As in Rome and Athens, ancient relics in Beijing stand in stark contrast to the highways, buildings and vehicles of the modern age. At Beijing's Jianguomen, the fortification-like Ancient Observatory -- dating from 1442 during the Ming Dynasty -- dodges the overpasses of the Second Ring Road while standing within steps of a subway station.
I thought it was absolutely fantastic, the enthusiasm of the people, the logistics. I like it even more because there has been so much doom-saying and criticism in the run-up to these games. There must be a few very frustrated marathon runners who could have set a new world record in the terribly polluted air of Beijing but decided not to compete, not to mention so many journalists that wished the games to end up in a disaster. The people in the cities hosting Olympic events and BOCOG deserve praise. The IOC, in my opinion, deserves even more praise for choosing Beijing and sticking to its decision despite all the criticism.
French legend Julien Absalon took his status to new heights when he became the first rider to defend the men's mountain bike Olympic title.
Grand fireworks and spectacular choreography brought to a close the Beijing Games Sunday as one of the most remarkable Olympics in recent history were declared at an end.
The United States struck gold in Olympic men's basketball with a 118-107 victory over Spain in the championship game on Sunday.
Eight Americans arrested for planning or staging protests in Beijing were deported to the United States on Sunday, a U.S. Embassy spokesman said.
Washington's top diplomat in China pressed the government to immediately free foreign activists jailed for protesting during the Olympics and criticized Beijing Sunday for failing to use the games to show "greater tolerance and openness."
The Netherlands Antilles has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to restore Churandy Martina as the third-place finisher in the men's 200 meters after he was disqualified for stepping out of his lane, the country's national Olympic committee said Sunday.
As the crowd roared and his team exulted in their gold medals, the coach of the U.S. men's volleyball team buried his head in his hands and walked off the court on Sunday.
Samuel Wanjiru pulled away over the final few kilometers to become the first Kenyan in the storied running history of that nation to win an Olympic marathon.
As in Rome and Athens, ancient relics in Beijing stand in stark contrast to the highways, buildings and vehicles of the modern age. At Beijing's Jianguomen, the fortification-like Ancient Observatory -- dating from 1442 during the Ming Dynasty -- dodges the overpasses of the Second Ring Road while standing within steps of a subway station.
I thought it was absolutely fantastic, the enthusiasm of the people, the logistics. I like it even more because there has been so much doom-saying and criticism in the run-up to these games. There must be a few very frustrated marathon runners who could have set a new world record in the terribly polluted air of Beijing but decided not to compete, not to mention so many journalists that wished the games to end up in a disaster. The people in the cities hosting Olympic events and BOCOG deserve praise. The IOC, in my opinion, deserves even more praise for choosing Beijing and sticking to its decision despite all the criticism.
French legend Julien Absalon took his status to new heights when he became the first rider to defend the men's mountain bike Olympic title.
Grand fireworks and spectacular choreography brought to a close the Beijing Games Sunday as one of the most remarkable Olympics in recent history were declared at an end.
The United States struck gold in Olympic men's basketball with a 118-107 victory over Spain in the championship game on Sunday.
Eight Americans arrested for planning or staging protests in Beijing were deported to the United States on Sunday, a U.S. Embassy spokesman said.
Washington's top diplomat in China pressed the government to immediately free foreign activists jailed for protesting during the Olympics and criticized Beijing Sunday for failing to use the games to show "greater tolerance and openness."
The Netherlands Antilles has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to restore Churandy Martina as the third-place finisher in the men's 200 meters after he was disqualified for stepping out of his lane, the country's national Olympic committee said Sunday.
As the crowd roared and his team exulted in their gold medals, the coach of the U.S. men's volleyball team buried his head in his hands and walked off the court on Sunday.
Samuel Wanjiru pulled away over the final few kilometers to become the first Kenyan in the storied running history of that nation to win an Olympic marathon.
Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele emulated female compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba in claiming a rare long-distance double when he won the Olympic men's 5000m to add to his 10,000m crown.
Former Olympic champion Angel Matos of Cuba faces a life ban after kicking a referee flush in the face during his taekwondo bronze medal match in Beijing.
Ukrainian weightlifter Igor Razoronov has been kicked out of the Beijing Olympics, after becoming the sixth athlete caught for doping during the games.
