China 'to top Games medal table'
PaPaPeng
China 'to top Games medal table'
By Gordon Farquhar
BBC Radio 5 Live Olympics correspondent
May 8, 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/7387807.stm
Liu Xiang won the men's 110m hurdles at the Athens Olympics
China is being tipped to end the reign of the United States as the
leading Olympic nation at the Beijing Games.
Research undertaken by Sheffield Hallam University predicts the hosts
will win 46 gold medals in the Chinese capital.
"China has set its stall out to become the number one nation in sport
and to top the table in its host event," Professor Simon Shibli told
BBC Sport.
"We are forecasting China will win 46 gold medals, which probably
exceeds most other people's forecasts."
China is the most populous country in the world, with approximately
1.33 billion people, compared with the 305.8 million of the US.
OLYMPICS BLOG
The implication is that team strategies are likely to come into play
in any event in which China has two or more finalists contesting
medals
BBC correspondent Gordon Farquhar
Professor Shibli analysed past Olympic performances, China's record in
turning bronze and silver medals into gold ones, and recent success on
the international stage to reach his conclusions.
He also plotted the likely effect, the considerable sums of money and
resources being pumped into its sporting development programme by the
Chinese government would have on the country's medal haul in Beijing.
Professor Shibli said conservative estimates indicated the Chinese
government had spent billions of pounds ensuring its Olympians were in
the best possible shape when the Games start.
"Value for money and costs per medal become of secondary importance to
actually winning," he said.
China first entered the Summer Olympic arena in 1984, winning 15 gold
medals in the heavily boycotted Games in Los Angeles.
For a nation to be continually improving, in the case of China to
double its gold medals from 16 in Barcelona to 32 in Athens, is really
quite unprecedented
Professor Simon Shibli
At the 1988 Games in Seoul, China won just five golds - the same
number as Great Britain - but since then its performances have
improved dramatically.
China won 16 golds in both Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta (1996) to
finish fourth overall, before moving up to third in Sydney with 28 and
second in Athens with 32.
"Its improvement from the Seoul Olympics in 1988 to second place and
32 gold medals in Athens is unprecedented," said Professor Shibli.
"For most nations, it is a great achievement to hang on to what you
already have.
"So for a nation to be continually improving - in the case of China to
double its gold medals from 16 in Barcelona to 32 in Athens - is
really quite unprecedented."
Professor Shibli's research actually indicated China would win 39 gold
medals in Beijing, but his team felt home support would secure the
host nation a further seven.
Guo Jingjing and Wu Minxia took gold in the 3m synchronised final
"It is a top-end estimate, but that is what the data is telling us,"
he added.
"If China were to achieve 46 gold medals, then, in the current
climate, that would be more than enough to top the table."
But not everyone agrees with the results of the research.
The highly respected Luciano Barra, the former head of the Italian
Olympic Committee, has predicted the US will win 45 gold medals in
Beijing to top the table ahead of China, who would get 40.
As for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), it said it had not
made any predictions for Beijing but admitted the host nation was
favourite to top the medals table.
"The USOC has not made medal projections or set medal goals for this
Olympic Games," a spokesman told BBC Sport.
"That said, America's athletes recognise just how challenging the
competitive environment will be, and they are preparing with this in
mind.
"While China is clearly the favourite, the USOC is confident Team USA
will rise to meet the competitive challenges in Beijing."
The US has finished top of the medals table at the last three
Olympics, thanks chiefly to the dominance of its athletes and
swimmers.
What China is trying to do is broaden the base of sports in which it
wins medals
Professor Simon Shibli
"China and the USA achieve their success in radically different
sports," explained Professor Shibli.
"The USA typically does very well on the track and very well in the
pool - and these are two areas in which China, traditionally, has not
done very well.
"What China is trying to do is broaden the base of sports in which it
wins medals. Quite often these are sports which are not particularly
high profile."
China has been investing heavily in most of the Olympic disciplines
ahead of Beijing and already boasts a strong record in diving, having
won six golds in Athens.
It also picked up five in weightlifting, four in shooting and three in
both badminton and table tennis.
Kelly Holmes won two of GB's nine gold medals at the Athens Games
In contrast, the US claimed 12 golds in the pool alone, with another
eight coming from its athletes.
The Americans finished up winning 36 golds in Athens, just four ahead
of China, with Russia third on 27.
