Friday, August 22, 2008

Beijing 2008 - Basic Facts

Like Fu Mingxia (Asian/ Olympic multi-medalist diver), Wang Junxia (track and field/ world record holder), Gao Min (world/ Olympic multi-medalist in diving) and Li Ning ( gymnastics/ Olympic gold medalist, 1984), Yao Ming (basketball player) is one of the favourites to light the Olympic flame on August 8th 2008. For his training, Liu Xiang -110m hurdles/ Olympic, Asian, world outdoor and world indoor champion- will probably not light the Olympic flame at the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. Xiang's father said, "He has such a weighty responsibility on the track, he will not be the one to light the flame". Liu is one of the most famous athletes in the history.

The sports competition program of the 2008 Beijing Games can include only sports of International Federations recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC): archery, athletics (track and field), badminton, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, canoeing (canoe/ kayak), cycling, diving, equestrian, fencing, football (soccer), gymnastics, handball, field hockey, judo, rowing, shooting, softball, synchronized diving, synchronized swimming, swimming (aquatics), table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, water polo, weightlifting, volleyball, wrestling (freestyle & Greco-Roman) and yachting (sailing).

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the 29th Olympiad (BOCOG) sent invitations to all National Olympic Committees around the world (205 countries and territories). Curiously, China does not have formal diplomatic relations with Belize, Burkina Faso, Chad, Costa Rica, Dominica (former British colony in the Caribbean), Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Gambia, Guatemala, Grenada, Haiti, Honduras, Liberia, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niger, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Swaziland, Tonga and Tuvalu.

This Asian country has hosted many world championships/ international games:

The 1961 ITTF Table Tennis World Cup, Beijing

The 1991 FIFA Football Women's World Cup, Guangzhou

The 1993 East Asian Games, Shangai

The 1996 Asian Winter Games, Habian

The 1999 World Gymnastics Championship, Tianjin

The 1985 FIFA U-16 World Championship, Beijing

The 2002 FIBA World Championship for Women, Beijing

The 2005 AIBA Boxing World Championship, Mianyang

The 2005 East Asian Games, Macau

The 2006 ISF Softball Women's World Cup, Beijing

The 2006 Lusophony Games, Macau

The 2007 Asian Winter Games, Changchun

The 2007 Asian Indoor Games, Macau

The 2007 FIFA Football Women's World Cup, Shangai

The 2007 WTF World Taekwondo Championship, Beijing

The non- Olympic sports are: aikido, billiards, bodybuilding, bowling, chess, cricket, golf, Kabaddi, karate, kendo, kuoshu, racquetball, roller skating, rugby, sepaktakraw, squash, water skiing.

During the XXIX Summer Olympic Games, the Beijing Hotel will serve as the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and guests. It is one of the most distinguished hotels in the world.

China -it is a little bigger than the United States- has won 112 Olympic gold medals. After their first appearance at the 1984 Olympic Games, the Chinese team has been the most successful team in Asia.

Hosts................Gold...Silver....Bronze...Total...Ranking

L.A'84...................15.......8..........9............32........4

Seoul'88...............5.......11........12..........28.......11

Barcelona'92.....16......22........16...........54........4

Atlanta'96............16......22........12..........50........4

Sydney'2000......28......16........15...........59........3

Athens'2004......32......17........14...........63........2

The following countries will participate in the Olympics in China:

1.Afghanistan

2.Albania

3.Algeria

4.American Samoa

5.Andorra

6.Angola

7.Antigua & Barbuda

8.Argentina

9.Armenia

10.Aruba

11.Australia

12.Austria

13.Azerbaijan

14.Bahamas

15.Bahrain

16.Bangladesh

17.Barbados

18.Belarus

19.Belgium

20.Belize

21.Benin

22.Bermuda

23.Bhutan

24.Bolivia

25.Bosnia Herzegovina

26.Botswana

27.Brazil

28.British Virgin Islands

29.Brunei Darussalam

30.Bulgaria

31.Burkina Faso

32.Burundi

33.Cambodia

34.Camerron

35.Canada

36.Cape verde

37.Cayman Islands

38.Central African Republic

39.Chad

40.Chile

41.China (The People's Republic of China)

