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Iraq banned from Beijing Olympics
Iraq cannot take part in the Beijing Olympics because it disbanded the country's Olympic Committee, a committee official said on Thursday, but a comment from the Games' organizers suggested the ban may not be final. Iraq cannot take part in the Beijing Olympics because it disbanded the country's Olympic Committee, a committee official said on Thurs... more
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China censors polite conversation with Olympic tourists
The Chinese Propaganda Department has issued a list of "eight don't asks", advising their citizens not to discuss certain topics with the Olympic tourists. The posters, stamped with the Olympic logo warn against discussing someone's home, age, income, love life, health, personal experience, religious beliefs, political views or profession.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/feedarticle/7671812 The Chinese Propaganda Department has issued a list of "eight don't asks", advising their citizens not to discuss certain topics with ... more -
Iraq banned from Beijing Olympics
Athletes from Iraq have been banned from taking part at this summer's Beijing Games, the International Olympic Committee has announced.
The team was already the subject of an interim ban after the Iraqi government replaced the country's Olympic committee with its own appointees.
Under the IOC charter, all committees must be free of political influence.
As a result the team of two rowers, two sprinters, one archer, one weightlifter and one judo competitor cannot attend.
"The deadline for taking up places for Beijing for all sports except athletics has now passed," said IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies.
"The IOC very sadly has now to acknowledge that it is likely there will be no Iraqi presence at the Beijing Olympic Games, despite our best efforts."
She added: "Clearly, we'd very much like to have seen Iraq's athletes in Beijing.
"We are very disappointed that the athletes have been so ill-served by their own government's actions."
The four Iraqi athletes that qualified could have competed under the Olympic flag
BBC Radio 5 Live's Gordon Farquhar
Hussein al-Amidi, the general secretary of the Iraqi Olympic Committee, said: "This morning we were informed of the final decision of the International Olympic Committee to suspend the membership of the Iraqi Olympic Committee.
"It's a final decision, there is no way to appeal. This means that Iraq will not take part in the coming Olympic games.
"It is a blow to Iraq and its international reputation, its athletes and its youth.
"I swear those athletes who have been training - they phoned me today and they were crying and were very upset."
BBC Radio 5 Live sports news correspondent Gordon Farquhar added: "The four Iraqi athletes that qualified could have competed under the Olympic flag but the deadline for confirmation of places has passed."
The committee which the government dismissed was elected in 2004, in line with the Olympic movement's regulations.
Its chairman, Ahmad al-Samarra'i, and several other members were abducted by gunmen while attending a meeting in central Baghdad in July 2006.
They have not been seen since.
The Iraqi government said it took the move because the committee was corrupt and had not been functioning properly. Athletes from Iraq have been banned from taking part at this summer's Beijing Games, the International Olympic Committee has announced... more -
China builds 'protest pens' for Olympic demonstrators
Beijing is to set up three "protest pens" in parks around the city to cater for anyone brave enough to want to stage a demonstration during the Olympic Games.
Plans for the protest areas were announced even as the government made clear that dissent by Chinese citizens would not be tolerated in the next month.
Among the victims was Du Daobin, a prominent internet writer who was detained and then given a suspended sentence in 2004 for subversion. He was arrested this week accused of posting articles to foreign websites and meeting guests in violation of his probation, according to a number of activist groups abroad including Reporters without Borders.
His case comes on top of the jailing in March of Hu Jia, who was among the best known activists among the international community, and the detention last month of Huang Qi, another internet writer who criticised the government about building safety after the earthquake in his home province of Sichuan.
Other dissidents and human rights activists and lawyers have been warned to leave the city during the Games.
The three designated parks are Ritan Park in the east of the city, Shijie or World Park in Fengtai district to the south-west, and Zizhuyuan or Purple Bamboo Park in Haidian district to the north-west.
Ritan, or the Temple of the Sun Park is close to the British and other embassies, and is popular with both tourists and the many expatriates who live in the area.
The authorities have implemented strict security in advance of the Games, citing the dangers of terrorism and social disturbance, but have said this is in line with previous Olympics. This raised the pressure on them to allow a venue for demonstrations, which are strictly banned by the International Olympic Committee at all sporting venues but have customarily been allowed elsewhere.
Liu Shaowu, director of security for the Games, said that Chinese law allowed protests "as long as applications were made and approved in advance", a condition almost never met in the country.
"How to get approval for protests and what requirements are needed for people to participate in the protests will be explained to every applicant in the process of application," he said. "Normally we will ask people to go to the approved places for their demonstrations."
