Showing posts with label Beijing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beijing. Show all posts
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Stabbing in Beijing............
The father of a former American Olympian was stabbed to death while sightseeing in Beijing with his wife on Saturday, stunning tourists and local residents.
A knife-wielding man attacked the two U.S. tourists at a popular Beijing attraction, killing Todd Bachman, the father of volleyball 2004 Olympian Elisabeth "Wiz" Bachman.
Elisabeth Bachman's mother, Barbara, was also attacked. She survived but suffered life-threatening injuries and is in hospital. The Bachmans' tour guide was also injured and taken to hospital.
The Bachmans are the in-laws of U.S. men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon, their daughter Elisabeth's husband.
Their attacker, a Chinese national, committed suicide after the incident. He threw himself off the second level of the Drum Tower, a 13th century structure about eight kilometres from the main Olympic site.
"For all intents, it appears to be a random attack by a deranged man," an American member of the International Olympic Committee, Jim Easton, told The Associated Press.
"The only thing we've heard is they were not identifiable except for a small volleyball pin which would probably be invisible to a guy."
American tourist Lynn Ledford said she hoped the incident did not take away from China's hospitality.
"I hope something like this doesn't end up being a stain on how China has been to us," she said.
Denise Carpenter, a Canadian tourist visiting the area, said Beijing was no less safe than any other major city.
"It doesn't matter if you're in Beijing or Toronto or London," she told CTV News. "Things like this are going to happen and you just have to be careful."
The attacks have devastated the U.S. volleyball team.
"They are deeply saddened and shocked," Darryl Seibel, a spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee said.
Team member Logan Tom broke down crying while discussing the attack.
"God, we all love Wiz," she said. "It's hard to put it in words. That's not something that's supposed to happen."
The midday attack is considered particularly shocking because violent crime against foreigners is rare in China, although Canadian model Diana O'Brien, 22, was murdered in Shanghai a month ago. Security in Beijing itself has been further tightened for the Olympics.
Xinhua, China's official news agency, identified the attacker as Tang Yongming, 47, from the eastern city of Hangzhou.
Interpol told AP that Tang appears to have been recently divorced. The news service reported he had not been seen by relatives for two months.
With a report by CTV's Lisa LaFlamme in Beijing and files from The Associated Press
Which Canadian won the most medals at a single Games?
Test yourself
Related Stories
Host country China wins two gold medals
Several Canadians have solid days in Beijing
Sports psychologists help Olympians cope
Video
CTV News: Lisa LaFlamme on the fatal knife attack
document.write(format_clip_duration('00:02:02.00')); // see common.js
2:02
CTV News: Steve Chao reports on the Olympic protests
document.write(format_clip_duration('00:01:34.00')); // see common.js
1:34
A knife-wielding man attacked the two U.S. tourists at a popular Beijing attraction, killing Todd Bachman, the father of volleyball 2004 Olympian Elisabeth "Wiz" Bachman.
Elisabeth Bachman's mother, Barbara, was also attacked. She survived but suffered life-threatening injuries and is in hospital. The Bachmans' tour guide was also injured and taken to hospital.
The Bachmans are the in-laws of U.S. men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon, their daughter Elisabeth's husband.
Their attacker, a Chinese national, committed suicide after the incident. He threw himself off the second level of the Drum Tower, a 13th century structure about eight kilometres from the main Olympic site.
"For all intents, it appears to be a random attack by a deranged man," an American member of the International Olympic Committee, Jim Easton, told The Associated Press.
"The only thing we've heard is they were not identifiable except for a small volleyball pin which would probably be invisible to a guy."
American tourist Lynn Ledford said she hoped the incident did not take away from China's hospitality.
"I hope something like this doesn't end up being a stain on how China has been to us," she said.
Denise Carpenter, a Canadian tourist visiting the area, said Beijing was no less safe than any other major city.
"It doesn't matter if you're in Beijing or Toronto or London," she told CTV News. "Things like this are going to happen and you just have to be careful."
The attacks have devastated the U.S. volleyball team.
"They are deeply saddened and shocked," Darryl Seibel, a spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee said.
Team member Logan Tom broke down crying while discussing the attack.
"God, we all love Wiz," she said. "It's hard to put it in words. That's not something that's supposed to happen."
The midday attack is considered particularly shocking because violent crime against foreigners is rare in China, although Canadian model Diana O'Brien, 22, was murdered in Shanghai a month ago. Security in Beijing itself has been further tightened for the Olympics.
Xinhua, China's official news agency, identified the attacker as Tang Yongming, 47, from the eastern city of Hangzhou.
Interpol told AP that Tang appears to have been recently divorced. The news service reported he had not been seen by relatives for two months.
With a report by CTV's Lisa LaFlamme in Beijing and files from The Associated Press
Which Canadian won the most medals at a single Games?
