were for Beijing-based events, with the rest for soccer qualifiers held in co-host cities Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang and Qinhuangdao.
A final batch of 14,000 tickets for equestrian events would go on sale in co-host city Hong Kong on Tuesday, organisers said on the competition website.

Tickets for many competitions in Beijing sold out within hours, with some buyers camping out at ticket booths two days before they opened.

Thousands of police and paramilitary troops struggled to keep order at booths during the last-chance sale, where scuffles broke out between frustrated ticket-buyers, security officials and reporters.

Beijing's sale of nearly 7 million Olympic tickets has been swift but not without incident. Prospective buyers complained on blogs and Internet chat-rooms of not being able to complete purchases after the third batch of tickets was released in May.

The former Olympic ticketing chief was sacked last November after the ticketing website crashed almost immediately on the opening day of the second round of sales.
The Beijing Games start on August 8. source: rediff.com

Ticket sales for Olympic venues in Beijing complete

(BEIJING, July 27) -- With a heated participation of ticket buyers, Games-time competition tickets of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games for Olympic venues in Beijing have been sold out.
BOCOG fully comprehends the considerations and supports from all walks of life for the Beijing Olympic ticket sales.

Source:: http://en.beijing2008.cn/tickets/news/n214483901.shtml

Beijing Olympic Village opens to athletes

BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic Village for the Beijing Games was officially opened Sunday morning as hundreds of Chinese athletes started checking into the 66-hectare compound.
Village mayor Chen Zhili announced its opening, which is about 20 minutes' walk northwest of the Games' two centerpiece venues - the Bird's Nest stadium and aquatic venue Water Cube. The sprawling complex houses about 16,000 athletes, coaches and their entourage coming for the Olympics
"We now welcome athletes from around the world to come to the Games," said Chen, vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG).
"We will try to satisfy the needs of people from different cultural and religious backgrounds. We hope you will like the facilities and services, and achieve desirable results at the Games," she said.
The Chinese delegation was the first to check in by raising its national flag in the village. Athens Olympics 110 meters hurdles champion Liu Xiang and NBA star Yao Ming were among about a hundred athletes who were present at the ceremony.
At least two other delegations, Cuba and Poland, are scheduled to arrive at the village on Sunday.
China has announced that it will send the largest ever delegation of 1,099 members to the Games, including 639 athletes.
"As athletes from the host country, I hope you will present the peaceful, civilized and open stance of China," Chen told the Chinese delegation. She also had talks to the athletes and wished them good luck.
Chen Wenbin, the head coach of men's weightlifting squad, said "coming into the village made me really feel the pulse of the Gamesand it will add impetus to our athletes".
We will arrange training programs for the weightlifters after they move in, but before that, we need to send staff here to see to accommodation and dining and make sure everything is OK," he said.
The sprawling village is divided into three sections of the international area, residential area and operations area. It contains a main restaurant that can feed 5,000 people, its own fire station, teahouses, coffee shops, a barbershop, post office, shops, library and a clinic.
Diversified meals, along with customized beds, space for religious masses and entertainment facilities, are part of the efforts to provide comfortable stay for the athletes.
Other services like chances of learning the Chinese language and watching Chinese cultural performances are expected to add colors to their Olympic experience.
"The village is modern and nicely fitted," said Glenda Korporaal, a senior writer from The Australian newspaper who comes to cover the Games.
In line with IOC (International Olympic Committee) regulations, a religious center has been set up in the village. Worship rooms are arranged for major religions -- Christianity, Buddhism, Islamism, and Hinduism and Judaism.
The total of 42 apartment buildings in the village was built with energy saving technologies, water recycling system, environmentally friendly construction materials and solar-powered lighting. Some of the apartments have been sold out as up-scale residences.
Deng Yaping, a famed Olympic table tennis champion as well as the spokes-person and deputy director of the Olympic Village Department, said on Friday that 46 countries and regions have had some representation in the village since its preliminary opening onJuly 20. The village is expected to be fully lodged.
It will close on Aug. 27 and reopen as the Paralympic Village on Aug. 30 until Sept. 20.

Source: http://en.beijing2008.cn/venues/olympicvillage/headlines/n214482778.shtml

FIFA asks clubs to release Olympics players

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Wednesday that clubs must release their eligible Under-23 players for the Olympic soccer tournament despite the claims of Europe's leading clubs that they were under no obligation to do so.
FIFA, world football's governing body, and the European Club Association (ECA), the successor to the G14 which represents Europe's leading clubs, issued totally contradictory statements on Wednesday with FIFA reaffirming it was mandatory for clubs to release their players.
Blatter, in a letter to all FIFA members said: "The release of players below the age of 23 has always been mandatory for all clubs. The same principle applies for Beijing [Images] 2008."
He added that the fact that the Beijing Olympics [Images] is not included in the coordinated international match calendar did not mean there was no release obligation for the relevant clubs."
However, ECA chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said in a statement that there "was no legal obligation" on clubs to release their players for next month's Olympic tournament.
Rummenigge said in a statement: "As the Olympics are not included in the harmonized International Match Calendar, the obligation to release players for national team matches according to the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players does not apply.
"We, therefore, support all clubs that currently face losing important players.
Earlier this week, Brazil [Images] defender Rafinha absented himself without leave from training with Schalke 04 in Germany [Images] after they repeatedly refused to release him for the Games.
On Tuesday Werder Bremen playmaker Diego defied orders from his club and left Germany to join the Brazil squad, while the Brazilian FA (CBF) criticised Real Madrid's [Images] decision to pull Robinho out of the squad on Wednesday saying the timing of the Spanish club's decision had disrupted their preparations.
Schalke 04 said on Wednesday they would take their dispute with Rafinha to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, following Werder Bremen's decision to do the same on Tuesday.
Schalke said they were taking the step after they received no response by noon on Tuesday to letters of protest to the International Olympic Committee and the Brazil federation (CBF) sent a day earlier.
The disagreement over the status of the Olympic tournament centres on the fact that the Games are not included in the international match calendar.
FIFA says that that omission is an irrelevance and the Olympic tournament is deliberately not included in the international calendar.
TREATED DIFFERENTLY
In his letter Blatter added: "Due to its unique character the men's Olympic football tournament has always been intentionally treated differently. However this does not mean that there is no release obligation for the relevant clubs."
The ECA takes a different view and said in its statement: "The ECA suggests that FIFA president Sepp Blatter should define clear guidelines and regulations in consultation with the IOC regarding subsequent Olympic Games, once the current framework for the Olympic football tournament expires.
"ECA would be happy to contribute to the development of these future guidelines on behalf of the clubs."
Olympic squads can also include up to three players aged over 23 in their squads, but their inclusion is not mandatory.

source: www.rediff.com

India's contingent for the Beijing Olympics

Archery: Dola Banerjee, Pranitha Vardhineni, L Bombayala Devi, Mangal Singh Champia.

Athletics: Anju Bobby George (Long Jump), Krishna Poonia (Discus), Harwant Kaur (Discus), Preeja Sreedharan (10,000m), Manjit Kaur (400m), Chitra Soman (4x400m relay), Sini Jose (4x400m relay), MR Poovamma (4x400m relay), Mandeep Kaur (4x400m relay), S Geeta (4x400m relay), K Mridula (4x400m relay), J J Shobha (Heptathlon), Sushmita Singh Roy (Heptathlon), G G Pramila (Heptathlon), Vikas Gowda (Discus), Renjith Maheswary (Triple Jump), Surender Singh (10000m).

