The two nations holding the ideology of Communism high in today’s world are China and Cuba. But in the arena of sports in the Summer Games, they couldn’t display the same spirit. While China upped themselves from second position in 2004 to the first position in 2008, Cuba dropped from 11th to 28th position (in numbers of gold).

In 2004 Summer Games, China won a total of 63 medals (32 gold, 17 silver, 14 bronze) and Cuba bagged 27 medals (9 gold, 7silver, 11 bronze). 2008 Summer Games saw a huge difference in the matter of medals won by these two nations. China won a total of 100 medals while Cuba won a total of only 24 medals in 2008 Summer Games.

If we look at the statistics of total medals, it may not seem a big loss for Cuba. But we should also keep in mind that Cuba won only 2 gold medals this time. In the last Summer Games they had won 9 gold medals. In contrast, China took up their tally of 32 gold medals in 2004 to 51 gold medals in 2008.

Cuba suffered the maximum setback in Boxing. Since 1968 Mexico Summer Games (with the exception of 1984 and 1988, in which Cuba boycotted the Summer Games), there has never been a drought of gold medals for Cuba in Boxing. But 2008 saw the unexpected; Cuba went blank in gold from Boxing.

Cuba’s Boxing Authority, though, defends itself by stating that an inexperienced young contingent of boxers formed the boxing team of Cuba in 2008 Summer Games. Notwithstanding the inexperience, Cuba’s boxers grabbed 8 medals. According to the authority, this numerical figure was better than their expected figure.

The closing ceremony of 2008 Beijing Summer Games started in the presence of 90,000 audiences at the National Stadium at 20:00 (China Standard Time). And it was a grand farewell one can ever imagine. Silver bell dancers, heavenly drums, flying men and light wheels displayed their ecstasy as a gesture of welcome to the viewers.

Some of the performances that caught the eyes of viewers from worldwide were bicycle trick performance, acrobatic plate spinning performance, springboard slam-dunk performance and acrobatic tick-shaking performance. Following these grandeurs, countdown started from ‘29’ on giant videos to signify 29th Summer Games.

The countdown videos on giant screens were accompanied with sound effects, helping the closing ceremony to reach its climax. With the countdown showing ‘0’ on the screen, fireworks formed a great circle in the sky on the top of the Bird’s Nest. In the traditional Chinese culture, circle symbolizes harmony and renewal. The circle by fireworks symbolized the success of Beijing Games.

The extinguishing of sacred flame of Summer Games followed. And the Summer Games flag was transferred to London. London will be the host to 2012 Summer Games. London put up an 8-minute show in the Beijing handover performance. London’s performers entered the stadium in a double-decker bus (a symbol of tradition in London). And the viewers could not help wowing when David Beckham appeared and kicked a football at the audience.

The countdown to 2012 London Summer Games starts. The official reports disclosed that nearly two-third of the world’s population viewed 2008 Beijing Summer Games. London will hopefully put up a better show where harmony will reach a pinnacle and the entire world will enjoy.

August 08, 2008 saw a fulgent opening ceremony of Summer Games. Beijing proved it to the world that when technology meets manpower, nothing is impossible. China proves a big success in hosting the greatest sporting event on the Earth, the Summer Games. Some controversies have definitely tried to mar the valor of opening ceremony; these controversies could not thankfully leave deep scars on the ceremony.

The closing ceremony of Beijing Summer Games is scheduled on August 24, 2008. The Games authorities are sure to present a dazzling ceremony once again for the people all across the world. I am waiting for this closing ceremony with the same avidity as I had waited for the opening ceremony.

The world-renowned Spanish tenor Placido Domingo will accompany Chinese soprano star Song Zuying to present a gracious duet stage show in the closing ceremony. The opening ceremony had seen dramatic displays of Chinese culture. Closing ceremony will again feature glimpses of the rich tradition of China. 24th August will feature elements of southwestern China’s Yunnan culture.

Another spectacle, I am waiting for on the closing ceremony day, is the kung fu display. The news sources say that the kung fu display will feature 350 practitioners from a Beijing-based martial arts school. Hopefully, weather will be perfect for all to enjoy a gracious curtain call by the organizers of XXIX Summer Games.

