From the publishers of THE HINDU
VOL.31 :: NO.32 :: Aug. 09, 2008
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From the publishers of THE HINDU VOL.31 :: NO.32 :: Aug. 09, 2008 |
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 News Update
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At the Beijing Games, the focus will be on China’s superstar Liu Xiang, who will defend his Olympics 110m hurdles title. And equally important will be the performances of swimmer Michael Phelps and pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva. Will Phelps better Mark Spitz? And will Isinbayeva go for another world record? By K. P. Mohan.
FOCUS 
China deserves plauditsIn the lead-up to August 8, 2008, the Olympics became a catalyst for sweeping changes. Beijing was transformed architecturally, historically, even temperamentally. “New Beijing, New Olympics” was the motto as the city had a frenetic makeover, writes Pallavi Aiyar. CHINA’S PREPARATIONS Operation gold hunt China wants to finish first in Beijing and has left no stone unturned to achieve its objective. Even the US and the Russians are wary of the host, writes Kamesh Srinivasan. PREVIEW: ATHLETICS Sparks should fly Pre-championship ratings often do not have any meaning when it comes to actual competition, especially these days. With the spectre of doping looming larger than ever before, athletics has to prove its credibility all over again. By K. P. Mohan. PREVIEW: SWIMMING Phelps set to make history The focus will be on the American who, for the second time, will be chasing Mark Spitz’s epic haul of seven gold medals, writes A. Vinod. PREVIEW: BADMINTON Exciting fare on the cards China is all set to underline its domination with the men’s world No. 1 Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang, the world No. 1 in the women’s section, spearheading the host’s challenge. By Kalyan Ashok. PREVIEW: TENNIS A big draw, no doubt The stars of the sport this time have shown better collective interest in the Games. Tennis’s reintroduction as a medal sport has witnessed a slow, yet steady change in the way the Olympics is perceived, writes Nandita Sridhar. PREVIEW: TABLE TENNIS 
Bristling with firepowerGiven the exacting standards the host has set for itself for the upcoming Games, China will be looking to win a maximum of eight medals out of the 12 at stake, writes Rakesh Rao. PREVIEW: FOOTBALL 
Under 23 and freeThe under-23 players have been compulsorily released from their clubs to enable them to play in the Beijing Olympics football competition. By S .R. Suryanarayan. PREVIEW: HOCKEY Can Australia do it again? Australia’s coach Barry Dancer and his set of brilliant players, who won in Rotterdam, are on cloud nine as they line up to defend the gold, writes S. Thyagarajan. PREVIEW: SHOOTING 
China will be hard to beat at homeChina had won four gold medals in Athens, mainly in the 10-metre air events, and would be keen to build on that with its strong 26-member team, writes Kamesh Srinivasan. INDIAN ANGLE 
Hoping for the bestAs India ventures to the 29th Olympics in Beijing, the biggest relief for the agonised sports fan is that there is no hockey team in the fray, to provide the false hopes. India which had won eight hockey gold medals in the Olympics, has hit ... INDIA’S MEDAL HOPE-1 In pursuit of elusive medal Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have experience on their side. The Indian duo is capable of winning a medal in Beijing, writes Kamesh Srinivasan. INDIA’S MEDAL HOPE-2 
Rajyavardhan Rathore is the best betThe 38-year-old marksman is shaping up well for the Beijing Olympics. He is expected to improve upon his silver medal-winning performance in Athens, writes Kamesh Srinivasan. INDIA’S MEDAL HOPE-3 
Vijender is all keyed upThe 22-year-old boxer from Haryana is mature enough to understand the difference between winning a medal and just putting up his best performance, writes Y. B. Sarangi. STARS TO WATCH 
Powell looks solidAsafa Powell looked vulnerable in Kingston when he lost the 100 metres in the Jamaican Olympic trials to Usain Bolt in June. Bolt, 21, had by then wrested the world record from him, clocking 9.72 in New York in May. With his Kingston effort of ... Dibaba in good form She broke into world athletics at the age of 15, finishing fifth in the World cross-country championships junior race in 2001. She is now the world record holder in the 5000 metres and the world champion in the 10,000 metres. But Tirunesh Dibaba ... Alone at the top She opened her season with a world record in Rome and then improved it by another centimetre in Monaco, just 10 days before the Beijing Olympics were to open. Beyond five metres, Yelena Isinbayeva is on her own at the pole vault pit; she has to ... Haile’s successor Paris 2003 was the end of the Haile Gebrselassie era. That also was the beginning of the Kenenisa Bekele era. From about 200 metres to the finish, when Bekele took off in the 10,000 metres at the Paris World Championships, the world knew it ... 
China’s superstarOne of China’s best known athletes, Liu Xiang carries the hopes of the entire nation at the Beijing Olympics. After winning the 110m hurdles gold in the 2004 Olympics — the first male athlete from China to do so — Xiang became a ... A bundle of energy and power Training under Chinese coaches, Chow Liang and Zhuang Liwen, has further fuelled Shawn Johnson’s zest for gymnastics and her ambition to raise the bar. The American, as the defending world all-around champion, is now the main threat to a ... He's all set for glory Each and every moment of Michael Phelps inside the National Aquatic Centre in Beijing, each and every stroke of the American at the Water Cube will be of great significance. The 23-year-old swimmer, who is in pursuit of Mark Spitz’s record ... SHOWDOWN: LIU XIANG V DAYRON ROBLES Clash of titans This season, Dayron Robles has taken huge strides and should pose a threat to Liu Xiang. The Chinese, however, remains the favourite to win in Beijing, writes K. P. Mohan. SHOWDOWN: SANYA RICHARDS V CHRISTINE OHURUOGU Sanya looks formidable The Christine Ohuruogu-Sanya Richards face-off in the 400m final in Beijing should set off a few sparks, writes Avinash Nair. SHOWDOWN: ROGER FEDERER V RAFAEL NADAL A real test of strength Though Rafael Nadal has a 12-6 record against Roger Federer and has beaten him twice on hard courts, the conditions in Beijing could be hard on the Spaniard, writes Kamesh Srinivasan. SHOWDOWN: MICHAEL PHELPS V IAN CROCKER A cracker of a contest The key race for Michael Phelps will be the 100m butterfly in which he doesn’t hold the world record. And his biggest challenger in the event will be his team-mate Ian Crocker, writes A. Vinod. SPORTS AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION An engine of change In terms of its political and social significance in the transformation of a society, the Beijing Olympics may not have a parallel in our times, writes Parvathi Menon. Advt Links: • Baufinanzierung und Immobilienfinanzierung Vergleich • Versicherungen im online Versicherungsvergleich • Deutsches Ceeduu Web • Send Gift to India • Flowers to All Over India • Sportshop • IQ Tests, Liebestests und andere Quizzes • Sportreisen zu allen Sportevents • Used Cars • blog tools
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