Olympic Games

The press conference of the third phase of ticket sales for the 2008 Olympic Games was held in Beijing Olympic press centre at 10.00am in April23, 2008. Some policies which refer to the third phase of ticket sales for the 2008 Olympic Games will be announced, Zhu Yan, the director of the ticketing center for the Beijing Olympics, said in reports. The third phase of ticket sales for the 2008 Olympic Games will open from 9:00am May 5, 2008 to June 9, 2008, providing about 138,000 tickets to individual persons only, the Beijing Organizing Committee (BOCOG) said on the press conference.

Since last April, Nobody has had a chance to see the shape and format of the tickets of the Olympic Games, in the press conference held by the Beijing Organizing Committee (BOCOG), the tickets were unveiled.

Sample Tickets shape and format

Taking the "Cloud of Promise" as the core image, the Beijing Olympic ticket is designed to be a perfect combination of the traditional Chinese culture and the Olympic spirit. Technical details of the Olympic ticket, including the format and the information shown, are configured in strict conformity with the main themes of the Beijing Olympic Games – “Environment-friendly Olympics, Technology-empowered Olympics and Culture-enriched Olympics ". Fake tickets are easy to identify as genuine tickets carry an anti-fake chip (made in china). The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tech has already been used in China's second-generation ID card, but this is the first time it has been applied to the ticket system of the Olympics. Information shown on the ticket of the Beijing Olympic Games is more comprehensive and easier to identify in comparison with that of previous Olympic Games.

Sale branches are reduced

Compared with the former two phases, the third phase of Beijing Olympic tickets will decrease to 540 sale branches. Sport Buyers can browse the ticket Website or call the ticket center (010-952008) to check the detail branches results. Ticket sales will run until June 9, 2008, via outlets of Bank of China, from June10 to June12, ticket printing services will be kept via Bank of China, Zhu Yan said. Sports fans in China can submit ticket orders through the official Website (www.tickets.beijing2008.cn) also with the same opening time of sales branches. While, ticket calling centre will take the burden off but offer the relevant consultation. According to a statement released by the BOCOG, The Bank of China outlets and website will contact every individual who registered with valid ID information and contact numbers. Further details are available at the official ticketing website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The purchase limit is two sessions per application and three tickets per session, after paid the former ticket, the next chance is available to act.

Real-time purchasing type

During this phase, the tickets will be sold on real-time basis no matter what channels are used. If the session and price is available, the system will keep the available tickets in regular time. If payment failed, the tickets will be released for the other applicants. Besides, in this phase, tickets for the people with disability and their companions will be sold in the manner of telephone reservation via the certain Ticketing customer service platform to check the authenticity.　

Total released tickets and the relevant matches

According to BOCOG, a total of 1.38 million Olympic tickets will be released during the 3rd phase. Tickets released cover 16 Olympic sports which are subdivided into 17 disciplines and 244 matches. They include: athletics, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, canoe/kayak-flat water, mountain bike, equestrian, football, handball, hockey, modern pentathlon, rowing, softball, marathon swimming, volleyball and wrestling. In addition, tickets of accessible seats totally 20,000 will be offered for all matches involved.

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China's Everest torch plan draw journalists' concerns

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:41:35 +0800

China’s new plan for press coverage of the Olympic torch’s ascent of Mount Everest has touched off a new controversy.

Health experts and media groups said Wednesday the plan will expose reporters to undue health risks due to the altitude.

It also underscores Beijing’s worries about reporting in Tibet and adds another sour note to what Beijing hoped would be a grand feat _ taking the torch up the world’s tallest peak. Like the entire torch relay, the event has become more contentious after last month’s protests of Chinese rule in Tibet, where Everest stands.

Under the new schedule introduced by Beijing Olympic officials Tuesday, reporters’ time in Tibet would be halved, to about 10 days, most of it in transit. The trip from Beijing, just above sea level, to the Everest base camp at 16,800 feet would be compressed to three days _ a third of the adjusting time experts recommend to ward off the sometimes fatal effects of sudden exposure to low oxygen levels at high altitude.

