from http://www.chinafanyi.com/blog/more.asp?name=recco&id=2810

伦敦8分钟 英国人在BBC网站留言开骂

Oh my the Chinese will be a hard act to follow. What a shambles the British effort was, very embarrassing indeed. A double decker bus, beckham, an xfactor winner, a sweaty aging rock star, dancers with umbrellas throwng newspapers everywhere. I guess a good symbol of modern day Britain. I fear our efforts will always be second class to China. This might show new labour off for what they are and what they have done to our once great country
　　天啊，中国人的表演将是很难超越，英国的表现是这么的丢脸，丢脸之极。一辆双层公交，贝克汉姆，一个x factor电视台的选秀赢家，一个虚汗不止老态龙钟的摇滚明星，手拿雨伞的一群舞者乱扔报纸，我猜这就是现代伦敦的标志。对比中国我恐怕我们的表现永远只是二等。这大概是他们的最新努力的表现----显示他们的本来面目，以及显示对我们曾经的伟大的态度

 　 The dancing was a bit straggly in the " London " routine . After seeing all the cyclists taking part,the Chinese will think "Nobody can afford cars in London "
　　伦敦的例行表演中登场的那些舞者简直就是群魔乱舞。眼看着那些骑着自行车的家伙也来凑热闹，中国人都会认为“伦敦人都买不起车啦”
　　
　　The British "teaser" was ok, but we were disappointed to see the performer in the wheelchair was not in fact disabled but was leaping around later in the dance.
　　英国人也不赖，不过当我们发现那位坐轮椅的表演者根本不是残疾的时候--他在稍后的舞蹈中到处蹦达来着 --- 好失望呀么好失望。

　　Did anyone else this the 'London 8 minutes' presentation was - dare I say it - rubbish!? Leona sang her heart out on top of a ladder, on top of a bus whilst 20 contemporary dancers did their stuff way below. It was just so low key relative to what had gone on before it.
　　这儿还有没有人也觉得这次“伦敦8分钟”表演根本就是--恕我直言--垃圾！？Leona站在那巴士顶上的高架子上唱歌，简直把她的小心肝都给吓破了；同时还有那20来个家伙在底下伴舞。跟之前的那些表演相比，真是够丢分的了。
　　
　　But oh, our offering at the closing ceremony was embarrassing.A red bus,a pop singer, an ageing rocker and an overpaid ball kicker was awful. Where was our great Island heritage portrayed in all this flummery?
　　哦，我们在闭幕式上的表现真丢脸。一辆红吧是，一个流行歌手，一个摇滚老头，还有个我们付了太多薪水给他的踢球的家伙 -- 这一切都太糟糕了。在这堆乱七八糟的糟粕里头，我们这个伟大岛屿的传承却无处可见。

　　Organisers - please do better for us in 2012.
　　组织者 -- 行行好，好好干～在2012年给我们挣点脸

　　And why can't Boris button his jacket? Too fat or bad tailoring?
　　这句话是说他们市长的：为什么Boris上衣的扣子不扣起来？他太胖了还是衣服剪裁不合适？

　　I've just watched the Olympic closing ceremony, and as I feared, Britain's contribution was embarassing and totally pathetic - I just hope they manage to do better in 2012. It will obviously be impossible to rival the spectacular pageant that Beijing provided, but I thought the dancing (if you can call that dancing) and the Leona Lewis/Jimmy Page effort was just pitiful. Hopefully, we can ditch all this government inspired 'Cool Britannia' garbage and present something a bit more slick and professional.
　　刚看了闭幕式，跟我担心的一样，英国的表现真丢人而且完全令人失望，我只希望他们2012年能搞好点儿。很明显我们没法跟北京搞出的壮观场面好点，但我想那些舞蹈（如果你管那个叫舞蹈）和俩歌手的表演都很令人遗憾。希望我们能够摆脱政府提倡的那些“酷酷的大不列颠”的垃圾，展现一些更专业和娴熟（？）的东西

　　I agree that Adrian Childs was poor: he seemed to think that he was on the One Show.　　
　　The London Bus routine was pretty much rubbish ... the music was poor and everything smacked of pop culture. Period.　
　　The Games themselves were superbly run. The BBC was teetering on the brink of overblown nationalism, however.
　　我也觉得Adrian Childs很可怜，他看上去以为自己是在个人秀。。
　　伦敦巴士的演出特别垃圾，音乐很糟糕，所有一切都带着流行文化时代的味道。
　　运动会本身搞得非常好，但bbc有过分的民族主义之嫌（是嫌bbc吹捧英国运动员太厉害？）

　 I'm staying in Singapore and feel embarrassed to go to work tomorrow after that dreadful showing by London 2012　　
　　我住在新加坡，在伦敦2012年可怕的表演过后我明天去工作的时候会感觉很尴尬。

　　I live in Germany and, like the person from Singapore, will be ashamed to meet my friends tomorrow　　
　　我住在德国，就像那个住新加坡人说的，明天去见朋友的时候会变的很丢脸。

　　Jimmy Page and David Beckham have been massive icons of British popular culture. I'm not especially a fan of either, but they perfectly suited to the ceremony.　　
　　Not bothered either way about Leona whatshername, but the chief embarrassment, reducing us instantly to laughing stock of the world and diminishing at a stroke the achievements of our athletes, was the presence of Boris Bloody Johnson!!! This man symbolizes everything wrong with Britain - a deeply untalented buffoon, with a thoroughly sinister interior. Get him off the stage once and for all.
　　Jimmy Page和贝壳都是英国流行文化的重大标志。我并不是他们的粉丝，但他们很适合这个演出。
　　那个叫Leona啥啥的演出我也不觉得糟（就是那个独唱的mm），但是最大的丢人之处，直接把我们埋汰成全世界的笑料并且抹杀了我们的运动员取得的成绩的，就是那个虾米Boris Johnson（伦敦那个混混市长）的出现！这家伙象征着英国所有糟糕的东西——一个完全没有天赋的小丑，内心丑恶。把他永远逐出舞台吧！

　　When I heard about the plans for the London presentation, including the "arrangement" of the national anthem and the rehashed 70s rock music, I thought "it can't possibly be as bad as I'm imagining it". Well, it wasn't. It was a thousand, toe-curlingly hideous times worse. Against the dignity, seriousness and power of the Chinese displays, it was so far beyond embarrassing, my brain has already almost forgotten it, in a desperate paroxysm of self-defence.
　　当我听到伦敦发表的计划，包括“安排的”国歌和70年代的摇滚歌曲，我想这不可能比我想象的还要糟糕，好了，它不是，它是千万倍的更加糟糕。对比尊严的，严肃的和力量的中国表演，它比丢脸还要丢脸，在绝望的自我保护状态下，我的大脑已经将它忘记。

　　omg, I hope our eight minutes during the closing ceremony is not a foretaste of the tackiness to come in four years time. "　　
　　It felt a lot longer than eight minutes..... Every cringe and every gasp of horror made it feel like a lifetime!　　
　　If that is all we have to offer, lets hope the rest of the world has popped out down the pub when we take centre stage.　　
　　Our athletes deserve much better than this, they did us proud in Beijing (lets not forget the Paralympics too) and will continue to do so.
　　饿滴神，我希望闭幕式这8分钟不是预示着四年之后我们要展示出来的东西。
　　这个感觉不止8分钟，希望我们跑上台去表演的时候世界上其他人都跑出去泡吧了……（哈哈）
　　我们的运动员值得比这个好得多的东西，他们为我们在北京赢得了骄傲（别忘了还有残奥会）并且会继续这样做。

　　Mind you, from the wretched logo to the vacuous miming chick to David Bloody Beckham, it was all a perfect reflection of London and England as they now are: cheap, tatty, shallow, and above all laughing enormously at their own jokes while the rest of the world looks on with contempt. Perfect. 　　
　　Now, 2012... where can I go to avoid it all? Please can I move to China?
　　现在，2012－－跑到哪里我可以完全的避开它？请问我能搬到中国去吗？

　　I have been glued to the Olympics constantly and very proud of Team GB but my god what on earth was that 8 minute section in the closing ceremony.　　
　　The chinese put on a fantastic show and we have basically a red bus and a sparkler.　　
　　Who ever put this together should be sacked before we are embarressed anymore.　　
　　By the way BBC should be given a gold medal for the coverage, first class.
　　我一直迷着奥运会，也很为英国队的表现骄傲，可是饿滴神啊，闭幕式的8分钟到底在干啥啊！
　　中国人的表演非常令人着迷，可我们就只有一辆红巴士和一些发光物（是指巴士变形后出来的绿哇哇的东西咩？）
　　把这些东西搞到一起去的人应该被炒鱿鱼，在我们继续丢人之前。
　　ps：bbc的报道应该给颁一块金牌，一流的。

　　A beautifully organised Games all around, then Boris appears, jacket undone, looking like a drunk who gatecrashed the party, what an embarrassment　　
　　一个组织有序的美丽的运动会，然后Boris出现了，
　　衣冠不整　　
　　像个酒鬼一样冲进了派对　　
　　多么令人羞耻啊！！！！！

　　I have a Grandson living and working in Beijing and I only hope he stays under cover until the humilation dies down a little. It certainly will never go away. 　　
　　In 8 mins we have become the laughing stock of the world.　　
　　我有一个孙子生活和工作在北京，我只希望他在这丢人的气氛减小前藏好自己。它肯定永远不会消失。 　　
　　在这8分钟，我们已成为世界笑柄

　　I thought it was fine. Are we going to have to look forward to another four years of whingeing about the Olympics? If so, I'm glad I'm living in China.　　
　　（哈哈哈这大哥比较安心）
　　我觉得不错，是不是我们不得不面对着另外四年关于奥运会的抱怨？如果是的，我很高兴我现在住在中国。

　　—— Leona！ Poor girls must be so nervous!
　　—— She sounds like a whale mating 　　　　
　　I didn't think it was possibly but this both sucks and blows. 　　　
　　Grow up London 2012 and stop trying to be so 'cool'. This is embarrassing. 　
—— 利昂娜！可怜的姑娘们很紧张吧!
　　—— 她听起来像是只正在交配的鲸鱼 　
我都不忍心这么说，但是这个的确是又SB又NC
　　成熟点，London 2012，别那么装酷。真丢人

　　Funny how the Beijing Olympics had absolutely nothing to do with Beijing. They were all about China. But the London Olympics are apparently all about London. 　　
　　有趣的是，北京奥运和北京没什么太大关系，而是关于整个中国。但是伦敦奥运很明显只和伦敦有关 　　
　　
　　Is anyone else finding this all a bit shabby after the chinese dancing etc 　　
　　大家有没有发现，在中国的舞蹈等等后面出场，他们显得多么寒酸啊
　　
　　Why don't my buses look like that? 　　
　　汗，我坐的公交车怎么不像那个样子

　　The Chinese did it again the closing was amazing. First class and out of this world. The one negative was the London Show what in the heck was that. In Athens when the Chinese did there welccome to show it was amazing and you knew you where going to get something special in Beijing. I hope that London does better than what they showed to-day.
　　中国人又让他们的闭幕式（和开幕式一样）一样NB，世界一流甚至超越世界！唯一让人不爽恶心呕吐的是伦敦的8分钟。在雅典闭幕式的时候，中国人华丽丽滴欢迎表演，就让人知道北京会展现出他的特别之处。我希望伦敦会比我们今天所看到的做得好些。

　　Replicate it, we don’t have a chance it hell. For one thing we’ll be lucky to find 1% of the volunteers from Beijing. Perhaps all the people claiming on benefits should be forced to volunteer !!!　　
　　Smith, London
　　复制它,我们根本没TMD机会.其中一点如果我们走运的话我们能找到相当北京1%的志愿者.可能所有人都在抢夺本该属于志愿者的利益.

