2008 Olympic Basketball Preview

Many questions abound regarding the men’s basketball competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Can the United States rebound from disappointing performances at the 2004 Sydney Olympics and the 2006 World Championships? Will China have a healthy roster as they compete in front of their home fans? Can Argentina win another gold medal after their amazing performance in 2004? Soon, these questions will all be answered. Let’s take a look at the 2008 Olympic basketball tournament that will take place in Beijing this summer.

The Argentina squad is one of the main favorites to medal in this year’s Olympic Games. Gold medal winners in 2004, they feature several great players, such as Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola, and Andres Nocioni. They are known for their good team play, outside shooting and passing. While they may not be the favorites after a poor showing in the 2006 World Championships, they will take advantage if the other teams make mistakes.

China’s main questions surround the health of Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi. Both players were taken out of the NBA season before its conclusion due to injuries they sustained. However, both will likely do whatever it takes to make sure they can compete as their home country hosts the 2008 Olympic Games. If they are able to play, China will boast a very intimidating front line, although their guard play is suspect. If Yao and Wang are able to play, don’t bet against China to finish well.

The United States team is full of question marks. Their talent is never a problem, but in the 2004 Sydney Olympics, they failed to play as a cohesive unit and paid the price. After three losses and a disappointing bronze medal, it was clear that the rest of the world’s talent had begun to catch up with the United States, and that throwing together a “dream team” every four years just wasn’t going to get the job done. Since then, the philosophy behind the roster of the team has evolved, with coaches looking to have players that compliment each other, instead of a team of all stars.

Only time will tell whether the United States will win with their new approach, but it’s hard to think of a team that faces more pressure than they do. The United States fans literally expect their team to win the gold medal, and anything less is absolute failure. Even after a disappointing several years on the international scene, the United States team is the favorite to win the gold medal in Beijing. As you can see, there’s a lot of pressure on the U.S. players.

Other teams that could make a splash include Spain, who has a lot of great talent, including Pau Gasol, Jose Calderon and Juan Carlos Navarro. Spain is a talented team that has an exciting style of play and doesn’t back down to any challenge. If the Spanish players shoot well and play good team defense, the sky is the limit at the Beijing Olympics for them.

An exciting dark horse team is the Lithuanian team, which is famous for a free-wheeling, outside shooting style. They can win games with great outside shooting, or shoot themselves right out of the game, so it’s hard to know what to expect from Lithuania. However, it’s definitely assured that they will be entertaining to watch. They are led by Cleveland Cavaliers star Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

If Canada is able to qualify during July’s 12-team tournament that will determine three more competitors, they could be exciting to watch as well. Canada’s Steve Nash is a multiple-time NBA MVP who usually plays a fast-paced style of basketball that fits well with the international game.

The only way to find out what will really happen will be to watch the men’s basketball tournament at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Make sure to follow the teams so you can stay up to date with one of the most exciting sports in the world!

Transportation at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

Entry and transport

It seems that everyone dreams of participating in the Olympic Games. As kids, athletes all over the world imagine themselves on the sports world’s biggest stage, competing for glory while representing their countries and their families in friendly competition.

For those of us who aren’t able to compete at an Olympic level, the next best thing is to be able to attend the Olympic Games. For as long as they have existed, the Olympic Games have had an appeal and a tradition that set it apart from similar sporting events, and which somehow manage to capture the collective imaginations of people all over the world, whether or not they are normally sports fans.

If you are among those that are lucky enough to be attending the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, you are most likely excited, but maybe a bit stressed out as well. After all, there are a lot of things to arrange and prepare before the Olympic Games arrive. You may not have quite as much to think about as say, an Olympic gymnast or sprinter, but it’s understandable if the prospect of getting around during the 2008 Beijing Olympics is a bit daunting!

With a city the size of Beijing, China, combined with the tremendous influx of visitors that only an Olympic competition can bring, getting around town to various events as well as other tourist attractions can be pretty intimidating. It’s vital for an Olympic city to not only provide great public transportation, but also to be easy to get around for those who choose to transport themselves to where they need to go. For those folks, there has to be ample parking, and the roads must be able to occupy a larger than usual amount of drivers without causing chaos, and worse yet, traffic jams!

Luckily, the public transportation system in Beijing appears to be ready for the rather formidable challenge that such a large number of new visitors and athletes will bring. Not only can you get around for a fairly small fee (1 yuan for a bus ride in the city, and 2 yuan if you’re in the suburbs), but Public Transportation Cards are available, even to visitors, so that you can save money. It’s probably a good idea to take advantage of that offer if you’re going to be making lots of trips, which you likely will if you’re attending the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
If buses aren’t your style, you can also get a quick ride from one of the over 60,000 taxi cabs within the city of Beijing. Taxis can be a great way to travel because, although they are more expensive than buses, they can get you where you need to go quickly. Also, with a taxi, you can give the driver a specific destination, without having to tailor your arrival to a pre-set location along a bus route.

If you’re still not pleased, you’ll probably want to go with the subway or city rails that Beijing have to offer. For little more than what you would pay for a bus ride, you can take the subway and possibly get to your destination even faster.

Of course, officials in the city of Beijing, China have been preparing for the influx of visitors for years now, and they have made adjustments within the public transportation system to guarantee convenient and quick travel for all Olympic enthusiasts. The venues that have been built for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China have been placed in locations that are easily reachable using the public transportation system.

Congratulations to any of you who are attending this summer’s Beijing Olympic Games. You can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that you will be able to get around quickly and efficiently, even if you don’t know your way around Beijing (which you probably don’t). Be sure to explore all the options available to you before choosing your preferred method of getting from place to place, and enjoy your Olympic experience!

