OLYMPIC SPORT....(Olympic Games)

[joyvy67]

No call for China boycott (18 march 08 )

No governments have called for a boycott of the Beijing Olympic Games, says International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge.


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The issue has arisen following China's handling of the unrest in Tibet.
And pro-Tibet demonstrators plan to stage a protest outside the International Olympic Committee's Swiss headquarters on Tuesday.
But Rogge said he had been "heartened" that major governments were "almost unanimously" against a boycott.
European sports ministers and Olympic committees earlier ruled out any boycott of the Games.
The European officials, meeting in Slovenia, said such political events should not be linked to sport.

[MarcusMaximus]

I know there are rumblings here in the states to boycott the Chinese Olympics.

serves \'em right.

[marcell1002]

Boycott the fuckers!!!!!!

See how quickly they will change their tunes if that is to happen!!

Motherfuckerrs must leave tibet alone!

[joyvy67]

Angry Tibetan exiles may try to disrupt the Olympic torch relay through London if China continues its crackdown on protesters in Tibet.

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About 2,000 police officers and civilian support staff will be on duty in case of trouble when the torch passes through the capital on Sunday April 6.
Hundreds of Tibetans living in Britain and Europe are expected to travel to London that weekend to demonstrate against Beijing hosting the Olympic Games this summer.
Anne Holmes, acting director of the London-based Free Tibet Campaign, said feelings were running very high and some of them might try to disrupt the torch procession.




"We will have a presence - our plan is to do something peaceful to make our point," she said.
"Actually disrupting the torch relay in any way is not part of our plan at the moment.
"But I cannot speak on behalf of the Tibetan community in exile, who are obviously deeply distressed by recent events.
"The torch relay is two weeks off. Given what may or may not happen in Tibet, I really do not know what will happen on April 6.
"We would not be in the least bit surprised if there were a lot of people protesting."
China says 16 people have been killed since anti-government protests turned violent in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, last week, although Tibetan groups put the figure much higher.
The Olympic torch will visit 22 cities on five continents in an 85,000-mile relay around the world themed as a 'Journey of Harmony', arriving in Beijing for the Games opening ceremony on August 8.

[joyvy67]

Tight security surrounded the last day of the Greek leg of the Beijing Games torch relay with police repeatedly changing the route to the Athens Acropolis for fear of protests.

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Human rights activists and Tibetan demonstrators disrupted the globally televised torch lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia on Monday, breaking a security cordon and unfurling protest banners during the Beijing organising chief's speech.
Further protests marred the start of the relay, with demonstrators lying on the ground in front of vehicles accompanying the torchbearers in Olympia and holding up the runners several times.

[joyvy67]

Thirty-five arrests have been made after clashes between pro-Tibet protesters and police as the Olympic torch made its way through London.

Protests over China's human rights record began soon after the relay began at Wembley, and prompted an increasing police presence through the city.
One protester tried to snatch the torch from former Blue Peter host Konnie Huq.
After an unpublicised change to the route, the Chinese ambassador carried the torch through Chinatown.
It later made an unscheduled move on to a bus.




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[joyvy67]

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[joyvy67]

Protests against the Olympic torch relay ahead of the Beijing Games have spread to France's capital, Paris.

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Four people were arrested, including two who were taking part in demonstrations critical of Chinese rule in Tibet, AFP news agency said.
Officials twice extinguished the torch and put it on a bus for safety reasons.
Earlier, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge, expressed concern over unrest in Tibet and the torch protests.
The French protests come after 37 people were arrested during pro-Tibet protests which disrupted Sunday's relay in London.

[joyvy67]

Any boycott of the Beijing Games by politicians would only hurt athletes, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said.

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[joyvy67]

Argentine police kept small groups of pro- and anti-China activists apart as they gathered along the route of the Olympic torch before it was due to start its relay through Buenos Aires.

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[joyvy67]

The first athletes have checked into Beijing's newly-built Olympic village, with 12 days to go until the Games.

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China's basketball star Yao Ming and hurdler Liu Xiang were present for a flag-raising ceremony at the heavily guarded site.
The opening came on a muggy morning and correspondents reported a haze of pollution over the village's complex of luxurious, high-rise apartments.
In all 16,000 competitors will stay there during the games

[MarcusMaximus]

I hear they all have to wear special masks because the pollution is so bad....

[joyvy67]

Michael Phelps won his eighth Olympic gold medal of the Beijing Games to beat Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven, with victory in the 4x100m medley.

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The 23-year-old teamed up with Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen and Jason Lezak to claim the historic gold in a new world record time.
They held off Australia and Japan to win in a world record time of three minutes 29.34 seconds.