Badminton: Anup Sridhar, Saina Nehwal .
Boxing: Jitender (51kg), Akhil Kumar (54kg), A L Lakhra (57kg), Vijender(75kg) and Dinesh Kumar (81kg).

Judo: Khumujam Tombi Devi, Divya.

Rowing: Bajrang Lal Takhar (Single M1X), Devnder Khandwal and Manjeet Singh (Light Weight Double Scull).

Shooting: Manavjit Singh Sandhu (Clay Pigeon Trap), Mansher Singh (Clay Pigeon Trap), Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Clay Pigeon Double Trap), Gagan Narang (10m Air Rifle), Abhinav Bindra (10m Air Rifle), Samaresh Jung (10m Air Pistol), Sanjeev Rajput (50m Rifle 3 Position), Anjali Bhagwat (50m Rifle 3 Position), Avneet Kaur Sidhu (10m Air Rifle).

Swimming: Virdawal Khade (50m, 100m, 200m Freestyle), Ankur Poseria (100m Butterfly), Sandeep Sejwal (100m, 200m Breaststroke), Rehan Poncha (200m butterfly).

Table Tennis: Achanta Sharath Kamal, Neha Aggarwal.

Tennis: Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi (doubles), Sania Mirza (singles and doubles), Sunitha Rao (doubles).

Weightlifting: L Monika Devi (69kg)

Wrestling: Sushil Kumar (66 kg Freestyle), Yogeshwar Dutt (60 kg Freestyle), Rajiv Tomar (120 kg Freestyle).

Yachting: Maj N S Johal (Heavyweight dinghy).

Source: www.rediff.com

57 athletes to represent India at Olympics

Reena Kumari's Olympic hopes are all but over. The archer failed to make it to the list of 57 athletes who will represent India at the Beijing Games.
Reena, who met Sports Minister M S Gill claiming foul play in the selection process, was left out of the archery contingent, which includes Dola Banerjee, Pranitha Vardhineni and L Bombayala Devi, and a lone male competitor in Mangal Singh Champia.

China Badminton Team announced

BEIJING, July 25) -- China's badminton chief, Coach Li Yongbo, has announced that 19 players will represent China at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
China will have the maximum number of players in both the men's and women's singles competitions. Only three players can represent each National Olympic Committee (NOC) in each category.
Deciding the women's singles roster was the biggest challenge given that China has four of the top ranked players in the world. No. 1 and No. 2 players, Xie Xingfang and Lu Lan were obvious choices; defending champion Zhang Ning was ultimately selected over 2007 World Champion Zhu Lin.
Missing the team placement was a hard call for 33-year-old Zhu, currently ranked No. 3 in the world. Zhang is only ranked at No. 7 due to her absence from key tournaments this year due to injury.
In Mixed Doubles, with only two teams representing each country, the younger duo of He Hanbin and Yu Yang were selected ahead of Xie Zhongbo and Zhang Yawen. World No2 duo Zheng Bo and Gao Ling, earned the other place.
Yu Yang will compete in the Women's Doubles with partner Du Jing and again in Mixed Doubles with He Hanbin.
While Xie Zhongbo and Zhang Yawen lost the Mixed Doubles place, they will still compete. Xie will play with Guo Zhendong in Men's Doubles and Zhang Yawen with partner Wei Yili in Women's Doubles.
China's top three players, Lin Dan, Bao Chunlai and Chen Jin, will all participate in the Men's Singles tournament.
Chinese Badminton team:
Men's Singles: Lin Dan, Bao Chunlai and Chen Jin
Women's Singles: Xie XingFang and Lu Lan and Zhang Ning
Men's Doubles: Fu Haifeng / Cai Yun and Guo Zhendong / Xie Zhongbo
Women's Doubles: Du Jing/ Yu Yang, Yang Wei / Zhang Jiewen and Zhang Yawen / Wei Yili
Mixed Doubles: He Hanbin / Yu Yang and Zheng Bo / Gao LingSource: http://en.beijing2008.cn/cptvenues/sports/badminton/index.shtm

Italy names 347 athletes for Beijing Olympics

BEIJING, July 25) -- Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) determined the final squad for Beijing Olympics during its July 23 meeting in Rome.
Three-hundred and forty-seven athletes are on the list -- 20 less than the number for Athens Olympics. There are 215 male athletes and 132 female ones, the latter comprising 39% of the total -- a larger percentage than 2004. Italy will be sending relatively more athletes to participate in individual events than for team sports. Teams will not be sent to compete in basketball, baseball or softball.
According to the Italian National Olympic Committee website, Italian athletes will participate in events including, track-and-field, swimming, water polo, volleyball, shooting, fencing and football. Forty-nine athletes will be competing in track-and-field, 34 in swimming, 26 in water polo and 24 in volleyball competition. Only one athlete has qualified for the badminton event – the country's smallest number of competitors for any one event.
CONI President, Giovanni Petrucci, and CONI Secretary-General and head of the Italian delegation to the Beijing Olympics, Raffaele Pagnozzi, told press Wednesday that without teams in basketball, baseball and softball, it would a challenge for the country to attain the same level of achievement as seen at the Athens Games where the country placed second in men's basketball. In 2004, Italy took home a total of 32 medals – 10 gold, 11 silver and 11 bronze.
The Italian swim team left for Beijing on the evening of July 23 to begin adaptive training and participate in warm-up matches. The remainder of the Italian Olympic team will arrive in stages over the course of the coming week.

Source: http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/official/noc/eoc/n214473500.shtml

Largest Chinese Olympic delegation established in Beijing

BEIJING, July 25) -- China's largest Olympic delegation ever was established in Beijing at 9:00 on July 25. The 1,099-member delegation will participate in all the competitions of 28 Olympic events and 38 disciplines and includes 639 athletes from the sports associations of 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, and of the PLA, the Railway and the Chinese Police.
The average age of the athletes is 24.2. Thirty-seven of the athletes participated in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and 165 participated in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. This will be the third Olympic Games for diver Guo Jingjing, shooter Tan Zongliang and basketball player Li Nan. Beijing 2008 will be the Olympic debut for 469 Chinese athletes.

Liu Peng was appointed head of the delegation, while Yu Zaiqing, Duan Shijie, Xiao Tian, Cui Dalin and Cai Zhenhua will serve as deputy heads. Cui Dalin will double as secretary-general.
The Games of the 29th Olympiad will be held August 8-24 in Beijing. Events will also take place in Shanghai, Qingdao, Hong Kong, Tianjin, Shenyang and Qinhuangdao.

Source: http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/official/noc/oca/n214473751.shtml

Shooters the best bet for medals

NEW DELHI: Most Indian sports fans are convinced that the shooters have the best chance to strike a medal or two in the Beijing Olympics.

The main reason is that the shooters have come through stringent qualifying standards, virtually beating the world, to just make the grade.

The best part is that they have generally reached such high standards that they need not shoot their best scores to strike an Olympic medal.

Abhinav Bindra won the World championship gold in Zagreb in July 2006, topping the table in a field of 122 shooters in air rifle, to secure a berth for his third successive Olympics.