Mr Liu did not answer when asked whether both Chinese and foreign protesters could use the protest venues.
Numerous overseas groups have waged active campaigns around the Games, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters without Borders, and a variety of Tibet support groups.
But a tightening of visa restrictions, with some activists even turned back from the supposedly freer Hong Kong during the Olympic Torch relay, has made it more difficult to arrange protests during the Games themselves. Beijing is to set up three "protest pens" in parks around the city to cater for anyone brave enough to want to stage a demonstration d... more -
China to delay ‘live’ Olympic broadcast by 10 seconds
Chinese audiences will see the Beijing Olympics about 10 seconds later than everybody else after Chinese authorities instituted a 10-second delay for broadcasts of the games to avoid “undesirable” incidents being seen by the masses, Hong Kong’s Ming Pao Daily News reported Tuesday.
Quoting sources, the Ming Pao reported the order came from the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party.
South Korean skaters after winning the silver medal in the woman’s 5,000 m short-track relay in the Winter Asian Games in Changchun on Jan. 31, 2007, held up stenciled placards at the winner's podium which said, "Mt. Baekdu belongs to us." The symbol-freighted Korean mountain, which is named in the national anthem, is known as Changbaishan there.
The incident expressed protest against the Chinese government's so-called Northeast Project, an attempt to co-opt the history of the ancient Korean kingdoms of Koguryo and Barhae, using Mt. Baekdu as the stage backdrop for the games.
The Ming Pao said the event “angered Chinese officials and citizens” and for a time soured diplomatic relations. The 10-second delay aims to avoid broadcasting “undesirable incidents” such as anti-Chinese slogans or demonstrations, it added.
China Central Television (CCTV) is in charge of distributing Beijing Olympics broadcasts to all TV stations across China.
On March 24, when the Olympic torch was ignited in Athens, CCTV edited and deleted a scene of a group of Tibetan protesters intruding into the venue when Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organization Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), spoke, by delaying the broadcast. Chinese audiences will see the Beijing Olympics about 10 seconds later than everybody else after Chinese authorities instituted a 10-s... more -
World’s fastest rail service to begin in China
Latest Business News The Chinese Railway Ministry is starting the world’s fastest train service next Friday, linking Beijing with one of China’s Olympic co-host cities, nearby Tianjin.
Latest Business News The Chinese Railway Ministry is starting the world’s fastest train service next Friday, linking Beijing with one ... more -
Secret ban on blacks in Beijing bars during the Olympics?
SAY WHAT? Alright ... now before I break fly and act a fool - let me retort in saying that this piece of news that surfaced via crackberry this morning was really baffling to the tenth power! While many of us find ourselves hyped up for next months 2008 Olympic Summer Games, it looks as though there is a rumor running around the web that selected Beijing ‘hot spots’ are preparing throw a some shade during the summer game festivities.
According to reports from Huffingtonpost.com & Beijing Boyce , Hong Kong’s English newspaper The South China Morning Post reported last Friday that Chinese authorities have issued a secret ban on blacks, Mongolians, and other ‘social undesirable’ from local Beijing bars during the Olympic games. The Chinese online news source is only available for subscribers only - lucky enough Beijing Boyce brings fourth an excerpt from the online new source:
Beijing authorities are secretly planning to ban black people and others it considers social undesirables from entering the city’s bars during the Olympic Games, a move that would contradict the official slogan, “One World, One Dream”.
Bar owners near the Workers’ Stadium in central Beijing say they have been forced by Public Security Bureau officials to sign pledges agreeing not to let black people enter their premises….
Security officials are targeting Sanlitun, which Olympic organizers expect to be a key destination for foreign tourists looking for a party during the Games.
The pledges that Sanlitun bar owners had been instructed to sign agreed to stop a variety of activities in their establishments, including dancing and serving customers with black skin, they said.
This past Saturday Beijing Boyce updates on the story reporting:
* An owner said police met with Sanlitun bar reps and told them to monitor black patrons. He said the police told the reps that drug dealers are predominantly black in the area. He said the police did not ask bar owners to ban blacks.
* Several Sanlitun area bar owners said they had not been told by police to ban blacks or Mongolians.
* I also spoke to several people in the restaurant business and they told me they have not heard of police telling city eateries to ban people.
* Most interesting, two people working at one bar had different perspectives on the terminology used by the police. One said the police used “black” in reference to skin color; while the other said it was used in terms of bad elements (the Chinese character for “black” is part of a phrase used to describe criminals).