　　Forget about the image of Myra Hindley. What about the image of some guy painting graffiti on a wall? What are we trying to say here? "Come to London, where criminal disfigurement of public property is welcomed and celebrated?!"　　
　　忘掉Myra Hindley的样子吧.看看那个一群人在墙上涂鸦的画面?我们到底想表现什么?来伦敦吧,这里毁坏公共财产的犯罪行为会受到欢迎.

　　Dont know what to laugh more at - the tacky 8 minutes of rubbish the UK put on in Beijing or the smug comments on here about how "At least we are free.." Last time I looked the UK was the most watched (CCTV) nation on earth and we have a government that has used fear and hate to strip us of freedoms on a daily basis. The only difference between the UK and China is that they wasted billions more than we can afford to- but Im sure we'll waste as much as we can. But freedom?? Dont make me laugh!　　
　　Terry Roberts, Shropshire
　　不知道要嘲笑什么,在北京展示的英国垃圾8分钟还是这里自鸣得意的留言关于"至少我们是自由的",最后一次我看到英国是地球上安装最多监视器(CCTV英国沿街安装的监视系统,不是中央台哦)的国家,利用恐怖和仇恨来控制我们的日常自由,中国和英国之间唯一的区别是他们用掉了比我们的承受能力还多的钱,但是我相信我们也会花费我们能用的每一分钱.但是自由,别让我笑了.

　　The Chinese people seem to love all things western (David Beckham included by the looks of it) but in return all we can do is bad mouth them and show no respect. What does that say about us.　　
　　There’s an old saying, treat people the same as how you would like to be treated.　　
　　Rob, London 　　
　　中国人似乎喜欢关于西方的所有事情(包括贝克汉姆),但是做为回报我们能做的只是说他们的坏话和不尊重.
　　有句古语,用你期待别人对待你的方式来对待别人

　　Oops, I forgot about the fireworks. Weren't they wonderful!　　
　　I was so impressed by how they managed to create the Olympic Rings in the sky - truly amazing.　　
　　Thank you China.　　
　　[cheesed-off], United Kingdom
　　哦...我忘说烟花了,太漂亮了,
　　他们是怎样把五环打在天空的,太不可思议了.　　
　　谢谢中国.

　　In my time I've witnessed countless Royal Variety Performances and the opening ceremony of the Dome. This British fiasco was worse than any of them, and even at only eight minutes seemed interminable. No wonder London mayor Boris Johnson looked so uncomfortable beforehand. He must have known what was coming.
　　俺目睹过无数的盛大演出也看了DOME(这个不大明白）的开幕式，这回英国的演出可真是一场彻头彻尾的失败，比我看过的那些演出中的任何一次都更糟糕，以至于演出虽然只有8分钟，都让人觉得冗长的无法忍受。怪不得伦敦市长包里斯囧孙在那之前看起来相当不爽-- 他一准是早就知道了接下来就要丢脸了。
　　　　
　　I have two tips for you, Boris. Keep your hands out of your pockets when attending high-profile events like this, and secondly fire whoever responsible for this fiasco and hire proper showbiz professionals – from Las Vegas if necessary – to handle the opening and closing ceremonies in 2012. Another toe-curling embarrassment like this would be unendurable.
　　波利斯（伦敦市长)，俺有两个锦囊妙计贡献给你：一，在如此盛大高端的场合下，丫儿地把手从你那兜兜里掏出来；二，赶紧炒了那个端出英国8分钟这么一锅垃圾的责任人，2012年英国办开幕式闭幕式的时候一定要雇些演艺圈里的专业人员--万不得已的时候从赌城拉斯维加斯找也成哪。咱谁也受不了到时候再来那么一出让人囧的脚趾头都抽抽的尴尬演出！！

　　The closing ceremony was, as expected, spectacular and beautiful.
　　闭幕式就像想象中的那样壮观和美丽

　　I have just finished watching the Closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. I must say that it was an incredible show from the beginning to the end. The whole event went on very smoothly. I agree with the IOC chairman that these games have opened China to the world and the world to China.
我刚刚看完北京奥运会的闭幕式。不得不说这是一场从头到尾都令人称奇的表演。整个表演尽展的很顺利。我同意国际奥组委的说法“这个奥运会会让中国与世界互相沟通”

　　Thank you family of China. Thank you Beijing 2008.
　　We are all Children of the World and China have proved that to us.
　　All of the Olympians deserve credit for all the dedication and effort. It is the Greatest Show on Earth. With the best of the best. 2012 will be a great test for GB and as one Nation what a great challenge for us.
　　谢谢你中国，谢谢你北京2008
　　我们都是世界之子，中国向我们证明了这个道理。
　　所有选手的努力都是值得的。这是地球上最伟大的盛会。最中之最。2012对英国来说是一个考研和挑战。
　　　　
　　Well done China on a fantastic organisation of the games which was flawless and Team GB for their medal haul. Thank you China for putting the U.S into second place.
　　（注意看最后一句 --）　　　　
　　中国在赛会的组织上干的棒极了，梦幻一般的毫无瑕疵。英国选手也一样。谢谢你，中国，你们让美国掉到第二的位置去了。
　　　　
　　Well done, China! You have given the world a magnificent Olympics despite the efforts of the chattering classes in the Western media to portray you as some Stalinist state.
　　中国棒极了！你给了整个世界一个精彩绝伦的奥运会，与此同时西方媒体还在喋喋不休的努力把你塑造成斯大林主义似的的国家。

　　The female who hugged Yao Ming was Lauren Jackson, an Australia basketball player playing in WNBA. After Yao entered NBA, there was rumor she had a crush on Yao, but Yao turned her down. There were many gossip about them.
　　So, seeing them hugging at the closing ceremony really really made me laugh, because 4 years ago, at the closing ceremony of Athens Olympic, Yao and his girlfriend 'Ye Li' came out together and that was the first time their relationship went public
（外国人也知道姚明的八卦啊）
　　那个在闭幕式上拥抱姚明的女运动员是在WNBA打球的Lauren Jackson，当姚进入NBA打球时，他们曾经发生过一段绯闻,但是姚拒绝了她>_<看到他们在闭幕式上拥抱真是太好玩了，你知道四年前在雅典的闭幕式上，姚和他的女朋友叶莉第一次手牵手出现在公众面前

　　What was that red bus /umbrella garbage all about? What an embarrassment for UK. It was not so much the pathetic handover performance that upset me, but the arrogant, rude and disgraceful behavior of London’s mayor Boris Johnson when attending the handover party in Bejing. Show some respect Mr BJ ! Beijing was a gracious host and deserves some praise at the handover.　　
　　Robert, Windsor
　　TMD红色巴士和垃圾雨伞到底是虾米啊？？！！真是给英国丢脸啊。从来没有比这次可怜的交接仪式更雷到我的了。而那个伦敦市长Boris Johnson 在北京闭幕式的交接仪式上无知、粗鲁和毫无尊重的表现更是丢人。给北京一点尊重吧！北京是个热情和蔼的主人，在交接仪式上值得尊重！！

　　Production of Global sporting superstars at the 2008 Beijing Games is correct and will remain memorable. Yet, some of us tend to place focus on matters of less importance and one wonders what is their ulterior motives. All countries with high crime rates should learn from these recently concluded games, and note that it is of high importance to develop the youths sporting potential from a tender age, so that their high energy can be burnt in the right direction and not in criminal activities.　　
　　Hollis N Hosein, Trinidad and Tobago -WI
　　让北京举办地球上最盛大的体育盛会无疑是正确的，而且将会难以忘怀。我们中的一些人光注意那些根本不重要的细节，而且还有人觉得他们（中国）是别有用心滴。
　　所有高犯罪率的国家都应该从最近结束的奥运会学点什么，而且注意一下在豆蔻年华就发掘青少年的潜力是很重要滴，让他们的精力在正确的方向燃烧，而不是在犯罪行为上发光！

　　8 minutes of total rubbish , What the hell are we playing at , That whole bus thing and crazy people was a total sham , And as for the indian girl representing the children of England well I have seen it all now . What a mess , 2012 wont be a patch on this olympics.　　
　　sam, london
　　8分钟是彻头彻尾的垃圾，我们TMD到底在表演什么啊？乱七八糟的巴士和疯子一样的表演者简直丢脸丢大发鸟。而对于那个代表英国的印度女孩，简直看不下去了。什么破玩意儿嘛。2012年伦敦根本不配举办奥运会！

　　Well done China, well presented games, Boris came across well, showed we have a good mayor, who knows what London has to do to ensure we put on a good show, advice from those of us who are still British is dump most of the things in the 8 minutes as they are not in tune with London/British values or what people know us for, increase the use of the union flag as the useless logo looks half useful in that guise! Boris has clearly been saddled with Livingston’s leftie leftovers, dump them be bold!　　
　　[GlobalTemplar], Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
　　中国，干得不错！是一场精心准备的奥运会，Boris的出现也还好，显示出我们有多么优秀的一个市长啊，他知道伦敦应该做什么来显示我们可以举办好奥与会，我们这些人的大多数根本不明白伦敦/英国价值的人的建议都在8分钟里面出现鸟，或者说让世人对我们滴像一个没用的logo一样的联邦国旗又多了点印象。
　　Boris清楚滴展示了一个左派份子的垃圾形象，我们打包把他倒掉吧！！
　　（这段翻译得不好，这人反讽能力太强了，囧）

　　It has been a long time that I felt embarrassed for 8 long minutes. I really hope the organizers get there act together for the 2012 Olympics in London, because whether we like it or not the Chinese did a wonderful job from beginning to end. Whether true or false, let us hope the Red Arrows will do a fly past at the opening ceremony in London because that will be something worth watching, unless of course Boris has something up his sleeve to surprise us all.　　
　　Rose, Bicester
　　很长一段时间内，我都为我们的8分钟感到丢脸，我真心希望那些组织者去为了我们的2012年伦敦奥运会，一起去那里（北京）看看，因为不管我们喜欢与否，中国人从头到尾都做得非常棒。无论正确与否，让我们希望在伦敦开幕式前the Red Arrows（英国红箭飞行表演队，在BBC开幕式的评论上就有英国人提到我们不会又上红箭吧，看来英国果然只有红箭啊-_-）能够腾飞起来，只有那样，说不定才有点看头，除非Boris又把他的手揣在兜里，来给我们所有人一个惊喜！

　　In the London segment in the final countdown at the end of the Bejing olypics was total rubbish. If that is the best we can do to portray ourselves, then what will the rest of the world think. As a once great country we are now behind the third world, Shame　　
　　Thomas Smith, Newcastle upon Tyne
　　伦敦在北京奥运会上最后的表现简直是垃圾。如果那些就是我们最好的东西，世界上其他人会怎么看？？一个曾经伟大的国家，如今却还不如第三世界，丢脸！！！

　　There is one word for the "London 2012" presentation at the Beijing Olympic closing ceremony...naff !
　　This includes Boris Johnson who looked as though he is in need of a decent tailor. It would help if he buttoned up his jacket. He looked like a 4th form schoolboy.
　　The Chinese show was magnificent. Our athletes were brilliant.　　
　　Delewar, Colchester
　　只能用一个词来形容代表“伦敦2012”在北京奥运会闭幕式上的表现---白开水！
　　这其中包括咱们的市长大人Boris Johnson ，他看起来需要一个体面的形象顾问，如果他把扣子扣上，看起来也不会那么囧，他看起来像一个4年级的中学生！
　　中国的闭幕式非常恢宏壮观，我们的运动员们也优秀。

