i sports, i blog

Laure Manaudou, who is the first Frenchwoman to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming, lost the 400-meter freestyle with her swimsuit from Arena at the French national championships. The meeting was used to select France’s Olympic team. And later, she swam for the 200 freestyle with her latest suit from TYR. She is the world-record holder in the 200 freestyle, and she wears the new suit from different company. However, she still lost the match. Fortunately, she won the 100 backstroke final, and got an Olympic berth. After that the 400 freestyle winner was found from Romania, so Manaudou who placed third had the right to compete 400 freestyle in the Olympics.
Manaudou changed her swimsuit, but still lost the match. Of cause it is not the fault of the suit. There are some other reasons, for example she changed three coaches in the past year, or she was over flattered after won the Olympic medal. But what I concern is whether these sport equipments are really helpful for the elite athletes to improve their performance. Nowadays, we can always see some sport equipments advertised by the elite athletes, and the equipment companies also offer some so-call advanced and aerodynamic suits or shoes for them, such as Nike designs the golden track shoes for Liu Xiang. And it is said that most elite athletes’ equipments all value a lot. But in my opinion, no matter whether the equipments can help to speed up not, the athletes should compete with their own abilities and with the same equipments may be fairer in the Olympics.

The main venue for the Beijing Olympic Games, the National Stadium which is also known as the Bird’s Nest, will be opened for the first time to the public from April 18 to 19 for the Good Luck Beijing Race-Walking Challenge. 1,129 applications from 180 media at home and abroad apply to cover the test events, because it is the first time for them to see the 90,000-seater stadium inside. However, the National Stadium is not absolutely finished and only 25,000 tickets available to offer. The president of the organizing committee Zhang Jiandong introduced that there are men’s 20km, women’s 20km and men’s 50km in the competition, and 138 athletes from 10 countries take part in it. He also said that there is another test event in the Bird’s Nest in late May, and by that time, the stadium will fully open to the public.
Myself as a track and field volunteer will take part in the test event from April 18-19, and these days I am training in the Bird’s Nest all the time. In my eyes, the Nest is marvelously changing every day. The first day when I entered into the stadium, it almost under construction and the grass is covered with film. But when I saw it again in a few days, all the roads are clean, the grass is green, and all the facilities are working well. It is really a miracle. I believe that when the Olympic comes, the Bird’s Nest will present its more beautiful and more advanced aspects to the public.

The former Russia Olympic ice dancer Pasha Grishuk was drugged with GHB when she was having a meeting at a southern California resort hotel.
Pasha Grishuk had won two Olympic gold medals for Russia in 1994 and 1998 winter Olympic Games. April 12, when she was at the St. Regis Monarch Beach to have a drink with friends, she felt ill and numb. And she found there was a dissolving pill at the bottom of her red wine. She quickly pulled the pill out, and called the ambulance and the sheriff. by the author published the article, the investigate was still going on. The pill was GHB, or gamma hydroxy butyrate, which can cause breathing problems, loss of consciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.

Pasha Grishuk never left her table, even never left her drink. Why she could be drugged by others? I think her experience can warn the teenagers especially girls to be careful when they go to the parties or clubs. I don’t know what the purpose of the person who drugged her, but I am sure the people who drug the teenagers in clubs must be harmful for the teenagers. He may use the drug to control the teenagers, make them addict to it, and ask them to do some criminal things for him. Or some girls might be outraged by the criminal. So no matter where we go, and no matter whom we go with, pay attention!

Since Marion Jones has been testified that she lied to investigators about her use of performance-enhancing drugs and her involvement in a check-fraud scheme, she has returned her five medals from the 2000 Games. However, her relay teammates who won bronze medals in the 4×100m relay and gold medals in the 4×400m relay will also have to return their medals. So on April 23, they made an announcement to appeal the IOC’s decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. The lawyer for the teammates said that the I.O.C. did not grant the athletes a fair hearing before issuing its decision, in violation of the Olympic charter. The teammates also thought they should not be punished for Jones’s misdeeds.

Should Jones’s teammates return their medals? According to the IOC, they should. And in my opinion, morally, they should. When they chose Jones as their teammate, they should know that they were a team, and they should go through everything together, no matter success or defeat. It’s teamwork. They should take the responsibility for they have trusted her. On the other hand, it is very unfair for other teams, especially for the silver team. Everyone dreams to win an Olympic gold medal, and in order to achieve the dream, they must train hard. But if they lost not because they are not good enough, but because the other team, they must be very depressed. And it is against the spirit of the Olympics. Though the teammates may be also the victims, I think they should return their medals!

A female race car driver Danica Patrick won at the Japan 300 in Indy-car car. She was acknowledged the first female driver in Indy history to win the race. She cried after won the race. As a female driver, she really suffered a lot of pressure from the others’ critics. On 2005, she became only the fourth woman to ever race in the Indy 500, and she finished fourth, which made her to take the rookie of the year honors. Before she won the race, she was criticized as the most famous race cat driver without a win. Now she said she can breathe a little bit easier. What was more important for her win was she won all the male drivers in the mix race. It’s not only good news for her, but also for all the women.
I think Danica Patrick’s win is really a breakthrough for women. In the sport field, there is sexual discrimination which has existed for a long time. Race car, just like American football, is regarded a kind of male sport. Whenever there is a female takes part in it, critics, audiences and her competitors will always question her ability, even if she is good enough. It’s really unfair to the women. Just as Danica Patrick herself has said “People are watching, and that means if you do well, they are there. But if you do bad, they are watching, too.” People watch the mixed competition, sometimes just like watch a show. They just pay attention to the female’s result, but never carefully concern how hard her tries to win the competition. So if we want to prove women can do much well than male. I think the best way is to practice more and win more mixed competitions.

