Beijing Olympics Aug 8-24 Live Website

[MAD]

Here is the site to watch the games and get updates. Site opened today.

I expect the opening day to be spectacular.

Save site, watch daily, you know you don't want to miss it.

MAD


http://en.beijing2008.cn/en.shtml


"(BEIJING, July 15) -- The Games-time version of the official website of the Beijing Olympic Games went live on July 15, 2008, giving shape to the information release platform for the Games and marking the official website's entry into Games-time status.

Releasing information in five languages -- Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Arabic -- the official website serves as a major channel for netizens worldwide to obtain information on the competitions of the Beijing Olympics and an important window for countries and people around the world to understand Beijing and China.

The website will issue immediate official information on the Beijing Olympics from authoritative sources and offer live coverage of all press conferences held by BOCOG and important press conferences by the IOC and national and regional Olympic committees through photos and transcripts.

In terms of Olympic competition coverage, the website will immediately publish detailed Olympic competition schedules, real-time competition progress for all sports, results, technical statistics and medal standings, in addition to detailed previews and post-competition analyses, flash reports, post-competition interviews, daily roundups and athlete features, with references to file and background information for all participating athletes, as soon as relevant data and information becomes available.

The website will offer full coverage of the highly anticipated Olympic opening and closing ceremonies and selected coverage of Olympic cultural activities, updates on co-host cities, events outside the venues, volunteers, venue operations and sponsorship activities. The "Olympic Spirit" page will follow the progress of the Olympic Cultural Festival, Olympic Youth Camp and Olympic Education Program with an aim at enhancing awareness among youth,enabling them to learn more about and participate in the Olympic Games.

To support BOCOG's services for spectators and media members, the website will provide comprehensive information on ticketing, guidelines for spectators, guides to the host city, venues and facilities, accessible services, transport, hotels, entertainment, Olympic licensed products. An advanced E-map will link netizens to any destination they seek.

Before and after the Olympic competitions, the website will hold online interviews with guests that include social celebrities, sports stars, Olympic officials, representatives of sponsors and ordinary volunteers, to allow netizens to see and understand all aspects of the Games."

[MAD]

China will be center stage to the world, due to the Olympics. The opening ceremony will be announcing to the world the power and advancements of their country. Only caveat, is, if it does not get spoiled by rain.

So another opportunity to show, how they have the technology to correct weather.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008- ... 550739.htm

[Linnea]

Thanks for the link, MAD. Saw some great photos of some amazing 'olympic gardening' done for the celebration. Huge structures and figures - all created from living plants. Will check out the site and see if they have anything there about these huge gardens.

[MAD]

I would have expected something more showy, for some reason, these are modest and colorful.

MAD


Beijing Olympic victory ceremony components unveiled

Updated: 2008-07-18

http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/official/ ... 0603.shtml

"Five series of costumes, featuring white, blue, green and pink, all widely used colors in China, have been designed for 302 Olympic victory ceremonies and 472 Paralympic victory ceremonies.

The victory podium is dominated by yellow, a color symbolizing honor and respect, and elements of "lucky clouds" that characterize a number of Beijing Olympic symbols.

Organizers have chosen brocade, silk and Chinese art paper produced in Xuancheng, Anhui Province, as materials for victory certificates, in view of their nobility and durability. Unearthed relics show that these materials can last as long as over a thousand years."

[MAD]

******BEIJING OLYMPICS OFFICIAL NBC*******

http://www.nbcolympics.com/

Summer Olympics Will Be Streaming to a PC Near You

http://tech.msn.com/news/articlepcw.asp ... &GT1=40000

NBC Universal hopes to transform your Olympics viewing experience via an ambitious Web strategy that includes more than 2,200 hours of live streaming video (with the option of viewing up to four streams at once) and interactive data to help you move smoothly between text, such as athletes' biographies, and vid_eo of their performance.

