Olympic Countdown

The Beijing Connection...Some facts About Beijing Olympics

China's first Games, Asia's fifthThe upcoming Games will mark the first time that the world's most populous nation has hosted the Olympics. But did you know that the Olympics have come to Asia four times before? Tokyo held the Summer Games in 1964, and 24 years later, they came to Seoul, South Korea. Japan has also hosted the Winter Games twice – in Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998.

'Panda-monium'Chinese officials expect six million people to visit the panda exhibit at the Beijing Zoo between now and the fall. There's so much interest in the Olympic mascot that eight more bears are being moved from wildlife reserves in western China to the city.
Pandas eat up to 85 pounds of bamboo a day, and there are only 1,600 of the endangered animals left in the world.

China goes greenThe Beijing Organizing Committee is spending more than $16 billion on green initiatives to fight the city's chronic pollution problems. The hope is that the green trend will spread to other areas of this rapidly industrializing nation, making China synonymous with green instead of red.

A spectacular stadiumA magnificent 91,000-seat national stadium will host the Beijing Games' opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the main track and field competition. Called the Bird's Nest for its intricate network of steel girders, the structure's design has already caused a sensation in China. Earlier this year, it was rated the city's best new landmark.

Chasing historyTrack and field superstar Jeremy Wariner won Olympic gold in the 400 meters almost four years ago, and now he's hoping for a repeat performance in Beijing.
Sprinting legend Michael Johnson is the only man to have won consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 400 meters, and as it turns out, he's helping Wariner follow in his footsteps by playing the role of mentor and coach.

BMX biking debutsThe Beijing Games mark the debut of a new Olympic discipline: men's and women's BMX (Bicycle Motorcross). In these events, crashes will be likely as eight cyclists speed across straightaways and around turns, pedaling up to 45 feet into the air. The "extreme" sport promises to be one of Beijing's most thrilling competitions.

Ping-pong politicsTable tennis, or ping-pong, is the national sport of China. The game originated in England in the 1880s as an indoor version of lawn tennis. It was credited with helping thaw U.S./China relations in 1971 through "ping-pong diplomacy" – so named because of a trip American players made to take on the Chinese. The game debuted at the 1988 Seoul Summer Games, and the Chinese have won 16 of a possible 20 Olympic gold medals.

Three nations debutA record 205 countries are expected to compete in the Beijing Games. Three nations will be making their Olympic debuts: Montenegro, which declared its independence from Serbia in 2006; Tuvalu, a former British colony located about halfway between Hawaii and Australia; and the Marshall Islands, which are about 2,000 miles northwest of Tuvalu.

Some more Olympic facts for you:

“Amateur” was eliminated from the Olympic charter in 1971.
The Olympic flag was introduced at the 1920 Olympic games, in Belgium.
Russian gymnast, Maria Gorokhovskaya holds the record for the most medals one in a single Olympic games, seven medals in 1952.
The host nation always marches last in the opening procession.
Tug of War was an Olympic sport from 1900 to 1920.
The tradition of the opening procession of athletes began in 1908, in London.
The last solid gold medals were awarded in 1912. Today’s “gold” medals are really sterling silver with a thin coat of pure gold.