Test yourself
Related Stories
Host country China wins two gold medals
Several Canadians have solid days in Beijing
Sports psychologists help Olympians cope
Video
CTV News: Lisa LaFlamme on the fatal knife attack
document.write(format_clip_duration('00:02:02.00')); // see common.js
2:02
CTV News: Steve Chao reports on the Olympic protests
document.write(format_clip_duration('00:01:34.00')); // see common.js
1:34
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Frankie Gavin leaves the Olympics
Even before the competition starts, our most promising of young hopefuls Frankie Gavin is leaving the Olympics. This superb boxer with a quality of performance which made him a certainty for a medal ~ probably a gold ~ has received a knock-down punch without even getting in the ring.And the problem is not drugs, nor fitness but the simplest of things ~ getting his weight right for the competition.
He has weighed in too heavy for the division!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I ask you.....can you believe this? We send an athlete, a brilliant boxer to the Games and the coaching staff can't even enter him for the appropriate weight devision and/or can't prepare him to fight at that weight.
The mind boggles!!!!!!!!!!
Frankie Gavin ~ Weighs up his Future!
What Gadget does Frankie Gavin need more than any other?
Gavin fails in Games bid ~ British Gold Medal hope to miss Beijing after failing to make lightweight limit!
Gavin: Out of the Olympics
Frankie Gavin's Olympic dream is over after the world champion failed to make the lightweight limit. The 22-year-old had been one of Team GB's big gold medal hopes in Beijing having become Britain's first ever world amateur champion in Chicago in November.
However, Gavin had only boiled down to the 60kg division having campaigned at light-welterweight - even winning the European Amateur Championships at 64kgs in June. It was hoped he could drop down again for the Olympics. However having stayed at the Great Britain holding camp in Macao in a desperate bid to lose the final few pounds ahead of Friday's weigh-in, I’m afraid all his attempts were in vain.
So, the British Olympic Association faced with an overweight boxer, has now decided to pull Gavin out of the event with the Birmingham boxer still short of the limit. Terry Edwards, Gavin’s Olympic coach said, “It is the nature of our sport that we try and get our boxers to the top of their weight and it has been well documented that Frankie has struggled with this over recent months”.
So what does Gavin need ~ apart from a more alert Coach?
If Gavin’s a "gadget" person, he might appreciate the Tanita BC554 Ironman Innerscan Body Composition Monitor Elite (*est. $130) .
This pricey digital scale measures weight, body fat, body water, muscle mass, bone mass, metabolic age, visceral fat, physique rating and daily calorie intake. By the user's programming in age, gender, height, current weight and activity level, the Innerscan can calculate accurate measurements. The weight capacity is 330 pounds and the scale measures in pounds, kilograms and stone. Useful for a coaching staff that seems to have a very limited ability to read anything.
The scale can store data for up to four people. So, appropriate for the GB Boxing team which is around that number and getting smaller each day. The Innerscan also has a guest mode for visitors and an athlete mode for those on a rigorous fitness regimen. For most people this scale is probably overkill. Owner opinion is mixed, but mainly positive. A few owners complain that there really isn't a manual to show you how to use all the various features.
So what does Gavin need? ~ His very own Digital scale and a manual for the coaching staff.
Gavin fails in Games bid ~ British Gold Medal hope to miss Beijing after failing to make lightweight limit!
Gavin: Out of the Olympics
Frankie Gavin's Olympic dream is over after the world champion failed to make the lightweight limit. The 22-year-old had been one of Team GB's big gold medal hopes in Beijing having become Britain's first ever world amateur champion in Chicago in November.
However, Gavin had only boiled down to the 60kg division having campaigned at light-welterweight - even winning the European Amateur Championships at 64kgs in June. It was hoped he could drop down again for the Olympics. However having stayed at the Great Britain holding camp in Macao in a desperate bid to lose the final few pounds ahead of Friday's weigh-in, I’m afraid all his attempts were in vain.
So, the British Olympic Association faced with an overweight boxer, has now decided to pull Gavin out of the event with the Birmingham boxer still short of the limit. Terry Edwards, Gavin’s Olympic coach said, “It is the nature of our sport that we try and get our boxers to the top of their weight and it has been well documented that Frankie has struggled with this over recent months”.
So what does Gavin need ~ apart from a more alert Coach?
If Gavin’s a "gadget" person, he might appreciate the Tanita BC554 Ironman Innerscan Body Composition Monitor Elite (*est. $130) .
This pricey digital scale measures weight, body fat, body water, muscle mass, bone mass, metabolic age, visceral fat, physique rating and daily calorie intake. By the user's programming in age, gender, height, current weight and activity level, the Innerscan can calculate accurate measurements. The weight capacity is 330 pounds and the scale measures in pounds, kilograms and stone. Useful for a coaching staff that seems to have a very limited ability to read anything.