42.Chinese Taipei

43.Colombia

44.Comoros

45.Congo

46.Congo Republic

47.Cook Islands

48.Costa Rica

49.Cote d'Ivoire

50.Croatia

51.Cuba

52.Cyprus

53.Czech Republic

54.Denmark

55.Djibouti

56.Dominica

57.Dominican Republic

58.Ecuador

59.Egypt

60.El Salvador

61.Equatorial Guinea

62.Eritrea

63.Estonia

64.Ethiopia

65.Fiji

66.Finland

67.France

68.Gabon

69.Gambia

70.Georgia

71.Germany

72.Ghana

73.Greece

74.Grenada

75.Guam

76.Guatemala

77.Guinea

78.Guinea-Bissau

79.Guyana

80.Haiti

81.Honduras

82.Hong Kong

83.Hungary

84.Iceland

85.India

86.Indonesia

87.Iran

88.Iraq

89.Ireland

90.Israel

91.Italy

92.Jamaica

93.Japan

94.Jordan

95.Kazakhstan

96.Kenya

97.Kiribati

98.Korea, North

99.Korea, South

100.Kuwait

101.Kyrgyzstan

102.Laos

103.Latvia

104.Lebanon

105.Lesotho

106.Liberia

107.Lybia

108.Liechtenstein

109.Lithuania

110.Luxembourg

111.Macedonia

112.Madagascar

113.Malawi

114.Malaysia

115.Maldives

116.Mali

117.Malta

118.Marshall Islands

119.Mauritania

120.Mauritius

121.Mexico

122.Micronesia

123.Moldova

124.Monaco

125.Mongolia

126.Montenegro

127.Morocco

128.Mozambique

129.Myanmar

130.Namibia

131.Nauru

132.Nepal

133.Netherlands

134.Netherlands Antilles

135.New Zealand

136.Nicaragua

137.Niger

138.Nigeria

139.Norway

140.Oman

141.Pakistan

142.Palau

143.Palestine

144.Panama

145.Papua New Guinea

146.Paraguay

147.Peru

148.Philippines

149.Poland

150.Portugal

151.Puerto Rico

152.Qatar

153.Romania

154Russia

155.Rwanda

156.Saint Kitts and Nevis

157.Saint Lucia

158.Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

159.Samoa

160.San Marino

161.Sao Tome and Principe

162.Saudi Arabia

163.Senegal

164.Serbia

165.Seychelles

166.Sierra Leone

167.Singapore

168.Slovak Republic

169.Slovenia

170.Solomon Islands

171.Somalia

172.South Africa

173.Spain

174.Sri Lanka

175.Sudan

176.Suriname

177.Swaziland

178.Sweden

179.Switzerland

180.Syria

181.Tajikistan

182.Tanzania

183.Thailand

184.Timor-Leste

185.Togo

186.Tonga

187.Trinidad & Tobago

188.Tunisia

189.Turkey

190.Turkmenistan

191.Tuvalu

192.Uganda

193.Ukraine

194.United Arab Emirates

195.United Kingdom

196.United States

197.United States Virgin Islands

198.Uruguay

199.Uzbekistan

200.Vanuatu

201.Venezuela

202.Vietnam

203.Yemen

204.Zambia

205.Zimbabwe

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He is a freelance writer. Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry. He has published more than seventy-five research paper in English, and more than twenty in Spanish, concerning the world issues, olympic sports, countries, and tourism. His next essay is called "The Dictator and Alicia Alonso". He is an expert on foreign affairs. Alejandro is the first author who has published a world-book encyclopedia in Latin America.

He admires Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Jos Gamarra (former president of the Bolivian Olympic Committee ,1970- 1982), Hillary Clinton (ex-First Lady of the USA), and Jimmy Carter (former President of the USA). Alejandro said: "The person who I admire the most is Jos Gamarra . He devoted his professional and personal life to sport. Jos played an important role in the promotion of Olympism in Bolivia -it is one of the Third World`s poorest countries- and Latin America. His biography is interesting". The sportspeople he most admire is Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman. "This African-American sportswoman is my idol... "

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