Stories about Sport from July, 2008
Lithuania: President Abstains from Attending Olympics
Lituanica reports that the Lithuanian president, Valdas Adamkus, has decided not to attend the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing.
Russia: Evictions in Sochi for 2014 Winter Olympics
Grigory Pasko at Robert Amsterdam addresses the problems local population in Sochi are experiencing as plans and building for the 2014 Winter Olympics go ahead.
Nepal: On China, media and the Olympics
Blogdai on China deciding to reverse its pledge to offer complete media freedom, and planning to censor the Internet used by foreign media during the Olympics.
China: Sneak peak at Beijing Games opening ceremony
Danwei.org has been on a very long roll with its Olympics coverage, and now founder Jeremy Goldkorn has found clips of an opening ceremony rehearsal taken covertly by a Korean television crew. (Update: yes, it took a few minutes for the clip to be harmonized. This might work, however.)
Brunei: Extreme skateboard competition
In celebration of His Majesty the Sultan’s 62nd Birthday, a skateboard competition was held in Brunei. Shimworld posts some pictures of the event.
China: Beijing Olympics
DANWEI translates two blog posts about how the Olympics affects Beijing people's everyday life.
China: Demonstration Area
Hu yong hopes that the three demonstration areas set up during the Olympics would continue to exist after the international event.
Czech Republic: Fear of the Olympic China
The Czech Daily Word explains why “Czech athletes are a little afraid to go to China.”
China: Beijing on the eve of the Olympics
There's been lots of talk of the ‘leave Beijing for the Olympics’ (避孕) movement, but how's it looking for those who are going to stick it through (受孕)? Danwei.org‘s Joel Martinsen translates two definitive blog posts from the latter camp in ‘Life in Beijing on the eve of the Olympics’.
China: Olympic Internet Access Fee
Andrew is very surprised about the Internet access fee in the media center at Beijing Olympics.
China: Olympic Lie
Zhaomu comments on a recent report claiming that Bill Gate will spend 100 millions to rent a high rise courtyard of one year in Beijing in order to have the best view on Olympics. The blogger anticipates more Olympic lies in the coming months.
Czech Republic, China: Pre-Olympics Scandal
The Czech Daily Word reports on the problems in relationship between the Czech Republic and China on the eve of the Olympics.
Panama: Passion and Disappointment of the Football Fan
Rob Rivera recommends to ask a Panamanian about his football team and, “what it’s like to see their team play beautifully to the point of making them proud, only to have them succumb at the last minute and ruin all the good will they garner from the fans by playing...
Iran:”Assassination of a Pharaoh”
Several Iranian bloggers such as Einiproxy[Fa] reported that football (soccer) game between Iran-Egypt did not happen because of an Iranian documentary portraying in a positive light the assassin who killed former President, Anwar Sadat in 1979::”Assassination of a Pharaoh”.
China: Police Olympics guide to stopping “illegal news coverage”
How many times has the BOCOG promised that foreign reporters will be given full reign to interview and report during the Olympics Games? Davesgonechina at Mutant Palm looks at the somewhat different story that Chinese police are—and have been, for at least two years—prepared to tell. This story was linked...
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Track & Field
Raw Politics…Jamaica Style! writes a detailed post about the Track and Field component of the upcoming Olympic Games.
China: Olympic protest zones
Jeremy Goldkorn at Danwei.org translates the news that the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games has designated three special demonstration zones for protesters who show up at the Games.
China: Will Yao help China win basketball gold?
No doubt many eyes will be on Yao Ming during the Olympics, but will China's men's basketball team be able to take the gold? More on that at sometimes sports blogger the black China hand in The Luanda Shiver
China: Beijing 2008 Olympics WordPress theme
For all you Thai-reading sports fan blogheads out there, do check out the 2008 Olympics WordPress theme. The cruel irony being, of course, that WordPress has been blocked in China for years.
China: No “Go China!” banners at the Olympics
Those attending the Olympics this year will be subject to the standard rules: no outside food or drinks, no sporting of commercial logos of any kind…but among all those is one rule which seems to have struck a nerve among many netizens, as evidenced by it having become the featured...
China: Insulting Olympics
Anti-CNN starts to monitor overseas organizations which produce images that insult the Beijing Olympics. A spotted case is the Sweden youth red cross.