　　The closing ceremony was just fine apart from the British bit which was simply atrocious!
　　Why did we have some prehistoric rock guitarist and a talent show winner miming to some abysmal sound track? What has David Beckham got to do with the Olympics? Hardly portrays a young, vibrant and exciting vision of what the 2012 games might offer.
　　If this is an example of how good London's Olympics is going to be, then perhaps Boris should ask the Chinese to keep the Olympic flame in Beijing.　　
　　[BirdGirlsCanFly]
　　除去英国糟糕透顶的表演部分，闭幕式还是不错滴。
　　为什么我们要找一些过气的摇滚吉他手和糟透的选秀歌手来刺激我们？？贝克汉姆掺和在奥运会中做什么？？我们几乎不能展现2012年伦敦可能提供的一个年轻、有活力和令人兴奋的印象。
　　如果这是伦敦奥运会将会展现出来的样子，也许Boris先生应该叫中国人把奥运会旗留在北京！

　　The Beijing to London handover shows how ill equipped we are to deal with an event of this scale.
　　Compared to spectacular displays by the Chinese, our offering is a pathetic embarrassment.
　　The 2012 Party belongs on Blue Peter and was on par with an end of term school show: Scouting for Girls destroying London’s Calling; Morrisons’ theme tune by Last Choir Standing and The Feeling playing with no feeling at all.
　　Is this all Britain has to offer?　　
　　Helen, Liverpool
　　北京-伦敦交接仪式显示出我们对应对这种盛大场合是多么的囧啊。
　　相比中国华丽恢宏的闭幕式，我们的表演简直是去丢脸滴！
　　2012年的开幕式应该是以Blue Peter 为主吧，而闭幕式会以中学毕业晚会的形式来搞：调戏女孩子的声音毁坏伦敦的通讯；合唱团唱Morrisons的诗歌腔调；唯一的感觉就是没有感觉。
　　这就是英国能够提供的？？？？

　　I see censorship and control by the state-owned media continues.
　　Where is the report on the BBC website of the celebrations in the Olympic borough of Waltham Forest being canceled because of yet another knife murder, this time yards away from where the choir was supposed to sing to the cheering happy crowds in Walthamstow, who instead were replaced by the police investigating a crime scene.
　　You couldn’t make it up. You really are a Ministry of Truth.　　　　
　　humble scholar, London, United Kingdom
　　我发现国有媒体的管制和审查制度还在继续啊。
　　BBC上关于Waltham Forest区庆祝奥运的评论都到哪里去了？因为另外一个持刀杀人犯就被河蟹鸟？？那里的合唱团这段时间都应该在庆祝Walthamstow狂欢的人群吧？那可是被警察调查出来的犯罪情景啊。
　　你们没必要编造，你们真的是真相的终结者！
　　（民主自由的英国BBC的留言其实也是要审核的，国内的民猪精蝇们震惊、失望鸟）

　　The Chinese showed their rich heritage and history in a dignified and beautiful performance.
　　Us? We showed just what a farce 2012 will be.
　　Our country's heritage (prior to the last government!) is one to be proud of. We have customs and a richer history than many others. So why are we showing a logo from the 70's (I'm a designer, it's shocking!) and a display of ageing rock, one-hit wonders, chavs and only modern London?
　　I'm proud to be English, but in 2012? I may be moving...　　
　　Angela, Chesterfield
　　中国人以一种高贵和美仑美焕的演出，展现了他们最辉煌的历史和灿烂的文化．
　　我们呢？？我们却只显示了２０１２年一场闹剧．
　　我们国家的历史文化值得我们每个人骄傲，我们有着比世界上其他任何国家都丰富的习俗和历史．那我们为什么却要拿出一个７０年代的logo（我是个设计师，太雷人了！）和过时的摇滚blabla的东西，以及现代的伦敦来秀？？
　　作为英国人我很骄傲，但是对于２０１２？？我可能会搬走．．．．．

　　Lets hope the UK can match the chinese games with same character and skill! Well its all up to Boris now and his management capabillities!! We know our athletes are capable!! Mind you he has on hell of a job to beat!!　　
　　[newtried], maidenhead, United Kingdom
　　让我们期待国家能够整出和中国的表演和技术相媲美的奥运会吧．当然现在这都要看Ｂoris的管理能力了！！我们都知道我们的运动员都有这个能力！！希望他能小宇宙大爆发！

　　Why couldn't the BBC TV commentators just shut up when there is music on the screen? They did the same stupid thing at the opening and once again today. The TV is there for us to WATCH and when the music is on why give commentary? Also so much about history and the meaning of this and the meaning of that and the symbolism of this and that. For Heavans sake WHY did they not just shut up and let us listen to the music, to the drums and all that was happening. This was a disastrous coverage.　　
　　Hercules, London
　　ＢＢＣ电视播音员能不能在音乐响起的时候闭上他的乌鸦嘴？？他们今天又和开幕式的时候一样犯了同样的错误．音乐响器的时候，电视是给我们＂看＂的，为什么在那里ＪＪＷＷ说个不停？？
　　太多太多关于历史的评论了，一会儿这个是什么，一会儿那个是什么，这个代表什么，那个象征什么．有完没完！！
　　上帝啊，为什么他们不闭上臭嘴让我们好好聆听这音乐，鼓声以及所有的一切？这场报道真ＴＭＤ恶心

　　606: "A beautifully organised Games all around, then Boris appears, jacket undone, looking like a drunk who gatecrashed the party, what an embarrassment."
　　一场有条不紊的庆祝仪式华美进行中，这时boris（伦敦市长）像个醉汉一样敞着领子突然闯了进来，真他妈令人尴尬。
　　
　　AND HERE'S BECKS! AND A WOMAN IN A RUNNING OUTFIT PLAYING A VIOLIN! Becks boots a ball into the crowd... just the one, and it doesn't quite make the crowd... a couple of officials have a bit of a scrabble over it... and that's that, London's eight minutes are up... what to make of that?
　　小贝出来了！还有在跑动人群中拉小提琴的女人。小贝将一个足球踢向人群。。。只有一个，没有引起太大的骚动。。。两个工作人员乱扒了一通。。。就这些，伦敦八分钟结束了。。。谁明白这是想表达什么意思吗？

by David Walsh

He sat at a table in the No Name restaurant in the Houhai area of Beijing and talked about how the world was not being told the full story about the Olympics.

He is a team doctor with one of the bigger nations, attending his eighth Olympics, and having spent the past three weeks in Beijing’s athletes’ village, there were things he had experienced that offer lessons for London as it prepares to host the 2012 Games. “An example,” he said. “We had to take a team to a match in Tianjin. It’s 70 miles from Beijing, about a 2½hour bus ride. We had three police cars in front of the bus, two behind. The motorway was closed. After about an hour and a half, a few of our girls needed to use a loo and they came to me. I asked the Bocog [the Beijing organising committee] guy if he could stop the bus.

“He said it wasn’t possible. I said the girls couldn’t wait until Tianjin. He shook his head. So I got angry and said if the bus didn’t stop there would be an international incident. The girls would use the bus as a toilet.

“Eventually he made a phone call to a superior in Beijing. The superior rang someone higher up. It went on for 15 or 20 minutes before common sense prevailed. But the rigidity, the inflexibility was hard to take.”

It was a story he wanted told but did not want to put his name to. In the world of Olympic politics, accredited personnel dare not speak against Beijing. There were aspects of the Games he liked – the iconic stadiums, the courtesy of the people, the organisation – but something was missing.

“I don’t think there’s an esprit here, no real joie de vivre,” he said. “It’s like they have the hardware but not the software. I never thought I would say this about an Olympics but there’s been blandness about these Games. London will be competing against Sydney 2000 not Beijing – Sydney is the benchmark.”

For Britons watching at home this has been a remarkable Olympics, with their athletes competing more successfully than in any Games in living history. Nineteen golds have led the best medal haul since 1908, when the Games were held in London.

In 2012, however, attention will turn as much to the organisation of the Games, and how it is perceived worldwide, as the success of the athletes themselves. The lesson from Beijing is that the hosts were very good in some respects, not so clever in others.

When the London 2012 chief executive Paul Deighton arrived in Beijing three weeks ago, it was the architecture of the stadiums that first impressed him, then the almost perfect organisation – and there was the opening ceremony. It was an event that thrilled the world and deepened London’s sense of humility. “An astonishing piece of work,” said Bill Morris, 2012’s culture, ceremonies and education director.

China’s achievement was an impossible act to follow, it was believed. Deighton talked about 2012 being “different” and the beauty being in the difference. He also acknowledged that in scale and infrastructure, 2012 would not try to compete with Beijing but be a model for future Olympic Games – that is, for host cities with far fewer resources than China, which spent £22 billion.

Yet as the Games have gone on, it has become clear that Beijing has not got everything right; in fact it got some very important things wrong.

After saying all the 6.8m tickets had been sold, the organisers could not explain why so many events were played out in half-empty arenas, which often had to be filled with “cheer squads” of locals. The organisers complained that sponsors had received tickets but not used them, that people had bought tickets for an all-day event but chosen not to turn up for the morning session.

Though it improved through the second week when the athletics finals were often watched by a 91,000 crowd at the bird’s nest, the Olympics never became the festival it could have been.

Bocog and the Chinese government also did not try to create a party mood around the Olympic sites and that hurt their Games.

One lunchtime Tim and Melissa Stewart from New York and their two children, Will, 9, and Maddie, 7, left the morning session at the aquatics centre to watch the gymnastics on television. They stood in the centre of the Olympic Park, encircled by iconic stadiums, but were forlorn.

“Where’s the food?” asked Melissa. “Where’s the big screen? Where’s the place to sit down? The IOC is asking why people aren’t hanging round the Olympic Park, but there’s nothing to keep you here. Outside of the Olympics, everything’s been brilliant in Beijing.”

Lord Coe, chairman of the London organising committee, Deighton and Morris steadfastly refused to offer even the slightest criticism of the Chinese effort, because even if there were weaknesses, China was doing so many other things extremely well.

Yet privately London’s leaders were encouraged. They could succeed where Beijing had fallen down: they could get the ticketing right and they should create the party atmosphere Beijing lacked.

In their eight-minute contribution to today’s closing ceremony, London will offer us a glimpse of how the city means to host the Games. “We will keep it simple, make it youthful, make it entertaining and fun. Don’t overanalyse it, enjoy it, join in,” said Morris.

Central to the optimism is the potential of the 500-acre Olympic Park in east London that will contain the main stadium, the aquatic centre, the cycling velodrome, the athletes’ village and media centres.

“We are talking about a proper park,” said Joanna Manning-Cooper, a spokeswoman for London 2012. “It will be the size of Hyde Park. It will have canal waterways, loads of greens, picnic areas, lots of big screens, plenty of food outlets. We’re also looking at having ‘Henman Hill’ areas and tickets into the park will be low-priced.”

Coe has pledged that the tickets will not be overpriced, and there is a determination to avoid the mistakes Beijing has made. London will consider setting a time limit on sponsor and corporate seats; if they are not occupied by a certain time, the tickets will be reallocated.

Coe acknowledges that sensibly priced tickets will not matter if hotels and restaurants overcharge during the London Games. His committee will work with the relevant authorities in an attempt to ensure this does not happen.

The former Olympic champion must ensure that London’s organisation is first-rate. The president of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, has already said that the accommodation and transport of athletes must match the standards set in Beijing.

Coe also faces political disagreements that, of course, did not affect the Beijing organisers. With a Tory London mayor in Boris Johnson and, for now at least, a Labour government, he will need all his Westminster experience to handle divergent views about the management and funding of the Games. Johnson will give him a run for his money. Yesterday he pledged that Londoners would “not pay a penny more” than the Games’ current £9.3 billion budget, having earlier in the week proposed offering free tickets to the city’s children.

Coe, however, has a more ambitious target than a well-run and atmospheric Olympics: the 2012 Games must change the landscape of British sport.

“No Games has produced a sustainable shift in participation,” said Coe. “Sydney raised the bar in many respects, but people in Australia will tell you that in terms of participation in sport, that hasn’t happened. It’s important that what we need to do isn’t left until the London Olympics are over.”

