Archives: Posts From August 2008
Olympic Propaganda Directive Denied, Despite Publication
By Josh Gerstein | Wed, 20 Aug 2008 at 6:26 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Beijing Olympic officials are standing by their flat denial of the existence of a 21-point propaganda directive for Chinese journalists covering the Olympics, notwithstanding the publication of the purported text of the edict last week."I can reiterate ...
Sun's Olympic Urinals Story Flushed Out
By Josh Gerstein | Mon, 18 Aug 2008 at 5:01 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Other news outlets are beginning to jump on the New York Sun's big scoop two weeks ago about super-vigilant enforcers of Olympic sponsorship rules putting stickers over the brand names on urinals and other bathroom fixtures at the Main Press Center and ...
Running Out the Clock on Protest Zones and More
By Josh Gerstein | Mon, 18 Aug 2008 at 4:21 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: With the Olympics now more than half over, it seems Chinese officials are intent on running out or at least running down the clock on long-standing press questions about "protest zones" as well as queries about why a Tibetan-American journalist was ...
"Gray Area" Questions to Athletes Shouldn't Be Censored, IOC Says
By Josh Gerstein | Mon, 18 Aug 2008 at 3:02 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Journalists should not be barred from asking Olympic athletes questions which verge into a "gray zone" combining sport and politics, the director of communications for the International Olympic Committee, Giselle Davies, said at a briefing for reporters ...
Phelps Meets the Press
By Josh Gerstein | Sun, 17 Aug 2008 at 2:41 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: BEIJING--By my count, more than 50 television cameras were on hand as Michael Phelps came before the press Sunday afternoon to reflect on his record-breaking achievement of eight Gold medals in a single Olympics."I'm not really sure what to say. It was ...
New Yorkers to Medal in Men's Fencing, May Snag Gold
By Josh Gerstein | Sun, 17 Aug 2008 at 1:08 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: BEIJING--The American men's sabre fencing team, two thirds of which hails from New York, scored a come-from-behind win over Russia Sunday afternoon to proceed to the Gold medal match against France and to guarantee themselves at least a Silver medal here ...
Phelps Does It!
By Josh Gerstein | Sat, 16 Aug 2008 at 11:31 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: BEIJING--Super-swimmer Michael Phelps won his eighth Gold medal here moments ago, surpassing Mark Spitz's record from the 1972 Olympics.The U.S. men's 4x100 relay team came in at 3:29.34, just seven-tenths of a second ahead of Australia, which took the ...
Empire State Women Win Fencing Silver
By Josh Gerstein | Sat, 16 Aug 2008 at 12:31 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: Three Empire State natives brought home the Silver for America today in women's foil fencing by upsetting teams from Hungary and Poland, but the U.S. squad missed out on the gold by falling to Russia tonight in Beijing.The medals for Emily Cross, 21, of ...
The Last Lap
By JOSH GERSTEIN | Fri, 8 Aug 2008 at 12:20 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The last lap for the Olympic Torch was a memorable one. A Gold medalist in gymnastics, Li Ning, made the trip--"running" in the air, suspended about 150 feet above the stadium floor.At the end, Mr. Li put the torch to a track extending from the flame ...
Here's to President Hu
By JOSH GERSTEIN | Fri, 8 Aug 2008 at 11:57 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Three cheers for President Hu. He just delivered a one-line speech declaring the games of the 29the Olympiad (of the modern era, don't forget to add that) open.He deserves all our gratitude for keeping it short.The athletes who are now milling in the ...
Flapping in the Breeze
By JOSH GERSTEIN | Fri, 8 Aug 2008 at 11:55 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Perhaps I spoke too soon when I said there was no breeze here in the stadium.I'm looking now at the Chinese flag flapping vigorously in the "wind." However, looking closely, the "wind" is coming from some openings near the top of the flagpole. I also ...
China Is Here
By JOSH GERSTEIN | Fri, 8 Aug 2008 at 11:26 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: China team just entered the stadium, unsurprisingly with the loudest roar yet from the crowd.My main take-away is that Yao Ming looks tall even at the other end of a 60,000-person stadium. Walking alongside Mr. Yao, the Chinese have a 9 year old boy from ...
