28th January 2007
Cost of Olympics will not exceed Athens
Beijing Olympic organizers have stated that the cost of running the 2008 Beijing Olympics will not exceed that of Athens. Athens spent $12 billion - double than what they originally budgeted for.
“I don’t have an exact number for you, but I can say that our investments in the Olympics Games next year will not exceed the money spent in Athens,” said Yu Xiuqin, the deputy director of the Bureau of Statistics of the Beijing Municipality.
24th January 2007
Jump design competition
The organizers of the equestrian even are having a competition to design a unique jumping fence.
First prize for the competition is HK$10,000, second HK$8000 and third place HK$5000.
Click here for entry details.
20th January 2007
Beijing to have more doping tests
Organizers are planning to conduct 4,500 doping tests during the Olympic Games, 1000 more than the 2004 Athens Games.
“As part of its zero-tolerance approach to fighting doping, the International Olympic Committee has decided to increase the number of tests by a large amount,” organising committee executive vice-president Yang Shu’an was quoted as saying.
17th January 2007
China going all out for gold
China is doing whatever they can to make sure they win gold at the Beijing Olympics. One of their strategies is hiring foreign coaches.
Some of their foreign coaches include
Basketball - Lithuanian
Hockey - South Korean
Syncronized swimming - Japanese
Women’s softball - American
Bastian, who coached in the defunct U.S. Women’s Professional Softball League, says he is well compensated in China.
“They take good care of me, about like a top level American college coach,” he said.
16th January 2007
Toilet upgrades
Beijing is working on major toilet upgrades across the city in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. The plan is to have a public toilet available within a five minute walk.
15th January 2007
Table tennis champion to manage Olympic village
Former table tennis champion Deng Yaping has been appointed deputy director of the management of the Olympic Village for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Deng has a lot experience in international competitions and speaks English fluently.
13th January 2007
North Korea to compete in 100 disciplines
North Korea is planning to compete in 100 disciplines in 20 different sports in the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, “to please the people and our leader Kim Jong-il,” the president of the (North) Korea Olympic Committee said.
8th January 2007
Economy to stay robust after Olympics
A leading economist has predicted that China’s economy will remain robust even after the Olympic Games in 2008.
“Huge amounts of investment is required to rejuvenate the old industrial base in northeast China and the country’s underdeveloped west, Li Yining said, adding that hi-tech industries are also a new hot area that will attract new investment.
