See You in London

The successful staging of the 2008 Beijing Olympics will prove to be a tough act to follow even for first-world country, United Kingdom. Its chief city, London will host the 2012 Olympics.

In the closing ceremonies held last August 24, 2008, the Olympic flag was officially turned over to the Olympic officials of the 2012 host city. A London-Beijing double-decker bus, as well as pop singer and X-Factor winner Leona Lewis who sang in the closing ceremonies, also symbolized the turnover. Photos courtesy of the Beijing Olympics site.

Jacques Rogge, International Olympic Committee President hands the Olympic flag to London Mayor Boris Johnson





A London-Beijing double-decker bus









Pop singer Leona Lewis performing before an excited crowd at the National Stadium



The Olympic flame extinguished

The Philippines and the Olympics

According to the Olympics site, the Philippines joined in 1924 and got its first medal four years after in the Amsterdam Olympic games of 1928. Swimmer Teofilo Yldefonzo ranked third overall bagging the bronze for the 200-meter breaststroke, just a little behind Japanese gold medalist Yoshiyuki Tsuruta. In 1932, Yldefonzo again took home the bronze in the same category, defeated by the same Japanese champion. In that same year, the Philippines took home its biggest Olympic haul of three bronze medals.

Sad to say, over the next couple of years, the country has not received much renown from the four-year meet. Are our athletes too lame to meet the challenges? Hardly. We have very good athletes trained in some of the best centers in the world. We have athletes who bag the gold in other international competitions. So who's to blame?

In my opinion, I think the fault lies in the corruption in the government. There is not enough funding for the athletes competing in competitions worldwide, much more the Olympics. There is not enough budget to scout for good athletes from the smallest provinces of our country who could possibly give the runners of Africa a run for their gold. Perhaps if there were only money to fund our sports program, we wouldn't be left behind in the gold medal race.

Another, is the fact that all tall Filipinos want to be basketball players. Basketball may be a favorite past time, but it is not the only game where tall players edge out the smaller ones. True, we have fast sprinters, but the winner of the race is the runner who spans further distances because of his long legs. True, we have good swimmers, but the champion of the pool is the swimmer who goes further because of her strong, long legs.

But 2008 is another year, another chance for us to prove our worth to the world. Then again, it may just be another one of those dry years for our country thirsty for that elusive Olympic gold medal.

Beijing Olympics Today

One World, One Dream. The motto of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China symbolizes what we all are, dreamers who belong to one world we call our home.

The theme of the opening ceremonies held today at the National Stadium is that of a beautiful Olympics. Indeed, beauty has graced the world through the sights and sounds at the Bird's Nest. Here are a couple, taken from the official 2008 Olympics site.

Chinese singer Liu Huan and British soprano Sarah Brightman sing the theme song, "You and Me"

Acrobats performing

Scrolls and calligraphy are displayed

Art performances







A young dancer performs suspended in the air



Chinese opera and puppeteers perform



The Olympic rings are illuminated

Performers dressed as Tang dynasty ladies

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Mascots

With just a little over a week to go, all systems are green to go for the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China this August.

Whether its the highly controversial Beijing National Stadium aka Bird's Nest, or the pictograms for the 28 Olympics events this year, many are excited with the outcome of the games especially with China again becoming a main player in the economy of Asia.

The best part of this year's Summer Olympics is not any of the grand-scale preparations, but the small and seemingly trivial subtleties. The mascots are the cutest group to have ever graced the Olympic stage. Not convinced? Take a second look:











The mascots incorporate fish, giant panda, fire, Tibetan antelope, and swallow designs and each have as their primary color one of the colors of the five Olympic Rings. Named Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini, when the first syllable of each of the five names are said together, the result is the phrase Beijing huanying ni which when translated to English means "Beijing welcomes you!"

IOC Narrows Down 2016 Olympics Host Countries to Four

Out of the seven countries shortlisted, only four cities were picked as finalists by the International Olympic Commitee for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The decision was made by the IOC last Wednesday.

Making the final cut were Chicago, USA; Madrid, Spain; Tokyo, Japan and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Eliminated from the race were Doha, Qatar; Prague, Czech Republic; and Baku, Azerbaijan.

The final list was selected by the IOC executive board.