Unlucky
Abhinav had shot 597 out of 600 in winning the World championship gold, but he was unlucky to miss a medal in the Olympics at Athens with the same score, owing to an unstable surface on which he was standing in the final.

Looking back, you find that Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had won a bronze medal in double trap in the World championship in 2003 in Nicosia to get one of the last berths for the Athens Olympics before marching ahead to capture the first individual silver medal for independent India in the Olympic Games.

Compared to the last Olympics, the current Indian team is strengthened by two world champions and an Olympic medallist.

On the flip side, the Olympic bound shooters, except Gagan Narang, have not won a medal on the world stage this season.

However, as the Italian coach Marcello Dradi, had emphasised, while trying to explain the low scores of World champion Manavjit Sandhu, it had to be conceded that the shooters have been focusing purely on training and preparing hard, rather than touch their best form.

Competitive mode
By moving into the competitive mode already and winning a bronze medal in the World Cup in Beijing, Gagan has captured the imagination of the entire nation.
Incidentally, Gagan also shot a 597 while missing better medals by decimal fractions in that World Cup.

The bottom line, of course, is that World Cup medals, or not winning them is no indication of things to follow.

Abhinav himself had nothing to show except two World Cup bronze medals all these years before he became the World champion.

A string of good scores are also no guarantee of a good fare in the Olympics, as Anjali Bhagwat had found out in Athens after having shot 399 out of 400 regularly in international competitions.
The strength of the Indian shooters can be gleaned from the fact that a double world record holder like Ronjan Sodhi could not find a place in the Olympics.

Fourth Olympics
Trap shooter Mansher Singh’s entry into his fourth Olympics, 24 years after his first in Los Angeles, was also dramatic as he endured a shoot-off in the World Cup at Lonato, after 122 out of 125, before capturing the sole berth in a strong field of 149 shooters.

By just adding a point or two to what they have been shooting this season, like 595 by Bindra, or 119 by Mansher, the Indian marksmen would be able to get into the reckoning for a final berth.
Thereafter, it will be the form of the day and destiny that would hold the key.

Delegation to Beijing Paralympic Games largest in Chinese history

BEIJING, July 17) -- The Chinese delegation to the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games hosted a press conference on Thursday, revealing that a total of 547 representatives will be part of the group, which includes 332 athletes who will be competing in all 20 events.
197 men and 135 women will make up the competitive team, the largest in Chinese history; the oldest athlete is 51-years-old and the youngest is 15-years-old. Compared to the Athens Paralympic Games, the Chinese delegation this time around has increased by 261 people, which includes 132 more athletes than in 2004. The athletes come from all walks of life from all over the country: students, farmers, self-employed individuals and workers will be representing China in September. For 226 of these athletes, 2008 will be their Olympic debut year.

For the first time in any Paralympic Games, equestrian, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair basketball, rowing, sailing, boccia, goalball, football 5-a-side and football 7-a-side events will be held.
The Paralympic Games have continuously gained popularity over the years, not only in China, but worldwide. It occupies the same stage as the Olympic Games as an internationally celebrated event, as awareness and support of people with disabilities increase.

source: http://en.paralympic.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/others/n214459089.shtml

For some Beijingers, the Olympics are a lost opportunity

For some Beijingers, the Olympics are a lost opportunity

Reuters, Tuesday July 15 2008

By Jason Subler
BEIJING, July 15 (Reuters) - Zhou Zhilian is one of thousands of entrepreneurs for whom the Olympic Games next month represent more a missed opportunity than a chance to cash in on the influx of visitors expected to pour into Beijing.
The market in which Zhou runs an undergarment shop will soon be closed down for a month due to authorities' worries that visitors might be able to find a scattering of fake name-brand goods among its predominantly cheap yet bona fide clothes.
That will force her to return to her native Zhejiang province until at least late August, with no income during that time and no guarantee that the business she has worked hard to build up will survive once she is able to reopen it.
"Who knows what will happen?" Zhou remarked between customers, trying to make as many sales as she can before she's shut down.
"There are other shops, and people will go there in the meantime. It'll be really difficult to get them to come back here."
Zhou's experience is being repeated in varying ways and degrees by small business owners across Beijing and beyond, as they are impacted by the government's relentless drive to do anything it takes to ensure that the Games go off without a hitch.
In contrast with the firms that have gotten a piece of the $35-40 billion spent on improving infrastructure or the millions of dollars that visitors are expected to spend, many small businesses are finding themselves caught up in a web of often invasive measures.
Use of private cars will be restricted from later this month, and security checkpoints for vehicles arriving from outside the city are leading to long lines of trucks and cars waiting to get in.
The government is forcing hundreds of steel mills and other polluting factories in neighbouring provinces to shut down or cut production as part of its bid for cleaner air, and many construction projects will be halted during the Games to cut down on dust.
LITTLE MACRO IMPACT
Economists say the temporary restrictions on construction and production are unlikely to have much of an impact on national economic growth, given that Beijing accounts for less than 4 percent of the overall economy.
"And spending by tourists, athletes, officials and media will mitigate much of the impact of industrial closures on the local economy," Andy Rothman, strategist with brokerage CLSA in Shanghai, said in a research note.
But that is little consolation to small businesses that are seeing their bottom lines hit, without the bargaining power that bigger firms have to seek sweeteners for their sacrifice.
A number of restaurants and bars near an Olympic venue in central Beijing have reportedly been told to shut their doors during the Games out of security concerns, forcing some of them to cancel lucrative contracts to host events for major companies.
Xu Yongji runs the Neweast School, a private institute in Beijing that trains students from around the country in the art of Chinese cuisine.
While the Olympics have increased demand for graduates, the school currently has around 300 fewer students than normal because of restrictions on non-Beijing residents staying in the city, Xu said, seriously impacting tuition revenue.
"Most of the schools inside the third ring road have been told to have vacations," Xu said, explaining that his school was at least able to remain open because it lies further outside the city centre.
"But many students have called us to ask if we are going to close down during the Games."
Authorities have been stepping up checks on people without Beijing residency over the past months, many people affected say, in a sweep that has taken aim at clearing the city of potential protesters and others, including poor migrant workers, who might dent Beijing's image as a modern metropolis.
TAKING BUSINESS ELSEWHERE
Paul French, chief China analyst at research firm Access Asia, points to potentially long-lasting problems for exporters around the country due to tighter visa controls for foreigners, as Beijing seeks to prevent potential troublemakers from entering the country.
A number of Western brands have been unable to get visas for their factory inspectors, meaning that they may not be able to award contracts to Chinese firms for Christmas orders if they cannot get the inspections done in time, French said.
"That cannot wait until September. Basically, everyone is scrambling around looking for capacity in Vietnam and Bangladesh," he said.
"This is actually going to start hitting business pretty severely."
To Zhao Jing, the Olympics have so far brought a double disappointment to her pocketbook.
Not only have universities near her clothing shop cut back on summer classes and encouraged students to go home, bringing the flow of customers to a trickle, but her investments are performing poorly.
China's stock market dropped around 45 percent so far this year, cutting off a source of income that she and many other Chinese people had counted on through the Olympics.
"Other countries saw their stock markets go up before the Olympics -- they all made something out of it, so I don't understand why we haven't," Zhao said.
She was not consoled by the fact that the market's drop has been part of a global fall in equities in the wake of the U.S. subprime crisis.
"Most of us are just affected negatively by the Olympics. The businesses that can make money out of them are very few." (Additional reporting by Kitty Bu and Ben Blanchard; editing by Megan Goldin) (For more stories visit our multimedia website "Road to Beijing" at http://www.reuters.com/news/sports/2008olympics; and see our blog at http://blogs.reuters.com/china)