“To take a week or two, it’s acceptable, and to take three days, it’s ridiculous,” said Dr. Robert Schoene, a mountaineer and expert on altitude sickness at University of California-San Diego. “If you take low-landers who are healthy, almost everybody, at least 80 to 90 percent, would get acute mountain sickness in three days.”

The plan drew complaints from most of the nine foreign media organizations invited to Everest, including The Associated Press.

The journalists expressed concern about the health risks in a letter to the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee. BOCOG replied it “was carefully studying and considering” the request for more time to adjust and agreed to leave Friday, 24 hours earlier than proposed.

It was not clear if the additional day would make a difference. Organizers have said the mountaineering team at Everest base camp might set out as early as Saturday, weather permitting. That would put the group on track to reach the summit May 1, a holiday in China.

The rushed schedule underscores Beijing’s unease over Tibet and fears that the presence of foreign reporters could incite more protests.

Tibet and Tibetan communities across a large slice of western China remain closed to foreign reporters following the widest, most sustained uprising by Tibetans against Chinese rule in nearly 50 years. Twice in the past month, government-arranged tours for foreign media have been disrupted by protesting Buddhist monks.

“What is the Chinese government hiding behind Tibet’s closed doors?” the Paris-based media freedom group Reporters Without Borders said Wednesday. The group and the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists cited the shortened schedule of the Everest torch relay as a worrying sign of lack of access to Tibet.

Officials have been vague about when the ascent would be made, saying it would likely be in May. The reticence is partly due to unpredictable Himalayan weather at the 29,035-foot peak and partly to deter protesters, who unfurled a pro-Tibetan banner at base camp last year.

In neighboring Nepal, on the southern side of the border-straddling mountain, authorities said Wednesday they caught an American with a “Free-Tibet” banner at its base camp and forced him to end his climb.

The Everest ascent _ to be broadcast live in China by state-run TV _ has been celebrated as “the brightest point in the torch relay” by Chinese media. A special torch was designed to keep the flame burning in Everest’s thin air, and a road was built on the permafrost to base camp.

Even before the recent protests, Beijing was reluctant to let foreign media cover the ascent and only relented in January after International Olympic Committee pressure.

BOCOG said the schedule changes were necessary due to foul weather at base camp, and it played down reporters’ concerns about altitude sickness.

“This is a high-altitude region and we don’t want to keep you there for too long,” said BOCOG spokesman Shao Shiwei. When reporters cited doctors’ warnings about the increased danger of a shortened period to acclimatize, Shao said: “If you stay up there too long it may be even more dangerous to your health.”

Some people suffer altitude sickness, or acute mountain sickness, even at 7,000 feet, experiencing shortness of breath, fatigue and nausea. The symptoms can become particularly severe above 14,000 feet, resulting in swelling and the buildup fluid in the lungs or the brain that in some cases can be fatal, according to experts.

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China calls for halt in 'radical' anti-France demonstrations

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:14:28 +0800

With praise for the French president and appeals for calm, China’s leadership signaled Tuesday that it is ready to put an end to anti-France sentiment that has swept the country since the chaotic Olympic torch relay in Paris.

France and high-profile French retailer Carrefour have been singled out by Chinese nationalists who felt insulted by the raucous protests by pro-Tibetan groups and others during the torch run through the French capital.

Anger over the disruption, coupled with comments by French President Nicolas Sarkozy that he might boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, swelled into demonstrations over the weekend at the French Embassy in Beijing and at Carrefour stores in nine Chinese cities.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Tuesday that the Carrefour demonstrations were “encouraging and touching,” but she added that “we do not agree with some people’s radical actions.”