As for Great Britain, they were 10th with nine, two less than they won
in Sydney.
However, Professor Shibli thinks Team GB could reach double figures
again in Beijing thanks to National Lottery funding and the London
2012 factor.
"All of the evidence suggests we have reasons to be positive," he
said.
"We've been investing since the changes in National Lottery funding
regulations to support athletes and national governing bodies.
"The evidence we have indicates that in the run-up to being the host
nation, the would-be host tends to do better than it has in previous
editions
"Given that we won nine gold medals in Athens it wouldn't be
unreasonable to assume we'd do something like 10 to 12 and easily get
a place in the top 10."
===========
China team orders threaten Radcliffe bid
" Gordon Farquhar
" 8 May 08, 07:48 AM
"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/olympics/2008/05/team_orders_threaten_radcliffe.html
In my discussions with leading academic Simon Shibli, who has
predicted China will top the Olympic medals table for the first time
this summer, one thing really stood out.
And it was this: China's decision to adopt a central government policy
of "whole country support for the elite sport system".
How might that manifest itself in competition, I wondered? "Team
orders", he replied.
His implication was that team strategies were likely to come into play
in any event in which China had two or more finalists contesting
medals.
We've seen it often enough in athletics, especially from the
Ethiopians and Kenyans in the distance events.
But will we possibly have seen it on such a scale as in Beijing, where
the host nation's Olympians will be going all out for success?
World marathon record-holder Paula Radcliffe, Britain's best hope of a
track gold, will have to contend not only with the prospect of
stifling heat, sour air and the spectre of her demise in Athens but
also China doing a double-team job on her around the capital's
streets.
China's success story at the Olympics speaks loudly in favour of the
policies adopted by UK Sport as it aims for a higher medal return at
the London Games in 2012.
Now there is a centralised strategic approach to performance, based on
analysis, targeting, prioritisation and diversification.
That might look like a lot of management speak, so in more tangible
terms it is how you go, as China has, from winning five gold medals in
Seoul in 1988 to potentially 46 in Beijing in just 20 years.
There is one crucial difference, however.
UK Sport is obliged to deliver value for money and is held to account
by the Government.
In 2004, the Association for Asian Research estimated that in the four
years leading up to the Athens Games, China invested £1.2bn in
top-level sport. The UK spent £98.6m.
You get what you pay for, it seems.
But there is also comfort to be drawn from Professor Shibli's work as
Team GB works towards the "aspirational" goal of a fourth-placed
finish in 2012.
Analysis of the "home-nation" effect shows that, on average, the hosts
rake in an extra seven gold medals.
Based on a projection of 11 golds for Team GB in Beijing, that would
almost certainly result in the fourth-placed finish they crave - and
at Australia's expense to boot.
If only it were as easy to achieve as it is to write...
Gordon Farquhar is BBC 5 Live's sports news and Olympics
correspondent. Our FAQs should answer any questions you have. If they
don't, you can contact us.
PaPaPeng
More BBC news on the Olympics.
Lessons for 2012 after international torch relay
" James Pearce
" 7 May 08, 03:42 PM
"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/olympics/2008/05/lessons_for_2012_after_interna.html
Now that the Olympic flame has finally made it back to China it's a
good time to reflect on what has been a very difficult period for the
International Olympic Committee.
The problems for the IOC and the Beijing organisers are far from over,
but at least they have far more control over the flame's movements now
that it is on Chinese soil.
On 6 April I spent the entire day with the convoy that escorted it
through the streets of London.
Throughout the 31-mile route I was just yards away from the torch,
reporting for the BBC News Channel and Radio 5 Live. It turned into
one of the most extraordinary days of my broadcasting career.
We had all expected some protests along the route, but what surprised
me, and the police, was that those protests should start as soon as
the torch was carried out of Wembley Stadium.
For the rest of the day I found myself reporting an a game of cat and
mouse, as the police and those now infamous flame attendants struggled
to stop demonstrators from grabbing hold of the torch.
The protestors got all the news coverage that they had hoped for.
I realised just how much attention they had received around the world
when I got a text from a friend in the United States the next day
informing me that my commentary of the Konnie Huq torch-grabbing
incident had been headlined on one of the main American breakfast
shows.
The London 2012 organisers are now reflecting on what they can do in
four years' time. I think it's safe to say that we won't see an
international relay on the scale of the Beijing one.
