Beijing Olympic Games

Updated: 2008-03-08 From: Xinhuanet

VALENCIA, Spain, March 7 (Xinhua) — The United States won two gold medals on the first day of the 12th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain, on Friday, while Nigeria took the other one on offer.

American Christian Cantwell won the first gold at the championships, taking the title in the men’s shot put after beating defending champion and compatriot Reese Hoffa into second place.

Cantwell, the world indoor champion in 2004, won with a throw of 21.77 meters, 57 centimeters more than Hoffa’s 21.20 meters.

Tomasz Majewski of Poland won the bronze medal with a throw of 20.93 meters, setting a new national record.

In women’s 60 meters, American Angela Williams captured the gold medal in a time of 7.06 seconds, bettering this year’s previous best result of 7.09 held jointly by Nigerian Ene Franca Idoko and Russia’s Yevgenia Polyakova.

Jeanette Kwakye from Britain finished in 7.08 seconds to collect the silver medal, while Tahesia Harrigan from the British Virgin Islands took the bronze with 7.09 seconds.

Nigerian Olusoji A. Fasuba foiled the U.S. attempt to sweep all the three gold medals of the night, winning his first world indoor title in men’s 60 meters with a world best time this year.

Fasuba clocked in 6.51 seconds, ahead of Briton Dwain Chambers and Kim Collins from Saint Kitts and Nevis, who finished jointly second with an identical time of 6.54 seconds.

“This was my third try (at the world indoor championships). I worked very hard for it. I’m very happy,” Fasuba told the spectators at the Palau Velodromo Luis Puig stadium.

The 23-year-old was fifth in 60 meters at the last World Indoor Championships in 2006 in Moscow, and fourth in 100 meters at the outdoor World Championships in Osaka, Japan, last year. He also won the silver medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

The silver-medal performance was quite special for Briton Dwain Chambers, who is on his second comeback following his drugs ban.

He is banned from competing at the Beijing Olympic Games by the British sports authorities and, according to the world’s leading promoters will not be invited to the major Grand Prix events around the globe.

Chambers has said he would fight for his right to the Olympics and a medal in Valencia would be crucial for his bid.

In qualification sessions on Friday, two-time defending champion Yelena Isinbaeva of Russia easily sailed into the final of women’s pole vault.

Isinbaeva finished first with a clearance of 4.55 meters in the qualification session Friday evening with only one attempt. Her major rival and compatriot Svetlana Feofanova and American Jennifer Stuczynski also safely went through to the final.

“I feel great. I did a good jump, and I’m feeling in a really good shape,” said Isinbaeva. “Tomorrow I will do my best.”

The Russian broke her own world indoor record with 4.95 meters in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Feb. 16 this year. However, her 23-competition unbeaten streak was halted by Feofanova in Bydgoszcz, Poland, recently.

It would be no easy task for the Russian Olympic champion as both Feofanova and Stuczynski have the same personal best of 4.88 meters and the same season best of 4.71 meters.

Meanwhile, seven-time champion Maria de Lurdes Mutola of Mozambique was safely through to the semi-finals of women’s 800 meters after finishing first in her heat at the qualification session on Friday.

The 35-year-old Mutola, who is also a three-time outdoor world champion and Olympic champion in Sydney, clocked 2:04.82 to be placed 11th overall from the heats. The top 12 finishers from the heats competition entered the semi-finals.

Mutola, the four-time defending indoor world champion, is expected to announce retirement before the end of 2008.

Tetiana Petlyuk of Ukraine came in first after finishing with 2: 00.40, followed by Jennifer Meadows of Britain with 2:00.60, and Romanian Mihaela Neascu with 2:00.79.

The semifinals of the event will be held on Saturday afternoon with the final scheduled for Sunday.

The Valencia worlds opened on Friday morning, which will conclude on Sunday.

A total of 646 athletes from 157 countries and regions are participating in the tournament, the last major athletics event before the August Olympic Games in Beijing.