What Makes an Olympic Athlete?

As the 2008 Beijing Olympics draw closer, the spotlight falls on the athletes who will be competing on the sports world’s biggest stage in another edition of the Summer Olympic Games. While we all watch in awe as these athletes ply their trades and do things that most of us can only dream of, it’s important to remember the dedication and determination involved in becoming an Olympic level athlete. You will only be even more impressed by these great individuals when you come to understand what it takes for them to reach the Olympic Games.

One important thing to keep in mind is that no one just becomes an Olympic athlete. You can’t simply make it to the highest level of competition on natural talent alone. Every last athlete competing in each edition of the Olympics is successful based upon not only natural talent and ability, but years of hard work, preparation and planning. Since the Olympics only come every four years, athletes will have to train for several years just to get one opportunity to be the best in the world at their sport of choice.

If you think about it, that’s an incredible amount of sacrifice with no guaranteed reward at the end. An injury, a poor performance that keeps an athlete from qualifying for the Olympics, or any other number of things can happen that will render an athlete’s years of hard work and dedication effectively useless. Imagine dedicating your entire life to one goal, only to know that a single slip-up, mishap, or poor performance could erase all that you have worked for! This is the kind of pressure that Olympic level athletes must live with.

Although some Olympic athletes, such as basketball players, are professionals, most are not. This means that many Olympic athletes are students or must maintain jobs while training full-time to be the best in the world. It would not be possible, especially with the requirements of today’s top athletes, if it weren’t for sponsors. Most athletes rely on sponsors to help pay for strength and conditioning coaches and other needs, as well as to help pay for living expenses so that they can focus solely on their training.

Depending on the sport that the athlete participates in, they may have a very different background in their sport. As mentioned earlier, many Olympic basketball players are professional athletes, while top gymnasts are amateurs who are sometimes barely teenagers! Olympic athletes come in all ages, shapes and sizes, and from all different kinds of backgrounds. Some athletes are college competitors, and others are athletes who sharpened their skills on the college stage and have continued to train for a chance at Olympic greatness, deferring the start of their careers and families in the process.

While the demands and risks that are imposed upon athletes who dream to be in the Olympic Games are great, for these men and women, the potential rewards are well worth it. It takes a special person to dedicate themselves so completely to a singular goal, and even though many of us would love nothing more than to be given an Olympic gold medal, only a select few are willing to truly dedicate themselves to accomplishing the task.

Why is it that some athletes are able to devote themselves to the pursuit of Olympic excellence, while others can not? Perhaps Olympic athletes are simply more competitive, and their drive helps separate them from other top athletes. After all, at the highest levels of sport, the difference between a gold medal winner and a non-Olympic qualifier can be as simple as who wants to win more. One thing is for sure, though: Olympic athletes are a very special breed of individual. Although Olympic athletes are known and revered mostly for what their bodies can do, the best of them know that the work all begins in their minds and hearts.

The Venues of the 2008 Beijing Olympics

The 2008 Beijing Olympics will take place, depending on the event, in a variety of breathtaking and state of the art venues. These locations are not just representing the pinnacle of modern architecture and design, but will also become the places where athletic and Olympic history is made in the Summer Olympic Games. If you want to become more familiar with just where some of the most important moments of the Beijing Olympics will take place, read on.

First and foremost is National Stadium, which is located in Beijing on the Olympic Green. The stadium seats nearly 100,000, and will be home to the Opening as well as Closing Ceremonies. The National Stadium contains a shopping center and a beautiful “green area” outside the stadium, and is notable for its modern and distinctive design, which has earned the National Stadium the nickname of the “Bird’s Nest”. National Stadium will host some of the most-watched events of the entire Beijing Olympics, including track and field events.

The National Aquatics Center is an amazing structure that is notable for its futuristic design and aesthetic appeal, along with its environmentally friendly features. From afar, the National Aquatics Center resembles a giant cube of water, and in fact, is nicknamed the “Water Cube” as a result. It can either glow a translucent blue or a greenish color, depending on the time of day and other factors. The outer surface can collect water, which will lead to up to 140,000 tons of recycled water per year. The National Aquatics Center will be home to swimming and diving events, of course.

The National Indoor Stadium, with its appealing curved roof design and modern look, is a marvel of modern architecture that will host gymnastic events, trampoline and handball competitions in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The stadium is located in the Olympic Green and is north of the National Aquatics Center, south of the National Convention Center. The National Indoor Stadium is comprised of a main area as well as a gym for warm-ups, and covers a total of nearly 81,000 square meters! Many gymnastics fans will be able to be part of the history-making action, as the National Indoor Stadium seats 18,000 people.

Like so many of the 2008 Beijing Olympic venues, the National Indoor Stadium was made to be environmentally friendly. A “glass curtain wall” covers the stadium, allowing improved energy efficiency while providing insulation to reduce heat transfer. Solar panels also help power the National Indoor Stadium.

Some of the most watched competition in the entire 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will take place at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium. The Olympic basketball tournament is always the focus of much attention around the world, with the sport having become a global phenomenon, and in the Beijing Olympics, the tournament will have a facility worthy of the sport’s popularity.

The stadium, which seats up to 18,000 people, has a LED display system that is the first in China that meets NBA (National Basketball Association) regulations. The Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium will also be a hit with spectators, thanks to the upholstered seats and availability of luxury boxes. Also, the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium continues the trend of “green” venues at the Games, as the stadium has a rainwater recycling system in place.

As you can see, the people and city of Beijing, China have done a great job in getting ready for the world’s biggest athletic stage this summer. With breathtaking architecture and environmentally friendly features, the venues of the 2008 Olympic Games will be nearly as amazing as the competition itself.