Participation in sport will only increase if facilities are improved and funding is provided for more and better coaching. That the landscape needs to change is evident from the composition of the British team in Athens four years ago.

Fifty-eight per cent of the squad’s gold-medallists were educated at independent fee-paying schools where facilities and coaching are better. It was not markedly different at these Games. With 7% of the population in private education, independently educated athletes are eight times more likely to represent Britain at the Olympics than their state-educated rivals.

Coe, the product of a state school himself, understands that the challenge is not solely about putting on a great Olympic Games but going much further than that. It is not whether Team GB wins or loses the medals race, but how many are playing games when the Games have ended.

STRIKING GOLD

The British Olympic team punched above its weight yesterday to land a surprise gold medal in boxing and secure fourth place in the medal table last night – its best performance since the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Britain’s return as a sports superpower was boosted by its 19th gold medal and bronzes in kayaking and taekwondo.

James DeGale, 22, who started the Games as a 40-1 outsider, beat Cuba’s Emilio Correa to bring the first glint of metal for Britain in boxing’s middleweight class for 40 years.

Four years ago DeGale, who puts his nifty footwork down to the tap-dancing lessons that he took as an 11-year-old, sat with his parents in their London home cheering on Amir Khan as he won an Olympic silver medal in Athens.

Yesterday he went one better. It was the first gold at middleweight for Britain since Chris Finnegan won in Mexico in 1968 and the first in boxing since Audley Harrison won the inaugural super-heavyweight class in Sydney in 2000.

The victory gives DeGale the chance of a lucrative career as a prize fighter. But he has vowed to represent Britain again at the 2012 London Olympics – so long as Steve Newland, his coach, stays at his side and he receives an increase in lottery funding. “Obviously they’ve got to give me decent money, better than what I'm on now,” he said.

Outside of boxing Tim Brabants, 31, won a bronze medal in the 500m kayaking final to add to the gold he won last week in the 1,000m event.

Sarah Stevenson, 25, won a bronze in the women’s 67kg taekwondo event, but only after winning an appeal against a Chinese opponent in the quarter-final.

Tom Daley, 14, finished seventh in the diving finals. “At least I can go to McDonald’s now. I just want to be a kid again,” he said.

Yesterday the Queen praised the success of British and Commonwealth athletes: “The golden triumphs of the present British team can only serve as further inspiration to those who will be working hard over the next four years to make the London Games a shining example of Olympic success,” she said.

BROWN BACKS FOOTBALL TEAM GB

Gordon Brown seemed to score an own goal in China yesterday by putting his weight behind the idea of an all-Britain team competing for the football gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

The prime minister, who said Britain’s achievements in Beijing would be reflected in the honours system, said he hoped “Team UK” would compete on home soil.

Britain has not entered a side in the Olympics since 1960 for fear such a move could jeopardise the separate identities of the England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland sides.

Brown, however, said: “When people are looking at the Olympics in 2012 – Britain, home of football, where football was invented, which we gave to the world – I think people would be very surprised if there is an Olympic tournament in football and we are not part of it.”

He has already met Gordon Smith, chief executive of the Scottish Football Association, to discuss the idea, but without success.

Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, last week supported the idea of a UK team.

from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/london_2012/article4597228.ece

A place of legends: the Olympic Games proves its capacity for greatness again

from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article4599303.ece

A place of legends: the Olympic Games proves its capacity for greatness again

Simon Barnes in Beijing

There are three ways of enjoying sport, and they form a hierarchy. The three categories can mingle and merge, any two together or all three at once. But they still form three easily separated categories and there is no question as to which is the highest. I have spent the past 16 days in remorseless, painstaking and thrilling search for the sport of the third kind, and I encountered it on at least four occasions.

The lowest of these categories is partisanship: us lot beating them lot, our bloke beating their bloke - and it's the most wonderful fun, especially when you win. Partisanship is the bread and butter of the sports industry: loyalty, identification, cheering for your team, your man, feeling absurdly glad when you win and suffering the most ridiculous pain when you lose. One world, one dream, and that dream is to beat the crap out of everybody else. Partisanship is Tim Henman at Wimbledon: agonising desperation for a mere result, glorious and painful to experience because of the extreme identification of audience and athlete.

This has been a great Games for British partisanship, but I haven't been around many British medals. I managed only a single gold and that was more by luck than judgment. I had gone to the Water Cube for quite other reasons when I watched the superb Rebecca Adlington win her first gold medal, in the 400 metres freestyle. It was the first British swimming gold for women for 48 years and it was a moment to savour.

The middle category is drama. Drama effortlessly sheds the chains of partisanship. In Wimbledon terms, this was the Goran Ivanisevic final, in which Ivanisevic kept double faulting on match point, kissing tennis balls, calling to the heavens and, eventually, won. It was an amazing match, but sport can still do better than this.

The men's super-heavyweight weightlifting supplies drama at every Olympic Games and the event is a real favourite of mine. This time, the drama was greater even than usual; an unexpected and glorious victory for Matthias Steiner, of Germany, with the last lift of the competition. He then burst into tears, cavorted about the stage in a mad dance like a giant baby in his romper suit, accepted his gold medal and held it up, holding in his other hand a picture of his wife, who was killed in a car crash last year. As drama goes, this was pretty rich.

You can get partisanship and drama together; very often, in fact, because drama feeds off intensity of feeling. It is partisanship that gives such drama to the doings of the England football team. England's most recent competitive match, in which they lost to Croatia at Wembley, was not without its dramatic side; the strategy was a farce and the result was a tragedy.

But let us move up to sport of the third kind. It is this category I have been looking for at these Olympic Games and, for that matter, at every Olympic Games of the six I have attended. It is a good place to look - you are more likely to find this category at the Games than at any other sporting event. The third category is greatness.

In Wimbledon terms, it is the best of the Sampras finals. Those unaware or unappreciative of the third category found Sampras boring. One can only have pity for people who find greatness boring.

At these Games, I have turned myself into a greatness hunter, a tart for greatness, if you prefer. And I found it, and it was better than all those lovely British medals, and better than all that wonderful drama - the sort of drama that we found at the taekwondo at the weekend, when a Cuban kicked a referee in the head and Sarah Stevenson, of Great Britain, won a bronze medal and left on crutches.

At these Games, I first encountered greatness at the swimming pool, where I watched Michael Phelps make his inexorable way to eight gold medals. Eight at a single Games beats the record of Mark Spitz. Phelps now has 14 in all, five more than anyone else in history - and he's eyeing up London. Some say that swimming medals are cheap. No Olympic medal is cheap. There's only one swimmer - Spitz - among the four athletes who have a total of nine gold medals to their names.

Phelps's eight triumphs were played out without fuss and with little attendant drama. His face, shorn of the louche beard and the tangled mop he wore before the Games, is the essence of blandness, his remarks in victory little better. Being the most decorated Olympian ever is “kinda neat”.

But never mind that. What counts is the remorseless drive for perfection, the extraordinary talent, the unstoppable desire to express that talent and, thereby, to redefine our understanding of the possible. That's greatness. Sport can bring us such a thing and do it more vividly than anything else on earth.

Then there was Yelena Isinbayeva, the soaring woman of the Bird's Nest stadium, a glorious emblem of all the aspirations of womankind and of humankind, waiting patiently while her pole vault rivals fought for the minor medals before emerging from a kind of coma to put on The Me Show: six jumps, two successes, teasing out the drama and taking it one notch higher, to transform drama into greatness. She even gave us a precise figure for greatness: 5.05 metres, a world record.

It was unforgettable: a beautiful woman, a superb athlete, flying into the night sky, soaring like the human spirit, a perfect symbol of the hope we have for ourselves and for the world. Isinbayeva told us that all things are possible, that we can leave the base earth behind and soar to unimaginable levels of greatness. It was a night that enriched all who saw it.

All the same, one Games, one star. Usain Bolt, the gawky Jamaican giant, ran faster than anyone has run before, faster than anyone has considered running, and he did so without really trying. We will argue for ever about how fast he might have gone had he not felt the incontinent need to celebrate his victory in the 100 metres with 20 metres still to run.

I shall never forget the sight, looking down from a canny position above and a little beyond the finish line: the field shredded behind him, the giant with his endless arms outspread like the wings of an albatross, doing the high-step as he didn't run, but danced over the line to win in a time of 9.69sec. Four days later he broke a second world record, this time in the 200 metres, running every stride with consummate seriousness.

All this is greatness. True, it is not greatness as in Shakespeare or Leonardo da Vinci, or in the saints and martyrs. These three great athletes have not ended political strife, put the ecological holocaust into reverse, cured Aids and ended global warming. They haven't done anything of any use whatsoever. What they have done, in any severe analysis, is trivial and unimportant.

But greatness can never be trivial. A level of achievement that goes beyond anything done before cannot fail to be vivid and meaningful and inspiring. That's why these great events, though mere games, mean so much to us. Great events, great achievements, great athletes catch our imaginations and enrich our lives - and that is what the Olympic Games are for.

11.

London 2012: David Beckham kicks off the Olympic countdown

By Mirror.co.uk 24/08/2008

from http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2008/08/24/london-2012-david-beckham-kicks-off-the-olympic-countdown-115875-20710676/

London's reign as Olympic host city began tonight after mayor Boris Johnson received the Olympic banner to signal the countdown to 2012 has begun.

David Beckham, pop icon Leona Lewis and rock star Jimmy Page began led London's eight-minute slot in the closing ceremony as the Beijing Olympics began as they finished, in a fusion of colour, light, fireworks, music, dance and technology.

After the national anthem sung by the National Youth Theatre, and the official handover, London's chance to impress the world began.

Where Beijing relied on vast numbers of participants, London used fame and popular culture.

It started with a red double decker bus driving around the race-track inside the stadium, pursued by gold medal-winning cyclists Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Jamie Staff, and being surrounded by dancers when it halted.

A nine-year-old girl from east London, Tayyiba Dudhwala, chosen in a Blue Peter competition, came out of the bus to receive a football from another girl Erika Tham.

Leona Lewis then emerged from the roof on a rising column dressed in gold and singing an R'n'B aria. As the music reached a crescendo and Page came out on a rising stage with a guitar and after a pause, the unmistakable first riffs of 'Whole Lotta Love' blasted out, and Lewis began singing.

Towards the end of the song, David Beckham - to huge cheers from the crowd - appeared on another lift accompanied by Tayyiba, plus a violinist and a cellist from the London Symphony Orchestra dressed in Team GB kit.

He was handed the football and kicked it into the crowd of athletes, many of them from Team GB, in the centre of the field.

Hi-tech umbrellas then covered the bus, forming a screen of images before the bus, transformed into a carnival float, headed out of the stadium.

The effect was what London had hoped achieve - a combination of pop, culture, fashion and sport - the only negative being the sound system in the stadium did not do justice to the song even if to the hundreds of millions watching on television the sound came over perfectly.

Jacques Rogge, the International Olympic Committee president, told the 91,000 people inside the Bird's Nest stadium: "Tonight, we come to the end of 16 glorious days which we will cherish forever.

"Thank you to the people of China.

"New stars were born. Stars from past Games amazed us again. We shared their joys and their tears, and we marvelled at their ability. We will long remember the achievements we witnessed here.

"These were truly exceptional Games.

"And now, in accordance with tradition, I declare the Games of the 29th [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 30th [XXX] Olympiad."

Across the UK, thousands of revellers gathered to celebrate the official handover.

Outside Buckingham Palace today flag waving crowds thronged into the Mall ahead of performances by acts including McFly, Will Young, Katherine Jenkins and the cast of Queen musical We Will Rock You.

Olympians including Sharron Davies, Sally Gunnell and Roger Black also came to take part in the event.

The mixed weather did little to dampen the spirits of waiting fans who enthusiastically greeted the appearance of McFly, who performed just before the symbolic handover.

