Beijing Summer Olympic Games

Washington, D.C.-Between 2000 and 2007, carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion worldwide increased 22 percent to an estimated 8.2 billion tons, according to the latest Vital Signs Update released by the Worldwatch Institute. China accounted for a staggering 57 percent of the growth in emissions during this period, while India contributed 8 percent and the United States and Europe contributed 4 and 3 percent, respectively.    » read more »

06 August 2008 -- The flame of the Beijing Olympics has arrived in the capital city for the final leg of its international relay ahead of Friday's opening ceremonies.

Thousands of enthusiastic residents cheered and waved Chinese flags as Wednesday's relay began with a lighting ceremony at the Forbidden City. China's first man in space, Yang Liwei, was the first to carry the torch, followed by other Chinese celebrities, including National Basketball Association star Yao Ming.

Despite the tight security in Beijing, foreign activists staged two separate demonstrations to protest China's human rights record. Four foreigners were detained for displaying giant banners near the main Olympic "Bird's Nest" stadium, calling for a free Tibet.    » read more »

4 August 2008 -- As China makes last minute preparations to host the Olympics, the environment is proving to be one major wild card that Chinese leaders cannot totally control. Olympic host city Beijing has some of the most polluted air in the world. Despite measures aimed at clearing the skies, the air is still often a disturbing murky gray.

These days, people watch the skies above Beijing closely. Some days, especially after it rains, the skies are relatively clear.

More often than not, though, a thick murky haze fills the air and makes it nearly impossible to see nearby buildings.

What is causing Beijing's gray skies? Is it natural phenomena, or is it pollution?    » read more »

GE caring for more than 10,500 athletes from over 200 countries at Beijing Games with advanced MRI, ultrasound and ECG technologies

BEIJING, 01 July 2008 -- GE Healthcare, the US$17 billion healthcare business of General Electric Company (GE), is working with medical leaders in the Olympic Movement to advance the use of innovative medical imaging technologies to provide insight into athlete health, as well as benefits for the general public. The company will supply a broad array of medical technologies, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound and electrocardiogram (ECG) to the Olympic Village General Hospital. In addition, three National Olympic Committees, including China, U.S.    » read more »

16 June 2008 -- Chinese officials have confirmed that the controversial Tibet leg of the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay has been postponed. Beijing Olympic officials previously announced a delay in the torch relay through Sichuan province after the area was hit by a powerful earthquake May 12.

Olympic torch rally, London: Free Tibet Protest: Photo by Kaustav Bhattacharya (CC)

But now officials confirm additional changes in the route. No official reason has been given.    » read more »

18 May 2008 -- China has today announced three days of mourning and that the Olympic Torch Relay will pause during this time. Commenting on this announcement, the IOC said:

"These are tragic and testing times for China and the Chinese people. The way the country has come together in solidarity, and the courage shown by those affected and those involved in the rescue efforts can only be admired. The IOC fully supports the decision to pause the Torch Relay while the country mourns. Our thoughts and prayers are with China."

Source: IOC

8 May 2008 -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today launched the tender process for the sale of the broadcast and exhibition rights for all territories within Europe for the XXII Olympic Winter Games (2014) in Sochi, Russia, and the Games of the XXXI Olympiad (2016).

The Invitation to Tender issued by the IOC provides organisations interested in acquiring the rights with specific guidelines relating to bid submissions. The IOC has asked for bids to be submitted by 5 p.m. (CET) on 1 July 2008.    » read more »

24 April 2008 -- Gathered in Lausanne, Switzerland, athletes from around the world who represent the voice of sportsmen and women on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), met to discuss how to address the challenging international backdrop into which the Olympic Games have been drawn in recent weeks.

The Athletes’ Commission members [1] spoke passionately and from their own experiences about the inappropriateness of manipulating and using athletes as political tools. At the close of the meeting, they released the following statement.    » read more »

April 10, 2008 -- ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain today issued the following statement on China and the Olympic Games:

"Our relationship with China is important, and we value our ability to cooperate with the Chinese government on a wide variety of strategic, economic, and diplomatic fronts. But the Chinese government needs to understand that in our modern world, how a nation treats its citizens is a legitimate subject of international concern.

Beijing Olympics protesters in New York: Photo by Avi Flax (CC)    » read more »

11 April 2008 -- The Olympic torch has arrived in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, after a flight from San Francisco.

Argentine police whisked the flame away to a secret location on Thursday. The torch will reappear on Friday morning, when football legend Diego Maradona carries it at the opening of the relay through Buenos Aires.

Protesters during the Olympic torch relay in Paris: Photo by Greg Daly (CC)    » read more »

Senators Say Bush's Presence Would Show Tolerance for Human Rights Violations, Disrespect for Spirit of the Olympics

April 9, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Today, as the Olympic torch relay makes its only stop in the United States, U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) are officially calling on President Bush not to attend the Opening Ceremonies in Beijing this summer.

Senator Hillary Clinton: Photo by Marc Nozell (CC)

In their letter to Bush the Senators wrote:    » read more »

10 April 2008 -- Amid tight security, runners carried the Olympic torch through San Francisco Wednesday, as protesters called attention to the human rights record of this year's Olympic host, China. San Francisco officials changed the route of the torch run to avoid thousands of demonstrators.

Runners carrying the Olympic flame followed a truncated course that avoided protesters who criticized China's recent crackdown in Tibet, and others who decried China's support of the governments of Sudan and Burma, countries accused of human rights abuses. Yet other demonstrators, some of them members of San Francisco's large Chinese American community, waved Chinese flags in support of China. Many in both groups left without seeing the torch.    » read more »

10 April 2008 -- The president of the International Olympics Committee says the Beijing Games will recover from a "crisis" involving anti-China protests that have marred the international torch relay. Jacques Rogge made the vow Thursday at the opening session of IOC's executive board meeting in the Chinese capital.

San Francisco protesters against the Beijing Summer Olympic Games: Photo by Scott Eaton (CC)

Rogge says the IOC was "saddened" by demonstrations that disrupted the carrying of the torch in London and Paris.    » read more »

April 8, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today regarding the Olympic torch relay’s planned route tomorrow through the City of San Francisco, the only city in North America to host the torch:

“The Olympic Charter states that the goal of the Olympic games should be to promote ‘a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.’

Tibet protesters during Olympic torch relay, Paris: Photo by Siobhán Silke (CC)    » read more »

31 March 2008 -- Liu Jingmin, Vice-President of the Beijing Olympic Bid Committee, said in 2001 that allowing Beijing to host the Games would “help the development of human rights". Seven years on, China’s human rights record shows little sign of improvement, according to an Amnesty International report.

Beijing National Stadium, "The Bird's Nest", built for the 2008 Summer Olympics: Photo by Ming Xia (CC)    » read more »