“We also hope that the French side can respond positively to the aspirations of the Chinese people so that our bilateral relations can proceed smoothly and healthily,” the spokeswoman said.

The distinctly upbeat remarks marked a departure from the stern tone Jiang and other officials have adopted in recent weeks in responding to criticism of China’s crackdown on Tibetans and its treatment of dissidents.

Though protesters also disrupted torch relay runs in London and San Francisco, the Paris leg has been a lightning rod of criticism by Chinese.

The indignation stems in large part from widely circulated pictures of a pro-Tibetan protester in Paris trying to wrestle the torch from the grasp of a disabled Chinese fencer. The woman, Jin Jing, has been hailed by Chinese as a national hero _ the “smiling angel in a wheelchair.”

Seeking to calm Chinese anger, France’s president sent an emotional letter to “Mademoiselle Jin Jing,” praising her “remarkable courage” and extending an invitation to visit as his personal guest.

“This friendly move by President Sarkozy is appreciated by the Chinese people,” said Jiang, the ministry spokeswoman.

Beijing’s move to rein in the nationalist outburst follows a familiar pattern. Authorities used state media to order students back to class and put a quick end to previous protests, such as those that followed the 1999 NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, and the 2001 collision of a U.S. spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet.

The latest surge in nationalism has been accompanied by a backlash against Western media organizations, especially CNN, for what is perceived as biased reporting on the unrest in Tibet. Foreign journalists have received angry phone calls and e-mails, including some death threats.

Even amid the changed tone Tuesday, China stood firm on its hard line against the Dalai Lama, whose supporters have been accused by Beijing of directing deadly rioting that swept over Tibet’s capital, Lhasa, on March 14.

Jiang blasted the Paris city council’s action Monday to bestow the title of “honorary citizen” on the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader. However, in a step underlining Beijing’s desire to rein in anger, she did so only in a statement posted on the ministry’s Web site.

“This action wantonly interferes in China’s internal affairs, seriously harms the relations between China and France,” particularly ties between Paris and Beijing, the statement said.

The decision to honor the Dalai Lama will “only be considered as another insult against the 1.3 billion Chinese people, including Tibetans,” Jiang said.

Beijing has called the Lhasa riot and copycat protests in other Tibetan areas an attempt to split off China’s far western region and sabotage the Beijing Games.

As part of efforts to smooth relations, Sarkozy’s letter to Jin was personally delivered by French Senate President Christian Poncelet, who was also scheduled to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao and several other top leaders.

Former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin was to meet with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao this week, while Jean-David Levitte, Sarzoky’s top diplomatic envoy, was to hold consultations with senior foreign policy adviser Dai Bingguo.

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Video of Benz Smart

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:27:20 +0800

cool!!!

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China urges calm after anti-Western demonstrations

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:14:05 +0800

Fresh anti-Western protests flared in several Chinese cities Sunday as people vented anger over pro-Tibet demonstrations along the Olympic torch relay. State media appealed for calm in an apparent attempt to dampen the nationalistic fervor.

Over the weekend, protesters waving Chinese flags have rallied in front of the French Embassy in Beijing and at outlets of French retailer Carrefour in nine cities across the country. They have threatened boycotts of the retailer, whom they accuse of supporting the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader _ a charge Carrefour denies.

A front-page editorial in the People’s Daily newspaper, the official mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party, called for calm, urging people to cherish patriotism “while expressing it in a rational way.”

“As citizens, we have the responsibility to express our patriotic enthusiasm calmly and rationally and express patriotic aspiration in an orderly and legal manner,” the commentary said.

The editorial seemed to reflect concern among China’s leaders about a growing anti-Western backlash, fueled by anger over the demonstrations in Paris, London and San Francisco during the Olympic torch relay. The relay has become a magnet for protests against China’s rule in Tibet and its human rights record.

Barry Sautman, a political scientist at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said the government is trying to rein in the demonstrations in order to ensure calm and project an inviting image ahead of the Beijing Olympics in August.

