2008 Olympics // Current TV

Kellogg's Boycott

Well I can't claim this as my idea, but, I don't think it is a bad one. And... more

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China assails France's Sarkozy for meeting with Dalai Lama

Reporting from Beijing -- The Chinese government let loose Sunday with an official protest and a torrent of angry editorials denouncing French President Nicolas Sarkozy for a meeting over the weekend with the Dalai Lama.

Beijing is always prickly about world leaders meeting with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, but the outpouring against France was exceptional. It comes during a year in which anti-French sentiments have been running high since April when pro-Tibetan protesters tried to wrestle away the Olympic torch during the relay through Paris.

China had warned Sarkozy for weeks against meeting with the Dalai Lama and withdrew from a planned summit with the European Union in anticipation. Sarkozy, who this year also holds the rotating EU presidency, met with the Tibetan for 30 minutes Saturday at a conference of Nobel laureates in Gdansk, Poland.

"This grossly interfered in China's internal affairs," Deputy Foreign Minister He Yafei told the ambassador, according to the state-run New China News Agency. He also said the meeting "gravely hurt the feelings of the Chinese people."

Jean-Vincent Brisset, a Chinese specialist at France's Institute for International and Strategic Relations, suggests that the French brought it on themselves by revealing that they were vulnerable to pressure.

Sarkozy hesitated for months about whether to attend the opening ceremony Aug. 8 of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, saying at first he wouldn't attend unless Beijing improved its human rights record, then at the end showing up for the ceremony. Sarkozy also declined to meet the Dalai Lama when he was in France in late August, instead sending his wife, Carla Bruni, and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.

"We made a show of weakness, and so the Chinese found us a soft target," Brisset said. He believes that China's protests against Sarkozy are a way of testing the European Union but says the Chinese won't push too hard because of the economic turmoil in the United States.

Anti-French sentiment ran high in China over the summer with demonstrations outside French stores, especially the Carrefour chain, and many Chinese tour groups canceled trips to France.Reporting from Beijing -- The Chinese government let loose Sunday with an official... more

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Olympic medals in question

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP)—The International Olympic Committee will examine... more

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Olympic Games: The Evolution of Sport

This is the story of one gamer who believes the IOC has let professional video games... more

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An Olympic success?

Usain's Beijing bolt in the 100m and 200m, Michael's phelp-nomenal eight... more

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Out and Golden, Aussie Matt Mitcham Wins 10m Platform Diving

Matthew Mitcham did two very surprising things at the Beijing Olympics. First, he snatched a gold medal away from the apparently invincible Chinese diving team. Second, Mitcham openly told anyone who asked about his sexuality that he is gay. Matt is undaunted on the platform, and he’s just as fearless about his personal life.

Making his Olympic debut in Beijing in the 10m platform event, Australia’s Mitcham earned four perfect 10’s on his last dive Saturday night, winning the men’s 10m platform diving competition. His stunning upset victory prevented China from sweeping all eight of the Olympic diving gold medals. Not only was Mitcham’s triumph an astonishing upset win, his sixth and final dive was the highest scoring dive in Olympic history.

From 2002 until 2006, Mitcham was an award winning diver in both junior and senior national and international diving competitions. But in 2006 he suddenly quit diving, suffering both emotional burnout and physical exhaustion after spending years in the Australian program’s rigid training regimen. For a long period of time the young Mitcham had to battle anxiety and depression, which led him to begin psychotherapy and required him to spend some time on medication.

A year later, Mitcham returned to the sport and in 2008, Mitcham won all three of his diving events at the Australian Nationals. He followed this spectacular comeback appearance by winning the 2008 Diving Grand Prix event in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Then just three months prior to leaving with the Australian team to compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Mitcham made headlines in Australia when he revealed to the Sydney Morning Herald that he is gay. With his public statement, Matt Mitcham became a historic Olympic figure, the first and only man among 10,500 Olympic athletes to have publicly stated that he is gay while still participating in Olympic competition.

When asked what this Olympic victory meant to him after the tumultuous ups and downs of his last few years, Mitcham stated, “Everything, absolutely everything I’ve done has been for this. I knew it was a far chance, but I did absolutely everything I could to give myself the best chance of doing it. It’s actually happened, and I never thought it would.”

This detailed article includes a number of stunning photographs, as well as two videos (the amazing 10m platform diving finals, which includes Mitcham's unforgettable historic final dive; the 10m Olympic Gold Ceremony).

Enjoy and marvel at this young man!! Matthew Mitcham did two very surprising things at the Beijing Olympics. First, he... more

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Cuban Athlete Is Barred for Kicking Referee in the Face

BEIJING — A Cuban tae kwon do athlete committed one of the biggest breaches of... more

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Michael Phelps Eats 12,000 Calories a Day

Remember to wait 30 minutes before swimming...

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This week in Current – 8/18-8/22

Another week has flown passed us like a whirlwind, and while people are still focused... more

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Beijing more wheelchair friendly

Even in modern China, Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan gets a stark reminder that... more

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Champ Bolt Slated For Showing-Off

Superhuman sprinter Usain Bolt has been slammed by Olympic chiefs for excessive... more

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Beijing Olympic Village, made out of cards

As the linked article so eloquently points out: 'Somewhat useless skills, but... more

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German horse tests positive for doping

German showjumper Christian Ahlmann (33) has been suspended from the Beijing Olympics... more

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Two women sentenced to ‘Re-education’ in China

Two elderly Chinese women have been sentenced to a year of "re-education through... more

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Beijing Bird's Nest Stadium_Zhou Jun_2008 Olympic Games

Zhou Jun works with a high specification camera to record the changing face of... more

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Team GB to blame for sudden rise in Mankini sales?

Amazon has blamed a recent surge in the sales of the Borat 'Mankini' on a... more

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Thundering Bolt smashes the 200m title!

Michael Johnson earlier today: "the record is safe. But only for now"... more

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German sprinter calls Bolt a drug cheat

German sprinter Tobias Unger called the Olympic 100m men’s final a... more

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Olympic gold medal for late wife

German Olympic weightlifter Matthias Steiner was ecstatic after he won gold in... more

Jaeger
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BMX makes its debut at Olympics in Beijing

BMX (Bicycle Motocross) made its debut in Olympics at the Bejing Games on Wednesday as... more

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