Latest Olympic News
Pages:
[01] [02] [03] [04] [05] [06] [07] [08] [09] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45]
IOC President Jacques Rogge Predicts Positive Legacy From GamesPraises Venues, Organisation and High Level of Competition
The Beijing Games raised the bar for the Olympic Movement and brought positive changes to China that are likely to continue well into the future, Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee, said Sunday.
Speaking at the closing press conference of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Rogge said the Beijing Games demonstrated the universal appeal of Olympic values. A record 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) sent athletes to China, and a record 87 NOCs joined the medal count.
The competitors established 43 world records and 132 Olympic records, although some only lasted until the next heat.
“It is clear that China has put the bar very high,” Rogge told reporters.
The IOC president also noted that the Games are likely to be the most-watched Olympic Games in history, seen by more people in more places than ever. The Beijing Games were the first to have worldwide digital coverage.
Rogge left no doubt that the IOC was pleased with its decision in 2001 to bring the Games to China for the first time, a move that gave one-fifth of the world’s population more exposure to Olympic values. He said some benefits from that decision are obvious now and that others will become more apparent in the future.
Rogge said the tangible benefits include the sports venues, a new airport terminal, new roads, improvements to mass transit and other infrastructure that was put in place for the Games. He said most of the sports venues were built near universities to ensure their use after the Olympic Games.
“That means that no white elephant has been built and the after-Games use of these venues will be optimal,” he said. “These venues will be used by the students of the universities, by the owners of the different venues, the workers’ unions. This is, I believe, a great legacy.”
He said the Games would encourage more mass participation in sports in China. He also expressed confidence that Games-related environmental improvements, which he recently reviewed with Chinese authorities, will have a lasting impact.
“The efforts on water cleaning and water remediation will be stepped up. More trees will be planted. All of this, I believe, is a legacy of the Olympic Games.”
Rogge said other benefits are harder to evaluate or will require time to fully assess. As an example, he cited the new media regulations that were put in place for the Games.
“The regulations might not be perfect, and we acknowledge that they are not perfect, but they are a sea change compared to the situation before. We hope, and we have expressed this hope, that they would continue,” he said.
While Rogge declared the Games a big success, he acknowledged issues related to Internet access, media freedom and Beijing protest zones. He said the IOC had made its position clear to Chinese authorities but cannot force changes on sovereign governments.
“We acknowledge that the situation has not been perfect,” he said, referring to the Internet issue. “But we acknowledge, at the same time, that the situation is a major change.”
He expressed hope that the Olympic experience would encourage more openness in China.
“Through the Games, China has been scrutinised by the world, it’s opened up to the world,” he said. “The world has learned about China and China has learned about the world. And I believe that this is something that will have positive effects on the long term.”
###
IOC contacts in Beijing:
IOC Media Relations office: +8610 666 27 298
Emmanuelle Moreau, Media Relations Manager: +86 158 1155 1830
Sandrine Tonge, Media Relations Coordinator: +86 135 5217 5720IOC President's Speech at the Closing Ceremony of the Games of the XXIX OlympiadDear Chinese Friends,
Tonight, we come to the end of 16 glorious days which we will cherish forever.
Thank you to the people of China, all the wonderful volunteers and BOCOG!
Through these Games, the world learned more about China, and China learned more about the world. Athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees came to these dazzling venues and awed us with their talent.
New stars were born. Stars from past Games amazed us again. We shared their joys and their tears, and we marveled at their ability. We will long remember the achievements we witnessed here.
As we celebrate the success of these Games, let us together wish the best for the talented athletes who will soon participate in the Paralympic Games. They also inspire us.
To the athletes tonight: You were true role models. You have shown us the unifying power of sport. The Olympic spirit lives in the warm embrace of competitive rivals from nations in conflict. Keep that spirit alive when you return home.
These were truly exceptionnal Games!
And now, in accordance with tradition, I declare the Games of the XXIX Olympiad closed, and I call upon the youth of the world to assemble four years from now in London to celebrate the Games of the XXX Olympiad.
Thank you!
###
IOC contacts in Beijing:
IOC Media Relations office: +8610 666 27 298
Emmanuelle Moreau - Media Relations Manager +86 158 1155 1830
Sandrine Tonge - Media Relations Coordinator +86 135 5217 5720
Flag Bearers for the Closing CeremonyThe International Olympic Committee (IOC) is pleased to announce the list of the flag bearers for the 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participating in the Closing Ceremony of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad tonight in Beijing.
