China Wraps Up Olympic Idyll

The money is just an 'investment,' say officials

(NEWSER) - A boxing official made arrangements to "sell" two 2012 Olympic gold medals to the Azerbaijani team for $10 million, according to an investigation by the BBC . Millions of dollars in secret payments have already been made to international boxing organization World Series Boxing, sources say. In exchange, the head of the group promised that the Azerbaijani fighters would win two boxing gold medals at the London 2012 Olympics, according to sources. Lawyers have called the charges "preposterous and utterly untrue," even though the International Amateur Boxing Association, which runs the WSB, admits that an Azerbaijani foreign minister has paid $9 million to one of its competitions as an "investment." More»

And other updates from the chaos

(NEWSER) - Police are struggling to restore order on the streets of London after three days of rioting and looting. Here are some updates from the Telegraph's exhaustive coverage:

• David Cameron seemed to criticized the police effort , saying it needed to be “more robust,” and saying that the number of officers on the street tonight would swell from 6,000 to 16,000, with all police leave canceled.
• In an ironic turn, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has urged the British police to “show restraint” and said it would ask human rights organizations to investigate the fatal shooting that precipitated the riots.

Gymnast Dong Fangxiao was just 14 at the time

(AP) - China was stripped of a bronze medal from the 2000 Sydney Olympics today for fielding an underage female gymnast, with the women's team medal now going to the US. The International Olympic Committee acted after investigations by the sport's governing body determined that Dong Fangxiao was only 14 at the 2000 Games. Gymnasts must turn 16 during the Olympic year to be eligible. More»

Speed skating, hockey and Tanith Belbin makes Esquire list

(NEWSER) - If, like many, your interest in the Vancouver Games is lukewarm (kinda like the weather keeping the ski slopes snow-free), Esquire provides a list of the don’t-miss Olympic moments. Some highlights:

• Friday: Opening ceremonies. Vancouver’s spending less than half the $100 million Beijing did in 2008. Or you can rent Strange Brew.
• Saturday: See Apolo Anton Ohno go for a US-record sixth winter medal—as he and his fellow speed skaters sport the Stephen Colbert logo.

Police stake out whistleblower's studio, shut down blog

(NEWSER) - The Chinese artist who has made investigating the deaths of children in the Sichuan earthquake a personal crusade is facing a government crackdown, reports the CBC. Ai Weiwei's widely read blog has been deleted, and plainclothes police officers are staking out his studio in Beijing. Ai has relaunched his blog on an American server but said, "I don't know how long it will last before it is blocked." More»