The challenge for London 2012 will be to restore the popular appeal of
the Olympic flame, the great symbol of the Olympic movement.
I think that we're still likely to see a torch relay around the UK in
the months leading up to the Games.
That will be an important part of London's attempt to let every corner
of the country be touched by the 2012 Olympics.
But I am sure that the international leg will be far shorter. One
possibility would be, once the flame has been lit in Greece, for it to
travel overland to the UK.
That way it could visiting parts of Europe without the international
politics that becomes inevitable when it is flown all over the world.
PaPaPeng
>BBC Radio 5 Live Olympics correspondent
Wow lots of good stuff.
(1) video May 8, 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7389102.stm
Chinese climbers bearing the Olympic flame have reached the summit of
Everest, the world's highest mountain.
Chinese television showed the team of climbers, carrying special
high-altitude torches, reaching the summit at 0920 local time (0120
GMT).
Huddled in the snow they unfurled flags and cheered for the cameras.
Correspondents say China is hoping the dramatic feat will counter some
of the damaging publicity from the protests during the torch's
international relay.
Perfect conditions
The team - made up of both Tibetans and Han Chinese - set off several
hours before dawn from their camp at 8,300m.
Everest Olympic torch diary
Nepal lifts Everest ban
Low winds and a clear sky provided perfect climbing conditions for the
six-hour ascent of the 8,848m (29,030 feet) high summit.
At the weekend heavy snowfall had prevented a previous attempt, and
badly damaged several of the high-altitude camps.
The climbers, dressed in red padded anoraks bearing the Beijing
Olympic logo, passed the flame between several torches as they
traversed the icy slopes on the final steps to the summit.
Holding up Chinese and Olympic flags, they cheered "Beijing welcomes
you!" and "One World, One Dream", the official slogan of the Beijing
Olympics.
The first and last of the torch-bearers were Tibetan women.
CHINA RELAY CITIES IN FOCUS
Use the map to see the full Olympic torch relay route or read about
some of the key cities:
Full route map, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Jinggangshan, Shanghai,
Nanjing, Huangshan, Three Gorges, Kaili, Lhasa, Urumqi, Xian, Yanji,
Weihai, Qufu, Anyang, Beijing.
"We have lit this torch on the top of the world for harmony and
peace," said one of the mountaineers.
Security was very tight for the event, with other climbers being
banned from the top of Mount Everest, which is known in China as Mount
Qomolangma.
Both China and Nepal sealed off their sides of the mountain and the
ascent organisers kept the exact plans a secret because of fears it
might draw protests from pro-Tibet activists.
Human rights activists have been angered by the crackdown on
anti-Beijing protests in Tibetan areas of China in March that turned
violent.
The main Olympic torch, which is running separately, is continuing its
relay through China.
It was carried through the southern city of Guangzhou on Wednesday
past cheering crowds with no reports of disruptions.
It is scheduled to visit every province in China before arriving in
Beijing several days before the Olympics begin on 8 August.
The international leg of the torch's tour was marred by protests in
several cities - including London, Paris and San Francisco - by
activists critical of China's human rights record.
PaPaPeng
>BBC Radio 5 Live Olympics correspondent
More good stuff.
(2) Video May 8, 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7350064.stm
Inside Beijing's 'Bird's Nest'
The main venue for the Beijing summer Olympics has been opened to the
media.
The stadium, known as the "Bird's Nest" will host athletic events as
well as the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.
James Reynolds has been inside to look around.
(3) Photospread 12 Photos of Olympics Sites
December 10, 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/7071453.stm
Beijing venues - National Stadium
Designed by award-winning Swiss company Herzog & de Meuron, the
awe-inspiring National Stadium is the centrepiece of Beijing's 31
venues.
The unique structure has been dubbed the 'Bird's Nest', thanks to the
42,000 tonnes of interlocking steel set at irregular angles around the
stadium.
The arena will accommodate 91,000 seated spectators and will host the
opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the athletics and football
events.
The stadium - due for completion in late March - will be flanked by a
moat in the shape of a dragon, a sign for prosperity in China.
PaPaPeng
>(1) video May 8, 2008
>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7389102.stm
>Chinese climbers bearing the Olympic flame have reached the summit of
>Everest, the world's highest mountain.
>
>Chinese television showed the team of climbers, carrying special
>high-altitude torches, reaching the summit at 0920 local time (0120
>GMT).