Updated: 2008-03-07 From: Xinhuanet

VALENCIA, Spain, March 7 (Xinhua) — The 12th IAAF (the International Association of Athletics Federations) World Indoor Championships opened in Spanish coastal city of Valencia on Friday.

Among the 646 athletes from 157 countries and regions are 21 reigning world indoor or outdoor champions, including 14 winners at the last world indoor championships in Moscow in 2006 such as Russian women’s pole vault great Yelena Isinbayeva and U.S. shot putter Reese Hoffa.

Liu, also Olympic champion in men’s 110 meters hurdles, is expected to have a fierce fight for the 60 meters hurdles gold against in-form Cuban Dayron Robles on Saturday.

The 21-year-old Robles, silver medalist in the last World Indoor Championships in Moscow, cracked 7.33 seconds in the 60 meters hurdles, only three hundredths of a second outside the world record held by Briton Colin Jackson.

A total of 26 events, 13 each for both men and women, are being competed at the championships.

China has sent a team of six male athletes and five female athletes, who will compete in eight events.

A total bonus of 2,490,000 U.S. dollars are on offer for these championships. The gold medalist will be awarded 40,000 U.S. dollars, silver medalist 20,000 dollars and bronze medalist 10,000 dollars.

An additional bonus of 50,000 dollars will be awarded to any athlete breaking world record in the championships.

On Friday, three gold medals will be decided in men’s shot put, men’s 60 meters and women’s 60 meters. Qualification will also be held for men’s high jump and long jump, both women’s and men’s triple jump, both men’s and women’s 3000 meters, both men’s and women’s 400 meters, women’s pole pault, men’s 1500 meters.

Updated: 2007-10-19 From: Xinhuanet

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) — The City of Atlanta has been awarded a WNBA expansion team for the 2008 season, it was announced by WNBA President Donna Orender in New York on Wednesday.

“As a great sports town and a region that enthusiastically supports women’s athletics, Atlanta is a terrific destination for the WNBA,” said Orender.

“This is a family-oriented community with tremendous civic pride. I am confident that as a world-class sports league providing great family entertainment, the WNBA will be embraced here for years to come,” she added.

“The WNBA is the premier women’s professional sports league in the world, and we could not be more excited to welcome the WNBA and these world-class athletes to our great city,” said Lisa Borders, President of the Atlanta City Council.

The Atlanta franchise, which will choose a name, logo, colors and head coach at a later date, is the sixth WNBA team to be independently owned and operated.

The WNBA will feature 14 teams in 2008, with the Eastern and Western Conferences comprised of seven teams each.

Atlanta will join the Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Detroit Shock, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty and Washington Mystics in the Eastern Conference, while the Houston Comets, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, San Antonio Silver Stars and Seattle Storm will continue to comprise the Western Conference.

Updated: 2008-03-07 From: Xinhuanet

VALENCIA, Spain, March 7 (Xinhua) — Chinese women triple jumper Xie Limei advanced to the final at the 12th Indoor World Championship in Athletics in Valencia, Spain, on Friday.

Xie, 22, came 7th with 14.25 meters in the qualification contests among 18 contenders.

Hrysopiyi Devetzi from Greece finished first with a distance of14.63 meters, followed by Yargelis Savigne from Cuba at 14.56 meters, Marija Sestak from Slovenia at 14.46 meters, season best triple jumper Yanile Aldama from Sudan at 14.38 meters and three other qualifiers.

They will fight for the medals in the final Saturday evening in the Palau Velodromo Luis Puig stadium.

Xie is among the 11 men and women atheltes China has sent to the Spanish seaport city for the events.

Liu Xiang, China’s brilliant hurdler, will compete in the 60 meters hurdles on Saturday.

Updated: 2007-10-18 From: Xinhuanet

NBA Commissioner David Stern walks two children into the Lu Bin Hua Migrant School Tuesday before opening the Cares Learn and Play Space.(Photo: Shanghai Daily)

BEIJING, Oct. 17 — The American National Basketball Association Tuesday launched a center in Shanghai to help migrant workers’ children.

