tagged w/ Athletes
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Biting lips and scary stares are just some of the heavy looks weightlifters have given the cameras at this year's Olympic Games in Beijing.
One of the crowd favourites has been XXXL lifter Jan Mi-Ran of South Korea, who won a gold medal in the over 75kg class and broke the world record in the process with a lift of 326 kilos.
Check out the fiercest faces of this year's Olympic heavyweights in the photo gallery.Biting lips and scary stares are just some of the heavy looks weightlifters have given... more
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Jaeger
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added this
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3 years ago
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A heroes parade through London on October 16, is being planned by London Mayor Boris Johnson, the British Olympic Association (BOA) and the British Paralympic Association have confirmed.
Team GB have now won 13 golds - and more may come.
Mr Johnson said: "Just over half way through the Beijing Games and Team GB has put in one of its best ever performances.
"In September our Paralympians will I hope return from Beijing having achieved similar success. So to reflect the excitement and pride of the country in our athletes' superb victories we've set a date in the diary now when we can cheer all our heroes and honour their extraordinary feats at this summer's Games.
I'm all for a celebration of success but do we need a parade after every sporting achievement? Oh and why does is always have to be in London?A heroes parade through London on October 16, is being planned by London Mayor Boris... more
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What is that honey bottle gymnasts pass around before an event?
The answer will surpise you...What is that honey bottle gymnasts pass around before an event?
The answer will... more
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Chinese customs officials confiscated more than 300 Bibles on Sunday from four American Christians who arrived in a southwestern city with plans to distribute them, the group's leader said.
"I heard that there's freedom of religion in China, so why is there a problem for us to bring Bibles?" Klein said. "We had over 300 copies and customs took all of them from us."
The move comes as China hosts the Olympics in Beijing, where false media reports last year claimed Bibles would be banned from the games. The state-run China Daily reported last month that 10,000 bilingual copies of the Bible would be distributed in the Olympic Village, which houses athletes and media.
Chinese customs officials confiscated more than 300 Bibles on Sunday from four... more
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Dara Torres lost an improbable gold medal Sunday morning by one-hundredth of a second — the same margin that kept Michael Phelps on course to break Mark Spitz’s record.
The 41-year-old Torres, a five-time Olympian and the oldest American swimmer ever, settled for two more silver medals on the final day of swimming at the Water Cube.
Go 40s!
Dara Torres lost an improbable gold medal Sunday morning by one-hundredth of a second... more
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In last Sunday's Pittsburgh Triathlon, there were a lot of individual competitors and teams with competitors for each event.
One team, however, stood out.
That team contained three friends: Jim on the Bike, Ned doing the running, and Craig Dietz doing the swimming.
However, Dietz was born with no arms or legs.
"It felt great when I first decided to do it," said Dietz. "I was a little unsure and even leading up to it I was a little unsure. You can swim 100 miles in the pool and it's not going to prepare you for swimming in that river."
This is hardly his first athletic endeavor, Dietz enjoys bowling and has played volleyball too.
He skis in the winter and, with the help of an inventive father, he's been fishing and hunting since he was a kid.
"Anytime I wanted to do anything, he figured out a way for me to do it," said Dietz.
Dietz loves athletics and to him not even the Allegheny River is intimidating.
"All of my weight is centered, I am extremely buoyant. I can't dive. I wish that I could. I'd like to dive under the water," said Dietz.
In the end, he finished 275th out of 308 participants. In last Sunday's Pittsburgh Triathlon, there were a lot of individual competitors... more
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It's easy to scoff when athletes blame a poor performance on too many distractions. But there really are a lot of them.
It's easy to scoff when athletes blame a poor performance on too many... more
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You know, there is a lot of tension in the world right now and this may seem insignificant. But we have to look at what is going on in Beijing and really pay attention.
What we should be paying attention to is the athleticism of the worlds greatest athletes. Instead we are seeing an ominous totalitarian capitalistic society showing the world that nothing means more to them than "looking good."
It seems trite doesn't it? But China with all of its bellicose blatherings, redundant rebukes, and the obvious need to keep their population under control in every way, there is one thing that is most important it seems.
China wants to win. They want to show the world that the 'New China' is superior in every way.
It's not a mystery that female gymnasts are at their best in their teens and pre-teens. It is really not my place to say how old a child should be to compete in the Olympics. Perhaps this is an Olympic sport for youngsters...
But just the fact that we are being shown obvious physical proof right before our very eyes in High Definition that there are children flying around the uneven paralell bars and then being told that they are not children is just insulting.
Look at that picture!
China is a country seems desperate to project a glamorous, superior, PERFECT image to the world. But the only thing I see is an intense and soul crushing pride which only amplifies the whispers of discontent we are ordered to ignore.
