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The Olympics are now over, but my adventures continue. You can continue following my travels in Asia here.
Posted on 17 October 2008 | 1:17 am
The opening ceremony for the Paralympics was held last night in Beijing. The ceremony was spectacular but perhaps not on the scale of the ceremony for the Beijing Olympics. Most of the show was performed by people with disabilities, including Li Yue, who lost her left leg in the Sichuan earthquake and performed [...]
Posted on 6 September 2008 | 7:44 pm
The Beijing Paralympics are just a day away from starting. Here are some pictures from Tiananmen Square which has some pretty impressive floral displays on show now.
Posted on 4 September 2008 | 8:59 pm
Posted on 4 September 2008 | 7:47 pm
The ticket scammers who defrauded people by selling non-existent tickets through the internet are getting ready for the Vancouver and London Olympics. “I was shocked by the brilliance and hard work of the thieves fleecing the Olympic family — and they are setting up to do the same thing in Vancouver in 2010 and London in [...]
Posted on 2 September 2008 | 8:23 pm
Beijing did a lot to improve the air quality leading up to the Beijing Olympics, with mixed results. The days before the opening ceremony were pretty bad, but a burst of rain cleared the air and pollution became less of a talking point. Almost straight after the closing ceremony the hazy skies returned. A [...]
Posted on 1 September 2008 | 3:56 am
Beijing recorded 6.52 million visitors for the 2008 Olympics, with 382,000 of those coming from overseas. Authorities long estimated that 500,000 foreigners would visit the city, but tougher visa controls reduced that number. The Xinhua news agency reported that tourist spots in the city reported total revenues of 162 million yuan (US$23 million), according to [...]
Posted on 31 August 2008 | 8:34 pm
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 exceptional Games! (Source: Dr Jacques Rogge, Chairman of the International Olympic [...]
Posted on 24 August 2008 | 4:39 pm
The fireworks are still going on over Beijing tonight as the Olympics comes to a close. The closing ceremony wasn’t as long as the first one and not as spectacular, but still very well done. We had a short section to mark the handover of the Olympics from Beijing to London. London’s mayor [...]
Posted on 24 August 2008 | 7:16 am
The closing ceremony has gotten under away. The introduction was interesting, perhaps people will say it is a little “North Korean’esque”. The athletes are entering the stadium and I can only imagine the thrill it must be to be able to walk into the stadium at the end of the games. [...]
Posted on 24 August 2008 | 5:32 am
"Greece staged an exuberant closing ceremony on Sunday to bring the curtain down on the Athens Games, which took the Olympics back to their roots and provided drama right down to the last gold medal.
A spectator ran onto the course of men's marathon, the final event of the Games run along the route of the first modern Olympics, and bundled Brazilian Vanderlei de Lima into the crowd as he led the race with about 15 minutes to go.
De Lima was able to rejoin the race after about five seconds but he looked shaken and was passed soon afterwards by Stefano Baldini of Italy, who had already been gaining on him. Baldini won the race ahead of American Meb Keflezighi.
The intruder was Cornelius Horan, an Irish former priest who interrupted the British Formula One Grand Prix last year. He was dressed in a kilt and beret and police said he was drunk.
De Lima said the incident may have cost him the gold medal and Brazilian officials said they would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a review of the results."
Read more at Games Close with Drama Down to Last Medal
"With Vanderlei de Lima of Brazil unexpectedly leading the race - the final event of these Games - by close to 30 seconds near the 22-mile mark, a man emerged from the crowd and pushed Lima from the middle of the road to the side of the course into a group of spectators, stopping him completely.
Spectators and security guards intervened, but it took the bewildered Lima several seconds to shake free. As he emerged from the crowd with about four miles remaining, his expression was even more pained than a marathoner's customary grimace down the stretch. And as security guards took his attacker, 57-year-old Cornelius Horan of Ireland, into custody, Lima spread his slender arms as if to ask, "Why?"
Seven minutes after the attack, with about 2.3 miles remaining in the race, Lima was caught from behind by the eventual winner, Stefano Baldini of Italy, and then by the eventual silver medalist, Meb Keflezighi of the United States." Read more at A Spectator Disrupts the Marathon With a Shove
Also read about it at:
- Marathoner finishes Third after attack
- Former priest halts marathon leader in his tracks
How can I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Vanderlei De Lima? To my way of thinking, he IS the true winner of the marathon and a real hero.
