OLYMPICS 2012 LONDON

united states london olympics

2011-12-24T09:59:00.000-08:00

olympics 2012 london athletics

2011-12-24T09:48:00.001-08:00

2011-12-17T06:39:00.001-08:00

Participating nations

Athletes from 204 NOCs are expected to participate. The Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee, which had planned to continue functioning after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, had its membership withdrawn by the IOC Executive Committee at the IOC session of June 2011. However, Dutch Antillean athletes who qualify for the 2012 Olympics will be allowed to participate independently under the Olympic flag.^[150] Listed below are NOCs who have qualified at least one athlete. As of 26 November 2011, 144 nations have qualified at least one athlete.

Football Venues 2012 olympics

2011-12-17T06:37:00.000-08:00

Currently, there are six stadiums that will host matches:^[8] The stadiums represent London itself and Southeast England, the English Midlands, Northwest England, Northeast England, Scotland and Wales.

City	Stadium	Capacity
London	Wembley Stadium	90,000
Manchester	Old Trafford	76,212
Cardiff	Millennium Stadium	74,500
Newcastle	St James' Park	52,387
Glasgow	Hampden Park	52,103
Coventry	City of Coventry Stadium	32,609

The Great Britain men's team will play at Old Trafford (26 July), Wembley (29 July) and Cardiff (1 August). The women's team will play at Cardiff (25 and 28 July) and Wembley (31 July).^[2]

Football at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament

2011-12-17T06:35:00.000-08:00

The men's association football tournament at the 2012 Summer Olympics is to be held in London and five other cities in Great Britain from 26 July to 11 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to enter their men's U-23 teams in regional qualifying competitions, from which 15 teams, plus the host nation will reach the final tournament. Men's teams were allowed to augment their squads with three players over the age of 23.

Popular Female Athletes

2011-12-17T06:28:00.001-08:00

Latest topics on olympics

2011-12-17T00:05:00.000-08:00

Topic Last post Welcome to the Olympics forum KAXANK3RETXBby TA_DanWDec 14, 2010CoSport Phase 3 Begins tomorrow!!!by NDFlyer5:18 pm23 repliesVisiting the Olympic village before the games in Mayby flpabDec 13, 2011no repliesOlympics journey plannerby GreenwichNickNov 30, 201112 replieslondon preparesby fletchwavell1Nov 29, 20118 repliesWhere to stay in London during 2012 Olympicsby Chuck91Nov 21, 201148 repliestotal excitementby lover2travelNov 18, 20115 repliesEngland and Europe in June/early July 2012by IntonatiNov 16, 20113 repliessessions for the different sport sections.by lover2travelNov 15, 20115 repliesGEJB's gripes....by GreenwichNickNov 09, 201128 repliesTrain ticketsby llong32Nov 06, 20112 repliesQuestion From An Olympic Rookieby PerrierNov 03, 201144 repliesEurostar tickets during Olympic periodby xorachOct 22, 201115 repliesApartment rental for Olympicsby GaylePDublinOct 21, 20114 repliesHow to find Olympic event tickets now.by MileswisOct 07, 201112 repliesLeaving the Volleyball at Earls Courtby Mr_CellophaneOct 07, 20113 repliesCan Tour official ticket seller for Western regionby CrlewSep 17, 2011no repliesAny Singaporeans?by bah-bah-brack-sheepSep 08, 20111 replyPlanning help - in a general way...by Annabanana1992Sep 07, 201115 repliesLondon 2012 The Official Websiteby railtraveller65Sep 03, 20118 replies

Residents of the UK or a designated European country

2011-12-16T23:43:00.000-08:00

Residents of the UK or a designated European country

If you are a resident of the UK or a designated European country, you can purchase tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games on this website option that follows .Sign in and search for available tickets now.