Sprint king Usain Bolt won his third gold medal of the Games as he helped Jamaica win the men's 4x100 meter relay gold medal, shattering the world record in the process.
A goal from Angel di Maria gave Argentina a 1-0 victory over Nigeria on Saturday for their second successive Olympic football gold medal.
Sabine Spitz of Germany took the gold medal in the Olympic women's mountain bike race on Saturday, adding it to the bronze she won at the Athens Games four years ago.
Without proper food, shoes, or support from his government, Hem Bunting, the Cambodian Olympic marathon competitor, prepared for the Olympics and hoped for international support in late July.
Thousands of miles from his life in California, Mal Whitfield is feeling at home again.
Jo scored two goals and Diego added a third to give Brazil a 3-0 win over Belgium and the Olympic bronze medal in men's football.
Frenchwoman Anne-Caroline Chausson held her nerve in a dramatic, crash-marred final to win the inaugural women's BMX gold medal on Friday.
Ukrainian Lyudmila Blonska has been stripped of her Olympic heptathlon silver medal, the highest-profile athlete kicked out of the Beijing Games for doping.
The International Olympic Committee has asked gymnastics officials to look into whether China's women's gymnastics team used underaged competitors, an IOC spokeswoman said Friday.
Frenchwoman Anne-Caroline Chausson held her nerve in a dramatic, crash-marred final to win the inaugural women's BMX gold medal on Friday.
Despite persistent questions about the ages of several members of the Chinese women's gymnastics team that won the gold medal, the International Olympic Committee said Friday there is still no proof anyone cheated and believes the controversy will be "put to rest."
They came to the Beijing Olympics as a team trying to find its way, still adjusting to a new coach and each other, still smarting from a loss that brought humiliation on and off the field.
The under-performing United States track and field team suffered further humiliation on Thursday as both their sprint relay squads exited the Olympics after blunders on the final changeovers.
The equestrian competition at the Beijing Olympics has been hit by a major doping scandal involving four horses and their riders, including a bronze medal winner.
Spanish gold medal-winning sailors Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz paid their own tribute to victims of the Madrid air disaster by donning black armbands at their victory ceremony in Beijing.
Jamaica's sprint sensation Usain Bolt should show more respect to his beaten rivals says International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge.
Dutch swimmer Maarten van der Weijden skirted just inside the final red buoy to grab gold in the men's 10-kilometer open water race on Thursday, completing a comeback after recovering from leukemia.
Two elderly Chinese women who applied to hold a protest during the Olympics were ordered to spend a year in a labor camp, a relative said Wednesday. Police later squelched a pro-Tibet demonstration.
Usain Bolt of Jamaica smashed the world record in winning the 200 meters in 19.30 seconds on Wednesday to complete a stunning sprint double in Beijing.
Lyudmila Blonska of Ukraine is under investigation for a positive doping test and could be stripped of her silver medal in the Olympic heptathlon.
The United States advanced to the Olympic men's basketball semifinals with a 116-85 victory Wednesday over Australia.
Afghanistan won their first Olympic medal Wednesday, when Rohullah Nikpai defeated world champion Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain to take the bronze in the men's under 58-kilogram taekwondo competition.
Young British show-jumping rider Ben Maher is refreshed, having just returned from the opening ceremonies of the Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong. Before he left England to make the long first-time trip to Hong Kong, he was named a new Scout Association award recipient for equestrian excellence.
Jumping shadows is not on the agenda for Canadian rider Jill Henselwood in this summer's equestrian competitions. Night-time jumping is not common for North American teams, which rarely have evening competitions, unlike their counterparts in Europe.
Chinese windsurfer Yin Jian won her country's first-ever sailing gold on Wednesday, while New Zealander Tom Ashley took the most precious medal in the RS:X class for men.
Natalie du Toit pulled herself onto the dock and waited for someone to bring her prosthetic leg. She stretched out the other leg -- the one she didn't lose in that horrendous motorcycle accident -- and chatted with her coach about the first open water race in Olympic history.
Reigning world champions Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser will play for the gold medal in beach volleyball after they beat Georgia 21-11, 21-13 in the semifinal Wednesday in one of the quickest matches of the Olympics.
Britain's Chris Hoy won his third gold medal of the Beijing Games by beating teammate Jason Kenny in the men's track cycling sprint and pushed his country to their best Olympic showing since London first hosted the games a century ago.