China to issue special 10-yuan notes to mark Olympics

The People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank, is to issue a commemorative bank note with a face value of 10 yuan ($1.46) from Tuesday to mark the Beijing Olympic Games, the bank said in a statement on Sunday.
The PBOC said it would issue a total of 6 million such notes, which would be circulated in the currency market with the same denomination as the ordinary 10-yuan notes.
The new note, in cyan, is 148.5 millimeters long and 72 millimeters wide, according to the central bank. While the ordinary 10-yuan notes are in cobalt black, 140 millimeters long and 70 millimeters wide.
On one side is a picture of the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, the main venue for the Games in August. Above the picture is the emblem of the Beijing Games, "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing". The picture of national stadium and the emblem are both set against the backdrop of the Temple of Heaven, one of the country's best-known landmarks.
This takes the place of the portrait of the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong and China's national emblem on the ordinary 10-yuan notes.
The other side features the famous ancient Greek marble statue of a discus-thrower, Discobolus, portraits of athletes and the Arabic numeral "2008".
These replace the drawing of the scenic Three Gorges, but the name of the PBOC in Chinese pinyin, Mongolian, Tibetan, Ugyur and Zhuang, remains in the top right corner.
The central bank also said it incorporated watermarks and other technologies to prevent counterfeiting of the notes.
A clear watermark appears on the picture of the National Stadium in the shape of the Arabic numeral "10" and the Games of XXIX Olympiad in the Chinese characters, said the bank.
Source: (China Daily)

At one-month mark, China making final Games preparations

BEIJING, July 9 (Xinhua) -- With just 30 days until the Olympics opens, officials gathered here on Wednesday to review preparations for the event, with security and stadium management as priorities.
"We will do our utmost to fulfill the tasks in the final preparations. We will host exciting, wonderful and successful Olympics and Paralympic Games that will satisfy the world, the athletes and the audience," Vice President Xi Jinping told the gathering.
With assistance from the International Olympic Committee and the world, all preparations were going smoothly, he said, extending appreciation to those in China and abroad for contributing to the Games.
In the next 30 days, the country will repeatedly test its security measures to ensure the safety of the coming torch relay in Beijing, the events and the venues, he said.
The local governments of Beijing and its neighboring provinces were urged to finalize their security measures and develop contingency plans.
Residents are welcome to participate in the work, Xi said, adding: "We will enhance international cooperation in this aspect of the preparations."
Another major task will be to have test runs of the venues and improve their efficiency and management, Xi said. "We will test every detail at every post and make sure we find any flaws and correct them as quickly as possible, even during the Games."
Xi also promised to provide good service to journalists coming to cover the Games and good treatment for all foreign guests.
He urged relevant departments to ensure food safety, standard air quality and good traffic conditions, as well as water, power and gas supplies, and to avoid disturbing the daily life of the public.
"We should also do preparation work well for the Paralympics, which means checking working plans for the Paralympic stadiums, examining barrier-free facilities, and mobilizing the public to care about Paralympic sports," he said.
Chinese athletes should train well and prepare for the contests, he said, adding that strict penalties should be introduced against doping, to ensure that all athletes show good spirit and morality.
Xi also urged enhancement of the "civilization campaign" and etiquette education among the public. He said that local spectators should respect players from all over the world, to present a good image of China as a "country of etiquette."
Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, also attended the meeting.
Source: http://en.paralympic.beijing2008.cn/news/official/n214444408.shtml

Beijing opens new bus tour routes for Olympics

BEIJING, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Two new sightseeing bus tour routes will soon be launched in Beijing to help visitors experience both the ancient and modern in the Chinese capital during the Olympics.
One route starts at Yongdingmen Gate in southern Beijing, and passes several major historic attractions including the Temple of Heaven, the Front Gate (Qianmen), the Tian'anmen Gate, Jingshan Park and the Drum Tower.
The other route starts at Datun, outside the north fourth ring road, and passes major Olympic venues and facilities like the Olympic Green, the Olympic village and the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium.
The new routes, measuring 18.1 km and 16.25 km respectively, would be operational starting July 20, according to the Beijing Public Transport Holdings Ltd. Group.
The tour buses would be double-deckers and air-conditioned.
The fare for the routes would be set in the next few days to come, said the group.
The spokesman said more special tour routes would be opened if they were called for.
The Beijing Olympics opens on Aug. 8.

Source: http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/olympiccities/beijing/n214445747.shtml

Beijing offers free bus, subway for Olympic ticket holders

BEIJING, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Beijing will offer free bus and subway services for Olympic ticket holders during the Games, as the Chinese capital gears up to provide swift transport for 8 million athletes, media people and spectators.
In addition, the city will extend the operation time of more than 350 bus routes and open 34 new routes connecting the city with each of the Olympic competition venue, according to Zhou Zhengyu, Beijing Municipal Committee of Communications director.
The authorities were still working on details for the free bus and subway services for spectators, reporters and Games' staff.
Spectators can take buses and subways free in downtown Beijing till 4 a.m. the next day of the ticket date. However, they would have to pay for buses on the outskirts of the city and the airport express subway.
Beijing is expect to handle 15 million bus trips per day and 21.1 million trips on its public transport network during the Games.
Beijing, which hosts the Olympics from Aug. 8 to 24 and the Paralympics from Sept. 6 to 17, is expected to draw about 500,000 overseas visitors during the Games period, according to a Beijing Municipal Tourism Administration forecast.

Source: http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/olympiccities/beijing/n214445667.shtml

Olympic Village impresses mock dwellers with Chinese culture

BEIJING, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Over 2,000 "athletes" who poured into the Beijing Olympic Village in the latest test run of the athletes' compounds were asked to be picky and choosy.
Mock dwellers, however, gave thumbs-up to the facilities and were impressed with Chinese culture that permeates the village, said the village's general secretary Wu Jingmin.
Non-Chinese Olympic villagers, if they like, can pick up their Chinese names which use phonetic sounds for foreign names.
Sun Shishu, a Chinese language teacher working in the village, gave dozens of Chinese names in the first several hours of the trial run of the village.

"Let your surname be An, which means peace and safety. And your first name is Taifu, which means peace and happiness," Sun explained to Typhen Ann, an engineer from Britain, who works at the Main Cafeteria of the Olympic Village.
The village, which is the home to about 16,000 athletes and officials during the Games, sits on the north end of the axis of Beijing. Important buildings of all ages, including the Forbidden City and the Tiananmen Square, are aligned down this line.
Further north lies the Olympic Green. To the south is the National Stadium, popularly known as the "Bird Nest".
Deng Yaping, the village's vice mayor and four-time table tennis Olympic champion, believes the biggest attraction for the Olympic Village lies in its Chinese culture.
"For most of the (foreign) athletes I've talked with, they are amazed at Chinese culture. They want to try, to feel what is the real Chinese culture," Deng said.
"The village is a place where the athletes can unwind and get to know Chinese culture. We want to give them a full experience with Chinese culture."
The Olympic Village is divided into northern and southern halves. In the north, or the International Area, are the Head of Village Office, Flag Square, shopping areas, restaurants, entertainment and fitness facilities. In the south are athletes' apartments, whose main gates is decorated with a bronze art panel.
On the lawns around the apartments stand Chinese traditional lamp posts and dragon-patterned stone pillars, while water lilies float on the ponds.
The buildings in the International Area are temporary, except for a Chinese temple compound right next to the Flag Square, which is used as the Head of Village Office where Deng will work during the Games.

