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NEWS ABOUT: 2008 Beijing Olympics

Online Olympics Viewing Shatters Records

But TV's still tops, NBC says

(Newser) - The Internet played an unprecedented role in Olympics viewing this year, with NBCOlympics.com and Yahoo leading the online-coverage pack, the New York Times reports. With 1.2 billion page hits and 72 million video streams, NBC more than doubled its Web traffic from the past two Olympics combined. The... More »

China Releases, Deports US Tibet Protesters

American officials 'disappointed' by China's 'intolerance'

(Newser) - Eight Americans arrested in China last week after staging a pro-Tibet protests have been freed from jail and deported following US pressure for their release, reports the BBC. The protesters faced up to 10 days in detention for unfurling a “Free Tibet” banner near an Olympic site and staging... More »

US Urges China to Free 8 Yanks

Pro-Tibetan demonstrators to be released next weekend

(Newser) - Washington is seeking the release of eight US protesters held by China during the Olympics, Reuters reports. Two were collared Thursday for posting a "Free Tibet" banner near an Olympic event; six others were members of Free Tibet Reporters detained the day before. Beijing vows to release all eight... More »

China Wraps Up Olympic Idyll

A look back at a successful 2 weeks

(Newser) - The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games wrapped up today with a star-studded fireworks-filled extravaganza worthy of its opening, Reuters reports. With 51 golds, China easily topped the medal rankings, capping a near-flawlessly-executed couple of weeks that saw smog lifting, transport worries evaporating, and Tibet protests dwindling. Still, arrests and suppression of... More »

US Men Back on Top With Basketball Gold

We're 'back on top,' boasts ecstatic LeBron James

(Newser) - The US Men's Basketball Olympic team pulled off a hard-fought victory to beat Spain 118-107 today to grab the gold medal. The US team has won gold every Olympics but three, including embarrassing defeats in 2004. "Much respect to Spain, but the US is back on top again,"... More »

Wanjiru 1st Kenyan to Win Olympic Men's Marathon

(AP) - Samuel Wanjiru pulled away over the final few kilometers to become the first Kenyan in the storied running history of that nation to win an Olympic marathon. The 21-year-old negotiated the 26.2-mile course through Beijing streets in bright Sunday morning sunshine in an Olympic record of 2 hours, 6... More »

Cuban May Face Ban for Kicking Ref

Taekwondo association apologizes for kick

(Newser) - Cuban martial artist Angel Matos may be banned from taekwondo for life after deliberately kicking a referee in the face, the AP reports. Matos was winning his bronze-medal match in Beijing when he was disqualified for taking too long a break after a hit. He angrily questioned the call, pushed... More »

US Women Win Basketball Gold

Victory over Australia marks 4th straight championship

(AP) - Lisa Leslie and the US women's basketball team were once again too good for Australia at the Olympics. Leslie capped off her illustrious Olympic career with a fourth straight gold medal, scoring 14 points in a 92-65 victory against Australia today. She joined former teammate Teresa Edwards as the only... More »

China's Gold Rush Pays Off Nicely for Athletes

Government, corporations give athletes big bucks on top of Olympic glory

(Newser) - Decades ago, bringing glory to the motherland would have been the sole reward for victorious Chinese Olympians. The glory is still there—plenty of it, as China leads the gold medal table—but champions can now expect an average reward of $300,000 in cash and bonuses, even before corporate... More »

US Finishes Strong, Sweeps 1600 Relays

(AP) - The US men's and women's teams swept the 1600-meter relays today, ending a string of frustrations for the Americans that included dropped batons in two earlier races. For the women, Sanya Richards anchored her team in a come-from-behind victory over Russia in 3:18.54, the world's fastest time since... More »

Olympics Fervor Prompts Beijing Tattoo Craze

Taboos fall as China's new generation gets into body art

(Newser) - Beijing tattoo artists have had a steady stream of customers seeking permanent Olympic souvenirs in recent weeks, the New York Times reports. Tattoo parlors were rare in China a decade ago, but hundreds have sprouted as taboos have begun to fall. American influence is strong, but artists are seeking to... More »

In Age Flap, IOC Lacks Spine

Committee kowtows to organizers, sponsors on China's gymnasts

(Newser) - After weeks of speculation about underage Chinese gymnasts and reports that at least two of them are not yet 16, the International Olympic Committee is investigating yet still sitting on its hands, Sally Jenkins writes in the Washington Post. The question “is whether the IOC is genuinely trying to... More »

Athletes' Village Is a 'Sex-Fest'

(Newser) - The Olympic village overflows with world-class athletes, and they're doing about what you'd expect thousands of buff, healthy young people voluntarily crammed into a confined space to do: have sex, and plenty of it. "I am not implying, for one moment, that every athlete in Beijing is at it,... More »

2 Chinese 'Songbirds' May Close Games Together

Dual-billing with counterpart Lin Maioke expected

(Newser) - Yang Peiyi, the 7-year-old songstress whom Chinese officials deemed better heard than seen during the Olympic opening ceremonies, may appear alongside her lip-syncing counterpart during Sunday’s closing ceremonies, the Hong Kong Standard reports. Organizers who claimed that the decision to replace Yang with a cuter girl was “in... More »

Bolt Claims 3rd Gold, Record

(AP) - Usain Bolt earned a triple-triple of sprint gold medals and world records today, an unprecedented Olympic feat. With his giant strides, he ran a lighting final bend that set anchor Asafa Powell on the way to a record 37.10 seconds in the 4x100 meters, chopping a massive .30 off... More »

Phelps Lands Book Deal, Condo, Girl

(Newser) - Michael Phelps hasn't exactly rested since his eighth medal triumph Saturday night: The swimming sensation not only signed a $1-million deal to pen a behind-the-scenes book on his training regimen and bought a $1.7 million Baltimore condo, he was caught in a steamy make-out session with Australian swimmer Stephanie... More »

US Men Take Gold in Beach Volleyball

(AP) - The weather was more like California than China, and Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser played like they were right at home today in the Olympic beach volleyball final. In blazing sunshine at the Beijing Games venue nowhere near a real beach, Rogers and Dalhausser won the gold medal by beating... More »

China Detains Americans Protesting Over Tibet

AP photographers also roughed up

(Newser) - Six Americans protesting China's rule over Tibet have been given 10-day detentions, in a rare instance of such punishments being meted out to visitors, the New York Times reports. Such extrajudicial detentions are common for Chinese dissidents, but foreigners at the Olympics have until now been quietly and instantly deported.... More »

US Grabs BMX Silver, Bronze

Latvia's Strombergs wins men's gold; French women top their race

(Newser) - Mike Day and Donny Robinson secured America's first medals in the men's BMX competition, placing second and third behind Latvia's Maris Strombergs. Injured teammate Kyle Bennett failed to make the finals, AP reports. In the women's race, Jill Kintner took advantage of crashes to move up into bronze position behind... More »

IOC to Probe Chinese Gymnast's Age

US computer experts uncovers Chinese documentation listing age as 14

(Newser) - The International Olympic Committee has launched an investigation to determine if Chinese gymnastics gold medalist He Kexin is under the minimum age of 16, after a computer security expert turned up a document indicating that she's 14. Mike Walker yesterday posted an account of his search, in which he found... More »

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