They opened their set with a cover of Abba's The Winner Takes it All before performing Lies.

In nearby Hackney, one of the five host boroughs for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with almost a third of the Games, hundreds were treated to a live dance and entertainment show in Shoreditch Park led by former Radio 1 DJ Spoony.

Meanwhile in Glasgow’s George Square 2,000 people gathered to watch the handover broadcast live on a giant screen.

12.

Closing ceremony of Beijing Olympics draws world attention, praise

from http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/25/content_9702076.htm

BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics Sunday night has drawn worldwide attention and Beijing's successful hosting of the Games has earned global applause.

    Pakistan's national TV station, and the private GEO, EXPRESS, NEWS and AAJ stations gave live coverage of the entire ceremony.

    Their commentators congratulated China on its successful hosting of the Games, saying that Pakistan is happy to see China won most gold medals.

    The Kyodo news agency said in a story that "The Beijing Olympic theme of 'One World, One Dream' turned out a success despite predictions of gloom and doom, including whispers of terrorist plots and complaints of air pollution ahead of the competition in which more than 10,500 athletes from a record 204 national delegations participated."

    Japan's NHK also broadcast live the closing ceremony. Its anchor believed that although the Olympic flame was extinguished, the festival seemed to continue.

    Meanwhile, the Afghan private TV channel Saba, which broadcast the closing ceremony live, said the unprecedented and impressive Olympics are specially meaningful to the war-torn Afghanistan as it has won a historic Olympic medal.

    "The bronze medalist Rohullah Nikpay is the pride of whole Afghanistan and his success shows the capability of the Afghan people to the rest of the world," it said.

    Peikar Farhad, an Afghan journalist said it is the first time he felt so "involved" as the Olympic Games was held in neighboring China.

    "Despite all kinds of difficulties before the Games' opening," he said," the Chinese people showed their power to overcome all problems and made a great Olympic Games."

    Many Iraqis said the Beijing Olympics are extremely successful and showcased China's characteristics and charm.

    Mohammad Hussein, a 55-year-old civil servant, said the Beijing Olympics without doubt were the best among the Games he has watched since 1980.

    China has performed perfectly at the Games as it won 51 gold medals, he said.

    In Thailand, an anchor from Thailand's national television said the Beijing Olympics is the most wonderful one in history, and the organizing work was perfect.

    The anchor said the Games provided an opportunity for the world to further understand the developing China, and cemented the links between China and the rest of the world, which is an embodiment of the slogan: "One world, One dream."

    The splendid opening and closing ceremonies exerted a deep impression on the World, and the big gatherings would linger in people's memories for a long time, the anchor added.

    In Brazil, TV Globo and Band Sports TV broadcast live the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games, lauding the festive atmosphere during the ceremony and the success of the Games.

    "The closing ceremony can even rival Brazil's carnival, and it is indeed an Olympic carnival," a Beijing correspondent of Band Sports said.

    The Folha de Sao Paulo said on its website that a brotherhood atmosphere permeated the closing ceremony, and athletes were in the mood of attending a feast.

    In Mongolia, four TV channels broadcast the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics live on Sunday evening, hailing the Beijing Games as a "great success."

    A commentator from the TV 5 said the Games has drawn the world attention to Beijing and added a "fabulous" chapter to the Olympic history.

    The opening and closing ceremonies, in particular, presented to the world excellent performances, marking two "China days" for all spectators.

    China has fulfilled its promises of hosting a "green, high-tech and people's Olympics," which showcased China's fast economic growth and its increasing openness to the rest of the world, the commentator said.

    In South Korea, the Yonhap News Agency said relations between China and South Korea further cemented through the Beijing Olympic Games.

    The Beijing Olympics is conducive to the development of bilateral relations in the long run, Yonhap said in an article.

    China has been South Korea's top trading partner and 700,000 South Korean citizens are living in China, which made the Beijing Olympics significant to South Korea, the article said.

13.

7.

Fireworks, words of praise usher Beijing Olympics to a close

from http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/olympics/2008/08/24/closing.ceremonies.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

BEIJING (AP) -- With help from British star power, China concluded its debut as Olympic host Sunday after 16 days of near-flawless logistics and superlative athletic achievement -- coexisting awkwardly with the government's wariness of dissent and free speech.

A spectacular closing ceremony opened with torrents of fireworks and included a pulsating show-within-a-show by London, host of the 2012 Games. From a stage formed from a red double-decker bus, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page played classic rock hit "Whole Lotta Love" and soccer icon David Beckham booted a ball into the surrounding throng of athletes on the stadium floor.

Then more lyrical music returned, and the Olympic flame atop the stadium was extinguished. A carnival-themed segment completed the show, featuring a duet by Spanish tenor Placido Domingo and Chinese soprano Song Zuying. There was another, noisier barrage of fireworks and confetti filled the air.

To a large extent, China, an emergent superpower, got what it had craved from these long-sought games: a dominant effort by its athletes to top the gold-medal standings for the first time and almost glitch-free organizing that showcased world-class venues and cheerful volunteers to the largest-ever peaceful influx of foreign visitors.

As a bonus, not just one but two athletes gave arguably the greatest performances in Olympic history -- Michael Phelps with his eight gold medals in swimming, Jamaica's ebullient Usain Bolt with three golds and three world records in the sprints.

The International Olympic Committee, whose selection of Beijing as host back in 2001 was widely questioned, insisted its choice had been vindicated.

"Tonight, we come to the end of 16 glorious days which we will cherish forever," IOC President Jacques Rogge told the capacity crowd of 91,000 at the National Outdoor Stadium, and a global TV audience. "Through these Games, the world learned more about China, and China learned more about the world."

"These were truly exceptional games," he said, before declaring them formally closed.

The head of the Beijing organzing committee, Liu Qi, said the games were "testimony to the fact that the world has rested its trust in China." He called them "a grand celebration of sport, of peace and friendship."

Rogge and the IOC were criticized by human rights groups for their reluctance to publicly challenge the Chinese as various controversies arose over press freedom and detention of dissidents. Athletes shied away from making political statements, and "protest zones" established in Beijing went unused as the authorities refused to issue permits for them.

But the atmosphere was festive at the stadium as fireworks burst from its top rim -- and from locations across Beijing -- to begin the closing ceremony.

After an army band played the Chinese national anthem, hundreds of gayly dressed dancers, acrobats and drummers swirled onto the field, then made room for the athletes, strolling in casually and exuberantly from four different entrances.

China invested more than $40 billion in the games, which it viewed as a chance to show the world its dramatic economic progress. Olympic telecasts achieved record ratings in China and the United States, and the games' presence online was by far the most extensive ever.

Rogge said these Olympics would leave a lasting, positive legacy for China -- improved transportation infrastructure, more grass-roots interest in recreational sports, a more aggressive approach to curbing air pollution and other environmental problems. Smog that enveloped the city early in the games gave way to mostly clear skies, easing fears that some endurance events might be hazardous for the athletes.

American rower Jennifer Kaido of West Leyden, N.Y., said the games exceeded her expectations.

"We were prepared for smog, pollution, demonstrations, but everything has gone very smoothly," she said.

Rogge acknowledged that China, despite promises of press freedom during the games, continued to block access to numerous politically oriented Web sites, including those related to Tibet and the outlawed spiritual movement Falun Gong.

However, he contended that media restrictions were looser during the Olympics than beforehand, "and so we believe the games had a good influence."

Human rights groups disagreed.

"The reality is that the Chinese government's hosting of the games has been a catalyst for abuses, leading to massive forced evictions, a surge in the arrest, detention and harassment of critics, repeated violations of media freedom, and increased political repression," said Sophie Richardson of Human Rights Watch. "Not a single world leader who attended the games or members of the IOC seized the opportunity to challenge the Chinese government's behavior in any meaningful way."

Led by Phelps and Bolt, athletes broke 43 world records and 132 Olympic records during the games. Yet Rogge, who visited every venue, said the most touching moment for him came after the 10-meter air pistol event, when gold medalist Nino Salukvadze of Georgia embraced runner-up Natalia Paderina of Russia even as their two countries' armies fought back in Georgia.

"That kind of sportsmanship is really remarkable," Rogge said.

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

8.

Next stop London with a light heart as bus arrives on time at Beijing ceremony

Simon Barnes

 from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/simon_barnes/article4602437.ece

Now I know what was missing from these Olympic Games. Jokes. Irony. Self-mockery. All those things that humanise. Not that the Beijing Olympics have been anything less than great, but we have lacked that sense of human proportion in the way it has been presented. All just a bit too loud, just a bit too boastful.

So the entrance of a London bus into the closing ceremony was a very cheery, jolly statement, especially after seeing the Chinese Liberation Army arriving in huge numbers throughout the morning and the Olympic Park jumping with slight but very severe soldiery.

So the bus arrived, on time for once, and the spell of monolithic spectacle was briefly broken. For eight minutes London had the stage to send out the message that the Games are coming to London in four years, and it's all terribly lovely. It's a bit of a tricky gig: you have to upstage the hosts without appearing to do so.

Boris Johnson had just received the Olympic flag from Guo Jinlong, Mayor of Beijing, and he waved it about in a merry fashion, a man with a wonderful talent for making the concept of smartness absolutely meaningless. After that, it was bus time and if you missed it, there'd no doubt be another one along in a minute. So we had a bus stop and a brolly dance to show that we know all the jokes about London and are prepared to top them, with a lollipop lady, a zebra crossing and other idiosyncratic bits of London. Then the bus opened up as I rather expected it might, and up came Leona Lewis to sing. She was followed by Jimmy Page, looking, as ageing rock stars often do, as if a life of mindless hedonism is ideal preparation for a graceful old age.

They performed Whole Lotta Love. At least, I'm reasonably confident that's what they did, because what else would they do? But the acoustic in the stadium is like a giant bathroom, and they may well have been singing Pop Goes the Weasel. I hated Page and Led Zeppelin even when I was of an age to enjoy children's music, but it seemed to go off all right. The Chinese are very keen on noise.

After that, David Beckham rose up as well, accompanied by a rather gorgeous fiddle player. Becks grinned sheepishly and kicked a football into the athletes of all the nations and, well, that was it. The eight minutes were up, and the bus has gone. We had, the media guide informed, been shown that London is “the coolest place on the planet”. Memo to all those involved in the “selling London” side of the Olympics: to claim that you are cool is an infallible sign of the lack of cool.

And so a great Games comes to an end, and everyone in London can get back to bellyaching about how inconvenient the London Games will be and how expensive and how we're all going to Tuscany until it's over. This eight-minute slot is just a brief distraction. It was a nice moment, quite jolly in its way, even if you believe it is the duty of rock dinosaurs to go extinct.

I remember how in Seoul, Barcelona gave us a demonstration of flamenco, pretty enough but hardly convincing proof that they would hold a superb Games four years later. In Atlanta, the Aussies gave us inflatable kangaroos, and embarrassed the entire nation, but the Sydney Games were superb. In Sydney, Athens gave us temple maidens — again, pretty enough, but soooo wrong millennium.

What matters rather more is that at these Games, Britain showed the world that it is right up with the genuinely cool guys when it comes to playing sport. Britain finished an almost ludicrous fourth in the medals table, with 19 gold medals and 47 medals in total. Only China, the US and Russia finished ahead, and they have more people to call on. Britain is a small nation punching above its weight, winning medals by class, know-how and adroit use of funding. It's all rather hard to get used to: something of a change from Atlanta in 1996 when Britain won a single gold.

These gargantuan, megalomaniacal opening and closing ceremonies don't matter in sporting or in any other terms. They are just a projection of image, and are invariably too long, too dull and far, far too loud. Would it were that all opening and closing ceremonies lasted eight minutes.

No matter: onward to 2012, when a great Games will emerge like Venus from a sea of whining and politicking. By that time, we might just be in the mood for another Games, and I have no doubt that they will be a thing of wonder and beauty. Before that, the Opening Ceremony must be sat through. Bring on the morris dancers.