The NBA Cares Learn and Play Space officially opened its doors at the Lu Bing Hua Migrant School in Minhang District.

Co-created by the NBA’s partners - the Shanghai Charity Foundation, adidas and Lenovo - the new center includes a library, a technology area with 16 new Lenovo laptops, a multipurpose room and an adidas basketball court refurbishment.

“For kids, concerns should be given not only to their growth of mind, but also to their fitness,” said David Stern, the NBA commissioner, at the opening ceremony. “Basketball can be a bridge connecting the world. All kids have an equal opportunity of learning and playing.”

Attended by Cleveland Cavaliers players Donyell Marshall, Devin Brown and Cedric Simmons and NBA legends George Gervin, Daryl Dawkins, Rick Barry and Vlade Divac, a skills clinic was held after the ceremony.

“I would like to contribute to the world’s community and I am glad to see those kids have a safe place to play and have access to thousands of books from both the library and the Internet,” said Marshall.

The inauguration marked the start of NBA Cares program during the NBA China Games 2007. It is part of the NBA’s far-reaching social-responsibility program.

NBA legends will join international film star Jet Li and his One Foundation today and officially open a new fun house at the Children’s Palace of China Welfare Institute.

“The NBA has served as an envoy between China and the United States,” said Xia Yongfang, SCF’s general secretary. “Both charity and basketball are without borders.” (Shanghai Daily)

Updated: 2008-03-06 From: Xinhuanet

BEIJING, March 6 — After training behind closed doors for five months, China’s Olympic medal hopeful Liu Xiang will run his first race of the new season at the world indoor championships in Valencia, Spain, on Saturday.

The line-up may include rival Dayron Robles of Cuba, who is seen as the closest athlete to challenge the Athens Olympic champion at the Beijing Games later this year.

The Cuban has showed stunning form at indoor events, winning seven out of eight races. He set a personal best of 7.33 seconds in Dusseldorf, Germany, which is also the second best in history, only after Briton Colin Jackson’s world record of 7.30.

“We were preparing for the world indoor championships during the winter training,” said Sun Haiping, Liu’s long-time coach. “I think Liu Xiang has improved a lot mentally and physically.”

Liu said that he spent 40 percent of the time training for the Valencia race and the remaining 60 percent concentrating on the Olympic Games.

Liu’s coach said that he expected the Chinese star athlete to improve on his personal best. “I think he can run inside 7.40,” Sun said.

Liu’s personal best in the 60-meters race is 7.42 seconds. Sun said that if Liu could better that, his outdoor record is also likely to improve.

“When he ran 7.42 in 60m, he set the 110m world record of 12.88. So if he runs better in 60, he will run faster in 110 as well,” the coach said.

Liu arrived in Madrid on Monday. He crashed midway through the race in the World Cup here six years ago.

After winning the gold medal at the Athens Olympic Games four years ago, Liu has become a household name in China. “The Chinese people and media expect him to win every race, big or small,” Sun said.

But Sun, who convinced Liu to give up high jump and try hurdles instead, said that he feels less pressure ahead of the Beijing Olympics than he did four years ago.

“I smoke less nowadays, but before the Athens Olympics, I smoked three packets a day. I thought too much about the Olympic Games at that time. I had to stay up very late.”

With five months to go before the Beijing Games, Sun said that he was calm. “We will try our best, but I hope people understand if we fail,” Sun said. “It is a competitive sport. It is just 10 plus some seconds. Everything can happen and nobody can promise anything.”

Liu, 25, has won almost everything in the past four years. He set the world record in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2006, and won the title for the first time at the world championships last year.

Updated: 2007-10-16 From: CRI

NBA China games are set to return to China in October. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and China’s Men’s National Team will play three games in Shanghai and Macao.

The first match will kick off on October 17 with a game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai.