The US 4×100m relay athletes had a horrifying 13th day in Bird’s Nest at Beijing Summer Games. The US Men’s and Women’s relay teams were favorites to win gold medals before the start of the event. 100m and 200m World Champion Tyson Gay was one of the members in the Men’s 4×100m relay team. But who on the Earth had dreamt that the US relay teams of both sexes would fail to make to the finals of 4×100m relay event?

The transfer of batons proved fatal for these athletes. Tyson Gay was the culprit in the Men’s relay event. On the final curve, he failed to grab the baton delivered to him by Darvis Patton. This fumble by Gay put an end to the gay of the Americans. Even after the end of the event, Gay could not be sure of what happened during the competition that he failed to hold the baton.

The Women’s 4×100m event followed after the men’s event. The Americans were hopeful that the women sprinters would compensate for the men’s fault. But the thunder struck twice! In the women’s event too, baton exchange in the last curve proved a disaster for Torri Edwards and Lauryn Williams. Williams regretted for the botch after the event but her mistake had cost Americans a medal in 4×100m Women’s Relay.

2008 Summer Games of Beijing will be a rare competition when the US 4×100m relay teams will end their campaign without any medal. In the history of Summer Games, the drought of any medal for the US in 4×100m relay event has happened only twice; once in 1912 when the relay was introduced in the Summer Games and for the second time in 1980 when the US boycotted the Games.

The US Beach Volleyball Women’s team helped their country retain the top position in the medal tally (in overall standing) in Beijing Summer Games, when they defeated the Chinese pair in the final. Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh represent the winning pair of the US Women’s Beach Volleyball team. In the final this defending champion pair scored an ecstatic win on the Chinese pair – Tian Jia and Wang Jie in straight sets, 21-18, 21-18.

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh form the ‘dream team’ for the US in Beach Volleyball. They scored a convincing win in the last Summer Games at Athens as well. Since the last Summer Games, this ‘dream team’ is yet to lose a game in Women’s Beach Volleyball event in Summer Games. This consolidated unit has won World Championships in 2005 and 2007 at Berlin, Germany and Gstaad, Switzerland respectively.

The Chinese pair had not let the US win the match easily. At an instance in the first set, China was leading 18-16. But the US pair won 5 consecutive points to win the first set. In the second set too, China took leads at times. Rain tried to play a spoilsport in the match. But both these pairs braved the rain and gifted an exhilarating match to the spectators.

Updated (till Sailing Star-Medal Match on 21/08/08) Medal Tally for 2008 Beijing Summer Games (countries to have won gold medals are mentioned in the tally):
China – 45 gold, 15 silver, 21 bronze
USA – 27 gold, 28 silver, 28 bronze
Great Britain – 17 gold, 11 bronze, 11 bronze
Russia - 14 gold, 14 bronze, 18 bronze
Australia – 11 gold, 13 bronze, 13 bronze
Germany - 11 gold, 8 bronze, 10 bronze
Korea – 8 gold, 10 silver, 6 bronze
Japan – 8 gold, 6 silver, 9 bronze
Italy – 6 gold, 7 silver, 8 bronze
Ukraine - 5 gold, 5 silver, 8 bronze
Netherlands – 5 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze
France - 4 gold, 12 silver, 14 bronze
Spain – 4 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze
Jamaica - 4 gold, 3 silver
Romania - 4 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze
Poland - 3 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze
New Zealand - 3 gold, 1 silver, 5 bronze
Slovakia - 3 gold, 1 silver
Canada - 2 gold, 6 silver, 5 bronze
Kenya - 2 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze
Belarus - 2 gold, 3 silver, 8 bronze
Czech Republic – 2 gold, 3 silver
Denmark - 2 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze
DPR Korea - 2 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze
Ethiopia - 2 gold, 1 silver
Switzerland - 2 gold, 3 bronze
Georgia - 2 gold, 2 bronze
Cuba - 1 gold, 6 silver, 6 bronze
Kazakhstan - 1 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze
Norway - 1 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze
Zimbabwe - 1 gold, 3 silver
Azerbaijan - 1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze
Slovenia - 1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze
Turkey - 1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze
Bulgaria - 1 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze
Indonesia - 1 gold, 3 bronze
Finland – 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze
Estonia - 1 gold, 1 silver
Mongolia - 1 gold, 1 silver
Thailand -1 gold, 1 silver
Brazil - 1 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze
Argentina - 1 gold, 2 bronze
India – 1 gold, 1 bronze
Mexico - 1 gold, 1 bronze
Bahrain - 1 gold
Cameroon - 1 gold
Panama - 1 gold
Tunisia - 1 gold