 9.

Grand spectacle closes Beijing's Olympics

from http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/08/24/olympics.close/index.html

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Grand fireworks and spectacular choreography brought to a close the Beijing Games Sunday as one of the most remarkable Olympics in recent history were declared at an end.

Fireworks across China's capital as a crowd of more than 90,000 at the landmark "Bird's Nest" National Stadium watched the pyrotechnics.

The ceremony marked a climax to a Games that has delivered many world-breaking sporting performances and redefined the international image of the communist nation.

"Tonight, we come to the end of 16 glorious days which we will cherish forever," IOC President Jacques Rogge said.

"Through these Games, the world learned more about China, and China learned more about the world."

"These were truly exceptional games," he said, declaring them formally closed.

Joining the sportsmen and women at the event were a delegation from London, host of the 2012 Summer Games, including soccer star David Beckham who rode into the stadium on a red double-decker bus.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was also in attendance while London's mayor, Boris Johnson received the Olympic flag from Beijing Mayor Go Jinlong.

China had invested more than $40 billion in the games, which it viewed as a chance to show the world its dramatic economic progress. Unlike previous Summer Olympics, logistics appeared to run smoothly for the Games.

Also impressive was the emergence of a new world sporting superpower -- the host nation. China, which won its first Summer Olympic gold medal in 1984, clinched first place in the gold medal standings long before the final hours of sporting competition came to a close. The United States led the overall Medals table.

Other spectacular sporting accomplishments were recorded at the Beijing Olympics: U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps became the face of the Games, winning a record eight Olympic gold medals in a single Games.

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt won three golds -- in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay.

However, questions and criticism remained about China's stance on free speech and political protest. Objections were raised over certain Web sites being blocked. And although Chinese organizers had created designated "protest zones," people allowed to protest appeared non-existent.

Demonstrators at unauthorized protests were detained. On the final weekend of the Olympics, U.S. diplomatic officials raised concern to Beijing over eight Americans arrested the previous week for planning or staging protests.

Another shadow was cast during the opening weekend when grisly attack at a Beijing tourist site saw U.S. volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon's father-in-law fatally stabbed by a Chinese man who then committed suicide.

 Worries over pollution and its impact on athletes seemed to fade away. Distance running events ran smoothly, and while the air was thick with smog on many days during the Games, foreign media did not report widespread health concerns by the tens of thousands of foreigners attending the Games.

10.

A Victory for China

Spectacularly Successful Games May Empower Communist Leaders

by Edward Cody

Washington Post Foreign Service

Monday, August 25, 2008; Page A01

from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/24/AR2008082401348.html?hpid=topnews

BEIJING, Aug. 24 -- The 2008 Summer Olympics closed Sunday night in a display of tightly scripted merriment and lavish fireworks, a final burst of pomp ending 17 days of sports and celebration that Chinese authorities organized with flawless precision and an unbending security clampdown.

Over two hours, Chinese organizers dazzled the 90,000 in attendance at the National Stadium. Placido Domingo sang a duet with Song Zuying, a favorite songbird of Communist Party elders; acrobats bounced about on pogo sticks; drums and drummers floated through the air; and a joyful parade of athletes waved flags from around the world.

In its scope and its splendor, the pageant proved yet again that China's Communist Party, while clinging to its Leninist political system, has accumulated the wealth and know-how to pull off a glittering Olympics worthy of a world power. The nation also showed itself able to field a team of impressive athletes, who walked away with 51 gold medals, more than the contingent from any other country.

Shortly before the Olympic flame was extinguished, British rock music ricocheted through the National Stadium, and David Beckham, the British soccer star, kicked a ball into the crowd from atop a double-decker bus. The theatrics symbolized London's ascendancy as host of the 2012 Summer Games, an event that seems destined to focus more clearly on sports and entertainment than the Beijing Games, which from the beginning were interpreted as a test of China's leaders and a chance to showcase the country's progress over the last three decades.

"These were truly exceptional games," Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, said in a speech closing the 29th Olympiad.

Indeed, the 2008 Games seemed likely to go down as a political as well as an athletic victory for China, reinforcing the image of party leaders as adroit managers of the world's largest nation on a double-step march toward greater prosperity. In the view of the Chinese, the appearance of dozens of foreign leaders during the Games, including President Bush, meant the world had effectively endorsed the Communist Party's rule, despite its continued political repression.

"The party state was clearly a winner in the eyes of the people," said David Shambaugh, a George Washington University China specialist who was in Beijing for the Games and who wrote a recently published book on the Chinese Communist Party.

The emphasis on China's national achievements was intense, responding to guidance from the Central Propaganda Department as well as spontaneous pride. The U.S. lead in the overall medal count was nearly ignored, for instance, in favor of China's winning tally of gold. In another example of the tone, the headline over a story on the success of Australia's Matthew Mitcham in a diving competition Thursday read: "Mitcham Ruins China's Clean Sweep in Diving."

"We won 51 gold medals," exulted Cheng Xue, a 25-year-old Beijing woman who attended the Closing Ceremonies. "It is a total breakthrough. We did a perfect job on security and provided good services to all the athletes."

Fei Shuyu, 28, an office employee in the capital, also judged the Olympics a great success but said she feared that excessive bragging about the gold medal count could lead foreigners to worry about China's rise as an economic power. "China should not get a swollen head," she said.

The government, however, was quick to congratulate itself for the results, eager to see the Olympic enthusiasm at home and abroad translated into increased support for the cautious mix of economic liberalization and one-party dictatorship that President Hu Jintao and his lieutenants call socialism with Chinese characteristics.

"The hosting of these games has boosted the Chinese people's self-esteem, enhanced national cohesion and reinforced the country's faith in pursuing peaceful development," said a commentary on the official New China News Agency.

Vice President Xi Jinping, the senior official overseeing the Games and Hu's most likely successor, saw his position reinforced by the official interpretation that the Games were a success. The Games were the first major assignment for Xi since he joined the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee last October.

Even the weather seemed to favor him. Fears of unbearable pollution and coughing athletes proved unfounded. With more than a million cars forced off the streets and rain-making rockets rising regularly into the sky, the air was remarkably clean for Beijing in August.

Perhaps most important, Xi and other party leaders seemed to have weathered a barrage of Olympics-season criticism from foreign human rights advocates and journalists over Tibet, Darfur, internal repression and censorship.

Some analysts suggested that the turnout by foreign leaders has encouraged Hu and other party leaders to believe they can safely ignore appeals for greater attention to human rights. In this view, the Beijing Games therefore not only failed to encourage respect for human rights in China, as promised, but even set them back.

"Not a single world leader who attended the Games or members of the International Olympic Committee seized the opportunity to challenge the Chinese government's behavior in any meaningful way," said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director for the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch. "Will anyone wonder, after the games are over, why the Chinese government remains intransigent about human rights?"

Rogge, the IOC president, carefully avoided criticizing the Chinese government, for instance, when it emerged that journalists' Internet access was being restricted, despite assurances to the contrary, and that police were preventing reporters from covering some protests, despite rules stipulating that there should be no obstacles. His most noticeable display of irritation was reserved for Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter whose crowd-pleasing exuberance Rogge felt was out of place.

Russell Leigh Moses, a Beijing-based analyst of Chinese politics, noted the sweeping security measures put into place for the Olympics -- involving 100,000 soldiers and police and more than 1 million volunteers -- boosted the budgets of China's security agencies and strengthened the hand of security hard-liners in the party in a way that is likely to endure long after the athletes go home.

"The hard-liners here drove the agenda before the Games, and they will have been strengthened by the absence of large-scale trouble," he added.

When Vice President Xi held a celebratory banquet for Rogge and other IOC officials Friday, for instance, the one other Politburo Standing Committee member in attendance was Zhou Yongkang, China's security czar, who usually is not called on to greet foreign visitors. Two days earlier, Zhou's subordinates had threatened two women in their 70s with labor camp for applying to hold a protest under Zhou's own recently announced regulations.

The heavy security precautions, which included a tightening in visa regulations, apparently played a role in the smaller-than-expected number of foreign visitors. Others may have been affected by a wave of bad publicity for China in the run-up to the event. Tibetans rioted in March, and protesters later disrupted Olympic Torch Relay parades in London, Paris and San Francisco, souring the atmosphere toward foreigners.

Despite Zhou's massive security measures, Uighur separatists in the far western Xinjiang province mounted three attacks in the Olympic period, killing more than 30 people. Foreign-based underground Uighur groups had threatened to mar the Olympics to draw attention to their cause, but the attacks were confined to their home territory, nearly 2,000 miles from Beijing.

Backers of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, who Chinese security officials feared would turn out to protest, were not heard from. Members told reporters that thousands of the movement's followers in China had been dumped into detention centers in the weeks leading up to the Games.

Tibet activists, mainly from the United States and Europe, managed to elude the visa restrictions and mount eight small protests. But even they were quickly rounded up.

Here in China, such demonstrations were drowned by the flood of good news about Chinese victories in Olympic events. Protests were fully reported in foreign media, however, adding to the impression abroad that Chinese authorities were unwilling to allow any dissent that could distract from a joyful Olympic Games.

Researchers Liu Songjie and Liu Liu contributed to this report.

4. Olympics Close With a Bang and a Double-Decker Bus

from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/25/sports/olympics/25beijing.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

By DAVID BARBOZA

Published: August 24, 2008

BEIJING — With another dramatic fireworks display Sunday evening at the National Stadium here, the Beijing Olympics came to a dazzling close, ending two weeks of spectacular athletic performances during an Olympic competition that was surprising free of protests or the disruptions that some, including Beijing, had anticipated.

In addition to fireworks, there were acrobats clinging to a large “memory tower” at the center of the stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest, precision drummers, bicyclists and performers representing 56 ethnic groups singing, “Please Stay, Guests From Afar.”

And unlike in the opening ceremony, with its orderly parade of countries and their athletes, the closing ceremony brought flag bearers congregating in the middle, and athletes filing in somewhat haphazardly and many dressed less formally.

In the handover ceremony for the 2012 London Games, a red double-decker bus entered the stadium just after 9 p.m., followed by three cyclists. The bus then opened into a stage with Jimmy Page, the Led Zeppelin guitarist, perfoming “Whole Lotta Love” with the British singer Leona Lewis, and David Beckham, the soccer star, taking a soccer ball from a young Chinese girl, handing the games off to London.

Beijing had staked everything on the Games, galvanizing the nation, spending billions to rebuild the ancient capital, erecting fantastic stadiums and producing the kind of opening and closing ceremonies that can only be created in China, with tens of thousands of performers dazzling a global television audience the vibrant displays of color and mass synchronization.

Leadind up to the closing ceremony, the United States basketball team, the self-named “Redeem Team,” defeated Spain to recapture the gold medal. The American men’s volleyball team, disoriented after the head coach’s father-in-law had been murdered while touring Beijing, also captured a gold medal, defeating a powerful Brazilian team. A Kenyan runner won the men’s marathon, and a Cuban was banned for kicking a referee.

The 29th Olympiad was supposed to be China’s coming out party, a show of its rising economic and political power and its reemergence as a global power. And in many ways it was. But the Games also turned into a dramatic show of this country’s athletic power, with China hauling in 51 gold medals, enough to top the gold medal tables and unseat the United States, which won 36.

The United States led the overall medal count with 110 medals to China’s 100. But rarely has a country won more than 50 gold medals. The last time was 1988, during the Seoul Olympics, when the former Soviet Union won 55. About 38 world records were set.

With Chinese fans chanting “Zhongguo Jiayou!” or “Go China!,” and hundreds of millions of people tuning in everyday by television, some of the biggest audiences in television history, the games served to strengthen pride in the country at a time of rising nationalism.