Alternatively, if you are a resident of a designated European country you can also apply for tickets through your local National Olympic Committee (NOC) or their appointed Authorised Ticket Reseller (ATR) or your local National Paralympic Committee (NPC) or their appointed Authorised Ticket Reseller (ATR)

Ticket sales information

2011-12-16T23:41:00.000-08:00

The Olympic Football TournamentTaking place in venues across the UK, the Olympic Football Tournament is coming to a city near you. Tickets are on sale between 11am on 29 November 2011 and 6pm on 6 February 2012.Paralympic GamesDon’t miss your chance to see sport like never before. Remaining tickets for the Paralympic Games are on sale between 1pm on 2 December 2011 and 6pm on 6 February 2012.

London olympics logo

2011-12-16T08:00:00.001-08:00

Wenlock and Mandeville

2011-12-16T07:51:00.001-08:00

About London Olympics

2011-12-16T07:43:00.000-08:00

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad or "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012.[1] London will become the first city to officially host the modern Olympic Games three times,[2][3] having previously done so in 1908 and in 1948.[4][5]London was selected as the host city on 6 July 2005 during the 117th IOC Session in Singapore, defeating Moscow, New York City, Madrid and Paris after four rounds of voting.[6] The successful bid was headed by former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe.The Olympics prompted a redevelopment of many of the areas of London in which the games are to be held – particularly themed towards sustainability.[7] While the budgetary considerations have generated some criticism,[8][9] the Games will make use of many venues which were already in place before the bid, including Wembley Stadium, Wembley Arena, Wimbledon All England Club, Lord's Cricket Ground, The O2 Arena, Earls Court Exhibition Centre, Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, and the Excel Centre.FROM wikipedia

London Olympics Promo

2011-12-16T07:40:00.001-08:00

Beijing

2011-12-16T07:36:00.001-08:00

Tiger woods back

2011-12-16T06:27:00.001-08:00

Formula one

2011-12-16T06:25:00.001-08:00

Latest

2011-02-14T04:38:00.000-08:00

The olympics have been doing their role of stimulating the atheletes and helping them groom for greater levels. One would wonder what people would do once they have finished thier life as a runner or in an other field. Even I have that doubt. Unless the government supports them there is no chance for them to cope up. Their life is about acheiving fame. There have been hundreds who have tried to come up in the field but not all were reallly able to succeed the people who succeded ccame to light but what about these people who were not able to reach their goal. Have they wassted their life no it may seem thaat they have wasted their life but it is not the truth instead it tis the other way round they have put light to people who were not able to succeed.

Alicia Sacramone

2008-07-18T00:56:00.000-07:00

Alicia Marie Sacramone (born December 3, 1987) is an American artistic gymnast. Sacramone would like to become a fashion designer one day. She trains at Brestyan's Gymnastics under Mihai and Silvia Brestyan.

Misty May

2008-07-18T00:54:00.001-07:00

Misty May-Treanor is an American professional beach volleyball player. With partner Kerri Walsh, she is the 2004 Olympic Beach Volleyball Champion. She is the first cousin of tennis player Taylor Dent. May-Treanor appeared on NBC's game show Identity on April 6, 2007. She posed as "Born In 1977." May-Treanor was born in Los Angeles but spent her high school years in Costa Mesa.

Yelena Isinbayeva

2008-07-18T00:51:00.000-07:00

Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva has so far set 22 world records. Isinbayeva, who likes dolphins and Russian history, acknowledges that her rags-to-riches career, combined with her work ethic and sex symbol status, makes her somewhat similar to Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova.

Jennie Finch

2008-07-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

Jennie Finch is widely regarded as the most famous softball player of all time and and pitched on the USA team that won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. She was offered a lucrative contract to appear nude for Playboy magazine, but commented to the press that the offer was not going to tempt her. Finch once appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated wearing a tank top and a mini skirt.

Ana

2008-07-18T00:15:00.000-07:00

Ana Ivanovic is currently the top-ranked women's tennis player. Aside from her tennis career, Ivanovic also studies finance at a university in Belgrade and Spanish in her spare time. On September 8, 2007, Ivanovic became a UNICEF National Ambassador for Serbia, alongside Aleksandar Dordevic and Emir Kusturica.