“That’s why they want demonstrations to be very short,” Sautman said. “They want to wrap them up as soon as possible so they can go on to restore the image of China as welcoming to people around the world.”

He said that Beijing’s move to rein in the budding nationalism follows similar patterns seen in the past, such as in 1999 when anti-U.S. outrage erupted after the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade and in 2001 when a U.S. spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet.

“The government allows people to vent their spleen but then immediately reins it in,” Sautman said. “They are certainly afraid it will go too far.”

On Sunday, more than 1,000 demonstrators carrying banners gathered for a second day in the tourist city of Xi’an in front of a Carrefour, chanting “Oppose Tibet Independence,” “Go China,” and “Condemn CNN,” the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Protests also continued in central Wuhan for a second day, when another 2,000 people, mostly students, waved the Chinese flag and sang the national anthem.

Rallies also were staged in the cities of Harbin, Dalian, and Jinan. An estimated 1,000 demonstrators blocked traffic in Dalian, while another 1,000 protesters in Harbin held up at a 33-foot-long banner in support of the Olympics, Xinhua said.

Xinhua reported that one protest organizer in Xi’an, identified as Wu Sheng, said the demonstrations were not necessarily aimed at pushing customers to boycott Carrefour.

“We do not support a boycott of French companies because the economy is globalizing. We chose Carrefour’s front doors only because we draw more attention there,” Wu was quoted as saying.

In an interview published in Journal du Dimanche, Carrefour’s chief executive Jose Luis Duran said the company is “taking the situation very seriously,” though its earnings had not yet been affected.

With 2 million Chinese customers, “we cannot take the reaction of some of our clients lightly,” he said. “It must be understood that a large part of the Chinese population has been very shocked by the incidents that have peppered the passage of the Olympic torch through Paris.”

Duran denied rumors spread on the Internet that Carrefour supports the Dalai Lama, saying the company has never supported any political or religious cause. The retailer is the second-largest “hypermarket” in the world after Wal-Mart Stores Inc. It has 122 stores in China employing 44,000 people.

The protests began Saturday, erupting in Beijing and five other major cities _ Hefei, Wuhan, Kunming, Xi’an, and Qingdao.

In Beijing, small protests broke out at one Carrefour and outside the French Embassy as well as the Beijing French School. Dozens of police, some in riot gear, quickly dispersed the crowd in front of the embassy.

Anger also has been channeled against Western media organizations, including CNN, for so-called “distorted” coverage of recent unrest in Tibet and neighboring provinces. Foreign journalists have received threatening phone calls and e-mails.

Several thousand ethnic Chinese marched outside CNN’s office in Hollywood Saturday to demand the firing of a commentator who recently compared China’s leaders to a “bunch of goons and thugs.”

CNN insists its coverage has been impartial and has said it refutes allegations that it “distorts its coverage of the events in Tibet to portray either side in a more favorable light.”

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A Proper Way to Deal with Antagonistic Feelings against France

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:17:50 +0800

In order to protest against France who attempted to politicize the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games by impeding the torch relay in Paris and even financing the brutal Tibet insurrectionists who had killed thousands of innocent Tibetans, Chinese people all over the world have stuck together and decided spontaneously to launch a boycott of French goods, namely a support to things made-in-china. One of the hottest resisting plans talked most frequently those days is to boycotting the internationally famous retailer, the French hypermarket Carrefour.

It stands to reason that Chinese people will resent and rebel against the inaccurate reports of the western media as well as their malicious intentions to support Dalai Lama so as to split China, especially when we are actually the victims worthy of sympathy, consolation and support. Whatever small power and influence it might bring about, boycotting French enterprises like Carrefour, as some Chinese people expected, is the most immediate and effective way that every single Chinese people could do to support the home made goods and resist the foreign products. Indeed, the national resentment and anger with a sense of being insulted might, to some extent be vented through this way. It is self evident that as a citizen of a sovereign country, every Chinese should contribute himself /herself if necessary to safeguarding and maintaining China’s unity and dignity.