A star was born on August 21, 1986. And that star plans his 22nd birthday in style. On the eve of his 22nd birthday, he achieved a unique feat of ‘double gold’ in Summer Games by clocking a world record-breaking time of 19.30seconds to win Men’s 200m gold medal in Beijing. Four days back he had won the gold medal in Men’s 100m by setting another world record (9.69seconds). Are you still guessing who the star is? The star is none other than the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. Happy Birthday to you Usain Bolt!

Even before the start of the Summer Games in Beijing, Usain Bolt was determined to bag double sprint gold. But who had dreamt of him bagging both of them in record timings? Even before Bolt, 8 sprinters had achieved the feat of winning double sprint gold in Summer Games. But none of them had done the same in record timing. While in 100m he broke his own record of 9.72seconds, in 200m he overtook American Michael Johnson’s record of 19.32seconds.

On the news of Usain Bolt’s breaking his record, Johnson himself had congratulated Bolt and honored him a title of ‘Superman 2’. I, as a representative of sports lovers, also congratulate Bolt on his record-breaking streak. Bolt reminds me of the last 8 sprinters, who had bagged sprint double in Summer Games. Let us remember them once again. They were:

• Archie Hahn (US) in 1904
• Ralph Craig (US) in 1912
• Percy Williams (Canada) in 1928
• Eddie Tolan (US) in 1932
• Jesse Owens (US) in 1936
• Bobby Joe Morrow (US) in 1956
• Valery Borzov (USSR/Ukraine) in 1972
• Carl Lewis (US) in 1984

Football action will hopefully take the grip of the evening on the 11th day (August 19, 2008) of Beijing Summer Games. The evening will see two Men’s semifinal matches. The first one is scheduled at 18:00 (China Standard Time) between Belgium and Nigeria. However, thousands of football lovers will wait for the second semifinal to kick-off. This later match will start at 21:00 (China Standard Time) at Shanghai Stadium and the teams participating are the traditional rivals – Argentina and Brazil.

While Argentina’s Men’s football team is the defending Summer Games football champion, Brazil’s Men’s football team is famous for their five-time World Cup champion feats. Though, Brazil’s boys never could bite a gold medal in the history of Summer Games. This time, they are determined to shrug off the ‘Summer Games curse’. Brazil is counting highly on their striker Ronaldinho. Lionel Messi of Argentina is expected to put up a brave fight to restrict Brazil from tasting the Summer Games glory.

Brazil’s eves have already made the country proud by reaching the final of the Women’s Football in Beijing Summer Games. In the semifinal match, Brazil’s Women’s football team beat Germany by a margin of 4:1. In the final, Brazil will face the US Women’s football team, who beat Japan by 4:2. The gold medal match in Women’s football will be played at Workers’ Stadium on August 21, 2008. The Women’s football final match in 2004 Athens Summer Games saw the US and Brazil playing against each other. The US eves emerged the champions.

Pole-vaulting competition in Beijing Summer Games witnessed the tumbling of another world record by Russian Yelena Isinbayeva. She was expected to defend her gold medal of 2004 Athens Summer Games. On the tenth day of Beijing Summer Games, this Russian beauty broke her own world record of 5.04m by vaulting 5.05m in the pole vault final event. Her challengers in the competition were no close to her. Her compatriot Svetlana Feofanova won the bronze medal by vaulting 4.75m. Silver medal winner Jennifer Stuczynski of the US was behind Isinbayeva by 25cm.