The pity of it all is. They don't need a false facade. They are a great country and a great people. They have a long and intense history and have suffered many hardships as a nation to get where they are now.
They just don't need to do this.
You know, there is a lot of tension in the world right now and this may seem... more
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Picture this, you've worked all your life to become an Olympic athlete, trained to the limit and not only are you there, but the games you are competing in are being held in your home country.
Now imagine forgetting the time of your event and subsequently been banned from all other races.
Unfortunately for China's rower, Zhang Liang, this isn't all a dream but a rather unlucky mishap that has forced him to forfeit any more of his races.
"I wrongly remembered my time as that of the third group, but actually it was the second group," Zhang explained.Picture this, you've worked all your life to become an Olympic athlete, trained... more
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Sex might be the unofficial sport at the Olympics. It's at least a popular pastime. China's Reproductive Health Industry Association distributed 100,000 condoms to athletes as part of a bid by UNAIDS to encourage HIV protection. With 10,500 athletes living in the village for a couple weeks, that's about 9 condoms each. 18 if they choose to do it to another athlete. Free condoms have been offered to athletes at Olympic events since 1992.
I appreciate efforts to encourage safe sex to athletes during the Olympics... but how about to everyone all the time? Maybe condoms should be distributed free at airports, train stations, post offices...Sex might be the unofficial sport at the Olympics. It's at least a popular... more
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Despite less than mediocre performances during past Olympic games, Arab athletes and coaches say they are hoping to make their best showing yet in Beijing.
In nearly 100 years of Olympic competition, the combined tally of medals won by all Arab countries is 73.
At 22 countries, the Arab nations constitute almost 11 per cent of the total number of participating nations (204). However, the average number of medals won - 3.48 medals every four years - has been uninspiring.
In the last Olympic games in Athens, for example, Arab countries won only 10 of the 929 medals available - a little over one per cent.
Shouaa Ghada, a Syrian heptathlete who won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta games, told Al Jazeera Sports that she is hopeful that Arabs will be among the medallists this year.
"Algeria is heading in the right path [in terms of preparation]," she said, adding that she expected Sudanese runner Abubaker Kaki to bring a medal home.
Kaki, who became the youngest world indoor winner of the 800-metre final in March 2008, hopes to secure Sudan's first gold medal.
On June 6, 2008 he set a new World Junior record at the Bislett Games Golden League meeting in Oslo, Norway, finishing in 1:42.69.
(End of excerpt)
Full story at link by Nassir Yousef al-Jaber in Doha// Al Jazeera EnglishDespite less than mediocre performances during past Olympic games, Arab athletes and... more
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The United States is seeing the Olympics in Time Delay which has Americans dashing to thier computers.
NBC wants to stop it.
Should Americans have a choice on when and how they want to watch the Olympics?The United States is seeing the Olympics in Time Delay which has Americans dashing to... more
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Beach Volleyball has a Love/Hate Relationship with TV Stardom.
Why does this "highly photogenic" sport have a problem with thier popularity?Beach Volleyball has a Love/Hate Relationship with TV Stardom.
Why does this... more
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Which Olympic events in this year's summer Olympics in Beijing, China are the Toughest to Win a Gold Medal for Your Country.Which Olympic events in this year's summer Olympics in Beijing, China are the... more
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Nicole Cooke is the first British athlete at the 2008 summer games to win a medal. Cyclists made 126km road race through treacherous conditions. She beat her competitors by half a wheel at the finish line. Not a bad way to start Britain's collection of medals! Nicole Cooke is the first British athlete at the 2008 summer games to win a medal.... more
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Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are truly a dynamic duo. They captured the 2004 Olympic Beach Volleyball Gold Medal after winning all seven matches. They are ranked number 1 in the world but China got number 1 seed at the 2008 Beijing Games because of the ‘homer’ rule. Misty and Kerri will most certainly be a sight to behold as they defend their 2004 Athens win and go for back to back gold.Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are truly a dynamic duo. They captured the 2004... more
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gmc1
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added this
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3 years ago
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While I cannot in good conscience watch or support these Olympics or their sponsors, I salute the conscience and human rights activism of the athletes on Team Darfur. You can do so as well by sending them a message of support at the link provided. Only when we stand up to human rights abuses and the genocide in Darfur will we bring peace and hope.
Thanks.While I cannot in good conscience watch or support these Olympics or their sponsors, I... more
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A provocative article by "The Contrarian" Jon Entine, an "internationally renowned journalist, TV commentator, executive consultant and public speaker, on the DNA of human behavior."
http://www.jonentine.com/
"[Keyna's] national sport, the hero worship, the adoring fans, the social channeling -- that all speaks to Kenya's enduring love affair with, not running, but soccer. Despite the enormous success of Kenyan runners, running remains a relative afterthought in this soccer-crazed nation. Unfortunately, Kenyans are among the world's worst soccer players...