Gay's double hopes ended by cramp

2008-07-18T00:11:00.000-07:00

Tyson Gay's hopes of an Olympic sprint double ended in agony on Sunday after the 200 metres world champion crashed out of the US trials when his leg seized up during the quarter-finals.

Gay tumbled to the track about 40 metres into the race with what his agent diagnosed as a severe cramp in his left hamstring.

The injury means Gay will now compete in just the 100 metres and 4x100 relay at next month's Beijing Games.

"Before I went out on the track I felt a little tightness in my hamstring, so I kind of had a bad feeling," Gay said in a statement.

"I felt it, sort of a pull, about 40 meters," the 25-year-old added.

Heading to his hotel immediately to receive treatment, Gay was lucky enough to suffer no further damage, agent Mark Wetmore said.

Spain's hockey team in jeopardy

2008-07-18T00:08:00.000-07:00

The Spanish women's hockey team's place at the Beijing Olympics is in jeopardy after it emerged that two of its players tested positive for banned substances at an Olympic qualifying event in Baku.

But Spanish hockey authorities have said there is evidence that the positives were part of a deliberate attempt to sabotage the team's chances during the tournament in Azerbaijan.

"The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has notified us about them (positive tests)," Spanish Hockey Federation (RFEH) president Marti Colomer said.

"We believe the positives were for a powerful stimulant, an amphetamine or something like that."

Players and coaching staff complained about the organisation of the Olympic qualifying tournament on their return from Azerbaijan.

They said four members of the team had collapsed in the hotel prior to their match against Kenya having inhaled gas that had escaped from the air conditioning system.

They also complained that players were unable to sleep after being bombarded by telephone calls in their hotel rooms. Others felt ill after drinking water given to them by organisers during matches.

Spain qualified for the Olympics after beating hosts Azerbaijan 3-2 in the final.

However, according to FIH rules, if more than one member of a team tests positive, the whole team will be thrown out of the tournament.

If Spain were disqualified, Azerbaijan would take their place in Beijing.

"It would be the worst thing that could ever happen. It would be terrible" Colomer said when asked about the possibility that Spain could be excluded.

"We hope the FIH will realise that our girls were victims of sabotage. We had a terrible time there and now this has happened too.

"We are absolutely positive that the two girls had nothing to do with this. I would bet my life on it.

"There is no room for suspicion, because this is an amateur sport and it would be stupid of them to get involved in doping in an Olympic year."

Team coach Pablo Usoz supported the sabotage theory.

"Everything that happened in Baku was a nightmare," he said.

"They did all they could to upset us but they couldn't do it. I suspect the doping incidents were the final attempt to gain an Olympic place at our cost

Yao returns as China win warm-up

2008-07-18T00:07:00.000-07:00

Yao Ming gave China's Olympic basketball hopes a boost when he returned to action for the first time after five months on the sidelines in China's 96-72 victory over Serbia in a warm-up tournament on Friday.

The 7ft-6in (2.28m) centre, who had an operation on a stress fracture to his left foot in March, was greeted by a huge roar from the Hangzhou crowd when he came on to the court midway through the first period.

The Houston Rockets All-Star, China's most popular sportsman, scored 11 points in their opening game of the Stankovic Cup.

China play Angola on Sunday and Russia on Monday in the round-robin tournament, which takes place just three weeks before the Olympics.

China open their Olympic campaign against the United States at the Wukesong basketball arena on August 10.

NBA big guns give Germany edge

2008-07-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

Dirk Nowitzki is arguably Europe's most successful basketball export but it could be Germany's newest recruit Chris Kaman who gives them the edge in the quarter-finals of the Olympic qualifiers in Athens on Saturday.

The Los Angeles Clippers centre only received his passport last week but was slipped straight into the side for the opening group match against Cape Verde.

He made an immediate impression and followed up with a 20-point performance against New Zealand.