The period between 2003-2008 has been really special for Yelena Isinbayeva. Her vault of 5.05m signified her own-record breaking performance for 16 times. It was on July 13, 2003 when she first vaulted 4.82m to beat the world record of 4.81m (made my the US pole-vaulter Stacy Dragila). Since then she has grown a habit to break her own record. She touched the 5.00m-mark for the first time in 2005. She has bettered on her pole-vaulting height for 3 times in 2008. It was on July 11, 2008 she touched 5.03m. Later on July 29 in the same year, she broke that record by vaulting 5.04m.

Isinbayeva’s record-breaking streak reminds me of Sergey Bubka, a retired Ukrainian pole-vaulter (until 1991, he represented the Soviet Union). He holds both the current outdoor world record and indoor world record. He set his outdoor world record by vaulting 6.14m in 1994 and indoor world record by vaulting 6.15m in 1993. Throughout his career, Bubka broke the world record for men’s pole-vaulting 35 times. He started his record-breaking streak in 1984 when he vaulted 5.81m. Bubka’s performance in the Summer Games has not been that impressive. He won only 1 gold medal (in 1988 Seoul Summer Games) in the history of Summer Games.

You must have read that the Beijing Summer Games is being referred to as the Green Summer Games. You must also have noticed the Green Summer Games logo in newspaper, magazines or on television and web that stands as a promise of an eco-friendly sports event. The beautiful logo displays the five circles in the form of a green tree. The 2008 summer games happens to be the biggest event in Asia this year. It is also the most important event in China, the hosting nation of the game. The China Government has taken up many measures to live up to its commitment. It has introduced solar electricity and solar heating equipments in the summer game village. It has also set up many waste-water treatment plants in different locations in China. But the most important step towards a green summer games was controlling the level of air pollution in different summer games venues.

Since the preparation days the government of China was worried about the high rate of pollution in different venues of the game including Beijing, the capital of China. Since 08.08.08, the day when the opening ceremony of summer games took place in Beijing, the government of China has taken up some remarkable steps to prevent the air pollution from affecting the game. More than 2 million vehicles were removed from the city streets and many of the factories that were emitting harmful gases and chemicals were shut down. These measures prove to be beneficial for improving the

The air pollution level of Beijing, China was quite high prior to the summer games and the city was often rated among the most polluted cities of the world. Some steps taken up by the government during the preparation and planning of the summer games 2008 has considerably reduced the air pollution level of the city and has helped it in keeping the promise of organizing a green summer games.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica proved himself the fastest man on the Earth when he won the Men’s 100m with a world-record-breaking timing of 9.69 seconds in Beijing Summer Games. He was too superior for his challengers. Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago, who won the silver medal in the event, was behind Bolt by .20 seconds.

Even before Jamaicans had stopped rejoicing on the win of Usain Bolt, the female sprinters in Women’s 100m helped them resume their jubilance. Jamaican sprinters swept this event. Shelly-Ann Fraser won the gold for Jamaica clocking 10.78 seconds. Her compatriots Kerron Stewart and Sherone Simpson completed with timing of 10.98 seconds. Both of them were awarded silver medals.

Jamaicans hope for another gold medal when Usain Bolt competes for Men’s 200m event. In Round 1 Heat, he completed in the second position behind Sorillo Rondell of Trinidad and Tobago with timing of 20.64 seconds. This performance helps him qualify for Round 2 Heat. Bolt hopes to better his timing in the finals. His personal best timing in Men’s 200m event is 19.67 seconds (this timing is the best timing by any sprinter for this event in 2008).

Usain Bolt will feature in Men’s 200m Round 2 – Heat 1. The start time of this event is 20:05 (China Standard Time) on August 18, 2008. Bolt will start on lane number 4. The final of the event is on August 20, 2008. The scheduled timing of this popular event of 2008 Beijing Summer Games is 22:20.

But, the Jamaicans were quite disappointed with Asafa Powell’s performance in Men’s 100m. He completed fifth with a timing of 9.95 seconds. Men’s 100m had earlier witnessed a bigger shock when the US sprinter Tyson Gay could not even make to the finals of the event.