Ok…so will this stop me from watching the Olympics next month? Hell No! But I am curious as to know how you ladies feel about the issue at hand? It’s time to get LIVE & Direct this Tuesday morning. SAY WHAT? Alright ... now before I break fly and act a fool - let me retort in saying that this piece of news that surfaced via crack... more -
Beijing Non-Olympics Part 2: Hip Hop Grannies
This is the second part in a series of films taking a quirky look at the wonderful sporting habits of real Beijingers. From hip hop dancing grandmas, to pigeon racers and winter lake swimmers, these local legends are carrying the torch for a different kind of sport... This is the second part in a series of films taking a quirky look at the wonderful sporting habits of real Beijingers. From hip hop da... more
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Beijing Bars told to Ban "blacks and mongolians" during Olympics
Nobody knows how accurate this is. There haven't been any official reports except that bar owners in Beijing have been approached by Public Security Bureau, basically the local police force in China. Some bar owners in the area of Sanlitun, have heard nothing.
Tom Miller, South China Morning Post:
"Beijing authorities are secretly planning to ban black people and others it considers social undesirables from entering the city’s bars during the Olympic Games, a move that would contradict the official slogan, “One World, One Dream”.
Bar owners near the Workers’ Stadium in central Beijing say they have been forced by Public Security Bureau officials to sign pledges agreeing not to let black people enter their premises….
Security officials are targeting Sanlitun, which Olympic organisers expect to be a key destination for foreign tourists looking for a party during the Games.
The pledges that Sanlitun bar owners had been instructed to sign agreed to stop a variety of activities in their establishments, including dancing and serving customers with black skin, they said."
If this is true (and we may never get a straight answer), it's an offensive way to pay tribute to the honor of hosting the games, an honor the Chinese government has spent an endless amount of time publicizing.
Nobody knows how accurate this is. There haven't been any official reports except that bar owners in Beijing have been approached by P... more -
1.5 million people have been displaced for Olympic Games
"A human rights organization is accusing the Chinese government of widespread forced evictions along with other human rights violations during preparations for the Beijing Olympics. In a new report, the Center on Housing Rights and Evictions says 1.5 million people have been displaced from their homes to make room for Olympic venues and city beautification schemes. Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva.
The Center on Housing Rights and Evictions says it is becoming normal practice for housing rights to be violated by countries hosting mega-events, such as the Olympics. But, it says the scale of displacement that is taking place in China is unprecedented.
The Center's Executive Director, Salih Booker, tells VOA from 1991 to 1999 China displaced an average of 70,000 people a year to make room for economic and urban development projects.
But during the period since Beijing was awarded the games, he says an average of 165,000 people have been displaced through evictions, demolition of houses and relocation to alternative housing.
He says the process was supposed to involve mediation and tenants were supposed to receive adequate compensation for their homes.
"The compensation rates were most frequently below market value," said Booker. "And, because of the corruption that also was encouraged by the process, by the time families actually received money, the original compensation amount had been reduced by middle men among the municipal authorities and construction companies. In cases where citizens absolutely refused, we have witnesses report forced evictions, often using violent techniques and harassment."
China has signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which protects the right to adequate housing. These rights also are protected under China's national law and constitution.
But Booker says there is no independent judiciary in the country and the judicial system is riddled with corruption. As a consequence, he says there is no legal redress for people who have been thrown out of their homes.
The Housing Rights Organization has harsh words for the International Olympic Committee, which it accuses of being an apologist for the Chinese Government. Booker says the International Olympic Committee has refused to take action against the government's human rights violations and massive displacement of its people.
"We are dismayed that the IOC President has suggested that as a result of the Beijing Olympics, the human rights situation in China has improved," he said. "We believe the evidence is completely to the contrary, particularly with regard to housing rights. So, we feel that it is appropriate to hold the IOC accountable for its role in not acknowledging these problems and not seeking to address them in the case of China."
The Center on Housing Rights and Evictions is calling for the International Olympic Committee to bring pressure on the Chinese government to ensure people who are inadequately compensated for being displaced have some form of redress.
The Organization is also demanding that China immediately halt demolitions and evictions." ... more -
Beijing begins massive Olympic shutdown
"Beijing's Olympic shutdown begins Sunday, a drastic plan to lift the Chinese capital's gray shroud of pollution just three weeks ahead of the games.
Half of Beijing's 3.3 million vehicles will be pulled off the roads and many polluting factories will be shuttered. Chemical plants, power stations and foundries left open have to cut emissions by 30 percent — and dust-spewing construction in the capital will be halted.
