The Olympics in China: a moment for pride â and world scrutiny
27737
Chinese officials are treating the Games as proud confirmation of their country's emergence as a global force to be reckoned with.
83485
Activists are using the coming games as leverage to prod Beijing on issues like factory working conditions. Will it pay off?
256518
(InfoWorld) - When Beijing won the right to host theÂ 2008 Summer Olympic Games, officials promised to use it as a showcase for new technology and China's economic development. But the reality is that while the games will display the world's top athletic talent, it will be using old, mature technologies. A lot of new technologies, and even some mature ones, have already beenÂ cut from the roster. Microsoft Windows Vista, for example, won't be the OS used on any of the PCs responsible for vital functions at the Olympics; its predecessor Windows XP will. WLAN (wireless LAN) didn't make the grade either. All networking for the games will be done by wireline. Officials have even prepared a mobile Web site for the Olympics based on WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), instead of GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) or 3G (third generation). The site is designed to provide up-to-the-minute scoring information, and it's already online. "We're only using proven technologies at the games," said Hou Xinyi, deputy director of the technology department at the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, which has taken the acronym, BOCOG. If China's 3G system is up and running by the end of this year, the official Web site for mobile users will be more useful to people, he added. So far,Â China hasn't said when it will start issuing 3G licenses. The nice thing about WAP is its reliability and usability. Most wireless networks can be used with it, including CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), PHS (Personal Handy-phone System), TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access), and most OSes allow people to read information from WAP sites. It's just not as fast as 3G, not by a long shot. But while the technology may be lacking, attendees to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games will be treated to some spectacular design work. Not only are some of the stadiums being built for the games unique -- and unusual for Beijing -- the torch to be used in the round-the-world relay is also easy on the eyes. And it was developed by a PC vendor, China's own Lenovo Group. Lenovo won the design contest for the 2008 Olympic torch. The company's PC designers came up with a 72 centimeter tall, 985 gram aluminum torch in the shape of an ancient Chinese scroll. The torch is two colors, split in half in the same manner as the Yin-Yang symbol, said Y.J. Yao, a vice president at Lenovo and head of the design teams. The upper half of the torch is silver with cloud designs outlined in red, while the lower half is red, covered by a special paint with a rubbery feel, a no-slip safeguard so runners won't drop it if they're sweating during their 400-meter portion of the global torch run. Originally, the company thought about using a dragon design on the top of the torch, but "the dragon is a symbol for the emperor, not for everyone, so we can't accept the dragon," Yao said. The cloud is for everyone, and represents the coming together of heaven and earth, he added. The name of the torch is the Cloud of Promise. The form of the torch -- the scroll design -- denotes paper, a useful item and a Chinese invention, Yao said. The color was chosen via a survey. "We asked, what color is China? Over 99 percent of respondents said red," Yao said. The color represents fire and warmth, friendliness and luck. People who like pictures of the torch might be interested in buying one of the laptop PCs Lenovo designed using the torch colors and styles. The company plans to auction off 2008 of them online and donate the proceeds to charity. EbayÂ is helping with the auction, but it won't be an eBay URL (uniform resource locator), said Yao. "We have a passion for the Olympic Games," Yao said. "You know, when it's happening in your city, you have a passion for this." The other top Olympic-related design work has gone into the new National Stadium, referred to by many as the Bird's Nest due to its unorthodox construction. The opening and closing ceremonies of the Summer Olympic Games will take place in the stadium. The exterior of the 91,000 seat stadium resembles a bird's nest, a steel exoskeleton wrapped around the outside of the site. The design is bold, and striking. It's hard to tell how it's going over with local Beijing residents, though. Many complain that there's nothing Chinese about it and one of the best comments this reporter heard on a recent trip to the city was "I guess it will take some getting used to." Beside the Bird's Nest is the National Aquatics Center, where all swimming and water sports events will take place. Based on the geometry of water bubbles and crystals, the center was nicknamed the Water Cube because of the design of its light blue and white outer membrane. The Cloud of Promise, Bird's Nest and Water Cube are all attempts at innovative design. Unfortunately, the technology used at the games won't be quite so bold. Â
634538
STUTTGART, Germany -- China powered their way to another men's gymnastics world championship Thursday, and now the questions are: Can anyone catch them in time for the Olympics in Beijing, and if so, how?
484623
AUSTRALIA&#39;s Olympic sports have begun to prepare for the Asian onslaught they expect when Beijing hosts the next Games in 2008.
23712
Jiang Zemin waves to the people on parade on the Tiananmen Tower on Oct 1, 1999. A grand ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People&#39;s Republic of China is held that day.
107409
AS the excitement of the Athens Olympic Games fades, the build-up to Beijing 2008 is in full swing. The countdown to China began last weekend when Beijing&#39;s mayor took possession of the Olympic flag at the Athens closing ceremony.
639774
A member of the Chinese Olympic Committee came to Athens last May. He visited our Olympic sites, which were still under construction, and met members of the Greek Olympic Committee.
59843
China's state media was basking in nationalist glory as it celebrated the best Chinese performance at the Olympic Games yet with four more gold medals.
585893
BEIJING : As the Olympic flame leaves Athens, the eyes of the sporting world are turning towards Beijing. When China hosts the games for the first time in 2008, it will cap an extraordinary 30-year journey
758801
LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Olympic athletes may be allowed to blog for the first time at the 2008 Beijing Games.
623754
Members of the Chinese Paralympic team parade during the opening ceremony of the 12th Paralympic Games at the Athens Olympic stadium, Greece, September 17, 2004.
396411
China's gleaming skyscrapers and big Olympic plans hide the realities of political oppression. Take the case of Chen Guangcheng
142992
China finished sixth in the synchronized swimming team event last week, which is not usually good news. But when your country is using an entire Olympics as a tuneup, sixth is perfectly acceptable.
96851
Plentiful buses, helpful volunteers, and efficient security have added up to &#39;positive surprises&#39; for the host city. There are many measures by which to judge the success of an Olympic Games: records broken, medals won, dreams fulfilled or dashed.
44858
ATHENS: China, the dominant force in world diving for the best part of 20 years, won six out of eight Olympic titles in Athens and prompted speculation about a clean sweep when they stage the Games in Beijing in 2008.
10908
By Jonathan B. Cox, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.  Sep. 17--Wangfujing Street in central Beijing is a shortcut to the other side of the world.   Above the Mercedes-Benzes and Audis whizzing nearby, a billboard promotes Adidas.