Chinese handicraft workroom sits in the International Area, painted with Chinese traditional colors of red, yellow and blue. About 20 handicraftsmen will show their talent in embroidery, woodcarving, painting and Beijing Opera mask making during the Games.
"Athletes can watch the artists finishing their works, and they can buy whatever they like," said Wang Jinqiang, the workroom manager.
The Beijing Olympic Village will officially open on July 27 and close on August 27. Also as the Paralympic Village, it will reopen on August 30 and close on September 20.
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/10/content_8522081.htm

China warns Dalai not to disrupt Games

BEIJING: China on Monday said the Dalai Lama should do nothing that would result in disruption of the Olympic Games next month if he really wanted to continue the dialogue for settlement of the Tibet problem. The Tibetan leader must prove his sincerity about solving the problem with his deeds and not merely his words, a government spokesman said. These demands were conveyed by United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China officials, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, Du Qinglin, to representatives of the Dalai at their recent talks. The Tibetan leader has been asked to refrain from backing any of the arguments made in favour of splitting China to create an independent Tibet. The Dalai Lama should openly and explicitly promise and prove it in his actions not to support activities to disturb the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games, Chinese leaders said. He should also not back any plot to spread criminal activities in the name of Tibetan independence, the Chinese leaders said. "The door for dialogue is always open and contacts will make positive moves as long as the Dalai Lama suits his actions with his words and truly practices the four 'not-to-supports'," the UFWD spokesman said.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Dont_disrupt_Games_China_to_Dalai/articleshow/3208630.cms

Games a new start for China

BEIJING, July 9 -- China can host a high-level Olympic Games successfully even after the devastating earthquake that jolted southwestern Sichuan province and neighboring regions on May 12, says an article in People's Daily. The following is an excerpt:
The massive disaster was a major test for China and the country passed it splendidly.
The quake will not batter the determination of 1.3 billion people to host a successful Olympics, nor will it fail the expectation of the Chinese nation to realize the century-old dream.
The Beijing Olympics will be a brand new start for the Chinese nation and the 1.3 billion Chinese people are opening their arms to welcome all the friends of the world to come.
The Games will enable China and the rest of the world to enhance mutual understanding, seek common ground and promote cooperation.
The questions, misunderstandings and rejections that the nation may face along the road will not hamper its sincere intention to communicate with the world.
China's joining the Olympic family is closely connected with the process of its reform and opening up, its rapid development and modernization, and its pursuit of a higher-level civilization and contribution to the world peace.
We will give warm applauses to all the players participating in the Games as it is more important to participate in the Olympics than to win and we will safeguard fairness and justice during the Games, sharing the honor of the Olympic spirit with the world. The 100,000 volunteers, 400,000 city volunteers and 1 million social volunteers will provide good services to guests from all over the world, getting joy and friendship through contributions to the Games.

Beijing has been making a final push for a successful Olympics in order to satisfy the international community, the players and the people.
(Source: China Daily)

NBC plans extensive Olympic coverage NBCOlympics.com to show 2,200 hours of live events

NBCOlympics.com to show 2,200 hours of live events
Posted Tuesday, July 8, 2008 3:04 PM ET

NBC Universal, broadcasting its record 11th Olympics and surpassing ABC for the most Olympics broadcast by any network, will present an unprecedented 3,600 hours of Beijing Olympic Games coverage, the most ambitious single media project in history. NBCU's unprecedented Olympics coverage features the most live coverage in the United States (75 percent in all), across the most platforms, of any Summer Olympics in history when the Games of the XXIX Olympiad commence on Aug. 8. The announcement was made today by Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics and Executive Producer of NBCU's Olympic coverage.

The 3,600 total hours of coverage on seven NBC Universal networks: NBC, USA, MSNBC, CNBC, Oxygen, Telemundo and Universal HD, as well as NBCOlympics.com, is 1,000 hours more than the combined coverage for every televised Summer Olympics in U.S. history (Rome 1960 - Athens 2004, 2,562 hours). NBCOlympics.com will feature approximately 2,200 total hours of live streaming Olympic broadband video coverage, the first live online Olympic coverage in the United States."For the first time, the average American will be able to create their own unique Olympic experience whether at home, at the office or on-the-go," said Ebersol."With 25 sports streamed live at NBCOlympics.com and significant live coverage on our cable platforms and NBC, highlighted by all swimming finals, the biggest nights of gymnastics and beach volleyball live in primetime, the viewer has plenty of options for live coverage."In the 41 years since my first Olympics, it's staggering to me to be involved in a Games where we are producing 2,900 hours of live coverage - especially from an Olympics half-a-world away. It's more live coverage from a single Olympics than the total of all previous Summer Olympics combined. The enormity of what we're doing just blows me away."

Following is a breakdown of the Beijing Olympics coverage on the NBC Universal networks:
The seven NBC Universal networks: NBC, USA, MSNBC, CNBC, Oxygen, Telemundo and Universal HD, as well as NBCOlympics.com, will offer the most in-depth Olympic coverage in history. The 3,600 hours is 1,000 hours more than the total coverage for every televised Summer Olympics in U.S. history. Note: Dating back nearly 50 years to CBS in Rome in 1960 (20 total hours) through NBCU in Athens in 2004 (1,210 total hours), the 12 Summer Olympics broadcasts have totaled 2,562 hours. Even the live hours of Beijing coverage surpass the total from those 12 Summer Games (Nearly 2,900 to 2,562).

Over the 17 days of the Beijing Games (Aug. 8-24), NBCU's coverage will average more than 212 hours per day - that's more coverage than was produced in total for each Summer Olympics through the 1996 Atlanta Games, which delivered 176.5 hours just 12 years ago.

The NBCU networks will offer more live coverage than any Olympics in history, domestic or foreign, despite the 12-hour time difference from the Eastern time zone to Beijing. Approximately 75 percent of NBCU's Beijing Olympics coverage will be live.

The 3,600 total hours of coverage from Beijing nearly triples the 1,210 total hours of coverage from Athens in 2004 and is more than eight times the 441.5 broadcast hours from Sydney on NBC in 2000.

For the first time by a U.S. broadcaster at a Summer Olympics, NBCU will broadcast the entire Olympic Games entirely in high definition.

The networks of NBCU will provide coverage of every one of the 34 Summer Olympic sports.
The 2008 Olympic Games from Beijing, China represent the 11th Olympics broadcast by NBC, surpassing ABC's 10 Olympics for the most Olympic broadcasts by any U.S. network.

In addition to the 3,600 hours, NBCU is also providing coverage of the entire men's and women's soccer and basketball tournaments through Soccer (58 games) and Basketball (76 games) NBC Olympics specialty channels.