"We're delivering more video content for this Olympics than in the last three Olympics combined," says Perkins Miller, senior vice president of NBC Sports and Olympics. The goal, he says, is to deliver "the most complete Olympics possible," in part by paying closer attention to sports that previous broadcast coverage typically ignored.
All of the digital content will be available at no cost, but it will be accessible only to viewers in the United States. By the terms of NBC's deal with the International Olympics Committee, its Web streaming rights mirror its broadcast rights, which are limited to the United States.

[MAD]

I'd like to see them try this in other countries, this is a massive undertaking. Do it or else!

Now take a deep breath

MAD

Beijing begins massive Olympic shutdown

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080719/D920S8K81.html

"BEIJING (AP) - 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.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has repeatedly warned that outdoor endurance events lasting more than an hour will be postponed if the air quality is poor."

[grimlock16]

i saw some images from beijing this week and according to reports the pollution hasn't gone down a bit seen in images.. if people think pollution is bad in the usa, take a look at the photos around beijing. They shut down factories and reduced driving to 50% but still no effect so far. I'd love to see a reading from air samples from beijing compared to other cities in the usa, i bet all the cities in the usa are probly cleaner then beijings.. and thats saying something with the smog in california..

--
had seen a site earlier today with smog photos of beijing now can't find it in my history log not sure where it went

[MAD]

I couldn't find most recent articles on pollution situation, at this time.

I found this on Beijing Olympic site China, it is a daily weather chart. This is something.

Just click on any of the sport sites and it will give you everything from temp to wind and rain. Offered every HOUR, for that particular location. Whew. They should have included pollution levels and grade danger for asthma sufferers, now that would be impressive!

MAD

http://en.beijing2008.cn/spectators/bei ... ndex.shtml

Meteorological Obervations for Olympic

[MAD]

This is not smog, it is fog and.........it is good!

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id ... _article=1

"Sometimes it looks like it's a foggy day, but the air quality is actually good," Sun Weide, a spokesman for the Beijing Olympic Organising Committee, told AFP.

[Bobbi Snow]

For those of you who are interested, here is a UK article outlining some of the news censorship that will be in place during the reporting of the Olympic Games.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7532338.stm

[MAD]

This keeps getthing better. Controlling the websites, that is something.

But they can't censor that smog, even when they call it fog.
Just think, it will be in every picture you take while at the games,....unless they confiscate your camera, too!

They won't allow cameras at the sports games areana, no spitting either or soda containers, or a dozen other things.

Sheesh, this isn't about the games, its about China.

What I want to know who did they pay to get the games in Beijing? What was the Olympic commission thinking?

Let the games begin:D

[MAD]

Well, well, well, so the sky in now blue....

MAD

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNew ... 22&sp=true

Clouds clear over Beijing as Web row eases

"BEIJING (Reuters) - Normally smog-plagued Beijing bathed in blue skies and sunshine on Saturday in just the sort of weather the Chinese pray will grace their Olympics and banish athletes' health fears six days before the big start.

Experts attributed a rare day of fine weather in the Chinese capital to overnight rain and -- finally -- the impact of strict anti-pollution measures such as ordering half the cars off the road and closing smoke-belching factories.

"You see, we have done it! You can even see the mountains," enthused one Chinese student volunteer near the magnificent, newly built "Bird's Nest" stadium that is the main venue.

Pollution fears have clouded the build-up to China's biggest international event. Authorities here hope it will show off China's economic progress and modern face to the world."

[Bobbi Snow]

Just wait until people start comeing home and spreading China's NEWEST and most horrible chicken/animal virus! We're all at risk!

The games should ALL be cancelled, and China should stop being so secretive, and let other countries help them to clear up all the plagues they could literally cause the rest of the world... Maybe... that's their intention.

[MAD]

Bobbi Snow

Insteresting, as I read your post, I was visualizing the departure section at some airport in China......with all the travelers returning home.................contaminated somehow and the potential danger of pandemic of some kind!:eek:

Naw, that would never happen. I do suspect something major will occur.

On a more pleasant note, the opening ceromony will be spectacular!

[Chickadee]

China's NEWEST and most horrible chicken/animal virus! We're all at risk!