"It has been hard work for Chris because although he is a great player he has had to fit in quickly with the chemistry of the team. But he has been fantastic," said team mate Konrad Wysocki.

The Germans look heavy favourites to beat Brazil and progress to a semi-final against Canada or Croatia.

The Croatians produced a stunning comeback to beat Puerto Rico in the group game on Thursday.

US name Olympic tennis squads

2008-07-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Former gold medal winners Serena and Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport will front the US women's tennis team for the Beijing Olympics.

US women's tennis coach Zina Garrison announced that the trio would make up the three singles entries -- the two nominated women's doubles pairings consist of Liezel Huber with Davenport and the Williams sisters.

Men's tennis coach Rodney Harmon announced a five-player men's team with James Blake, Sam Querrey and Robby Ginepri named to the team in singles.

Bob and Mike Bryan, the top ranked doubles team in the world, make up one doubles pairing along with Blake and Querrey.

Venus Williams won gold in singles and doubles with her sister in 2000 but was unable to defend her title when the U.S women failed to qualify for Athens four years ago.

Davenport won the singles at the Atlanta Games in 1996.

The three men in the singles line-up will all be making their first Olympic appearances while the Bryant brothers return after their quarter-final finish four years ago.

MARIA SHARAPOVA

2008-07-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

Current world No 3 Maria Sharapova has won three Grand Slam singles titles (Wimbledon 2004, US Open 2006 and Australian Open 2008). Sharapova has been ranked in the top ten since winning Wimbledon in 2004, the longest run of any current female tennis player. During the 12 months ending June 2007, she was the world's highest-paid female athlete. In April 2005, People Magazine named her one of the 50 most beautiful celebrities in the world. In 2006, Maxim magazine ranked Sharapova the hottest athlete in the world for the fourth consecutive year. She has posed in a six-page bikini photoshoot spread in the 2006 Valentine's Day issue of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

US BASKETBALL SQUAD

2008-07-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

Bryant and James named in US team
LA Lakers star Bryant won his first Most Valuable Player award this season

The NBA's Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant and top-scorer LeBron James head the list of 12 players named by the United States for the Beijing Olympics.

Also named are Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Jason Kidd as the US seeks to end a recent run of disappointments.

The US failed to win the gold medal in Athens - the first time an NBA-based team had done so at the Olympics.

The team's officials have promised a 'change of culture' in a bid to improve the men's team's results.

Argentina won gold in Athens, having edged out the United States in the semi-finals. It was the third defeat of the tournament for a US team that was criticised for being under-prepared.

But the team's managing director Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski are confident the current squad will perform better than the team that went to Athens.

"That team didn't have enough practice time," said Krzyzewski. "There were late additions and they were given a short window to prepare and you can't win at that level without preparation."

Bryant led the LA Lakers to the NBA finals this season, while James scorched the league's defences, scoring 30 points per game.

Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Michael Redd and Deron Williams complete the American line-up.

Eight players have been retained from the team which ensured Olympic qualification at the Americas Tournament last year. Bosh, Paul and Wade, who all missed that tournament, return from the 2006 World Championship team.

The squad will train in Las Vegas from 20-25 July before heading to China for warm-up games against Turkey, Lithuania, Russia and Australia.

"I felt the culture certainly needed to change," said Colangelo. "We needed commitments from coaches and players alike for a period of time.

"All that has taken place and we're really enthused about the make-up of this team from top to bottom."

NBA players have been allowed to compete at the Olympics since 1992, where the US famously fielded a gold medal-winning 'Dream Team' in Barcelona.

The US has only failed to win a medal in men's basketball on one occasion - the 1980 Games in Moscow, which they boycotted.

US team: Carmelo Anthony, forward, Denver Nuggets; Carlos Boozer, forward, Utah Jazz; Chris Bosh, forward, Toronto Raptors; Kobe Bryant, guard, Los Angeles Lakers; Dwight Howard, forward/centre, Orlando Magic; LeBron James, forward, Cleveland Cavaliers; Jason Kidd, guard, Dallas Mavericks; Chris Paul, guard, New Orleans Hornets; Tayshaun Prince, forward, Detroit Pistons; Michael Redd, guard, Milwaukee Bucks; Dwyane Wade, guard, Miami Heat; Deron Williams, guard, Utah Jazz.