Two foreign language channels in both Korean and Mandarin Chinese will feature a variety of Olympic events.

A breakdown of coverage network-by-network follows:
NBCThe NBC network schedule is divided into three dayparts: afternoon, primetime and late night - for a total of 225 hours of coverage over 17 days beginning with the Opening Ceremony on Friday, Aug. 8, at 8 p.m. ET.

Primetime on NBC will feature live coverage of all 32 swimming gold medal finals; four key nights of men's and women's gymnastics led by the women's and men's team gold medal finals, as well as the women's and men's individual gold medal finals; beach volleyball; and, for the first time ever, both men's and women's marathons. The first week of the Olympics features gymnastics and swimming, two sports in which the USA is especially strong this year. The USA's women's gymnastics team, led by 2007 world all-around champion Shawn Johnson and nine-time world medalist Nastia Liukin, and the USA men's gymnastics team, led by 2004 Olympic gold medalist Paul Hamm, should be strong competitors for Olympic gold. In swimming, the USA is as solid as ever. Michael Phelps, the 23-year-old phenom, looks to make Olympic history and, by the end of the first week, could break the records for most career gold medals by any Olympian (nine) and most golds in one Games (seven), famously held by Mark Spitz. Five-time Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin leads the women and continues to be the 100m gold medal favorite.

In 2004, the Athens Olympic Games on NBC earned ratings gold. NBC's unprecedented 1,210 hours of coverage from Athens (Aug. 13-29) were watched by 203 million total viewers and earned the distinction of the most watched non-U.S. Olympics in history.

In addition to a 14 percent increase in average primetime viewership over Sydney (24.6 million vs. 21.5), a nine percent increase in 18-34 primetime demos (7.0 vs. 6.4), and a five percent increase in 18-49 demos (8.7 vs. 8.3), NBC's daytime, late night and weekend broadcasts all boasted increases in total households, as well as in the key adult demographic.

Uphold Olympic spirit

Special report: 2008 Olympic Games

BEIJING, July 8 -- With the city of Beijing racing against time to do all it can to present the best possible Olympic Games, the world should take advantage of the last days before August 8 and decide what it will bring to - and take home from - the once-every-four-years global sports fiesta.

The waves of China-bashing, which climaxed into disgusting anti-China farces in a handful of countries during the Olympic torch relay, were a timely reminder to the people of China that there are people uneasy about its growing presence.

But China is no longer what it was 30 years back. Nor are its people. After the initial outbursts of rage, more and more have come to believe it is simply not worth their time to worry about those dejected losers who are unable to adapt to new realities.

A huge bonus for the authorities at home, very much against the wishes of those who had wanted to sow seeds of discord within the country, is that the average citizen has seen through the real intentions of the fuss-makers and rallied more closely than ever around the Olympic undertaking.

And the consensus now is to make the Beijing Games a success. The unpleasant episodes in the past months only consolidated the resolve to make it so.

With the meticulous preparations led and coordinated by the organizing authorities, as well as the unreserved support of the central and local governments, and that of the concerned public, we have full confidence Beijing will live up to all our anticipations of a successful Olympic Games.

But such a success entails more than host hospitality.

The single obvious threat to the impending Games appears to be politicization. It is no secret that various anti-China forces have been colluding to hijack the Games for political ends.

Yet the Beijing Games belongs not to Beijing, or China. It is rather the entire world celebrating sportsmanship, peace and friendship in Beijing. We should not tolerate any plot to derail the event, because that will be blasphemy against what is held dear in the heart of the international Olympic family.

With exactly a month to go before the Games, the world must make a choice - about the future course of mankind's most celebrated event in spectator sports.

For the health of the international Olympic movement, let sports be sports.

(Source: China Daily)

Cricket-mad India focussed on Beijing Olympics

NEW DELHI (AFP) — India face the four-yearly dilemma of watching their favourite sport cricket or switching to the Olympics, and this time the Beijing extravaganza appears to be winning.

The Olympics clash with India's cricket tour of Sri Lanka with the iconic Sachin Tendulkar needing just 172 runs to overtake West Indian Brian Lara as the most prolific Test batsman.

Indians can't live without cricket but the younger generation, grown on a steady diet of live world-class sporting action on their television screens, regard the Olympics as a must-watch.

A recent poll conducted by one of the Games sponsors found that almost 70 percent of city-bred Indians will closely follow the action in Beijing even as the cricket goes on in Sri Lanka.

"We may be a one-sport nation but it will be wrong to assume the new generation only follows cricket," said veteran sports writer Vijay Lokapally.

"They understand what the Olympics is all about and won't allow just cricket to dominate their mindset. You can't fool this generation."

It does not matter that India's returns from past Olympics have been minimal.

The last time India won an Olympic gold medal was in hockey at the west-boycotted Moscow Games in 1980. This time, the eight-time champions have not even qualified for the Games.

India have just four individual medals, the last three coming in each of the previous three editions.

The country is pinning its hopes on shooters, archers, boxers and tennis veterans to deliver a medal, a prospect that excites viewers as much as Tendulkar's impending record.

"It will be great if Tendulkar goes past Lara but his record will be broken one day by someone else," said sports enthusiast Pritam Sinha. "But an Olympic medal is for keeps and carries immense value."

Sharda Ugra, sports editor of the respected India Today magazine, said an early medal will enliven Indian interest in the Games.

"If we win an early medal, there will be a lot of interest," said Ugra.

"Anyway, we have always been a nation of great sports watchers. There has been good viewership for quality sports in the country since past so many years.

"Olympics is a visual treat and fans enjoy the atmosphere."

Boxing official Muralidharan Raja said the charm of the Olympics was unrivalled.

"The Olympics is in a different league altogether, it's the ultimate challenge," he said.

"India may be crazy about cricket but the Olympics have their own fans and following. Olympics will never lose out to cricket."

Raja's views were echoed by young tennis player Venayak Gupta, 16.

"We get to watch so much cricket, it gets boring after some time," he said. "The Olympics come once in four years, why would anyone want to miss them."

Major events at the Olympics will be shown live by state-run broadcaster Dooordarshan, while a large media contingent will make the trip to Beijing despite India's absence in hockey.

