Beijing Olympics 2008 - Colors Fly

The Entertainment of the Olympics

Audiences are going to the National Stadium, "Bird's Nest", where the rehearsal of the opening ceremony takes place, at the night of July 30. [Photo: 2008.sohu.com]

It's a visual and audio extravaganza that is expected to be witnessed by some 4 billion people world-wide. With exactly one week to go before the Olympics here in Beijing officially open, a lot of people are beginning to wonder what exactly the opening ceremonies are going to look like. Without a doubt, the most anticipated moment will be the actual lighting of the flame inside the Birds Nest. And the window-dressing that is going to accompany this Olympic tradition is the artistic performance directed by renowned director Zhang Yimou. That night we will also find out what the theme song for the Olympics here in Beijing will be. So what sort of work has gone into opening ceremony? How will the Chinese culture be presented to the world? And what about the Olympic theme song? Ni hao, you're listening to People In the Know, your window into the world around you and your window into the Olympic Games, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International. In this edition of the show well be talking to the men behind the opening ceremony. So let's get started.

(Music)

First we'll talk to a veteran of the Olympic opening ceremonies. Mr. Ric Birch is the international artistic advisor to Zhang Yimou, and has been involved in Olympic opening ceremonies since 1984.

(Dialogue with Birch)

And after a short break, we'll talk to a Chinese composer of one of the Olympic songs.

(Promo)

Ni hao, you're listening to People In the Know, your window into the world around you and your window into the Olympic Games, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International. I'm Paul James in Beijing. In this edition of our show we're talking about the opening ceremony of the Games, which will take place one week from today. For more on the musical side of things, we are pleased to be joined on the line by Mr. Kong Xiangdong, pianist and producer of "Forever Friends."

(Dialogue with Kong)

And with that we drop the curtain on this edition of People In the Know, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International. Even though the opening ceremonies are going to be relatively short in duration, one can expect that it's going to be filled to the brim with the best that 5000 years of Chinese culture has to offer. Questions or comments for us can be sent to people@cri.com.cn. For Executive Director Zhao Yang, Producer Yang Jingjie and Editior Zhang Ru, I'm Paul James in Beijing. Enjoy the weekend.

Page Editor: Wang Wenwen

Iraqi Athletes To Compete at Beijing Olympics

© IOC

29 July 2008

International Olympic Committee Brokers Agreement with Iraqi Government

Lausanne, Switzerland – An agreement between the Iraqi government and the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday clears the way for Iraqi participation in the Olympic Games in Beijing.

In a productive meeting at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, the IOC and the Government of Iraq agreed on a series of steps that will lead to a fully functioning, independent National Olympic Committee in Iraq. The agreement re-establishes the independent NOC of Iraq which will be allowed to take part in the Beijing Games.

Iraqi athletes will compete in Beijing under the Iraqi flag, led by coaches and team leaders selected by the independent Iraqi National Olympic Committee. Five government representatives will be invited by the IOC as observers to the Games in Beijing. The agreement also calls for the transparent and fair election of a new, independent Iraqi National Olympic Committee, no later than the end of November 2008. This process will be overseen by the IOC and the Olympic Council of Asia and will be held in cooperation with the Government of Iraq, and in accordance with the Olympic Charter.

“I commend the government of Iraq for reaching an agreement that serves the long-term interest of Iraqi athletes,” IOC President Jacques Rogge said. “We have said all along that we want to see Iraqi athletes in Beijing.”

The IOC helped establish an independent Iraqi National Olympic Committee in February 2004, and has provided substantial financial support and other assistance to Iraqi athletes. In May this year, the Iraqi government sought to disband the independent NOC and replace it with one headed by a government official — a clear violation of the Olympic Charter regarding government interference.

The IOC responded on 4 June by suspending the government-imposed committee. The IOC urged Iraqi officials to resolve the matter and issued an open invitation for a meeting in Lausanne.

The deadline for competitors entering the Beijing Olympic Games for all events except athletics passed on 23 July. As a result, the slots for five Iraqi athletes have been redistributed, but two Iraqi athletics competitors will have the opportunity to compete in Beijing.

“We look forward to seeing the Iraqi flag in Beijing,” Rogge said.

Official Beijing Olympics Mascot Fuwa Dolls

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Beijing 2008 Olympics - One World One Dream

IOC to investigate apparent internet censorship

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will investigate apparent censorship of the internet service provided for media covering the Beijing Olympics, press chief Kevan Gosper said on Tuesday.

China, which has promised media the same freedom to report on the Games as they enjoyed at previous Olympics, loosened its regulations governing foreign media in January last year.

Despite these new regulations, which are scheduled to expire in October, foreign media in China have complained of continuing harassment by officials and Human Rights Watch released a report earlier this month saying China was not living up to its pledges.

Attempts to use the internet network at the Main Press Centre to access the website of Amnesty International, which released a report on Monday slamming China for failing to honour its Olympic human rights pledges, proved fruitless on Tuesday.

