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NEWS ABOUT: 2008 Beijing Olympics

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Olympic Marathon Champ Commits Suicide

Sammy Wanjiru jumps after wife finds him with another woman

(Newser) - Kenyan Olympic marathon gold medalist Sammy Wanjiru leaped to his death from the balcony of his apartment following a heated argument with his wife, authorities said. Wanjiru, 24, had been drinking when his wife found him with another woman in their home in Nyahururu, said police. Efforts to revive him... More »

IOC Strips China's 2000 Bronze Medal

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... More »

Google's Brin: China Too 'Totalitarian'

Co-founder says it reminds him of his native Soviet Union

(Newser) - Google's decision to stop service in China was based on the company's growing unease about the compromises required by Beijing, co-founder Sergey Brin tells the Wall Street Journal . The censorship exercised by the government reminded him of life in the Soviet Union, which Brin and his parents left when he... More »

Evan Lysacek Wants a Girlfriend

Olympic figure skating gold medalist isn't dating gymnast Nastia Liukin

(Newser) - Never mind the rumors about Evan Lysacek dating gymnast Nastia Liukin—the Olympic champion in men's figure skating is single and looking. "I haven't had any time for dating while I'm training," Lysacek tells Entertainment Tonight . "I'm lonely." As for Liukin, herself an Olympic gold medalist,... More »

DVR-Worthy Olympic Moments

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
... More »

China Censors Artist Leading Quake Inquiry

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... More »

How China Rewrote Tiananmen History

Recalling Tiananmen 20 years later

(Newser) - The Tiananmen Square massacre isn’t something the Chinese government wants the world to remember, and it's doing a good job keeping the matter quiet, writes Terrence Cheng in the Chronicle of Higher Education. In China, “those who dare to speak about it are swiftly silenced,” he writes.... More »

Suspension Over, Phelps Prepares for Meet

(Newser) - Michael Phelps’ suspension ended today, and the swimmer is back in the pool preparing for a tourney next week in Charlotte, the AP reports. The Olympian said he was actually unaware of the end of the 3-month ban, imposed after photos emerged of him hitting a bong. “I had... More »

Usain Bolt Crashes Gift Car, Walks Away

Bolt has only minor scratches

(Newser) - Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt walked away from a car accident in Jamaica with no apparent injuries except a thorn in his foot. The world champion sprinter crashed his BMW M3—a gift from sponsor Puma for his performance in Beijing—after speeding down a wet highway, the Guardian reports.... More »

Retesting Nails 6 Olympic Drug Cheats

New technique exposes athletes' use of banned blood booster

(Newser) - Six Olympic drug cheats have been exposed long after the end of the 2008 Beijing Games, CNN reports. The IOC—which keeps test samples on file for eight years after events finish—rechecked 948 samples after a new test for a banned blood booster was developed. Silver medal-winning Italian cyclist... More »

Johnson Stalker Hit With 3-Year Restraining Order

(Newser) - The restraining order against Shawn Johnson stalker Robert Michael O’Ryan has been extended to 3 years, E! reports today. The Johnson family is “pleased with the decision,” their lawyer said. O’Ryan is being held in a California jail for trespassing on a studio lot—guns, duct... More »

Phelps Chugs Vodka While Mom Plugs Book

Swimmer backs mom in NYC, up-ends bottle of Grey Goose

(Newser) - Michael Phelps, well on his way to reclaiming his All-American image, was spotted at a New York hotspot “drinking straight from a bottle of Grey Goose,” a source tells the Daily News. At one point, “he got up, started dancing like a loon and kept on yelling,... More »

World Rules Sink New Tech Tricks for Swimming Suits

Regulations limit suits' bouyancy, coverage

(Newser) - World competitive swimming organization Fina has outlawed certain high-tech swimming suits to keep the playing field even, reports the BBC. Suits cannot cover the neck, nor extend past the ankles and shoulders, and are limited to a certain thickness and buoyancy under the new rules. An astonishing 108 swimming records... More »

Phelps Hides From Paps— at Strip Joints

Swimmer hides from cameras, tints windows

(Newser) - It’s understandable that Michael Phelps is a little camera-shy after the fallout from his bong portrait. But he’s started “hiding out at strip clubs” to avoid having his picture taken, the New York Post reports. The Olympic champ has also tinted the windows of his Baltimore home... More »

(Some) Sponsors, Celebs Support Phelps

A few celebs are also in his corner

(Newser) - Michael Phelps’ sponsors are supportive—so far—following his bong imbroglio, AP reports. Watchmaker Omega called the whole thing a “nonissue,” and Speedo reiterated that Phelps is a “valued member of the Speedo team.” Experts say Phelps better stick to the straight and narrow—he promised... More »

Phelps Cops to Smoking Pot

Says he demonstrated "bad judgment"

(Newser) - Michael Phelps admitted today to smoking pot after a British tabloid ran a photo of him sucking a bong, the Times of London reports. The Olympic swimming star apologized, saying he “demonstrated bad judgment. I'm 23 years old and despite the successes I've had in the pool, I acted... More »

Chinese Sad to See Bush Go

President's free-trade, Taiwan policies get thumbs-up

(Newser) - George Bush is leaving office with rock-bottom ratings in the US but he'll be missed by his many Chinese fans, reports the Los Angeles Times. The president—affectionately called Xiao Bush, or "Young Bush"—is credited with helping China's economy blossom with his free-trade policies. Many fear his... More »

Home Depot Dumps Olympians

Program helped win 95 gold medals

(Newser) - Home Depot is ending the high-profile sponsorship program under which hundreds of US athletes have had the opportunity to chase Olympic gold. The company denied that the slumping economy was behind the decision, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. But a marketing expert said, “In tough times like these, companies are... More »

Beijing Rides High Underground

City finally digging, in defiance of all geomancy

(Newser) - The days of endless traffic jams are over in Beijing, thanks to an ambitious and suddenly popular new subway network, the Wall Street Journal reports. For decades Beijing’s subway has languished, ineffective and, because digging underground violates the mystic rules of feng shui, controversial. “The city’s surface... More »

Best Sports Stories of 2008

Evil Bill, golden Michael, ailing Tiger, and hapless Lions held our fascination

(Newser) - Every fan has favorite storylines from the year in sports, but a few were universally intriguing, Reid Cherner and Tom Weir write in USA Today:
  1. Michael Phelps' eight golds in the 08/08/08 Olympics gave America a reason to root.
  2. Our favorite hoodied villain, Patriots coach Bill Belichick, finally got his
... More »

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