Olympics

The Times is reporting that China is censoring Apple’s iTunes:
“Apple’s online music store, iTunes, has been blocked in China after more than 40 Olympic athletes downloaded a pro-Tibet album from the site.
Consumers in China began inundating Apple help forums on Monday, saying that they could not access iTunes…”
link: China blocks iTunes over all-star [...]

The semi final in women’s Olympic soccer will have the USA playing Japan. This is a game that will test the U.S. defense. The team from Japan has improved on their offensive attack. They beat a good Norway team on route to the semi final match. The score was Japan 5 [...]

The U.S. women finally found their scoring touch against New Zealand. There were four goals from four different players: Heather O’Reilly, Amy Rodriguez, Angela Hucles and Lindsay Tarpley. The final score was a 4 - 0 victory for the U.S. National Team. This was a scoring display that the U.S. women [...]

You might ask ‘who is Abhinav Bindra?‘. - I did not know either, until a few days ago. His name does not show up on many sports publications or sports sites. However, he is as much an athlete and competitor as anyone who receives attention in those media outlets.
Abhinav Bindra is [...]

The relay is a team sport but Jason Lezak made it an incredible personal moment. It was the men’s 4 X 100 freestyle relay with Michael Phelps on the team. The race would be part of Michael Phelps’ attempt at eight Olympic gold medals for the American team. However, the French team [...]

Katie Hoff from the USA won the silver medal in the 400 meter freestyle. She swam a wonderful race and had the lead. Rebecca Adlington from Great Britain chased her down and won the gold medal.
It seemed, as the swimmers were approaching the wall, that Katie Hoff might have hung on to the [...]

The first game for the U.S. Men’s Basketball Team was a 101 - 70 win, over China. The score belies the intensity of the game. At half time, the United States team only led by twelve point and was facing excellent long range shooting from the Chinese team. The following are five [...]

The opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics was China’s opportunity to command the world stage. It was an event that was beamed to every corner of the globe. It was China’s moment that transcended sports and showcase a culture.
By technical and artistic standards, the event sent the network commentators searching for superlatives. [...]

On a goal by Carli Lloyd, the U.S. Women’s National Team defeated Japan 1 - 0, in round robin play. This was a game that the U.S. team needed to win, after a first game loss to Norway.
Lori Chalupny did not play. She was replaced by Stephanie Cox. Lori Chalupny was [...]

As the Beijing Olympic Games begin, there will be discussion of national pride and the joy of winning an Olympic medal.
There is also a monetary incentive.
The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) also provides these athletes with financial rewards:

a gold medal: $25,000
a silver medal: $15,000
a bronze medal: $10,000

One wonders what the professional basketball [...]