Gosper said the IOC would look into anything that interfered with reporters doing their jobs in reporting the Games.

"All of these things are a concern and we'll investigate them but our preoccupation is that the media are able to report on the Games as they did in previous Games," he said.

"Where it's not happening, we'll take the matter up with BOCOG and the authorities immediately," he said, referring to the Beijing Olympic organisers.

The Games officially open on August 8 but the Athletes' and Media Villages are up and running and the Main Press Centre and International Broadcast Centre are already teeming with some of the more than 20,000 media accredited to cover the event.

"As I've said before, this is a country that does have censorship within its media, but we've been guaranteed free access, open media activity for media reporting on the Olympic Games at Games time," Mr Gosper said.

"We are now in Games time."

-Reuters

Million dollar Olympic bike

Cycle maker Koga Miyata is hoping that a one million dollar bike built for Dutch track cyclist Theo Bos will secure him a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics

Koga has spent three and a half years developing a revolutionary frame for Bos, who narrowly missed out on the gold medal at the Athens Olympics four years ago.

Helen Long reports.

July 29: Be Cool and The Heat Is On

Chinese celebrated the successful bid for holding the 2008 Summer Olympic Games on July 13, 2001 on central Beijing's Tian'an Men Square. [File Photo: Agencies]

By Ning Yan

It's incredible how time works. Only 10 Days to go before the 2008 Olympic Games, the moment when Beijing was announced to be the host city seems to happen just yesterday.

I know it would be a clich to mention how excited China was on July 13, 2001 when the then IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch appeared before the world audience already holding their breath, then said the word Beijing.

However, after all these seven years, you just can't wipe that picture off your mind, can you? Especially for someone like me, who stayed together with more than a dozen of college mates in a downtown restaurant in Beijing witnessing the historic moment on TV before the whole team headed to Tian'an Men Square to join in the ocean of jubilance, at midnight. And till then, that was one of the few times I stayed up that late in my life!

Back then, 2008 seemed so far away. Everything about the Beijing Olympics was just the beginning of a dream.

But as we speak, the dream becomes more and more real now that everything is in full swing, from Olympic venues like the Bird's Nest and Water Cube, the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and the Main Press Centre (MPC) for the media, the city's traffic system and policy, to volunteers booths right on the corners of the street and even cab drivers' uniforms and their spoken English

The other day, when I was driving along a main road, a team of athletes in sportswear running on the right side of the road jumped into my sight. It was a sweltering day. And just as I was wondering, I saw a road sign in the distance saying that section was part of the marathon route for the Games.

Of course, not only the athletes and the media are warming up at the last minute. One of my friends told me just yesterdayliterally yesterday this timethat she has designed a couple of clothes herself which she will be wearing while watching the Gamesshe's got tickets for gymnastics and the semifinals for men's 110 metre hurdles and she is hunting for a tailor who can help her make them. The clothes should be striking in color so that the athletes can see me cheering for them. They should also say something about myself, you know, in terms of fashion." And I call her an amateur cheerleader!

August in Beijing has always been hot, and this upcoming one will be no exception, temperature wise, and sports wise. The heat is already on. So, get yourselves an iced watermelon as the Beijingers do and say hello to the Olympics!

Torch Relayed by Songhua River

Torchbearer Wang Chunli (R) lights the torch for the next torchbearer Man Wenjun during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games torch relay in Jinlin City, northeast China's Jilin Province, on July 15, 2008. [Photo: Xinhua]

The Beijing Olympic torch relay came to Songyuan and Jilin City of Northeast China's Jilin province by Songhua River on Tuesday.

Altogether 218 torchbearers participated in the relay, of which key words are challenge, effort and green.

The Olympic torch witnesses a new Guiness world record that 2008 people playing horse-head fiddle, a typical musical instrument of Mongolia, together in Songyuan.

An officer from the headquarters of Guiness World Record gave the cognizance to the breaking of the record that 1199 horse head string instruments playing together in 2006.

Wang Gangyi, good at swimming in extremely cold water and has broken 5 Guiness world records, is one of the torchbearers in Songyuan leg. "There is no limit in the Olympics, so dose maximal exercise. I'd love to challenge those utmost limitations for my whole life," Wang said.

Great grandnephew of Yu Fengzhi, the first wife of Zhang Xueliang, who subsidized Liu Changchun 8,000 silver dollars to help him become the first Chinese athlete participating in the Olympic Games, is a torchbearer in Songyuan also.

"Olympic Games are the century dream of Chinese people. It's not easy for China to host Olympic Games, which is full of the efforts made by all Chinese people," said Yu.

And Ren Jianguo, a torchbearer in Jilin leg who is known as the first man to protect wild birds for Songhua River, said that he has fed the birds and built them nests for 11 years.

Ren said that Beijing Olympic Games advocates Green Olympics, calling for the harmonious co-existence between human being and nature.

"The National Stadium, the main venue for 2008 Beijing Olympics, is widely known as the Bird Nest. I will inspire myself with the spirit of Olympics to build better nests for wild birds," Ren said.