Liu Xiang, this country’shurdling champion, was injured and unable to defend his title in the 110-meter hurdles, but China dominated in diving, gymnastics weightlifting, shooting and a host of other sports.

There were stories of incredible athletic accomplishments: American swimmer Michael Phelps winning a record eight gold medals and the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt being crowned the world’s fastest man.

India, a country of one billion, won its first gold medal in an individual event. And Togo, a West African nation of 6 million people, won its very first Olympic medal, a bronze in the kayak.

Grave concerns about pollution and athletes donning masks disappeared after the fifth day, after heavy rains cleansed the skies and sun broke through for the opening of the track and field events. Whether China’s weather tamperers really seeded clouds and created rains that were perfectly timed to clear up the weather is still unclear.

But Beijing did take draconian measures to ensure a successful Olympics, limiting cars on the roads, forcing the closure and removal of factories from around Beijing, and essentially ordered large parts of the nation to do everything possible to make these games a success.

Some political analysts say Beijing placed too much importance on the Games, and others said the country failed to live up to its promises to open up and undertake political changes that would improve the country’s human rights record. But this afternoon, Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympics Committee, which awarded the games to Beijing in 2001, said: “The world has learned about China, and China has learned about the world, and I believe this is something that will have positive effects for the long term.”

John Branch contributed reporting from Beijing.

5.

London Calling: Brits Take Over Games

Amid Brash Closing of Beijing Games, British Wit Gives Glimpse of What's to Come

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK By Mike Lee

LONDON, Aug. 24, 2008

from http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=5644525&page=1

Watching the Beijing final ceremony today, I was struck by the fact that the London portion of the show was a drop in the ocean compared to the extravagance and showbiz hype of the Chinese production.

Then I realized that the British, in their quaint and understated way, were making a big statement. I think they were saying: "We are comfortable in our own skin, we don't need to prove anything to the world."

The Brits rolled out an iconic red double-decker London bus (although someone lost their nerve a bit and failed to make it an old smoke belching model so beloved by Londoners and tourists), and a small British dance troupe began acting out a typical morning commute in London, i.e., an everyone-for-yourself scrum to get on the bus.

It was an endearing scene to anyone who has muttered this Shakespearean line to themselves at a crowded bus stop: "Once more into the breech, dear friends."

Unlike the Chinese government, which shut down much of Beijing's industry to create a false sense that the skies are blue, the London show featured many umbrellas, as if to say: "Don't kid yourself, it's going to rain on you, it's a tradition to get soaked in London, and you'll have a great time, anyway."

In other words, in a way that many outsiders so often don't get, the British, it seems to me, were mocking Chinese hypocrisy. But you won't find it in the British playbook. The British can be so subtle, that when they say you are interesting, they probably mean that you are brash.

On top of the red bus, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page cut loose with riffs that reminded the world that his British band was a pioneer in cultural anarchy and rebellion. That kind of challenge to authority and tradition is something the ruling Chinese Communist Party has never been wild about, or tolerated.

For a few seconds in the show, a young British girl walked across a black and white striped matt that all Brits know as a zebra crossing. It is where a pedestrian has the absolute right to step out into the road in the path of speeding cars, trucks and buses, and the drivers MUST stop. The zebra crossing is iconic of the rights of the individual being greater than larger forces.

Ironically, zebra crossings are decreasing in number because more and more drivers are flaunting that principle and that law. Many Brits claim it is because of the influx of foreigners. So, nothing seems straightforward in London.

When British soccer star David Beckham popped up through the bus roof, the Beijing stadium crowd went wild. He is hugely popular in China, for his talent, and for his extremely profitable endorsement of sports kit. Beckham, who only stood there and kicked a ball into the crowd, was proof that western celebrities are now a cultural and economic force inside China.

London Mayor Boris Johnson, in a statement to British reporters, said all the correct things about how spectacular the Chinese Games were, but added that, even with half the Beijing budget, "I think that with British ingenuity, wit, and all the rest of it -- resourcefulness -- we are going to produce a games, opening ceremony, closing ceremony and everything in between that will be, in our own sweet way, just as fantastic."

And Johnson could not resist some British style humour, almost right out of "Monty Python."

He said, tongue very much in cheek, "I say this respectfully to our Chinese hosts who have excelled magnificently at ping-pong, ping-pong was invented on the dining tables of England."

He added, with his voice rising in mock oratory, "I say to the Chinese, I say to the world, ping-pong is coming home."

Ping-pong may be coming home, but it is coming to what is now a construction site in east London. The 2012 London Olympic Park had a budget of around $6 billion in 2005, but that has now exploded to $18 billion. Johnson has pledged to hold the line on any more spending of tax payers' money. Can you imagine the Chinese government having to do that in Beijing, despite the economic hardships of many citizens there?

Don't expect a Beijing-style show in 2012. Is that bad?

6.

Mixed Legacy Likely as China's Olympics Conclude

China's debut as Olympics host ends with many visitors impressed but critics unpersuaded

By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer

BEIJING August 24, 2008 (AP

from http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=5641597

With help from British star power, China concluded its debut as Olympic host Sunday after 16 days of near-flawless logistics and superlative athletic achievement — coexisting awkwardly with the government's wariness of dissent and free speech.

A spectacular closing ceremony opened with torrents of fireworks and included a pulsating show-within-a-show by London, host of the 2012 Games. From a stage formed from a red double-decker bus, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page played classic rock hit "Whole Lotta Love" and soccer icon David Beckham booted a ball into the surrounding throng of athletes on the stadium floor.

Then more lyrical music returned, and the Olympic flame atop the stadium was extinguished.

To a large extent, China, an emergent superpower, got what it had craved from these long-sought games: a dominant effort by its athletes to top the gold-medal standings for the first time and almost glitch-free organizing that showcased world-class venues and cheerful volunteers to the largest-ever peaceful influx of foreign visitors.

As a bonus, not just one but two athletes gave arguably the greatest performances in Olympic history — Michael Phelps with his eight gold medals in swimming, Jamaica's ebullient Usain Bolt with three golds and three world records in the sprints.

The International Olympic Committee, whose selection of Beijing as host back in 2001 was widely questioned, insisted its choice had been vindicated.

"Tonight, we come to the end of 16 glorious days which we will cherish forever," IOC President Jacques Rogge told the capacity crowd of 91,000 at the National Outdoor Stadium, and a global TV audience. "Through these Games, the world learned more about China, and China learned more about the world."

"These were truly exceptional games," he said, before declaring them formally closed.

The head of the Beijing organzing committee, Liu Qi, said the games were "testimony to the fact that the world has rested its trust in China." He called them "a grand celebration of sport, of peace and friendship."

Rogge and the IOC were criticized by human rights groups for their reluctance to publicly challenge the Chinese as various controversies arose over press freedom and detention of dissidents. Athletes shied away from making political statements, and "protest zones" established in Beijing went unused as the authorities refused to issue permits for them.

But the atmosphere was festive at the stadium as fireworks burst from its top rim — and from locations across Beijing — to begin the closing ceremony.

After an army band played the Chinese national anthem, hundreds of gayly dressed dancers, acrobats and drummers swirled onto the field, then made room for the athletes, strolling in casually and exuberantly from four different entrances.

China invested more than $40 billion in the games, which it viewed as a chance to show the world its dramatic economic progress. Olympic telecasts achieved record ratings in China and the United States, and the games' presence online was by far the most extensive ever.

Rogge said these Olympics would leave a lasting, positive legacy for China — improved transportation infrastructure, more grass-roots interest in recreational sports, a more aggressive approach to curbing air pollution and other environmental problems. Smog that enveloped the city early in the games gave way to mostly clear skies, easing fears that some endurance events might be hazardous for the athletes.

American rower Jennifer Kaido of West Leyden, N.Y., said the games exceeded her expectations.

"We were prepared for smog, pollution, demonstrations, but everything has gone very smoothly," she said.

Rogge acknowledged that China, despite promises of press freedom during the games, continued to block access to numerous politically oriented Web sites, including those related to Tibet and the outlawed spiritual movement Falun Gong.

However, he contended that media restrictions were looser during the Olympics than beforehand, "and so we believe the games had a good influence."

"The reality is that the Chinese government's hosting of the games has been a catalyst for abuses, leading to massive forced evictions, a surge in the arrest, detention and harassment of critics, repeated violations of media freedom, and increased political repression," said Sophie Richardson of Human Rights Watch. "Not a single world leader who attended the games or members of the IOC seized the opportunity to challenge the Chinese government's behavior in any meaningful way."

Led by Phelps and Bolt, athletes broke 43 world records and 132 Olympic records during the games. Yet Rogge, who visited every venue, said the most touching moment for him came after the 10-meter air pistol event, when gold medalist Nino Salukvadze of Georgia embraced runner-up Natalia Paderina of Russia even as their two countries' armies fought back in Georgia.

"That kind of sportsmanship is really remarkable," Rogge said.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

1.

Proud China brings curtain down on epic Games

from http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Olympics/idUSSP11093420080824

Sun Aug 24, 2008 7:04pm EDT

By Crispian Balmer

BEIJING (Reuters) - The Beijing Olympics ended with a blaze of deafening fireworks on Sunday, bringing down the curtain on a Games that dazzled the world with sporting brilliance and showcased the might of modern day China.

The sporting extravaganza failed to quell criticism of China's human rights record, although the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave the organizers the thumbs-up and said the Games would leave a positive legacy for future generations.

"Tonight we come to the end of 16 glorious days we will cherish forever," IOC President Jacques Rogge told the 91,000-strong crowd in the Bird's Nest stadium.

"The world learned more about China, and China learned more about the rest of the world," he said. "These were truly exceptional Games."

The IOC said 43 world records and 132 Olympic records were broken in China, which spent $43 billion on the event -- three times more than the budget for the 2012 Games in London.

Reflecting China's new-found confidence, the nation's athletes took their gold medal tally on the final day to 51 after winning their first two Olympic boxing titles, the most any country has bagged since the Soviet Union in Seoul in 1988.

The United States finished with 36 golds, level with their table-topping haul in 2004, but way behind the host nation.

The U.S. haul got a boost on Sunday when the men's millionaire basketball team beat Spain in a thrilling final.

In the last athletics race, Kenya's Sammy Wanjiru led an African sweep of marathon medals, lifting his arms in triumph as he sped around the Bird's Nest for the last lap.

SPORT TAKES CENTRE STAGE

China's Communist leadership no doubt breathed a collective sigh of relief as the giant Olympic torch was extinguished.

The run-up to the Games had cast a harsh light on China, bringing unrest in its Tibetan region to a global audience and showing that its rulers would not brook internal dissent.

But over the past two weeks, Beijing has wowed the visiting world with its superlative venues, army of smiling volunteers, glitch-free transport and seamless organization.

Fears about pollution evaporated as blue skies finally broke through the haze. Criticism of China's human rights record took a backseat as two athletes redefined sporting excellence.

Michael Phelps swam into the record books by winning an astonishing eight gold medals in the translucent Water Cube. On the track, Jamaica's Usain Bolt captivated the crowds with three sprint gold medals, all secured in world record times.

But critics said enough jarring notes had sounded to spoil the symphony, with China refusing any protests during the Games, and sentencing two elderly women to a year of re-education for pushing for the right to demonstrate.

Rogge told reporters on Sunday the IOC could not force change on a state "or solve all the ills of the world", but that the Games had promoted a heightened awareness of the environment in China and left an array of venues to nurture future champions. 

The United States took a tougher line, pressing for the immediate release of eight Americans detained for staging protests in favor of Tibetan independence during the Games.

"We are disappointed that China has not used the occasion of the Olympics to demonstrate greater tolerance and openness," the U.S. embassy said in a statement.

LONDON WAITS IN WINGS

The British have made clear they will not even try to emulate the Beijing epic and showed on Sunday a youthful, exuberant image of London life, complete with a double decker bus bearing rock icon Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and David Beckham, the world's most famous soccer player.