Rashid Ramzi raced clear to grab glory in the men's 1,500 meters in Beijing on Tuesday and give Bahrain their first-ever Olympic gold medal.
Sergio Aguero scored twice and set up a third as holders Argentina reached the Olympic football final against Nigeria with a 3-0 win over big rivals Brazil who ended the match with nine men.
Andrey Silnov of Russia won the men's high jump at the Beijing Olympics by clearing 2.34 meters without a miss to secure the gold, before failing three times at 2.42.
Natalie du Toit looked like any other athlete when she walked into the Bird's Nest, carrying the South African flag at the opening ceremonies.
An Iraqi sprinter whose coach had to bribe militiamen so she could train. A Palestinian swimmer unable to use the Olympic-size pool nearest her home. A pioneering runner from war-wracked Afghanistan who placed last in the 100 meters.
Yelena Isinbayeva won the Olympic pole-vaulting gold and set a world record while American Jenn Stuczynski picks up the silver and a lesson in humility at the Beijing Olympics.
Liu Xiang, China's great hope for track glory at the Beijing Games, has apologized for his dramatic withdrawal from the Olympics but insisted that he had no choice because pain from a foot injury became unbearable.
Having completed his Olympics gold rush, U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps is now poised to make another haul -- this time of the endorsement variety.
Denmark's Jonas Warrer and Martin Kirketerp Ibsen were awarded the gold medal in the 49er skiff class on Monday after a jury rejected protests over a broken mast, a borrowed boat and capsized vessels in rough waters of the Yellow Sea.
Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho will go head-to-head in the semifinals of the Olympic football tournament on Tuesday in the latest chapter of a storied rivalry between Argentina and Brazil.
Liu Xiang and the entire nation of China looked forward to this moment for years: The defending Olympic champion lining up to run the 110-meter hurdles at the Beijing Games.
China's He Kexin won a tiebreaker over all-around champion Nastia Liukin of the United States for the uneven bars gold medal on Monday at the Beijing Olympics.
Britain won the Olympic men's team pursuit gold medal on Monday, knocking nearly two seconds off the world record they set a day earlier.
With the finish line a few meters away, Australian Emma Snowsill had time to grab a flag, slow down and wave as she won gold in the Olympic triathlon Monday.
U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps broke the Olympics' most hallowed record Sunday by winning an unprecedented eight gold medals in a single Games.
Reigning women's 400-meter hurdles champion Fani Halkia of Greece will not defend her Olympic title in Beijing after becoming the latest Greek athlete to fail a doping test.
A Swedish wrestler who discarded his bronze medal in a protest during the presentation ceremony has been stripped of the award and disqualified from the tournament in Beijing.
Britain's Finn class sailor Ben Ainslie took his third Olympic gold on Sunday, leaving American Zach Railey with silver, shortly after Britain's Yngling team took the first sailing gold of the Beijing Games in strong winds and heavy rain.
Rafael Nadal will become No. 1 in the rankings Monday, and he is No. 1 at the Olympics.
Jamaicans proved they are the world's fastest humans on Sunday when Shelly-Ann Fraser won the women's 100 meters at the Olympics 24 hours after Usain Bolt's record-setting victory in the men's event.
Rebecca Romero of Britain took the gold medal in the women's individual pursuit on the cycling track on Sunday by beating her compatriot Wendy Houvenaghel, while the British men's pursuit team broke the world record on their way to Monday's final.
Britta Steffen of Germany nipped 41-year-old Dara Torres of the United States by 0.01 seconds to win the women's 50 freestyle on the final day of Olympic swimming events that saw numerous records falls.
Cheering from the pool deck, Michael Phelps won his record eighth gold medal of the Beijing Games on Sunday to become the grandest of Olympic champions.
Usain Bolt smashed his own world record in winning the Olympic 100 meters title in Beijing with one of the most remarkable performances in the history of track and field.
Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian, who discarded his bronze medal in a protest during the presentation ceremony, has been stripped of the award and disqualified from the tournament in Beijing.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi scored the first goal and set up the extra-time winner on Saturday for defending champions Argentina as they beat the Netherlands 2-1 to earn a mouthwatering semifinal showdown against Brazil.
Roger Federer made up for the disappointment of missing out in the singles by winning his first Olympic gold medal as he teamed up with Stanislas Wawrinka to claim the doubles title on Saturday.
