Alain Courbe: “It could be my last chance to see judo at the Olympic Games”

Alain Courbe is a professor of judo in Le Mans, France. At 63 years old, he comes to Beijing for the first time to attend three days of judo competitions and shares his impressions with us.

The father of the Fuwa opens a museum in Beijing

After four years of work, the art museum of Han Meilin opened in late June on Beijing east side. This is the second museum, the first one being in Hangzhou, for this Chinese who is better known for creating the five 2008 Olympic Games mascots. But Han Meilin is also an artist who juggles between sculptures, ceramics, drawings and calligraphies.

The adjustments to the sporting calendar

BOCOG, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, announced on August 8 changes in the schedules of several sports competitions. A special notice goes out to Olympic ticket holders and those less fortunate who will follow the events in front of their television set.

Opening ceremony: China announces big game

Featuring 14 000 extras and actors, drums, calligraphers, taijiquan, and mahjong, it seems that all of the popular ingredients of Chinese culture were present on August 8^th for the Beijing Olympic grand opening ceremony at the Stadium and signed Zhang Yimou.

Beijing waves the flags

Beijing is virtually unrecognizable with little more than a week left before the start of the Olympics. Within a few months, the avenues and streets have been dotted with posters, billboards, flags and other decorations that give the city a festive atmosphere. It's hard not to feel like taking part in the Olympic craze.

The Olympic Forest Park, an artificial lung for the “Green” Olympic Games

A giant artificial park has been built for the Olympics on the edge of the Olympic facilities. It will clean the atmosphere very locally and offer a relaxing place for the athletes and later, for the local residents. This is the largest single green space in the capital.

The Olympic Volunteers Bend Over Backwards for Tourists

To cope with the expected 450,000 tourist coming to the Beijing Olympics starting August 8th, BOCOG (Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games) started setting up kiosks in early July across the city and filled them with volunteers. Their goal is simply to inform tourists and offer free services in the most commonly spoken languages.

The Olympic venues and the changes in sports

Three weeks away from the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing and the other co-organizing Chinese cities are wrapping up the final preparations for their Olympic facilities. The 29^th Olympiad will also be the last chance to see some sports showcased.

China's sports stars and hopefuls

More than 500 Chinese athletes will participate in the Beijing Olympics held from the 8th to the 24th of August. China can count on a large number of talented athletes to keep the medals at home. The up-and-coming stars also look very promising.

Qinhuangdao: Olympic football queen

With its 800,000 inhabitants, Qinhuangdao, the smallest of the Olympic cities, is preparing itself to host the eagerly awaited football matches. It also used to be a popular seaside resort for the big shots of the Chinese Communist Party and now for well-off Beijing locals. 

 

Gradually, Beijing builds its “Nest”

After more than four years of work, China's National Olympic Stadium or "Bird's Nest" was inaugurated in its west-Beijing location at the end of April with its first ever athletics competition.

A dive in the Water Cube

The National Aquatics Center or Water Cube, one of the flagship sites of the Beijing Olympic, was inaugurated at the Olympic Park at the end of January after 4 years of work. The results are beyond compare.

« Good Luck Beijing », a preview of the Olympic games

It is only eight months before the start of the Olympic games.  Since this summer, the capital has been carrying out "Good Luck Beijing," a set of pre-Olympic tournaments that gives a preview of the locations and the events before they actually take place.

Beijing presents the sites of the 2008 Olympics

Besides the permanent exhibitions, the Beijing Urbanisation Exhibition hall also organises regular events. Until December 30th, they will also show their construction sites of the new Olympic areas.

The miniature model of the Bird’s Nest is sold…

Nine months before the Beijing Olympic Games, China continues to offer a range of various Olympic Games products.  Some of these have been sold for a lot of money, and amateur modellers of precious metals have not been left out.