The scale can store data for up to four people. So, appropriate for the GB Boxing team which is around that number and getting smaller each day. The Innerscan also has a guest mode for visitors and an athlete mode for those on a rigorous fitness regimen. For most people this scale is probably overkill. Owner opinion is mixed, but mainly positive. A few owners complain that there really isn't a manual to show you how to use all the various features.
So what does Gavin need? ~ His very own Digital scale and a manual for the coaching staff.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
American cyclists apologise!!!
Beijing Olympics: American cyclists apologise for 'smog masks'
Four American cyclists who arrived at Beijing Airport with their faces covered by black respiratory masks have been forced to apologise to the Beijing Olympic organising committee (BOCOG).
By Simon Hart Last Updated: 12:51PM BST 06 Aug 2008
Controversy: Michael Friedman was one of four US cyclists who arrived in Beijing wearing a black respiratory mask. Photo: Reuters
"Those athletes regret that action and have written an apology to BOCOG on their own behalf," said Jim Scherr, chief executive of the United States Olympic Committee. "They now realise and understand how their actions were perceived by the host nation and by the organising committee".
He added: "It probably wasn't the most opportune time for these athletes to wear these masks. They were overly cautious."
Images and TV footage of the four riders - Mike Friedman, Sarah Hammer, Bobby Lea and Jennie Reed - were beamed all over the world on the day the International Olympic Committee went on the front foot on the subject of Beijing's pollution problem by claiming it had been exaggerated by the media.
The cyclists were later summoned to a meeting with the US Olympic Committee's head of sport, Steve Roush, where they agreed to apologise to their Chinese hosts.
Roush said: "Unfortunately, you never want to go to somebody else's place and cause any embarrassment, but in this case I think they did."
One of the four, track cyclist Lea, said that he and his colleagues had not intended to make a statement or protest about the air quality.
"We didn't realise the impact that wearing the masks would have," he said. "From our standpoint it was to take care of a perceived health risk. In reality it came across as offensive. We don't want to insult BOCOG or the Chinese public."
Sherr said that around 200 of the 596-strong American team had been issued with masks through their governing bodies but he believed improvements in the air quality in Beijing would mean they would not have to use them.
He added: "We would not prevent athletes if they want to wear a mask and feel it is in their best interests to do so. It is their right to do so."
The city remained covered with a murky haze for the third successive day today, with temperatures reaching a stifling 34C, though the official Air Quality Index rating of 85 was a slight improvement on the previous day.
A BOCOC spokesman said: "The conditions are not unfavourable at the moment and my understanding is that we are not going to be taking any extra measures."
Four American cyclists who arrived at Beijing Airport with their faces covered by black respiratory masks have been forced to apologise to the Beijing Olympic organising committee (BOCOG).
By Simon Hart Last Updated: 12:51PM BST 06 Aug 2008
Controversy: Michael Friedman was one of four US cyclists who arrived in Beijing wearing a black respiratory mask. Photo: Reuters
"Those athletes regret that action and have written an apology to BOCOG on their own behalf," said Jim Scherr, chief executive of the United States Olympic Committee. "They now realise and understand how their actions were perceived by the host nation and by the organising committee".
He added: "It probably wasn't the most opportune time for these athletes to wear these masks. They were overly cautious."
Images and TV footage of the four riders - Mike Friedman, Sarah Hammer, Bobby Lea and Jennie Reed - were beamed all over the world on the day the International Olympic Committee went on the front foot on the subject of Beijing's pollution problem by claiming it had been exaggerated by the media.
The cyclists were later summoned to a meeting with the US Olympic Committee's head of sport, Steve Roush, where they agreed to apologise to their Chinese hosts.
Roush said: "Unfortunately, you never want to go to somebody else's place and cause any embarrassment, but in this case I think they did."
One of the four, track cyclist Lea, said that he and his colleagues had not intended to make a statement or protest about the air quality.
"We didn't realise the impact that wearing the masks would have," he said. "From our standpoint it was to take care of a perceived health risk. In reality it came across as offensive. We don't want to insult BOCOG or the Chinese public."
Sherr said that around 200 of the 596-strong American team had been issued with masks through their governing bodies but he believed improvements in the air quality in Beijing would mean they would not have to use them.
He added: "We would not prevent athletes if they want to wear a mask and feel it is in their best interests to do so. It is their right to do so."
The city remained covered with a murky haze for the third successive day today, with temperatures reaching a stifling 34C, though the official Air Quality Index rating of 85 was a slight improvement on the previous day.
A BOCOC spokesman said: "The conditions are not unfavourable at the moment and my understanding is that we are not going to be taking any extra measures."
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