AUSTRALIAS FOOTBALL SQUAD

2008-07-16T08:53:00.005-07:00

Coach:
Graham Arnold, 45

Goalkeepers:
Adam Federici (23) (Reading, England)
Tando Velaphi (21) (Perth Glory)

Defenders:
Adrian Leijer (22) (Fulham, England)
Trent McClenahan (23) (unattached)
Mark Milligan (23) (unattached)
Jade North (26) (Newcastle Jets)
Mathew Spiranovic (20) (FC Nurnberg, Germany)
Nikolai Topor-Stanley (23) (Perth Glory)
Ruben Zadkovich (23) (Derby County, England)

Midfielders:
David Carney (24) (Sheffield United, England)
Billy Celeski (22) (Melbourne Victory)
Neil Kilkenny (23) (Leeds United, England)
Stuart Musialik (23) (Sydney FC)
Kristian Sarkies (21) (Adelaide United)
James Troisi (20) (unattached)

Strikers:
Mark Bridge (22) (Sydney FC)
Nikita Rukavytsya (21) (Perth Glory)
Archie Thompson (29) (Melbourne Victory)

Australia are in Group A alongside Argentina, Ivory Coast and Serbia, making for a tough Olympic campaign. With Argentina expected to go through to the knockout stages and Australia with very little experience / quality in their squad, it seems that this team might just make up the numbers in Beijing as opposed to making waves.

AUSTRALIAS FOOTBALL SQUAD

2008-07-16T08:53:00.001-07:00

BRAZIL FOOTBALL SQUAD

2008-07-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

Brazil have named a strong squad for their 08 Olympic campaign as they aim to win a title that has eluded them so far.

Brazil’s Olympic Football squad for Beijing 2008:

Coach:
Dunga, 44

Goalkeepers:
Diego (23) (Almeira, Spain)
Renan (23) (Internacional)

Defenders:
Alex Silva (23) (Sao Paulo)
Breno (18) (Bayern Munich, Germany)
Thiago Silva (23) (Fluminese)
Ilsinho (22) (Shakhtar Donetsk, Ukraine)
Rafinha (22) (Schalke 04, Germany)
Marcelo (20) (Real Madrid, Spain)

Midfielders:
Anderson (20) (Manchester United, England)
Diego (23) (Werder Bremen, Germany)
Hernanes (23) (Sao Paulo)
Lucas (21) (Liverpool, England)
Ronaldinho (28) (Barcelona, Spain)
Thiago Neves (23) (Fluminese)

Strikers:
Alexandre Pato (18) (AC Milan, Italy)
Jo (21) (Manchester City, England)
Rafael Sobis (23) (Real Betis, Spain)
Robinho (24) (Real Madrid, Spain)

As you can see, Brazil have named an experinced squad with several players aged 22 and 23. The younger ones are usually sensational stars on their own (Anderson, Jo, Lucas, Breno) and in Diego, Ronaldinho and Robinho they have three excellent attacking players who will be able to ply open the inexperienced defenders at the Olympics with ease.

Even if one or two of these players don’t make it to the Olympics (due to club-FIFA squabbling), the squad is quite strong and in an easy group (Group C has Brazil, China, Belgium and New Zealand).

GROUP D

2008-07-16T08:46:00.001-07:00

Korea Republic - Wildcards in this group - have the potential to qualify and are physically fit enough to deal with Cameroon’s challenge as well. Should be an interesting contest.

Cameroon - Along with Korea they will be aiming to get a win over Italy and cause an upset. It might come down to the overage players they pick because at the U-23 level they’re not that strong.

