2008 Beijing Olympics

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Reuters: Olympic torch re-lit in Beijing ceremony

Countdown to 8-8-08...

Olympic torch re-lit in Beijing ceremony

By STEPHEN WADE, AP Sports Writer
1 hour, 59 minutes ago

Chinese President Hu Jintao presided over the re-lighting of the Olympic torch Monday in the host city, signaling the start of an around-the-world torch relay that already has become a magnet for protesters.

Hu's participation in the elaborate ceremony in Tiananmen Square in the heart of the capital underlined the importance China places on the Olympics and its hope to display a confident, strong nation to the world when the games open Aug. 8.

The ceremony, 130 days before the start of the Olympics, came a week after the lighting ceremony for the Olympic torch in Greece was marred by protests.

"I declare the torch relay of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games has begun," Hu said after handing the flame to China's Olympic gold-medal hurdler, Liu Xiang. Liu jogged off the square as blue, gold and silver confetti flew, Chinese and Olympic flags waved and traditional drums pounded.

After a one-day stop in Beijing, the flame goes Tuesday to Almaty, Kazakhstan, the start of an 85,000-mile journey back to Beijing.

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[bkochmc]

2008 Torch Relay Map

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Originally Posted by bkochmc

2008 Torch Relay Map

Good stuff BK... from the official site.

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Reuters: Beijing pollution risky for endurance athletes

Beijing pollution risky for endurance athletes

By Nick Mulvenney
Wed Apr 2, 6:41 AM ET

Endurance events at the Beijing Olympics could pose a health risk if they are staged on heavily polluted days, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday, although it was prepared to reschedule such events.

Hein Verbruggen, chairman of the IOC coordination commission, said there was a small chance of athletes suffering some damage to their health if they took part in events lasting longer than an hour, such as the marathon and cycling road races.

Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world and, despite a 120 billion yuan ($17.12 billion) clean-up over the last decade, air quality remains a concern for many athletes coming to the Olympics, already a lightning rod for rights protests worldwide.

"There can be a risk, but it's not big, for endurance events that last longer than an hour," the Dutchman told Reuters on the sidelines of the final inspection of preparations for the August 8-24 Games.

"In that case, we are developing a Plan B. We might delay certain events for a couple of days. But to do that it must be very bad."

Organizers could face a dilemma if on the final day of competition pollution levels are too high to stage the men's marathon.

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Times (UK): IOC may scrap Beijing Olympic torch relay

IOC may scrap Beijing Olympic torch relay over protests

April 8, 2008

by Jenny Booth, Jane Macartney in Beijing and Chris Ayres in Los Angeles

The International Olympic Committee may scrap the international leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay as a result of the protests over China?s military crackdown in Tibet.

Jacques Rogge, the IOC President, says the organisation's executive board will meet on Friday to debate whether to allow the torch to continue its 85,000-mile, 21-country journey.

Mr Rogge said this morning that he was "deeply saddened" by the violent protests in London and Paris, and concerned about tomorrow's torch relay in San Francisco.

The IOC is holding its last official meetings in the Chinese capital this week with organisers of the Beijing Games. Gunilla Lindberg, a Swedish IOC member, said that the protests surrounding the torch relay were ?damaging the Olympic movement?. "Using the torch this way is almost a crime," Ms Lindberg said. This is the property of the IOC, it is not a Chinese torch."

Kevan Gosper, an IOC member from Australia, said that IOC officials had warned their Chinese colleagues that London, Paris and San Francisco "would be sensitive places", and China's recent crackdown in Tibet had "stirred the potential for protest".

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[ScriptOhio]

SPEEDO LZR RACER - the world's fastest swimsuit



February 14, 2008 Following three years of research that included input from NASA, tests on more than 100 different fabrics and suit designs and body scans of more than 400 elite swimmers, Speedo has launched its most hydro-dynamically advanced - and fastest - swimsuit to date. The SPEEDO? LZR RACER? is made from a unique lightweight, water repellent and fast-drying fabric that has been developed to reduce drag and help hold the swimmer?s body in a more streamlined shape. Speedo says the suit has been independently tested as the "world's fastest", a claim that translates to up to 5% more efficiency for swimmers and hopefully, at least for Michael Phelps and other elite athletes donning the suit in Beijing later in the year, more gold medals.
The new suit has 10% less passive drag (meaning the drag present when the swimmer is gliding through the water after a dive or turn) than Speedo?s 2004 FASTSKIN FSII and 5% less passive drag than the FASTSKIN FS-PRO? - which has seen 21 swimmers break World Records since its release in March 2007.
The specially engineered, highly flexible fabric called LZR PULSE?is ultrasonically welded so as to appear seamless. It incorporates low drag "LZR" panels designed to create a corset-like effect that supports the swimmer in the optimum body position in the water and helps them hold it for longer.
The LZR RACER?s unique design also provides swimmers with up to 5% more efficiency** in terms of their oxygen intake, enabling them to swim stronger for longer. ?It makes it easier to swim faster,? said Rick Sharp, Exercise Physiologist, Iowa State University.
Coming a decade after the introduction of the full-body racing swim suit and coinciding with Speedo's 80th anniversary, the LZR RACER was developed by Speedo?s Aqualab research team, drawing on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software from ANSYS, Inc. and the expertise of research institutes such as the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and Otago University in New Zealand, as well as the NASA Langley Research Center. International fashion label Comme des Gar?ons' founder Rei Kawakubo also contributed to the design.

Entire article: SPEEDO LZR RACER - the world's fastest swimsuit

FINA disagrees with critics that new suit gives swimmers edge

MANCHESTER, England -- If the current trend continues, world records could become the norm after the International Swimming Federation ruled Speedo's new high-tech LZR Racer suit is legal.
The LZR has been worn for 18 of the 19 world records set since it was introduced in February. Critics have claimed the swimsuit makes competitors more buoyant, but FINA disagreed.
"There is no scientific proof that it helps somehow, to the best of FINA's knowledge," FINA told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
FINA is set to meet with swimsuit manufacturers at the short-course world championships this weekend in Manchester. Other companies are due to come out soon with suits to compete with the LZR.

Entire article: ESPN - FINA disagrees with critics that new suit gives swimmers edge - Swimming