In a highly stage-managed Olympics aimed at showing off the rising power of the 21st century, no challenge is greater than producing crystalline air for 10,500 of the world's greatest athletes.
"Pea-soup air at the opening ceremony would be their worst nightmare," said Victor Cha, director of Asian Studies at Georgetown University.
Striking venues and $40 billion spent to improve infrastructure cannot mask Beijing's dirty air. A World Bank study found China is home to 16 of the 20 worst cities for air quality. Three-quarters of the water flowing through urban areas is unsuitable for drinking or fishing ..."
By Stephen Wade, Associated Press "Beijing's Olympic shutdown begins Sunday, a drastic plan to lift the Chinese capital's gray shroud of pollution just three weeks ahea... more -
China orders bars not to serve blacks
Bar owners in Beijing have been forced by the P.S.B. to sign an agreement 'not to serve blacks or Mongolians'.
One World, One Dream indeed.
http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2c9132164... Bar owners in Beijing have been forced by the P.S.B. to sign an agreement 'not to serve blacks or Mongolians'. ... more -
China urges Dalai Lama to back Olympics
"China urged the Dalai Lama again on Monday to show support for the Beijing Olympics, in an apparent effort to link the demand more closely with continued talks.
The statement from a Chinese spokesman to the official Xinhua News Agency included other previously issued conditions for talks: that the spiritual leader renounce support for Tibetan independence and that he curb the "violent terrorist" activities of the Tibetan Youth Congress and other "criminal" groups.
Though the basic demands are old, Chinese media have recently been portraying them as a new, concessionary approach. Xinhua's report, which appeared aimed at stating China's position more clearly and publicly, also gave the list of demands a new label, calling them the "four not-supports" ..."
By Henry Sanderson, Associated Press
"China urged the Dalai Lama again on Monday to show support for the Beijing Olympics, in an apparent effort to link the demand more cl... more -
Dwain Chambers loses his appeal against Olympic ban
In 2003, Dwain Chambers tested positive for the steroid THG in 2003, which under British rules got him a lifetime Olympic ban. He took the case to a high court to secure an injunction against the British Olympic Association but the decision went against him.
He recently won the British trials with a comfortable time of 10 seconds dead but his performance will count for nothing since he won't be going to the Olympics. Are British athletic laws archaic or do they need to be strict on issues like drugs? In 2003, Dwain Chambers tested positive for the steroid THG in 2003, which under British rules got him a lifetime Olympic ban. He took... more -
No big dogs allowed in Beijing
A Beijing law makes it illegal to keep dogs taller than 35 centimeters (1.1 foot)
As darkness falls over Beijing, dog owners such as Deng Xiaozhi nervously leave their homes with pets in tow for a walk or run in parks safe with the knowledge that city dog catchers have already clocked. Deng's placid Golden Retriever and other big dogs are outlaws and can be locked up and put down if they are intercepted by the authorities in the Olympic city.
Pet ownership in China is booming and dog lovers in particular complain about Beijing's inflexible laws against large dogs which they say harks back to China's communist past when few people kept dogs as pets, and those that did were scorned as bourgeois timewasters by communist leader Mao Zedong.
"The 35-cm rule is not scientific, as most big pet dogs are quieter than smaller ones in reality," Deng said as he lay on the couch alongside his dog Maomao. "People who make the rules have no knowledge whatsoever of dogs."
As pets become popular in China, Beijing dog owners are bristling over the city ban on large dogs and hefty annual license fees for small dogs of as much as 1,000 yuan (73 pounds).
The ban is strictly enforced. Even a partially blind Paralympic medalist is unable to get her guide dog registered ahead of the Olympics and Paralympics in September when she is due to run with the torch at the opening ceremony.
"I know it's pet owners' responsibility to register their dogs, but current regulation doesn't allow me to do so," said Deng. "For big dogs, being captured by the police almost always leads to a dead end."
Beijing's 17 million residents registered 703,897 pet dogs in 2007, up 17.3 percent from 600,096 in 2006. The number is probably much higher after factoring in unregistered dogs such as Lucky
Foreign diplomats are exempt from the size rule, and are often spotted parading huge Golden Retrievers, Siberian Huskies and Labradors along leafy streets.
But Beijingers, bound by the rules, more often opt for tiny Chihuahuas or the city's white fluffy namesake, the Pekinese. A Beijing law makes it illegal to keep dogs taller than 35 centimeters (1.1 foot) ... more -
Where is the Afghan female runner?