A much better video from the May 8, 2008 edition of the Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
PaPaPeng
>
>(1) video May 8, 2008
>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7389102.stm
>Chinese climbers bearing the Olympic flame have reached the summit of
>Everest, the world's highest mountain.
Olympic Torch Reaches Everest Peak
By EDWARD WONG
Published: May 9, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/09/world/asia/09torch.html?hp
BEIJING - A team of climbers on a mission from China carried the
Olympic torch to the summit of Mt. Everest on Thursday, fulfilling a
long-held goal of Chinese government to have the Olympic flame lit
atop the world's highest mountain.
But overseas groups opposed to Chinese policies in Tibet denounced the
event, saying the Chinese government was simply using the torch to
bolster claims of sovereignty over what they say should be an
independent country.
The ascent of the 29,035-foot Mt. Everest was the most ambitious leg
of what is expected to be the longest Olympic torch relay in history.
The torch that climbers carried to the top at 9:18 a.m. on Thursday
was a side torch; the main torch is making its way through the
southern province of Guangdong and will continue through every
province of China before arriving in Beijing in August for the Summer
Games.
The Chinese government has tried to maintain tight control over every
aspect of the Everest climb. Officials brought a group of journalists
to the base camp to help publicize the ascent while barring foreign
climbing groups from any summit attempts during this period for fear
of Tibet-related protests marring the torch relay, which has already
been beset by anti-China protests in foreign cities.
Mt. Everest straddles the border of Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous
Region. The capital of that region, Lhasa, and other Tibetan areas in
western China were shaken by anti-Chinese protests and riots in March.
The Chinese government responded with what critics have called
heavy-handed suppression. That in turn inspired pro-Tibet advocates to
protest the Chinese government in foreign cities through which the
torch passed, including London, Paris and San Francisco. Many Chinese
have been deeply offended by pro-Tibet protests and have called them a
deliberate attempt to smear China's reputation as the Summer Games
approach.
The state-controlled Chinese news media has highlighted the fact that
most members of the climbing team on Everest are ethnic Tibetans.
The torch was lit at 9:12 a.m. by one of those Tibetans, Norbu Zhamdu,
then carried on a 30-meter relay to the peak, according to Xinhua, the
state news agency. The team captain, Nyima Cering, was the third torch
bearer and shouted the 2008 Olympic slogan, "One world, one dream."
Photos showed a team of climbers bundled in red down jackets and
wearing oxygen masks standing next to Tibetan prayer flags atop the
windy, snow-bound summit. The climbers held up the Chinese national
flag and two white flags with the Olympic rings. The summit attempt
had been repeatedly delayed because of bad weather, and the team had
been forced to sit for days at various high camps.
The ascent conclusion came four days after brief talks in the Chinese
city of Shenzhen between Chinese officials and two envoys of the Dalai
Lama, the spiritual leader of many Tibetans, who has lived in exile
since fleeing his homeland in the late 1950's . Chinese officials said
the two sides agreed to another round of talks, though no date has
been scheduled. It is unclear whether anything substantive came of the
first round, which lasted only a few hours.
On Thursday, an envoy to the Dalai Lama, Lodi Gyari, said in a
statement issued from the Dalai Lama's home-in-exile in Dharamsala,
India, that "there were strong and divergent views on the nature as
well as the causes of the recent tragic events in Tibet," according to
Reuters.
An organizer of the Free Tibet Campaign, based on London, said on
Thursday that bringing the torch up Mt. Everest was a political stunt
on the part of the Chinese government.
"Given we've seen the protests in Tibet over the last few months
demonstrating the Tibetans' emphatic rejection of Chinese rule over
Tibet, what the ascent of the torch on the Tibetan side of Everest
means is that China is trying to assert its baseless claim of
sovereignty over Tibet," the organizer, Matt Whitticase, said in a
telephone interview.
The Free Tibet Campaign and other pro-Tibet groups have urged the
International Olympic Committee and sponsors of the torch relay to
prevent China from carrying the torch through Tibet. The main torch is
scheduled to pass through Lhasa and other Tibetan areas later this
summer.
"Clearly the Chinese government has a huge military presence in the
Tibetan Autonomous Region, and it will do everything in its power to
prevent protests by imposing curfews," Mr. Whitticase said. "We are
being told by our sources that Tibetans are determined to protest."