The Americans Arrive
By Josh Gerstein | Fri, 8 Aug 2008 at 10:40 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Team USA just entered the stadium to a big roar, though the first announcement, in French, didn't elicit any noticeable reaction. President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush were shown on the Jumbotrons waving. While the Bushes would probably elicit some ...
Rain or a Theatrical Waterfall Perhaps?
By Josh Gerstein | Fri, 8 Aug 2008 at 10:34 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: At the boom TV camera position right in front of me, they are feverishly putting a rain slicker on the whole apparatus.This means one of two things: it's about to rain, or there's some sequence in the finale that involves water ...
Pirate Radio: Group Claims First Independent Broadcast in China Since 1949
By Josh Gerstein | Fri, 8 Aug 2008 at 10:25 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Reporters Sans Frontiers also known as Reporters Without Borders is claiming that this morning the press freedom group carried out the first independent radio broadcast in China since the Communists took power in 1949.The group said its 20-minute ...
Spanish Hams
By Josh Gerstein | Fri, 8 Aug 2008 at 10:09 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: The athlete's procession is well under way now. Iraq, whose team was almost excluded from the Olympics in a dispute with the International Olympic Committee, just entered and got a loud roar from the crowd.Some rare spontaneity introduced by the Spanish ...
More Tibet Activists Said Detained
By Josh Gerstein | Fri, 8 Aug 2008 at 10:04 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Three Americans protesting Chinese repression in Tibet were arrested about an hour before the opening ceremony for staging an exceedingly brief demonstration near the entrance to the stadium, a Tibet activist group, Students for a Free Tibet, is ...
The Performance Draws to an End
By Josh Gerstein | Fri, 8 Aug 2008 at 9:32 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: We're coming to the end of the performance part of the program. There have been a bunch more cool visuals, though I hesitate to call anything cool when I'm drenched in this much sweat.We've seen more flying, including men in silver space suits and a ...
Zhang Yimou's Magic
By Josh Gerstein | Fri, 8 Aug 2008 at 8:32 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: A pretty spectacular kickoff to tonight's ceremony. First, 2008 drummers banging on huge drums equipped with strobe lights. And a countdown in lights and fireworks. Then more than 29 "giants' footprints" or oval fireworks set off in sequence from the ...
Photogs and the PLA
By Josh Gerstein | Fri, 8 Aug 2008 at 8:05 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: We just had the March of the Photographers. About two dozen wire and agency still photographers, dressed, respectfully, almost entirely in black, just crossed the floor of the stadium to take their positions.And now the People's Liberation Army ...
Chum and Concession Watch
By Josh Gerstein | Fri, 8 Aug 2008 at 7:46 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Like any self respecting and slightly hungry journalist, the first thing I checked out here at the Bird's Nest is what's around to eat and whether it's free or not.Here's the concession stand rundown:Three kinds of beer: Bud, Tsingtao, and Yanjing. Real ...
Sweating Out the Wait for the Opening Ceremonies
By Josh Gerstein | Fri, 8 Aug 2008 at 7:24 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: I'm inside.Just took a bus across Beijing and then made it through the security checkpoints and the excited crowd outside the Bird's Nest stadium.The most arduous part of the journey: sitting right here in the "non-tabled press" section on the second ...
American Protests Lodged Over Snub to Athlete-Activist
By Josh Gerstein | Wed, 6 Aug 2008 at 12:58 PM | Permalink
Excerpt: The American Embassy in Beijing has contacted China to express "concern" about the cancellation and denial of visas for members of Team Darfur, a group of athletes campaigning against the violence in Sudan's Dafur region. On Tuesday, an American former ...
U.S. Basketball Coach Faults Weak Effort Against Australia
By Josh Gerstein | Wed, 6 Aug 2008 at 9:39 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: The American men's basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski, is still bemoaning his team's performance against Australia last night, where the all-star American squad managed only an 87-76 win and at one point was up only four points over the Aussies."Now we're ...
Two Americans Said Detained in Tibet Protest; Status Unclear
By Josh Gerstein | Wed, 6 Aug 2008 at 5:00 AM | Permalink
Excerpt: Two Americans were among four activists detained by Chinese police following a Tibet-related protest early today outside the National Stadium, more commonly referred to as the Bird's Nest, a group which claimed credit for the demonstration said.Students ...
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