Olympics

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 »

June 4, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Barack Obama (D-IL) and Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) today issued a statement following the announcement that Chicago has been chosen as a finalist in the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s competition to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"The Chicago 2016 organizers, the U.S. Olympic Committee, Mayor Daley and the people of Chicago deserve praise for a job well done. Because of their fine efforts, Chicago is well prepared to face stiff competition from the three additional finalists - Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.    » 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 »

08 April 2008 -- Officials for the 2012 London Olympics have announced the costs and confirmed the builders for the Olympic Stadium and aquatic center.

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) said Tuesday the 80,000 - seat Olympic Stadium will cost about $976 million and will be built by a consortium including HOK Sport, Buro Happold and Robert Alpine.

The price includes the cost of converting the stadium to a 25,000 seat multiple-use venue after the Olympics.

Meanwhile, the Aquatics Center and land bridge that will be a main gateway into the Olympic Park will cost some $476 million. The venue, which will be built by Balfour Beatty, will seat 2,500 people when it is reconfigured after the Games.

(Some information for this report was provided by AP)

Source: VOANews.com

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 »

- USOC, GE research partnership to measure benefits of advanced ultrasound technology on U.S. Olympic athletes and hopefuls for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
- Partnership continues from Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games; Massachusetts General Hospital and Henry Ford Hospital Using GE Ultrasound Technology to Study Top U.S. athletes in Rowing, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Boxing and Women’s Soccer

CHICAGO, MARCH 31, 2008 - In preparation for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and the General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games, announced today two research programs aimed at demonstrating that health monitoring and early intervention leads to injury prevention and enhanced health and sports performances for athletes.    » read more »