Source: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j6GVatfFqLK0T98utXmstLWZ3OGA

Indian Women’s 4x400 Relay Team Win Olympic Qualification

NEW DELHI - Indian women 4x400m relay team qualified for the Beijing Olympic Games after giving a brilliant display by clocking 3:28.29s in the second leg of Asian Grand Prix at Korat, Thailand June 26.The team of Chitra K. Soman, Raja M. Pooyamma, Mandeep Kaur and S. Geetha ensured that they are among the World’s top 16 teams which will run in Beijing Olympics this August.They were followed by China (3:29.75s) and Thailand (3:38.76s) on the second and third sport respectively.Indian team had finished on seventh place in Athens Olympics in 2004 and since then, the team was on the winning spree on the continental level with title at Asian Games 2006, Asian Championships 2007 and silver in Commonwealth Games 2006.Slowdown in timing in 2007 raised doubt over team’s performance but it was largely due to transition of runners from junior to senior level.Emergence of Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose and consistent performance from Chitra Soman brought back the team in winning gear in 2008.National record holder Manjit Kaur who attained B qualification in Yalta got injured during Madurai Nationals and the June 26 race was without Manjit but still the team managed to register best timings since Athens 2004.As per Olympic qualification rule, average of two best performances of 2007 and 2008 will be considered and with the June 26 performance India’s average is 3:30.42s (3:32.55s in Bangkok and 3:28.20s in Korat) which still place India on 14th place in World top 16 teams. It’s now better than 14th placed Italy team

Source: http://www.indiajournal.com/pages/event.php?id=3770

Indian Women’s 4x400 Relay Team Win Olympic Qualification

NEW DELHI - Indian women 4x400m relay team qualified for the Beijing Olympic Games after giving a brilliant display by clocking 3:28.29s in the second leg of Asian Grand Prix at Korat, Thailand June 26.The team of Chitra K. Soman, Raja M. Pooyamma, Mandeep Kaur and S. Geetha ensured that they are among the World’s top 16 teams which will run in Beijing Olympics this August.They were followed by China (3:29.75s) and Thailand (3:38.76s) on the second and third sport respectively.Indian team had finished on seventh place in Athens Olympics in 2004 and since then, the team was on the winning spree on the continental level with title at Asian Games 2006, Asian Championships 2007 and silver in Commonwealth Games 2006.Slowdown in timing in 2007 raised doubt over team’s performance but it was largely due to transition of runners from junior to senior level.Emergence of Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose and consistent performance from Chitra Soman brought back the team in winning gear in 2008.National record holder Manjit Kaur who attained B qualification in Yalta got injured during Madurai Nationals and the June 26 race was without Manjit but still the team managed to register best timings since Athens 2004.As per Olympic qualification rule, average of two best performances of 2007 and 2008 will be considered and with the June 26 performance India’s average is 3:30.42s (3:32.55s in Bangkok and 3:28.20s in Korat) which still place India on 14th place in World top 16 teams. It’s now better than 14th placed Italy team
Source: http://www.indiajournal.com/pages/event.php?id=3770

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts to service Olympic Games Media Village

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts will make a contribution to a successful 2008 Beijing Olympics by servicing four apartment buildings with 1,633 rooms at the Green Homeland Media Village, part of the Beijing Olympic Village, during the 2008 Olympic Games.In addition to provision of daily housekeeping services, Shangri-La will provide a special central service centre to handle enquiries and provide city information to more than 1,500 international journalists who will be staying at the Green Homeland Media Village.Shangri-La has appointed a dedicated committee, led by the group’s executive vice president and comprised of the top management from the group and its hotels, to focus on streamlining the Shangri-La hospitality experience for Media Village residents through administration, staff training and coordination. A service team comprising more than 100 hotel staff from various Shangri-La hotels in mainland China will be formed and trained in Media Village product knowledge and service operation procedures, prior to relocating to the Media Village in July 2008."We are honoured to be granted this opportunity by the Beijing Olympic Organising Committee to showcase Shangri-La’s well-known Asian style of warm hospitality to the world’s media. Given our group’s strength in China, it is fitting that we should play a significant role to making a contribution to the Games,” said James Jin, the group’s executive vice president and committee chairman.In preparation for the Olympics, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has fast-tracked employee training and language classes at its four Beijing properties, which are also Olympic Partner Hotels: China World Hotel; Shangri-La’s Kerry Centre Hotel; Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing; and Traders Hotel, Beijing. The group’s Beijing hotels represent a total of 2,430 rooms; 12,368 square metres of conference space; and approximately 3,000 staff to meet the needs of Olympics visitors.Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, currently owns and/or manages 55 hotels under the deluxe Shangri-La and mid-market Traders brands, with a rooms inventory of over 28,000. The group has over 50 projects under development in Austria, Canada, mainland China, France, India, Japan, Macau, Maldives, Philippines, Qatar, Seychelles, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States.

Source: http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/26335

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts to service Olympic Games Media Village

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts will make a contribution to a successful 2008 Beijing Olympics by servicing four apartment buildings with 1,633 rooms at the Green Homeland Media Village, part of the Beijing Olympic Village, during the 2008 Olympic Games.In addition to provision of daily housekeeping services, Shangri-La will provide a special central service centre to handle enquiries and provide city information to more than 1,500 international journalists who will be staying at the Green Homeland Media Village.Shangri-La has appointed a dedicated committee, led by the group’s executive vice president and comprised of the top management from the group and its hotels, to focus on streamlining the Shangri-La hospitality experience for Media Village residents through administration, staff training and coordination. A service team comprising more than 100 hotel staff from various Shangri-La hotels in mainland China will be formed and trained in Media Village product knowledge and service operation procedures, prior to relocating to the Media Village in July 2008."We are honoured to be granted this opportunity by the Beijing Olympic Organising Committee to showcase Shangri-La’s well-known Asian style of warm hospitality to the world’s media. Given our group’s strength in China, it is fitting that we should play a significant role to making a contribution to the Games,” said James Jin, the group’s executive vice president and committee chairman.In preparation for the Olympics, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has fast-tracked employee training and language classes at its four Beijing properties, which are also Olympic Partner Hotels: China World Hotel; Shangri-La’s Kerry Centre Hotel; Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing; and Traders Hotel, Beijing. The group’s Beijing hotels represent a total of 2,430 rooms; 12,368 square metres of conference space; and approximately 3,000 staff to meet the needs of Olympics visitors.Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, currently owns and/or manages 55 hotels under the deluxe Shangri-La and mid-market Traders brands, with a rooms inventory of over 28,000. The group has over 50 projects under development in Austria, Canada, mainland China, France, India, Japan, Macau, Maldives, Philippines, Qatar, Seychelles, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States.

Source: http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/26335

President Bush To Attend Olympic Games

Kris Alingod - AHN News Writer, Washington, D.C. (AHN) - President George Bush will be attending the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics despite a boycott by fellow world leaders because of China's violent repression of Tibetan protesters and support of the Sudanese government.
President Bush will attend the Games' opening gala on August 8 as part of a trip to Asia that includes stops in Thailand and South Korea.
"We are pleased that the Dalai Lama and the Chinese are finally in discussions, and that's one of the things the President had called on," White House Press Secretary Dana Perino told reporters on Thursday.
Perino said the President's attendance was not conditional on the results of the talks between China and the Dalai Lama, who has been in exile in India since 1959.
Demonstrations in March in China against the government's refusal to recognize Tibet as a separate nation turned violent after police clashed with protesters. The violence was internationally condemned. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown declared that he was not attending the Olympics; he joined other world leaders, including those from Germany and Poland, in the boycott.
Save Darfur Coalition, a human rights group working to end the war in Sudan, criticized President Bush as well as "rhetoric from world leaders who claim solidarity with those suffering and dying, yet cast their lots with those who abet and enable genocide."
The war in Darfur, which began in 2003 among warring ethnic factions, is regarded as one of the bloodiest conflicts in history. China has maintained its support for the Sudanese government, which has been accused of funding an Arab militia to wage a war against non-Arab rebels.