Delighted after their best Olympic performance in a century that left Britain fourth in the medals table, Britain also celebrated the handover of the Olympic flag on Sunday with a street party outside the gold-tipped gates of Buckingham Palace.

The London cameo was dwarfed by the grandiose set pieces put on by China to wrap up its show, with hundreds of performers climbing a huge tower and acrobats in illuminated outfits soaring into the night sky, set alight by the fireworks.

Ordinary Chinese glowed with national pride at their achievement in staging the Games and at their athletes' prowess, coming in their thousands to gawp at the pharaonic venues.

However, in some parts of the city it was impossible to tell the Games were going on and Olympic veterans said Beijing lacked the international party atmosphere of previous Olympics.

But there was a United Nations feel to the sport, with a record 86 states winning medals against 74 in Athens, including, for the first time, Afghanistan, Mauritius, Tajikistan and Togo.

Showing the sporting extravaganza had lost none of its luster, the Games also looked certain to become the most viewed in their 112-year history, with audience figures up between 20 and 30 percent on 2004 levels.

Worries about doping hovered over the Games as always, with the IOC conducting some 5,200 tests and uncovering six cheats.

Four horses in the equestrian event also tested positive for banned substances. An IOC official said on Sunday they still had a backlog of four days of tests to analyze.

(Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

2.

Olympics: Beijing brings Games to a close in dramatic fashion

· Closing ceremony brings an end to Beijing Olympics

· David Beckham, Leona Lewis and Boris Johnson all feature

from http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/aug/24/olympics20083

• Richard Williams in Beijing
• guardian.co.uk,
• Sunday August 24 2008 15:48 BST

As promised, David Beckham and a double-decker bus featured in today's closing ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games, along with Leona Lewis, Jimmy Page and Boris Johnson. But they were a minor diversion, only briefly interrupting the second act of Zhang Yimou's Great Patriotic Pageant.

The evening opened with a countdown, an explosion of fireworks, and a potted reprise of the sort of Busby Berkeley-meets-House of Flying Daggers extravaganza invented by Zhang, the great film director, for the opening ceremony, this time involving a mere 200 drummers.

Early on there was an unscheduled collision involving a wayward monocyclist - whose machine, ingeniously enough, was a single large wheel inside which he sat and pedalled - and a small group of figures got up to resemble a dancing troupe from one of the 56 ethnic minority groups of whom the Chinese have made such play over the last fortnight. They got up, dusted themselves down, and carried on playing their parts.

During the entry of the flags, carried by athletes, Chris Hoy did his job with manly resolve and no evident sign of Scottish nationalist sentiment (indeed, he had responded earlier in the day to a Scottish politican's suggestion that the country might consider going it alone in the Olympics by remarking tartly that it could only be taken seriously when Scotland started investing money in sport).

The appearance of the athletes created the usual degree of mild interest in their leisurewear. The Italians seemed a mite overdressed in silver jackets and matching shoes, the French carried a string of tricolour bunting that made the centre of the Bird's Nest look like a village fete in the Luberon, the United States athletes - men and women - had been issued with curious white flat caps, the Canadians opted for Pucci-print beach slacks, and there appeared to be an awful lot of Dutch - or maybe orange just has a sort of spreading quality.

The medal winners from the men's marathon received their rewards and there was a stirring sight for Africa as the flags of Kenya, Morocco and Ethiopia were raised. Bouquets were presented to a dozen volunteers representing more than 70,000 young people whose unfailing politeness and good humour were even more impressive than the fireworks and the architecture which will be the image left by the 29th Games.

Jacques Rogge made a speech in which he praised "a truly exceptional Games", the very words Juan Antonio Samaranch, his predecessor as president of the International Olympic Committee, famously used about Atlanta in his closing remarks in 1996, instead of calling it - as was his habit every four years - "the best Games ever". At the time, this was taken as the most tremendous snub, which may not have been Rogge's intention.

The British national anthem was sweetly sung by a young 28-voice choir, almost half of them visibly from ethnic minorities, a sign of the approach that won London the right to host the 30th Games. The mayor of Beijing handed the Olympic flag via Rogge to the mayor of London, who failed to drop it and, as he left the podium, indulged in a decorous orgy of mutual celebration with the British athletes while they donned their pink "See you in London" jackets.

Cue the double-decker bus - not a Routemaster but a cunning replica - with Hoy, Jamie Staff and Victoria Pendleton, all gold medal winners, cycling around it like a couple of London commuters. When the doors opened a file of dancing hoodies, crossing attendants, handicapped people, binge-drinkers and schoolgirls emerged, before the sides of the bus opened out to become a piece of suburban topiary from which Lewis ascended on a lift to sing Whole Lotta Love with guitar accompaniment from the venerable Page. They were joined by a cellist, a violinist and a tracksuited Beckham, who punted a football into the crowd - a bit of a slice, one thought, perhaps into row Z - before the sequence ended in a bit of business with illuminated umbrellas and the stately withdrawal of the bus. Remarkable.

And then the hosts regained control. With the aid of a vast human pyramid and a couple of actors standing at the top of a giant airport jetway, the flame went out, ending a Games in which, to freely adapt a thought from Rogge's speech, the world looked at China, China looked at the world, and both sides drew their own conclusions.

3.

Beijing bids farewell to Olympics

from http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/7578133.stm

The Olympic Games have drawn to a close with a glittering ceremony inside Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium.

Spectacular fireworks kicked off the proceedings, while a beautifully choreographed drumming and dancing display recalled the opening ceremony.

It was a more celebratory affair, as exuberant athletes, dancers and musicians got into the party spirit.

The Olympic flag was handed to London mayor Boris Johnson, with organisers briefly showcasing the 2012 Games.

The countdown to 2012 has started, and organisers will know they have a great deal to live up to with China hosting one of the best organised Games in history and staging some of the most memorable opening and closing ceremonies ever seen.

Beijing's dramatic farewell to the 29th Games of the modern Olympiad got under way with a magnificent firework display, which quickly segued into an amazing display of dancing and drumming.

Scottish cyclist Chris Hoy, who claimed three gold medals in Beijing, carried the flag for Team GB as the 205 flag bearers led the way for the thousands of athletes.

After speeches from Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organising Committee, and International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, the Beijing Games were officially declared to be over.

China staged the Olympics against a background dominated by fears of pollution, worries over security and protests about its human rights record.

But the sporting action was enthralling, with highlights including Michael Phelps swimming to a record eight gold medals and Jamaica's Usain Bolt breaking three world records on his way to three golds.

"We have come to the end of 16 days which we will cherish forever," said Rogge.

"New stars were born and stars from previous Games continued to amaze us.

"We shared their joys and their tears and marvelled at their abilities, and will long remember their achievements here.

"These were a truly exceptional Games."

The British flag was raised and "God Save the Queen" sung by the choir, before Johnson was handed the Olympic flag from Guo Jinlong, the major of Beijing, and Rogge.

It heralded the start of an eight-minute segment for London organisers to offer a flavour of the 2012 Games, as a red London bus arrived into the stadium.

Hoy, dressed up as a city gent, and fellow British cyclists Victoria Pendleton and Jamie Staff accompanied the bus on bicycles alongside a troupe of dancers holding umbrellas.

Singer Leona Lewis and former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page emerged as the bus transformed into a grass-covered carnival float, and the pair combined for a rendition of "Whole Lotta Love".

And the biggest star turn came when former Manchester United star and England captain David Beckham arrived to kick a football into the crowd of athletes.

The Olympic flame was then extinguished, before the attention shifted to a "memory tower" in the centre of the stadium.

Legendary Spanish tenor Placido Domingo and Chinese soprano Song Zuying joined forces to sing, while Hollywood actor Jackie Chan later joined a throng of dancers and singers for a closing number.

The sporting action was finally brought to an end earlier in the day, with France's men claiming gold in the final of the handball.

It was the 302nd and last gold medal to be awarded, and followed Sunday's finals in boxing, basketball, volleyball and water polo, while Kenya's Sammy Wanjiru won the men's marathon.

One World, One Dream: China is in the Olympic Games to win

By Charles Moore

Last Updated: 12:01am BST 09/08/2008

from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/08/09/do0901.xml  the daily telegraph

Until yesterday, the most famous athletic moment in Chinese history was a solitary swim. On July 16, 1966, Mao Zedong, then aged 73, was filmed crossing the Yangtze River. He appeared, wrote his doctor, to be swimming "faster and further than an Olympic champion", but this was an illusion produced by the swift flow of the Yangtze: "Mao had only floated on his back, his giant belly buoying him like a balloon, carried down the river by the current."

Mao chose to put on this show for political reasons. Having created the Cultural Revolution, he had stood back from the intended chaos to see what would happen. Now he was reasserting power: "Mao's swim in the Yangtze meant that his self-enforced exile was over. He was returning to the political stage. Two days later … he returned to Beijing. Henceforth, the Cultural Revolution would follow his direction."

Looking at yesterday's astonishing scroll of Chinese glories rolled out on the floor of the Bird's Nest stadium, one sees, once again, a political purpose. "This is a historical chance for us," says the Chinese sports minister, "…we are burdened with a glorious mission." One World, One Dream, says the slogan. Whose world? What dream?

We all know that China has only become the great power it is today because it has abandoned Mao's economics. Deng Xiaoping, who emerged as leader after Mao's death, broke with the past and opened China up to markets. By 2020, it will be the second economic power in the world; by 2050, perhaps, the first.

Because the economic change is so great, we pay less attention to the political continuity. Of today's top nations, China is the only one that has not had to abandon its totalitarian past in order to be accepted. The Communist Party remains in control. A vast portrait of Chairman Mao still looks down on Tiananmen Square. The greatest political murderer of all time is still canonised.

This is not to say that Beijing any longer believes that the world should be ruled by dogmatic Marxism-Leninism. But China's current leaders are in the line of Mao, and they are achieving what he attempted and failed - an illiberal form of rule that, in a sense, works.

In The End of History, the book which marked the high tide of Western post-Cold War cultural confidence, Francis Fukuyama noted that China, by killing students in Tiananmen Square in 1989, had "become just another Asian authoritarian state", and "lacked internal legitimacy". Because it had suppressed freedom, he suggested, it would suffer. That judgment was made in 1992. It does not, unfortunately, feel right this morning. In yesterday's ceremony, huge, illuminated footprints in the sky walked between Tiananmen Square and the stadium, while thousands cheered. Modern technology seemed to give physical form to the country's traditional "mandate of heaven".

China has prospered, while those that tried freedom - most notably Russia - have suffered. Even as they fret about human rights protests, the Chinese leaders must also congratulate themselves. "We are still here," they can say privately, "richer and more powerful than ever. Repression works."

But they cannot say it directly in public, and that is where the Olympics come in. Spectacular sporting displays are the classic means of projecting totalitarian power without talking about it.

If it all goes according to plan, those returning from the next fortnight will say how wonderful it was. Sportsmen will extrapolate from the comforts and respect offered to them, and declare that China is a splendid place. "It's like you're in a Marriott," reported one American competitor from the Olympic village, as if that were a form of paradise.

I have in front of me a dispatch from The Spectator in August 1936: "Competent foreign residents here [Berlin] say that the German Government and people really do desire peace … and one has seen several things in this festival which suggest that Germany wants to impress her Olympic visitors not only with her efficiency … but also with her desire to be friendly." "Harmony", proclaimed the dominant Chinese character formed by the heaving choreography last night.

I am not predicting that, in three years' time, the West will be at war with China. But I am pointing out the similarity of totalitarian political purpose. Youth! The future! Unity! National greatness! Cheering crowds, awed foreigners, dissent crushed! The Olympics offer all these things.

You might retort that China may be a global power, but it has become so because it has westernised, and will really succeed only when it has westernised some more, and become a dem