No amount of political correctness can obscure the reality that the Kenyans' mediocre success in soccer (and sprinting) comes down to genetics. They are ectomorphs, short and slender, with huge natural lung capacity and a preponderance of slow twitch muscles, the energy system for endurance sports. It's a perfect biomechanical package for distance running, but a disaster for sports that require anaerobic bursts of speed...
Of course, neither culture nor genes alone determines who will become great athletes. It's biocultural. "Taboo" [Entine's novel] documents the wholly uncontroversial fact that different body types have evolved in differing environments over thousands of years: Inuit Indians (Eskimos), biologically programmed to be short to conserve body heat, do not produce NBA centers after relocating to southern Florida. Genetically linked, highly heritable characteristics, such as skeletal structure, muscle fiber types, reflex capabilities, metabolic efficiency, and lung capacity, are not evenly distributed among populations and cannot be explained by known environmental factors...
Why do we so readily accept that evolution has turned out blacks with a genetic proclivity to contract sickle cell, Jews of European heritage who are one hundred times more likely than other groups to fall victim to the degenerative mental disease, Tay-Sachs, and whites who are most vulnerable to cystic fibrosis, yet find it racist to acknowledge that blacks of West African ancestry have evolved into the world's best sprinters and East Asians, the best divers?...
[I]f we do not welcome the impending genetic revolution with open minds, if we are scared to ask and to answer difficult questions, if we lose faith in science, then there is no winner. We all lose. The question is no longer whether genetic research will continue but to what end. 'If decent people don't discuss human biodiversity,' writes George Mason professor Walter Williams, who is black, 'we concede the turf to black and white racists.' "A provocative article by "The Contrarian" Jon Entine, an... more
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SDLN
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added this
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3 years ago
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More than 40 athletes taking part in the Beijing Olympics have today urged China's government to respect human rights and freedom of religion, particularly in Tibet.
One of the most high-profile signatories was Dayron Robles of Cuba, the world record holder in the men's 110m hurdles, who is well known to Chinese fans as a rival to their most famous track athlete, Liu Xiang.
Other signatories include the US 400m runner DeeDee Trotter, a relay gold medallist in Athens in 2004, and the Croatian women's world high jump champion, Blanka Vlasic.
The letter, signed by 127 athletes as part of an initiative involving the International Campaign for Tibet and Amnesty International, urges China's president, Hu Jintao, "to protect freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of opinion in your country, including Tibet".
It asks Hu "to ensure that human rights defenders are no longer intimidated or imprisoned", and to end the death penalty.
"China is the focus of worldwide attention," it says. "Your decision on these issues will determine the success the Olympic games and the image the world will have of China in the future.
"We are asking you to respect human rights in China in order to achieve lasting peace and reconciliation."
The letter dismayed Chinese authorities, who are desperate to shift the attention away from human rights and on to the games.
With a day to go before the opening ceremony in Beijing, this is proving difficult. George Bush, making what is likely to be his final speech in Asia as US president, told an audience in Thailand today that the US "stands in firm opposition" to political and religious repression in China.
"We press for openness and justice not to impose our beliefs, but to allow the Chinese people to express theirs," he said.
In a more conciliatory tone, he added: "Change in China will arrive on its own terms and in keeping with its own history and its own traditions. Yet change will arrive."
His comments brought an immediate rebuke from Beijing, with a foreign ministry spokesman condemning "any words or acts" meddling in the country's internal affairs.
The Beijing games are being seen as China's coming-out party as a major global power and have unleashed a patriotic fervour in the country's people.
Right groups and supporters of the Tibet cause are using the games to focus global attention on China's suppression of political and religious dissent.
Three American Christian activists were dragged from Beijing's Tiananmen Square today after staging a protest in favour of religious freedom.
China's government allows religious worship but only within institutions that pledge primary allegiance to Beijing. Police regularly arrest people who choose to worship at underground "home" churches.
Four foreign protesters, including two Britons, were detained for unfurling Tibet independence banners in Beijing yesterday. The British pair have been deported.
More than 40 athletes taking part in the Beijing Olympics have today urged... more
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Research has shown that inserting drugs via tattoo needles gives more bang for your buck. Athletes, therefore, can take smaller doses of performance enhancing drugs for the same effect as larger doses injected into the veins or muscle tissue, and likely "fly under the radar" in drug tests.
This concept and technology is so new that it's likely not to be prevalent, but sports researchers say that a handful of athletes will likely try it out in Beijing.Research has shown that inserting drugs via tattoo needles gives more bang for your... more
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