The two remaining games will then be played at the new Venetian Arena in Macao. China’s Men’s National Team will take on Orlando Magic on October 18, with the last match between Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers being played on October 20.

CCTV-5 will live broadcast all three of the games.

Updated: 2008-03-05 From: Xinhuanet

China’s Liu Xiang (L) competes during his men’s 110m hurdles heat at the 11th IAAF World Athletics Championship in Osaka, Japan, Aug. 29, 2007. After five months of close-door training, China’s athletics star Liu Xiang will run his first race of the new season in the world indoor championships in Valencia, Spain, on Saturday. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) — After five months of close-door training, China’s athletics star Liu Xiang will run his first race of the new season in the world indoor championships in Valencia, Spain, on Saturday.

Competing against him might be the toughest challenger, Dayron Robles, in the year’s Olympic Games when he defends his title in north Beijing’s Olympic Stadium.

The Cuban has showed stunning form this indoor season, winning seven out of eight races. He set a personal best of 7.33 seconds in Dusseldolf, Germany, which is also the second best in history, only after Briton Colin Jackson’s world record of 7.30.

“During the winter training, we have made some preparation for the world indoor championships,” said Sun Haiping, Liu’s long-time coach. “I think Liu Xiang has improved a lot mentally and physically.”

Liu said that they spent 40 percent of the training time preparing for the Valencia race and 60 percent for the Olympic Games.

“If everything goes smooth, I believe that he can improve his personal best. I think he can run inside 7.40 seconds,” Sun said.

Liu’s personal best in the 60 meters race is 7.42 seconds. Sun said that if this time has been bettered, his outdoor restults are sure to be improved later.

“When he ran 7.42 in 60, he set the 110 world record of 12.88. So if he runs better in 60, he will run faster in 110,” the coach said.

Liu arrived in Madrid on Monday and has been training in the Spanish capital. It is the second time that he has been in Madrid. He crashed midway through the race in the World Cup six years ago.

After winning the gold medal at the Athens Olympic Games four years ago, Liu has become China’s most famous sports star. He was mopped by fans and media everywhere he went in the country.

“The Chinese people and media expect him to win every race, big or small,” Sun said.

But Sun, who turned Liu from a high jumper to a hurlder, said that he feels less pressure ahead of the Beijing Olympics than four years ago.

“I smoke less nowadays, but before the Athens Olympics, I smoke three packages a day. I thought too much about the Olympic Games at that time. I had to stay very late,” he said.

With five months to go before the Beijing Olympics, Sun said that he feels calm, although the whole nation expects the highest from him and Liu Xiang.

“We will try our best, but I hope that everybody will understand us if we fail to retain the champion,” Sun said. “You know it is competitive sports. It is just 10 plus seconds. Everything can happen and nobody is sure to win.”

Liu, 25, has won almost everything in the past four years. He set the world record in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2006, and won the title for the first time in the world championships last year.

“His biggest challenger in the Beijing Olympic Games is himself,” Sun said. “He must be mentally strong and keep confident.”

Updated: 2007-10-12

I am sure most readers would agree that the best thing about the basketball is its unpredictability. The biggest leads can be conquered in what seems like the blink of an eye, a dagger three pointer can be answered in milliseconds at the other end, and a steal can become a turnover before you even have time to cheer.

And of course, this unpredictability means spectators are often kept on the edge of their seats until the final shot has been taken. What makes basketball even more exciting is that games at the elite World Championships and Olympic level are now often as hard to predict as this weekend’s lotto numbers.

Between 15 and 20 national teams are currently at a level where they could challenge for a top eight position at any given tournament. With this even spread of talent, a smorgasbord of close games, like at the recent Eurobasket in Spain and the Athens Olympics, may well become the norm in FIBA competitions.

And as more and more players from different professional leagues enjoy success internationally, the previously held belief that basketball is made up of the NBA, and then the rest, is slowly dying.