Honduras - Unlike New Zealand who had Oceania to themselves, Honduras had to finish ahead of Mexico to qualify for the Olympics. However, they lack the firepower to challenge any of their rivals in this group.

Italy - Italy beat Portugal in a play-off to get here, and have an excellent squad based almost entirely in Italy (the exception being Rossi at Villareal). They have the talent to top their group but their lack of experience could count against them in the later stages of the tournament.

ITALY FOOTBALL SQUAD

2008-07-16T08:45:00.002-07:00

Italy are, along with Argentina and Brazil, one of the favourites to win a medal in the Olympic Football tournament this year. Italy Olympic Football squad for Beijing 2008:

Coach:
Pierluigi Casiraghi

Goalkeepers:
Andrea Consigli (21) (Atalanta)
Emiliano Viviano (22) (Brescia)
Salvatore Sirigu (21) (Cremonese)

Defenders:
Salvatore Bocchetti (21) (Genoa)
Andrea Coda (23) (Udinese)
Domenico Criscito (21) (Genoa)
Paolo De Ceglie (21) (Juventus)
Lorenzo De Silvestri (20) (Lazio)
Marco Motta (22) (Udinese)
Andrea Ranocchia (20) (Arezzo)

Midfielders:
Ignazio Abate (21) (AC Milan)
Luca Cigarini (22) (Parma)
Daniele Dessena (21) (Parma)
Claudio Marchisio (22) (Juventus)
Riccardo Montolivo (23) (Fiorentina)
Antonio Nocerino (23) (Palermo)
Andrea Russotto (20) (Trevisio)
Antonio Candreva (21) (Udinese)

Strikers:
Robert Acquafresca (20) (Cagliari)
Sebastian Giovinco (21) (Juventus)
Tommaso Rocchi (30) (Lazio)
Giuseppe Rossi (21) (Villareal, Spain)

Italy have a young but talented squad and are placed in Group D with the Korea Republic, Cameroon and Honduras with them. Should qualify without too much trouble, especially with the likes of Giovinco and Rossi in the team.

ARGENTINA FOOTBALL SQUAD

2008-07-16T08:45:00.001-07:00

2004 Olympic football champions Argentina will defend their gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympics with the following squad:

Coach
Sergio Batista, 45, Under-23 Coach

Goalkeepers:
Oscar Ustari (22) (Getafe, Spain)
Sergio Romero (21) (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands)

Defenders:
Pablo Zabaleta (23) (Espanyol, Spain)
Ezequiel Garay (21) (Real Madrid, Spain)
Federico Fazio (21) (Sevilla, Spain)
Nicolás Burdisso (24) (Internazionale, Italy)
Luciano Monzón (21) (Boca Juniors)

Midfielders:
Fernando Gago (22) (Real Madrid)
Ever Banega (20) (Valencia, Spain)
Javier Mascherano (24) (Liverpool, England)
Juan Román Riquelme (30) (Boca Juniors)
Angel Di María (20) (Benfica, Portugal)
José Sosa (23) (Bayern Munich, Germany)
Diego Buonanotte (20) (River Plate)

Forwards:
Lionel Messi (21) (Barcelona, Spain)
Ezequiel Lavezzi (23) (Napoli, Italy)
Lautaro Acosta (20) (Sevilla, Spain)
Sergio Agüero (20) (Atlético de Madrid, Spain)

Reserves:
Nicolás Navarro (Napoli, goalkeeper)
Nicolás Pareja (Anderlecht, Belgium, defender)
Lucas Biglia (Anderlecht, midfielder)
Emiliano Insúa (Liverpool, midfielder)

The reserves won’t travel but can be called up prior to the start of the tournament in case a squad member is injured. Argentina will play against Japan in a friendly on 29th July in Tokyo before traveling to Beijing.

GROUP C

2008-07-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

China - The hosts are in a tough group - no one expects to beat Brazil and China will have Belgium to contend with as well. They’re on par with New Zealand but could use the occasion and national pride to spring a surprise.