Fani Halkia, who won gold in the women's 400 meters hurdles at the 2004 Athens Olympics, has tested positive for a banned substance, the Greek TV station Skai TV reported Saturday.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the men's tennis singles bronze medal with a 6-3 7-6 defeat of American James Blake in Saturday's third place playoff in Beijing.
Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva will contest an all-Russian final in the Olympic tennis tournament in Beijing.
Michael Phelps swam into history with a magnificent finish Saturday, tying Mark Spitz with his seventh gold medal by the narrowest of margins in the 100-meter butterfly.
Overshadowed by the historic accomplishment of Michael Phelps winning his seventh gold medal, two more world records fell on the next-to-last day of swimming -- the 22nd and 23rd of a lightning-quick week.
The woman whose husband was killed in a knife attack while attending the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, and who was herself critically wounded in the attack, is back in the United States, according to her doctors.
Rafael Nadal will play Fernando Gonzalez of Chile for Olympic tennis gold after both came through epic semifinals on Friday.
Tyson Gay, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell remained on course for an epic three-way battle in track's marquee Olympic event, all easily advancing on Friday into the semifinals of the 100 meters.
Fernando Gonzalez of Chile saved three match points to beat James Blake of the United States 4-6 7-5 11-9 on Friday and advance to the men's Olympic tennis final.
Already touted as the greatest ever Olympian, Michael Phelps dominated the 200-meter individual medley on Friday to pick up his sixth gold medal at the Beijing Games -- and then immediately kept alive his chances of a record-equaling seventh.
Pavol and Peter Hochschorner won the gold medal in double canoe slalom on Friday, making it three straight Olympics the brothers from Slovakia have finished first.
Britain dominated Friday's cycling at the Beijing Olympics, with the UK men beating world champions France to gold in the prestigious team sprint event after Bradley Wiggins earlier broke his own Games record in qualifying for the individual pursuit.
Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian threw away the bronze medal he won in the Greco-Roman category in disgust in a protest over judging in his semifinal bout.
Nastia Liukin of the U.S. edged teammate Shawn Johnson for the all-around gold in women's gymnastics Friday in an intense match-up that lived up to its billing at the Beijing Games.
Five activists protesting on behalf of Tibet, including three Americans, were arrested Thursday for what Chinese police called "activities against Chinese law" and will be deported, Beijing police said.
Top seed Roger Federer saw his Olympic challenge come to a crashing end on Thursday with a straight-sets defeat at the hands of American James Blake while both the Williams sisters also suffered shock defeats in the women's singles
Kosuke Kitajima of Japan swept the breaststroke events in his second straight Olympics, while Liu Zige set a world record for the host country in Thursday's action at the Water Cube.
A photo of the Spanish men's Olympics basketball team, using their index fingers as if to slant their eyes, has sparked controversy with Asian rights groups.
The International Weightlifting Federation has criticized the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency for suggesting that weightlifting could be dropped from future Olympics if it does not crack down on doping.
Yang Wei of China has finally won the men's gymnastics all-around Olympic title, finally getting his hands on the gold medal that has eluded him for eight years.
Two people involved in a crash near the Olympic rowing venue have died, the Beijing Olympic organizing committee said Thursday.
Yang Wei clapped as he walked past the vault judges, pumped his fists at the crowd and flashed a thumbs-up for the cameras. He even exchanged high-fives with the competition.
A British journalist and eight Tibet activists were detained during a protest near an Olympic venue Wednesday, the journalist and an activist group said.
Michael Phelps swam into history as the greatest Olympic athlete ever at the Water Cube on Wednesday, with his 10th and 11th career gold medals -- and five world records in five events at the Beijing Games.
American cyclist Kristin Armstrong added the Olympic time trial gold medal to her 2006 world title with a triumph in Juyongguan on Wednesday.
Hungarian weightlifter Janos Baranyai's first Olympics ended in agony when he dislocated his right elbow in the ugliest moment yet of the Olympic competition.
Second seed Rafael Nadal advanced to the quarterfinals of the Olympic tennis tournament, digging himself out of a hole in a pivotal service game before beating Igor Andreev of Russia 6-4 6-2.
If there's one thing that makes Beijing an enticing city to both local and expatriate Beijingers alike, it's the food.
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