Players like Theo Papaloukas, Ramunas Siskauskas, Sam Mackinnon, Pero Cameron, Marcelo Machado and many more, who will probably never sign an NBA contract, have often been the dominant players on court in an international game.

Indeed, the past four international silver medals have been won by teams without an NBA player on their roster.

I think the key to players from other leagues being able to compete with NBA athletes has been the establishment of continental leagues in Europe and Oceania. Regularly going head-to-head with players of international standard means bringing your A-game every night, and with that comes inevitable improvement.

The results from this pre-season’s tournaments demonstrate this irrefutably.

The NBA Europe live games were amazing to watch. Teams, playing different styles of basketball, probing at each others weaknesses to find a way to achieve that magical feat - putting the ball in the hole. The games ebbed and flowed at such a pace that I forgot it was NBA vs Euroleague and just enjoyed watching a pure basketball contest.

And while you cannot realistically use practice games to determine which team - or league - is better, the point to take note of is that every game was close and hard fought, suggesting all of these teams could beat each other on any given night.

And the story was the same at the CBA-Euroleague Challenge in Kunshan, China. Benetton Tamoil from Italy went down to the Chinese national team by 3 and the Sydney Kings from Oceania’s NBL by 7. The winner of the tournament was powerhouse CSKA Moscow who, after defeating the LA Clippers by 19 points last pre-season, overcame Sydney by 9 and Team China by half a dozen.

The NBL’s Brisbane Bullets also defeated the Chinese by 6 this off-season, and for me, it is CSKA and the Bullets that sum up the exciting direction club basketball is taking.

CSKA Moscow have eight internationals born in six different countries, the Bullets have five born in four. Brisbane’s top scorer against China was New Zealander Craig Bradshaw, who torched Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi for 31 points. In the final quarter it was Nigerian star Ebi Ere and Aussie point guard CJ Bruton that carried the Bullets home.

In Unicaja’s 3 point win over Memphis, among the Spanish outfit’s best players were Danny Santiago from Puerto Rico, Boniface N’Dong from Senegal, and Marcus Haislip from the USA, while the Americans were paced by Juan Carlos Navarro and Pau Gasol from Spain!

How exciting is this? The best players from so many different countries, taking on each other nightly in competitions right around the globe - something only seen every two years until now.

More importantly, the prospect of club sides from four or five different continents competing against each other on a level playing field opens up possibilities no other sport can genuinely match.

Russia and Efes Pilson coach David Platt described this as “a whole new future for worldwide basketball”. The question now is how to show this incredible new world off to new audiences.

Perhaps next pre-season while CSKA Moscow, San Antonio, Toronto, Panathinaikos and co. battle it out in NBA Europe Live - Brisbane, Team China, Unicaja and the Los Angeles Lakers could play their own tournament in Hong Kong.

And why shouldn’t Andrew Bogut bring his Milwaukee Bucks to Australia to face Melbourne, Sydney and Real Madrid, while at the same time Phoenix, Cleveland and Milano take on Alex Garcia and Universo Brasilia in Rio de Janeiro?

It’s just a thought, but I am tempted to book my tickets already! Why should the folks in Europe and China have all the fun?!

So what do you think? Would you pay good money to see a tournament featuring NBA, Euroleague, NBL and other teams? Which clubs from around the world would you like to see playing in your home town? And is the NBA still head and shoulders above the rest? Or is it now just the best of a number of very good leagues?

Until next time….

(Credit: FIBA. Click here for further information.)

Updated: 2008-03-05 From: Xinhuanet

PARIS, March 4 (Xinhua) — French sprinter Christine Arron is out of this weekend’s world indoor championships in Spain due to aleg injury, French sports daily L’Equipe reported on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old will not recover in time from a light hamstring tear in her right leg. She was due to run in the 60 metres in Valencia.

“It is a wise decision,” her coach Stephane Caristan said. “She’s not 100 percent fit.”

The 100 metres European record holder plans to take part in her last Olympics in Beijing in August.