However, we have overlooked the fact that to boycott trading is not a wise decision at all because it might lead to a worse trading relationship with foreign buyers. But China needs to maintain a steady relationship with foreign importers so as to keep the sensitive domestic economy stable, especially when the domestic food prices are increasing rapidly. As a matter of fact, China will benefit nothing from this seemingly patriotic campaign against the French hypermarket in view that most of the goods sold in Carrefour are domestic products and if we insist on launching the boycott, Chinese suppliers are the most likely to suffer huge financial losses. Besides, the majority workers in Carrefour are Chinese who barely make a living by those career opportunities Carrefour offered them. If Carrefour is boycotted, those Chinese employees will be out of work. What is worse, some ill-disposed nations may probably take advantage of our excessive enthusiasm and impulsive patriotism which do not bring China more sympathy than misunderstanding from the whole world. Only if Chinese people take a comprehensive approach to the issue and always keep cool to deal with the predicament rationally, will it be able to fulfill a successful counterattack.

Why not change the idea from boycotting foreign goods to supporting products made in china? Express patriotism calmly and soberly is much more an effective way to uphold national unity and dignity than to act impulsively or we are the one that will finally be blamed.

Article Source: http://www.madeinchina.com

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Patriotism among Chinese Students

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:18:37 +0800

The recent turmoil caused by Tibet-independence activists trying to disrupt the smooth procession of Olympic torch relay has aroused world-wide attention to China. As a protest to the above action, hundreds of thousands of students abroad initiated demonstrations to protect the torch and to go against their independence activities, from which, Chinese students’ patriotism has been revealed to the utter most form.

The history of patriotism among Chinese students could date back to as early as one thousand years ago, during which, the occurrence of the May 4^th Movement might be cited as a good instance for students to show their affection for China. In the wake of the movement, ignited by the demonstration led by Chinese students in Beijing, they won mass workers support, boycotted Japanese goods, stimulated an intellectual revolution, and enhanced the subsequent creation of the Chinese Communist Party. In different ages, the causes and manifestations of patriotism may vary greatly from each other. Nevertheless, patriotism can never be wrongly associated with anything extreme like narrow minded nationalism, or violent movements.

Therefore before advocating patriotism among Chinese students, a clear definition should be given and certain features should be clarified. According to what standard Chinese textbooks teach school children, patriotism “is a kind of deep affection for one’s own country that is cultivated during a course of history that dates back thousands of years”. Distinct from nationalism, such affection for one's own country does not presuppose exclusive or hostile feelings towards other countries or cultures. It by no means equates to violent protests or anything going towards extremity, like the event that during the recent Asian Cup soccer games, some Chinese soccer fans hurled insults at Japanese fans out of nationalistic sentiments that some called “patriotic zeal” and some other events as happened in earlier times and which even deteriorated and exited bad influence on diplomatic relations.

By contrast, good evidence of patriotism can be seen when NATO forces bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade—a strike that most Chinese still consider a deliberate action. The attack inflamed Chinese so much that a throng of 3,000 students tore up the streets of Beijing and papered campus walls with anti-U.S posters to show that China would not let other countries push it around. Similarly patriotism was demonstrated through the parade by the Chinese students who study in London to go against the independence of Tibet from China and to support China as the host of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games after demonstrators in London grapping the Olympic torch and trying to snuff out its flame.

Although it is taken for granted that the people of a sovereign state should love their country, there is a proper way to behave if they are to truly show their love for China and bring it glory and honor. In current China, however, patriotism constitutes the broadest-based appeal to unite the Chinese people for concerted efforts towards bringing about a well-off society. As the host of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, China needs to present to the whole world a peaceful, hospitable and harmonious country, rather than a barbarian and violent one.

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