New Zealand - Without Australia to contend with, New Zealand had an easy path to qualification for the Olympics but will have to fight for respect or suffer a drubbing at the hands of Brazil and Belgium.

Brazil - They’ve selected a talented and experienced squad and should top this group easily.

Belgium Have a good youth program and based on skill-level alone are a superior side to China or NZ. Don’t see them getting a medal but they could give Brazil a run for their money in this group.

GROUP B

2008-07-16T08:44:00.002-07:00

Netherlands - Consecutive U21 Euro champions and perhaps the strongest team from Europe playing here. Tipped to win the Olympics this year but for my money are on an equal footing with Brazil and Argentina.

Nigeria A decent outfit but without the talent that the national team has at senior level. It remains to be seen who they pick for the tournament as their overage players but they’ll need to be at their best to progress from this group.

Japan - On paper look to be the weakest team of the group but have traditionally been strong on teamwork and if they can keep their discipline against the likes of Nigeria and USA, they have an outside chance of reaching the knockout stages.

USA - The Olympics are an excellent chance for the US to prove that their youth development is not as pathetic and downtrodded as critics claim it to be. They have the raw talent and if they can harness it, a spot in the knockout stages awaits.

GROUP A

2008-07-16T08:44:00.001-07:00

Ivory Coast - Have the energy and talent to upset the bigger sides in this group and if they can defend in shape and maintain their tactical discipline then they may well qualify from this group.

Argentina - One of the strongest teams in the world and a veritable production line of footballing talent going from Argentina to Europe. Experienced and supremely talented and led by the indomitable Riquelme, Argentina are many people’s pick to defend their Olympic good won 4 years ago.

Australia - One of the weaker teams in the competition and the squad picked shows a real lack of experience at the Under-23 level. In the toughest group and unlikely to progress.

Serbia - Did quite well at the U-21 Euros and have a talented and disciplined youth team that should qualify for the knockout stages as long as they overcome the Ivory Coast.

SOCCER

2008-07-16T08:42:00.001-07:00

Group A

Argentina
Australia
Ivory Coast
Serbia

Group B

Japan
Netherlands
Nigeria
USA

Group C

Belgium
Brazil
China
New Zealand

Group D

Cameroon
Honduras
Italy
Korea Republic

ABOUT SOCCER

2008-07-16T08:28:00.003-07:00

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games kick off in a month, with the 2008 Olympic football tournament from 6th to 24th August.

For these games, the men will compete in a 16-team tournament (7th to 24th August) (the women will compete in a 12-team tournament - 6th to 21st August) with four groups of four teams each with the top two in each group progressing to the knockout stages.

Full national teams ceased to compete in the four-yearly competition in 1930 when the first World Cup was played in Uruguay. Since then, youth teams have competed in the men’s tournament and despite with the absence of senior players (men’s teams are allowed to augment their squad with three players over the age of 23) the tournament has proved to be quite entertaining over the years.

ATHELETIC EVENTS

2008-07-16T08:28:00.002-07:00

• 10000m Men
• triple jump Men
• 100m Men
• 10000m Women
• 110m hurdles Men
• 100m Women
• 1500m Men
• 100m hurdles Women
• 200m Men
• 1500m Women
• 20km walk Men
• 200m Women
• 3000m steeplechase Men
• 20km race walk Women
• 400m Men
• 3000m steeplechase Women
• 400m hurdles Men
• 400m Women
• 4x100m relay Men
• 400m hurdles Women
• 4x400m relay Men
• 4x100m relay Women
• 5000m Men
• 4x400m relay Women
• 50km walk Men
• 5000m Women
• 800m Men
• 800m Women
• decathlon Men
• discus throw Women
• discus throw Men
• hammer throw Women
• hammer throw Men
• heptathlon Women
• high jump Men
• high jump Women
• javelin throw Men
• javelin throw Women
• long jump Men
• long jump Women
• marathon Men
• marathon Women
• pole vault Men
• pole vault Women
• shot put Men
• shot put Women
• triple jump Women

BASKETBALL

2008-07-16T08:28:00.001-07:00

For 36 years after basketball entered the Olympic Games as a full medal sport for men, the question was not who would win, but who would finish second.