Â
 Â The list is available here. ###
Â
IOC contacts in Beijing:
Â
IOC Media Relations office: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â +8610Â 666Â 27Â 298Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Emmanuelle Moreau -Â Media Relations Manager +86 158 1155 1830
Sandrine Tonge - Media Relations Coordinator               +86 135 5217 5720       The exercise of rhythm and artThe final two days of the Games witnessed the climax of the rhythmic gymnastics competition, with athletes from eastern Europe coming to the fore just as they did four years ago in Athens when Russia’s Natalia Lavrova became the first to win two gold medals in a women-only discipline that was added to the gymnastics programme in 1984.
Wooden leg
Artistic gymnastics competitions have been present at the Olympic Games since the very start. One of the most remarkable athletes of the St Louis Games in 1904 was American gymnast George Eyser, who won three gold medals, two silvers and one bronze – all with a wooden leg. His leg had been amputated after he was run over by a train.
Remarkable Larysa
LatyninaIn 1956 in Melbourne, the Ukrainian Viktor Chukarin earned five medals, including three gold, to bring his career total to 11 (seven gold), while Agnes Keleti of Hungary reached 10 medals by winning four gold and two silver. Eight years later in Tokyo, another Ukrainian, Larysa Latynina, brought her career total to an incredible 18 medals, which is still unbeaten, and, until Michael Phelps re-wrote the record books this year, Latynina was also one of only four athletes in any sport to win nine gold medals.
Olympic weddings
The 1964 Games also witnessed the first Olympic wedding, when Bulgarian gymnast Nikolai Prodanov and long jumper Diana Yorgova exchanged vows in the Olympic Village. It set a trend. In 1968, Czech gymnast Vera Èáslavská won four gold medals and two silvers and then, to the delight of 10,000 well-wishers, was married in Mexico City during the Olympic Games.
Korbut and Comãneci
Four years later in Munich, tiny Olga Korbut from Belarus captivated audiences with her cycle of success in the team competition, failure in the individual competition and renewed success in the apparatus finals. In Montreal in 1976, on the uneven bars, the 14-year-old Romanian Nadia Comãneci was awarded the first-ever perfect score of 10.0. She earned seven 10.0s as well as three gold, one silver and one bronze medal.
One record
Phelps couldn’t beatIn Moscow in 1980, Russia’s Nikolai Andrianov won five gold medals to bring his career medal total to a pre-Phelps men’s record of 15, including seven gold, while fellow Russian Aleksandr Dityatin earned a medal in every men’s event to become the only athlete in history to win eight medals at one edition of the Olympic Games – pre-Phelps. Finally, in 1992, Vitaly Scherbo of Belarus won six gold medals, including a record four in one day – and even Phelps didn’t manage that! BEIJING GAMES: FACTS AND FIGURESSport — Amazing Venues, Amazing Results
· A record 204 NOCs participating; record number of women participating
· 132 Olympic records, 43 world records (as of 24/8 at 9:30)
· A record 87 NOCs join medal count — the most ever
· First-ever medals for Afghanistan, Mauritius, Tajikistan and Togo; first-ever gold medals for Bahrain, Mongolia and Panama; first individual gold for India
· Rave reviews for venues, Olympic Village, transportation and Games organization
International Popularity — On Track To Become the Most-Watched Games in History
· More broadcast coverage to more people in more regions than ever
· First Olympic Games in history to have global digital coverage
· Record TV ratings in U.S. and China
· Record traffic to Games-related Web sites
· More visitors to IOC’s site in first week than during entire 2004 Games; site has received over 5 million unique visitors so far (compared to 2.8 million unique visitors during 2004, total)
· 16.5 million views on IOC’s digital channel (YouTube), across Africa, Asia and the Middle East
Olympic Magic — Memorable Moments
· Opening Ceremony awes international audience — Record audiences across the world’s major markets. 80 percent audience share in China. 50 percent share in U.S. and major European markets.
· Phelps wins eight gold medals
· Bolt streaks across finish line twice in 100-m and 200-m
· Georgian and Russian embrace at shooting range
· A half-million enthusiastic Chinese volunteers welcome Olympic visitors
Meeting Challenges
Doping
- Zero tolerance gets results; nearly 40 cheaters caught before the Games, 4 cheaters caught by IOC during Games
- Record number of athletes tested, stringent new testing requirements
Air Quality
- Competition opened on second consecutive day of Grade I air quality, a decade-long record for Beijing
- In the other 8 days, Beijing's air quality was Grade II, which still fell well within WHO and IOC standards
- Stringent monitoring protects athletes’ health
Attendance
- Attendance has more than tripled since the start of the Beijing Games Pages:
[01] [02] [03] [04] [05] [06] [07] [08] [09] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45]
Links:
Kitchen Carts
Wicked Tickets
Rockport Shoes
Shop trash cans for your home or office
|