The Olympic torch was temporarily extinguished in Buenos Airs. Before that, the torch was also extinguished twice in Paris. Although this time the torch was not went out because of disturbance, but because of the crowds warmly welcoming it on the streets, many foreign media reports questioned the continuity of the Olympic flame, and even highlighted on the alleged “extinguishment” of the Olympic flame. However, in author’s opinion, the flame can never go out. According to the Olympic Torch Relay technical manual backup flames operate “at all times and may be used periodically to relight torches that fail for technical or other reasons”. The flame is not the torch. The torch can go out, but the flame which was lit in Olympia can never be extinguished. The Olympic flame is carried by different devices: the safety lantern, the torch and the cauldron. Only when three occasions happen, the flame may goes out. So the Beijing Olympics torch will sure to be lit by the pure flame lit in Greece.
I don’t know why so many countries and media like to tear down the Beijing Olympics or even China. The Olympics is a sign of peace. In the ancient, no matter what wars happened, when the Olympics was held, the wars must stop. But today, the situation seems to be changed. Many countries excused to boycott the Olympics. Some even want to rise up war because of the Tibetan problem, which absolutely against the Olympic spirit. I wonder that whether these kinds of countries or persons have the right to talk about the things happen in other country, or even have the right to take part in the Olympics.

Yao’s left foot is fractured. When the headlines appeared on February 28th, all the fans and officials were crazy, and they hoped that the unexpected injury will not ruin China’s Olympic dream in August
Besides fans, who is much agonized when hearing the news? First is of course Yao Ming himself. To take part in the Olympics is every athlete’s dream, especially, the Olympic is held in his own country. That’s what Yao’s biggest agony. Just like him said “If I cannot play in the Olympics for my country this time that would be the biggest loss in my career to right now.” second is Chinese basketball team and Chinese Basketball Association. Yao has been Chinese superstar center, and he is indispensable for Chinese basketball team. So when the news came, the national team head coach Jonas Kazlauskas had to hurriedly revamp the game plan, and used the Yao-less game plan. Third is the Huston Rockets. According to the Rockets Yao was expected to be sidelined for three to four months before he fully rehabilitates. That means Yao will miss the following half season. The 2.26m Yao, who was averaging 22 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, was not only the super center of China but also super center of the Rockets. The Houston media called the injury “devastating” for the whole team.
As a Yao’s fan, when I heard the news, I was also shocked. Not one had expected that injury. So I think now the only thing to do is to wait. Hope Yao Ming can recover as soon as possible! Hope I can see him in August Beijing Olympic Games.

After Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian went to the NBA one after the other, after Houston has been receiving a lot of benefits from Yao’s market, after Milwaukee is starting to gain from what Yi can offer, the NBA becomes to focus on Chinese market and tries to get a piece of big pie from China’s seemly infinite market.
Last year, the NBA successfully hosted the NBA China Games in China. But this was not the only purpose. The NBA faoundation also wants to join forces with the CBA or even possibly run its own Chinese basketball league. This week, there were five new partners had bought up 11% stake of the newly formed NBA China. If such a league is really formed in China, most advertisers must rush to cash in on China’s fervent fans.
I remember last November, when Yao and Yi first derby in NBA, there were more than 200 million audiences watched that game, which was really shocked the Americans. In the past six years, Yao have brought Huston Rocket enormous benefits, and this year the Milwaukee Bucks also wants Yi to bring them the benefits. On the other hand, Chinese companies like Peak have already thrown advertising dollars to the NBA market. China is such a big commercial market. That’s why more and more companies want to own the Chinese market, and even the popular NBA wants to get a part of pie from Chinese market.

On February 23rd, a Greater London Authority spokesman said that the former Britain sprinter Linford Christie was invited by mistake to carry the Beijing Olympic torch across London, and he will not be included.
Christie was the 1992 Olympic 100 meters, and he was the only Briton to win 100 meters gold medals at Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European Championship. But he was forbidden by the Games in 1999 because of the testing positive for the steroid. So as soon as the news that Christie will be included in the torch relay came out, it provoked a widely-spread controversy. The International Olympic Committee, the British Olympic Association (BOA) and opposition MPs all disagreed. Later, the statement said it had been a mistake, and an earlier statement from Christie said that Christie will not take part in the torch relay. However, the BOA also has banned him to access to the Olympic Villages or the trackside as a coach, either in Beijing or London in 2012.
I think for Linford Christie, he really can not be included in the Olympic torch relay. After all, the person who has the qualification to get involved in the torch relay must represent the spirit of the Olympic, and what Christie had done has violated this spirit. But I think he should not be forbidden to go to the Olympic as a coach. As a coach, he should have the right to the Olympic. If the BOA thinks he will have a bad effort on the athletes, why it allows him to become a coach.

In the early February, Good Luck swimming test event was held in the Water Cube, and it was the first time for citizens to visit Water Cube. Many people rushed to buy tickets; however, some people seemed just interested in the Water Cube, not the match.
As for the Water Cube, it is planned to be designed as a “supporting role” in relation to the Bird’s Nest, but it has its own business operation. The Water Cube is the only one funded by donations from the Chinese public, so it should be made available to the general public after the Olympic Games finish. In order to sustain the Olympic venue after the Olympics, the company which is going to run the venue after the Games has already launched its Water Cube mineral water bottled in Canada. And managers have also revealed that the center will be changed in to a shopping mall and water park. The company will sell drinks, swimwear and memorabilia related with Water Cube.
Water Cube has been a significant image of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and it will be an important image of China after the Olympics. The Water Cube is just at the beginning of its usage. We believe that if it can reinvent itself as fast as the society develops, it will become a part of the citizen’s life. We are looking forward to the Water Cube’s future.