The Soviet Union took home the gold when they toppled the US team in a controversial 1972 game. After another semi-final victory for the Soviets in 1988, the sport opened to professionals. Once again, the question became who would finish second. In Barcelona in 1992, with a squad featuring some of the world's best-known athletes - Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird - the gold-medal winning US "Dream Team" gave an exhibition of basketball at its best. After an NBA All-Star packed team finished only sixth during the recent FIBA World Championship in 2002, the question will remain if the winning streak of US teams can prevail in future Olympic Games.

Women's basketball hasn't been quite such a one-sided affair. Since it joined the Olympic programme in 1976, the gold medals have been divided between the US, the Soviet Union and, after the break-up of the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States. After a bronze medal in Atlanta and a Silver medal in Sydney, Australia may have their quest for the podium as well as the traditional powerhouse Brazil.

SCHEDULE

2008-07-16T07:38:00.002-07:00

Olympics August 2008 - Competition Timetable
Sport: Dates:
Opening Ceremony 8th
Closing Ceremony 24th
Athletics 15th-24th
Rowing 9th-17th
Badminton 9th-17th
Baseball 13th-23rd
Basketball 9th-24th
Boxing 9th-20th, 22nd-24th
Canoe/Kayak - Flatwater 18th-23rd
Canoe/Kayak - Slalom 11th-14th
Cycling - Track 15th-19th
Cycling - Road 9th-10th, 13th
Cycling - Mountain Bike 22nd-23rd
Cycling - BMX 20th-21st
Equestrian - Jumping 15th, 17th-19th, 21st-24th
Equestrian - Dressage 13th-16th, 19th-20th
Equestrian - Eventing 9th-12th
Fencing 9th-17th
Football 6th-7th, 9th-10th, 12th-13th, 15th-16th, 18th-19th, 21st-23rd
Artistic Gymnastics 9th-10th, 12th-15th, 17th, 20th
Gymnastics - Trampoline 16th, 18th-19th
Ryhthmic Gymnastics 21st-24th
Weightlifting 9th-13th, 15th-19th
Handball 9th-24rd
Hockey 10th-23rd
Judo 9th-15th
Wrestling - Greco-Roman 12-14th
Wresting - Freestyle 16th-17th, 19th-21st
Aquatics - Swimming 9th-17th, 20th-21st
Aquatics - Syn. Swimming 18th-20th, 22nd-23rd
Aquatics - Diving 10th-13th, 15th-23rd
Aquatics - Water-polo 10th-22nd, 24th
Modern Pentathlon 21st-22nd
Softball 12th-21st
Taekwondo 20th-23rd
Tennis 10th-17th
Table Tennis 13th-23rd
Shooting 9th-17th
Archery 9th-15th
Triathlon 18th-19th
Sailing 9th-24th
Volleyball 9th-24th
Beach Volleyball 9th-22nd

Olympic Sports 2008

2008-07-16T07:38:00.001-07:00

For the Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing 28 sports have been determined.

Aquatics

Archery

Athletics

Badminton

Baseball

Basketball

Boxing

Canoe / kayak

Cycling

Equestrian

Fencing

Football

Gymnastics

Handball

Hockey

Judo

Modern Pentathlon

Rowing

Sailing

Shooting

Softball

Table Tennis

Taekwondo

Tennis

Triathlon

Volleyball

Weightlifting

Wrestling

The Theme of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay

2008-07-16T01:25:00.000-07:00

The theme of the relay is "Journey of Harmony".

The theme embodies the Olympic ideal of 'placing sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity'. 'Harmony' boasts strong Chinese characteristics, and expresses the traditional Chinese philosophy in pursuit of a balance between man and nature, among people and between man's body and soul. It also supports Chinese people's wish of building a harmonious society of enduring peace and common prosperity.