Source: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7011505213

Let the Games Beijing

All 37 Olympic venues have been declared fully functioning, including 12 new venues such as the iconic Bird's Nest National Stadium and the Water Cube aquatic centre.
The entire city appears to have been scrubbed clean, repainted or rebuilt, but there are some surprise omissions in store for visitors to Beijing during the Games.
There is no greater icon of Beijing and modern China than Tiananmen Square so it is surprising that when the authorities were deciding how best to showcase "5000 years of culture" and the "new modern China, new Beijing" for the Olympics, they decided to leave out China's National Museum.
The museum, intended to be the "supreme hall of culture and art for the Chinese nation", has effectively been demolished from the inside out, with just its northern, western and southern facades remaining so that it doesn't look too strange during the Olympics.
The controversial redevelopment of the main street of the historic Qianmen neighbourhood, south of Tiananmen Square, into a refurbished Qing dynasty street will also not be ready in time for the Olympics.
The rebuilding of the street (97 per cent of the area has been demolished and businesses evicted) with traditional Chinese architecture housing "time-honoured" Chinese businesses, along with selected foreign brands such as Prada, Apple and Starbucks, was to be a key part of the Olympic marathon route.
The marathon will still run down restored Qianmen street, which runs along the sacred north-south axis - but the beautifully created shopfronts will be empty.
Australian restaurateur Michelle Garnaut, who already has restaurants in Hong Kong and Shanghai, hoped to open her first Beijing outlet, a 400-seat restaurant with a terrace overlooking Tiananmen Square, in time for the Olympics, but several months ago she and other retailers including Apple quietly shelved that timetable after it became clear the 17-block, 36-hectare project would not be completed by August 8. It is now scheduled to open next year.
The Olympic Forest Park - Beijing's massive new 680-hectare "green lung" - will also not be ready until mid next year. Although the artificial lake and mountain backdrop are substantially in place, the park will be opened only to 5000 athletes and Olympic officials and 20,000 local residents (ticket only) during the Games, because massive security forces to protect the city are likely to be stationed there.
Gilbert van Kerckhove, a business consultant who has been advising the Beijing Olympics organising committee and has lived in Beijing since 1980, says no one will care about unfinished projects such as Qianmen, the National Museum or Olympic Forest Park because the overall transformation of the city, from its water and sewerage up, has been so extraordinary.

"What they want to be ready will be ready. It won't be as bad as in Greece when they were still working an hour before opening, but there may be small hiccups, which are normal. Beijing is probably better prepared than any other city," says van Kerckhove.
"Even if they screw up something, this is China and they can put 10,000 guys on the job and finish it overnight."
Arup, the global engineering and design consultancy with 9000 staff worldwide, a quarter of them in China, has managed to snare an unprecedented share of some of the most critical new developments in Beijing. These include the Bird's Nest, the Water Cube and other Olympic venues as well as the new Beijing International airport.
The director in charge of Chinese business development at Arup, Michael Kwok, says the capital has squeezed 15 years of development into seven years since it won the right to host the 2008 Games in 2001.
When he moved here in 2000 to open Arup's Beijing office he was astonished at how "underdeveloped, underserviced" the city was. In terms of quality office space, there were basically two options, the Kerry Centre and the World Trade Centre.
He says political leaders seemed to have designated Shanghai and Shenzhen, in southern China, the first area opened to foreign enterprises after China embarked on its opening and reform policy after 1978, as the "experimental laboratory" for modernisation, while Beijing was left lagging.
"[China joining the] WTO and the Olympics have been very much a catalyst for Beijing to catch up … This whole fast-forwarding has pushed Beijing to really take a big step forward as a world city and become a lot more welcoming, a lot more liveable than six to seven years ago," says Kwok.
"People are now talking about Beijing as the place to visit … These stadiums aren't just stadiums, they are permanent monuments that reflect much more than two or three weeks of Games. They are the thinking and aspiration of how Beijing wants the world to see it."
Kwok is not bothered that key projects that will define the city for decades - including the extraordinary new home of the national broadcaster, CCTV (China Central Television) which has been described as a pair of walking legs or two splayed fingers - won't be ready in time for the Olympics.
"I would prefer they take a longer time to finish projects that aren't 100 per cent essential for the Olympics so they are of high quality, rather than just rushed jobs to meet deadlines which sometimes happens in China where too much decision-making is based on politics.

"Life goes on after the Olympics."
What worries many long-term foreign residents of the city, such as van Kerckhove, is that Beijing during the month-long Olympics and Paralympics will be lifeless.
"The vibrant life we have in Beijing will be killed off for security reasons and pollution during the Olympics," van Kerckhove says.
He says that despite the extraordinary transformation, the city authorities still have not solved two key issues - traffic and pollution - and after the violent and widespread Tibet protests they are also terrified of any demonstrations or disturbances during the Games.
Their answer, he says, will be to shut down offices, factories, bars and restaurants, kicking out hundreds of thousands of people such as migrant workers and other minorities from the city. He says they are also making it much more difficult for long-term foreign residents and business people and tourists to get visas.
The toughened visa rules that came into operation in April have stranded thousands of foreigners outside China unable to renew visas, even when they have businesses and families here.
New rules effectively eliminating multiple-entry visas for foreign business people based in Hong Kong to commute across the border to visit mainland factories caused an outcry when they came into effect.
Chinese embassies and consulates around the world have stopped issuing visas valid for longer than 30 days, and prospective tourists have had to show hotel reservations, plane tickets and other documents in order to get a visa at all.
While it is arguable that China has been far too lenient in issuing visas previously, the timing of this crackdown has caused an unexpected slump in tourist numbers and hotel bookings are far below the 90 per cent predicted.
This has been exacerbated by the difficulty in foreigners getting tickets. Only 25 per cent of the 7.1 million tickets were reserved for foreigners - half the percentage of Athens in 2004 - because of the massive demand from Chinese citizens.
"Many tourists who want to come won't be able to and the Chinese don't care because they say the Olympic Games are for television and it will be picture perfect on TV so screw the others," van Kerckhove says.
"This won't be Sydney 2000," he says, referring to the relaxed party atmosphere of the 2000 Olympics.
"This is not going to be spontaneous … Many food and beverage outlets will be closed or taken over by countries or corporations for Olympic hospitality. It will very much be a dead city, where nothing will be allowed that is not scripted by the Chinese Communist Party."

Souce: http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/let-the-games-beijing/2008/07/04/1214951041631.html

Newfoundland to get its day at Vancouver's 2010 Olympic Games

Vancouver SunPublished: Friday, July 04, 2008
Newfoundland and Labrador's culture will be highlighted on the international stage as a result of an agreement between the province and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
The province has agreed to contribute $1.5 million toward Canadian athletes and the staging of the Games in Vancouver, it was announced Friday.
"Our government is proud to be a partner in the 2010 Winter Games, and we look forward to contributing the rich cultural heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador to this international phenomenon," said Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams.

Williams said the highlight of the province's involvement will be a dedicated Newfoundland and Labrador Day held during the Games. Accompanied by a comprehensive media marketing campaign, the day will feature several activities including a warm-up to that evening's Olympic Victory Ceremony in Vancouver's B.C. Place Stadium, a networking event, arts performances and concurrent celebratory activities to be held throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
Of the $1.5 million investment from Newfoundland and Labrador, $750,000 will go towards the Own the Podium 2010 program, which supports Canadian athletes in their preparation for the Games, and $750,000 will be dedicated to ensuring the province takes full advantage of a wide range of benefits associated with the VANOC partnership.