I will certainly remember his name longer than the name of the Italian who came in SECOND in my books!
How can I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Vanderlei De Lima? To my way of thinking, he IS the true winner of the marathon and a real hero.
I will certainly remember his name longer than the name of the Italian who came in SECOND in my books!
How can I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Vanderlei De Lima? To my way of thinking, he IS the true winner of the marathon and a real hero.
I will certainly remember his name longer than the name of the Italian who came in SECOND in my books!
How can I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Vanderlei De Lima? To my way of thinking, he IS the true winner of the marathon and a real hero.
I will certainly remember his name longer than the name of the Italian who came in SECOND in my books!
How can I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Vanderlei De Lima? To my way of thinking, he IS the true winner of the marathon and a real hero.
I will certainly remember his name longer than the name of the Italian who came in SECOND in my books!
How can I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Vanderlei De Lima? To my way of thinking, he IS the true winner of the marathon and a real hero.
I will certainly remember his name longer than the name of the Italian who came in SECOND in my books!
Portuguese:
Vanderlei de Lima é o verdadeiro ganhador da maratona!! O que aquele homem fez foi muito injusto!!!!
De Lima tem que ganhar a medalha de OURO!
English:
Vanderlei de Lima is the true winner of the marathon!! What that man did was so unfair!!!!
De Lima has to win the GOLD medal!
Congratulations to Vanderlei lima, You are the real winner and my Hero, I will be running a Marathon on September 19th, I am dedicating this Marathon to you...Harish Shetty,California
Please forward this mail to Vanderlai Lima
I'm sorry, Who did you say won the gold? Because all I can remember is Vanderlei de lima, Vanderlei de Lima, Vanderlei Vanderlei...And he truely deserves the acknowledgement. You will be remembered as the won who overcame!! And you have an exceptional spirit Vanderlei!
Posted by: Victoria Buesing at September 1, 2004 02:36 PMFor those who might be interested the President of The Brazilian Athletics Federation has launched an appeal on security grounds to the international sports court (CAS) They assert that Vanderlei De Lima should have been accompanied by 2 police/security motorbykes as the leader and that the attack equals a serious breach of international protocols by the organizers/IOC in this respect (...)They want another gold medal to be given to Vanderlei by the IOC (...) Meanwhile the good news are that independently of the outcome of the appeal the Brazilian Athletics Federation has already decided to coin a replica of the gold medal (in gold of course!) to give to Vanderlei. Vanderlei is back in Brazil tomorrow (Wednesday 2/9) to a hero's wellcome (...) Having watched the event live on BBC2 (UK) I am happy for Vanderlei! as I am sure most of you are! The Gold will definitely be his!
Posted by: Al Cruz at September 1, 2004 10:35 PMSeeing Vanderlei speeding like a plane to the finish line still brings tears to my eyes. What a fine gentleman he is! He embodies the true Olympic spirit and just what it takes to be such an athlete. I will remember his remarkable finish and his honorable attitude until the day I die, it is one of the finer moments in sports history. The world needs more like him! Congratulations Vanderlei! I only wish I could have been there to see you recieve the Sportsmanship medal. It's worth more than gold!
Posted by: kate at September 2, 2004 04:22 AMI was born in Greece, but my childhood hero was a Brazilian football player, PELE. Although, I will always respect PELE, my new hero is Vanderlei de Lima, an athlete and a human being that represents Mankind at its best. Not only do I consider him the lawful winner of the Marathon Race, I also acknowledge his couragous and dignified response to an attack committed by a religious fanatic, by reaching deep inside to find strength in the name of fair play and glory of humanity. Mr. de Lima, your name will be printed in the history of great performances and high values of humanity.
Thank you! Obrigado! Efcharisto
Respectfully,
John Apostolopoulos
Posted by: John Apostolopoulos at September 3, 2004 01:37 PMI was at the closing ceremonies in Athens when Vanderlei De Lima recieved his Bronze Metal for the marathon. He received the majority of the applause from the crowd, rightful so, since he was the true winner.
Posted by: Louie Spadafora at September 7, 2004 05:44 AM
