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(Page last updated 5 August 2008)
2008 Olympics
The official slogan of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad is "One World, One Dream." The Games take place in Beijing, People's Republic of China, from the 8th August to 24th August 2008.
General:
- The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. - Official website of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
For information about past and future Olympic Games, including the Paralympic Games, all the medallists since Athens 1896, and Olympic and world records for Olympic sports. - For a full list of the 302 events from 28 different sports to be staged in Beijing, open this pdf document
Live and results:
This year, for the first time, TVNZ is offering up to four channels of simultaneously streaming live online coverage for more than 800 hours of Olympics action. This will enable you to follow full competition sessions, as well as keeping track of some of the less well-known Olympic disciplines. The football competition begins it all at 9pm on August 6. More details are here.
The TVNZ site also has New Zealand athlete profiles, blogs, photos, medal tables, and much more.
For the latest news reports and results from the Games, browse a range of the very latest New Zealand and overseas sources at PressDisplay, our database of newspapers from around the world. (You'll need to login with your library card number and surname details.)
Venues:
For information and photos of the newly built and existing venues including the new National Stadium or the "Bird's Nest.
Out of the blocks, by Paul Goldberger. New Yorker, 2/6/2008.
The author considers the placement of the Olympic Green in Beijing, China. It is reported that all of Beijing's major landmarks, including the Forbidden City, the Monument to the People's Heroes, and Mao Zedong's mausoleum, lie along a central axis around which the rest of the city is laid out symmetrically. The author describes several buildings within the Olympic Green, notes that it is placed along the central axis, and argues that it is a testament to China's global ambitions.
(Please note: this article link, and the ones below, will work after you have accessed www.mygateway.info with your details. Click on any of the article links to log in with your library card number and your surname.)
In the library:
Most books on the Olympics are in the sports section at 796.48 (both children's and adult collections).
Some interesting recent books are:
The complete book of the Olympics, by David Wallechinsky and Jaime Loucky.
"It provides a complete statistical record since the founding of the modern Games in 1896 - from medals won to times, distances or scores recorded by the top eight competitors in all events, whether they be Olympic staples such as the marathon or long-discontinued competitions such as Olympic croquet or the tug of war... David Wallechinsky and Jaime Loucky provide thought-provoking analysis of issues and controversies from shamateurism to drug-taking and corruption and they have sieved through more than a century of Olympic history to assemble a mind-boggling collection of stories that range from the inspiring, through the comic to the bizarre. Here you can read about long-forgotten characters such as the boy who was plucked from the streets of Paris to act as cox for two Dutch oarsmen in the paired-oar event in 1900 and, after steering them to victory and a Gold Medal, returned to obscurity, his name unknown to this day, or the 72-year-old winner of a silver medal for target-shooting. In short, this is the essential companion to the greatest sporting festival in the world." (Amazon.co.uk)- Our Olympic century, by Joseph Romanos.
"Our Olympic Century is a landmark book that contains the story of New Zealand's first 100 years at the Olympic Games, presented in an attractive, easy-to-read format. It contains the accounts, often in the first-person, of all our Olympic greats - Snell, Loader, Halberg, Todd, Walker, Williams, the Kendalls, Coberger, Lovelock, Ferguson, Ulmer and the rest. But it goes way beyond that. Author Joseph Romanos has presented the full picture of New Zealand's Olympic involvement. There are stories about not just the champions, but about officials and broadcasters, training partners and Olympians - summer and winter - who never did get to stand on the dais and hear their national anthem. The accounts are moving, often funny, sometimes sad, and always entertaining." (Amazon.co.uk) - Black gold : 100 years of New Zealand at the Olympic games : a statistical record.
"Lists every New Zealand Olympic competitor, including those at the Olympic Winter Games at which New Zealanders have competed since 1952. Also lists all medallists, team sizes, flagbearers, competitors who are related, etc." (Book cover)
From our online databases:
For background reading, or an alternative viewpoint on the Olympics, try one of these articles or go over to www.mygateway.info to search or browse magazines.
- Crazy for Gold, by Hannah Beech. Time South Pacific, 30/6/2008.
The article focuses on the training of Chinese Olympic athletes at state-run sports schools in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The article explores China's national pride hinging on the success of its sports system, which has spent nearly $20 billion on Olympics-related preparations. Prior steroid use by Chinese athletes is discussed and the extent to which the government has gone to create gold-medalists. - Olympian Logistics (pdf), by: Candi S. Cross. Industrial Engineer: IE, Jun2008
The article offers information about Beijing, China as the host city for the 17-day 2008 XXIX Olympic Games event. According to the Beijing Organizing Committee of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), the challenges of preparing for their event are standardizing the English menus of 10,000 restaurants in the vicinity of 302 sporting events and improving air quality, manners, and hotel service. It is observed that Beijing's readiness to be a host city have inspired the government to work overtime to ensure that visitors are not discouraged. Moreover, China enforces measures in reducing pollution to stress the importance of a healthy environment for the Games. - The Olympics (pdf), by John Hoberman. Foreign Policy, Jul/Aug2008.
In this article the author examines the contention that there is no political aspect to the Olympic Games. The notion that the event is above politics and that it is a useful engine for promoting political change is refuted by the author. The article cites historical examples wherein the Olympics were subject to political pressure. - China's Olympic Nightmare, by Elizabeth C. Economy and Adam Segal. Foreign Affairs, Jul/Aug2008.
The article examines the possibly negative impact that the 2008 Olympic Games, to be held in Beijing, China, might have on Chinese prestige and China's position on the global stage. The author notes that when the games were awarded to China in 2001, authorities expected them to be a vehicle that would showcase China's significant economic development and proclaim the country's status as a world leader. According to the author, however, Chinese prestige has been severely damaged by a number of issues including international criticism of Chinese-sponsored repressing in Tibet, China's failure to intervene in the Sudanese region of Darfur, the safety of Chinese made export goods and persistent air pollution. - Farewell to the Hutongs (pdf), by Amy Stone. Dissent, Spring2008.
Abstract: the article focuses on the urban development of historic hutongs, or alleyways, for the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. It explores the traditional courtyards which are being leveled to make way for modern high-rise apartments and offices. It illustrates the ancient neighborhoods which have become prime real estate. The leading architects, who were ignored, argued that the old city should be preserved as a treasure reflecting the values, and that the new administrative center for the event should be built to the west part of the country. - China's Silver Lining, by James Fallows. Atlantic Monthly, Jun2008.
The article focuses on the environmental conditions in China. It describes the process of manufacturing cement and the amount of coal used in the process. A plant in the city of Zibo is discussed for its use of innovations which reduce harmful environmental effects. The work of the engineer Tang Jinquan is explored and the general trend of more environmental awareness in China is examined. The 2008 Olympic Games to be held in Beijing are also discussed.