Mehbooba Andyar's choice to compete in a head scarf and full-length, body-covering running suit could not spare her from Taliban taunts and threats. The Afghan middle-distance runner nonetheless trekked on and was on the verge of realizing her Olympic dream. But now Andyar — slated to be the only female Afghan athlete at the Beijing Games — has gone missing from her training site just weeks before the opening ceremonies.
Andyar has not contacted any Afghan or international track-and-field authorities since disappearing Friday from a training facility in Formia, Italy, 106 miles (170 km) south of Rome, where she and other international athletes were based in June. Italian police are investigating the disappearance, though there are no signs of foul play. Her bags and passport were also gone from her room, a sign that she may have left on her own.
No scenario is being ruled out, and Andyar did not have any special security detail. One possible explanation is that the 19-year-old may be seeking asylum somewhere in Europe, following repeated threats and humiliation from Muslim extremists, including false rumors that she was a prostitute. Nick Davies, spokesman for the IAAF, the world track-and-field governing body, said there had been no signs that Andyar was having second thoughts about competing in Beijing. "It was quite a surprise to us," Davies told TIME. "We don't know where she is. All we know is that she and her bags are gone."
The 800- and 1,500-meter runner, whose best times are far slower than international standards, was an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship athlete, paid for by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and trained by the IAAF, a program that offers special opportunities to competitors in troubled conditions.
An Italian Olympic official said Andyar and other athletes who had previously been training in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, had been in Formia the past month to train, and as a base for European track meets. "We were only the hosts," the Italian official said. "They were in transit here."
The other Afghan track athlete expected in Beijing, a male sprinter, as well as an Afghan trainer were also at the Formia facility, and they told authorities they were unaware of Andyar's whereabouts. TIME contacted both the Afghan Olympic Committee and the country's track-and-field association in Kabul, but neither knew where Andyar was. An Afghan Olympic official said the team holds the right to substitute Andyar with another female athlete, though the IOC would have the last word.
Davies says the runner was scheduled to return to Malaysia with the other Asia-based athletes just a few days after she disappeared. Although she could still wind up competing at the Olympics, Davies says that every passing day makes it more likely that Afghanistan will have no women at the Games.
Four years ago in Athens, Robina Muqimyar ran the 100 meters and Friba Rezihi competed in judo, becoming the first Afghan women ever to compete in the Olympics. If Andyar doesn't make it to Beijing, it will be one more sign that those making the most progress these days in Afghanistan are the bad guys.
Mehbooba Andyar's choice to compete in a head scarf and full-length, body-covering running suit could not spare her from Taliban taunt... more -
Alcune Verità Sono Intollerabili
Italian translation of: Some Truths Are Intolerable
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Beijing Non-Olympics Part 1: Winter swimmers
This is the first part in a series of films taking a quirky look at the wonderful sporting habits of real Beijingers. From hip hop dancing grandmas, to pigeon racers and winter lake swimmers, these local legends are carrying the torch for a different kind of sport... This is the first part in a series of films taking a quirky look at the wonderful sporting habits of real Beijingers. From hip hop dan... more
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As Beijing Olympics near, homes and hope crumble
More than 1.25 million people in Beijing - at times as many as 13,000 people a week - have been evicted since the city won its Olympic bid in 2001, according to the Geneva-based Center on Housing Rights and Evictions More than 1.25 million people in Beijing - at times as many as 13,000 people a week - have been evicted since the city won its Olympic... more
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Beijing takes dog off the menu for Olympics
Beijing has asked hotels and restaurants in the city to take dog meat off the menu for the duration of next month's Olympics and September's Paralympics.
Dog is eaten not only by the large Korean community in China's capital but is also popular in Yunnan and Guizhou restaurants.
A directive from the Beijing Food Safety Office issued last month ordered Olympic contractor hotels not to provide any dishes made with dog meat and said any canine material used in traditional medicated diets must be clearly labeled.
Concerned that canine dishes might offend animal rights groups and Western visitors, Beijing said restaurants expected to be popular among foreign visitors must stop serving dog meat "to respect the dining customs of different countries".
The directive "advocated" that all restaurants serving dog suspend it during the Olympics but made no mention of the many popular establishments with donkey on the menu.
Criticism from Westerners caused the dog meat-loving South Koreans to ban canine dishes for a period of time during the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Beijing has asked hotels and restaurants in the city to take dog meat off the menu for the duration of next month's Olympics and Septe... more
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2008 Beijing Olympics
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2008 Beijing Olympics
