lplove

Karen Cockburn has been named Canada's flagbearer at the closing ceremony: http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/story/2008/08/2...emony-flag.html Karen won the silver medal in women's trampoline and has won medals at all 3 of the last olympic games (trampoline has also only been an olympic sport for the past 3 olympics, so she is 3 for 3). does anyone know what the selection process was like? 4 years ago I could have sworn that it was an athletes' vote, but from the announcement this morning (Sylvie Bernier on CBC) it seemed like it was a COC decision. It seems unlikely that Karen would win had it been a straight popularity vote.

yeah- I think I saw them at every event I was at (over 10 different sports)... although there was often one of the bunch missing, not sure why. Sometimes there were even double of one character in the different variations of costumes (see my post above)!

from what I remember, there are at least 3 variations of the mascot costumes I saw there: - blow up plastic mascot outfits as mentioned earlier - short furry mascot outfits, must be worn by very short people. these ones were closest to the real thing. - human-proportioned mascot outfits, looked weird and horrible, but they were featured in gymnastics and basketball competitions where they were tumbling and doing trampoline dunking the advantage to the blow up dolls is the fact that it is HOT in Beijing and the people inside the uniforms would be dying in the latter 2 costumes! So even though they didn't look as good (definitely not nearly as bad as #3), at least the people inside were more comfortable. The first time I saw those costumes in person I thought they were ok looking, but a smart choice in terms of weather.

For those of you in Beijing, I'm wondering (in the midst of packing): 1) Air Conditioning - I know beijing outside is sweltering, but are they known to jack up the air conditioning REALLY cold inside? (a.k.a. should I bring just as many sweaters as shorts and tshirts?) Other countries in Asia like Hong Kong are notorious for this. 2) Nighttime climate - how cold does it get at night? do I need an extra jacket? 3) Bugs - I would venture a guess no because of all the smog, but someone told me to pack my bug spray and I was wondering if there was any truth to this...

well at least they're actually lining up and not budding in front of others...? hopefully that's good news for all the visitors who aren't used to the 'typical' Chinese way.

thanks for your always-helpful reply! good to hear.

Sorry- don't know if this comment was directed at me, I was probably a bit unclear in my last message. but I will be in Beijing during the olympics and was wondering if there will be Canadian/English-speaking coverage over the radio that I will be able to receive in Beijing. I doubt the star/globe will be distributing in Beijing! And doubt that CBC coverage will actually be playing in Beijing unless I go to their studios or something (does anyone know where this is and whether they will have screens set up, etc. that we'd be able to watch their broadcasts over?).

Adam Van Koeverden was just named flag bearer in the opening ceremonies. http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/story/2008/07/23/flag-bearer.html

does this relate to ANY reselling of tickets? What if I wanted to sell mine at/below face value (just to get rid of some and recoup costs)? no?

Is there any way to see/hear CBC coverage while in Beijing besides streaming on the web? Although I am excited to be seeing the games firsthand, I forsee that it will be difficult to keep up with Canada's (and the rest of the world's progress, for that matter) progress without my trusty CBC coverage! I'll be relying on internet cafes on and off, so not the best way to keep up with our progress. If not CBC, where's a good place to keep up with olympic goings-on (Canadian or not) in English?

Same here with respect to the lack of schedule. I've actually found Wikipedia to be a good source of schedules/teams playing for many of the events (Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Football, Volleyball, Water Polo, Handball) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Summer_Olympics Scroll down to 'Calendar' and click on any of the events on the left column. The page is usually called INSERTSPORTHERE_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics

Hi everyone- In Beijing, I had planned to stay with a friend's relative (my friend is not staying with me and I do not existingly know the relative but they were ok with me staying). They had agreed to host me at no charge (although I would happily pay to stay). Recently I found out that they can't host me anymore because the Beijing Olympic Committee will not allow them to host foreigners. This sounds quite odd (I thought Beijing wanted to display a friendly front) and I am wondering if there is a misunderstanding on one of our parts. I tried searching online for this regulation to no avail. Has anyone heard of a similar rule? thanks in advance for your help.

so how much was shipping to you in Canada? yes, China is known for its small sizes - look at the average sized man/woman there! very short and small! From Wikipedia, it says the average male height in China is 5' 4.8" and the average female height is 5' 0.8"!! It probably should have known better (esp because they are selling to an international market)... but that's why.

sorry, my bad - meant olympic green, not olympic village! thatsnotmypuppy- I hope transport to Shunyi is fast and efficient- I too have a back to back event there (but with 2 hours in between). Hope that's enough time! Chateau Petrux (or anyone else who knows)- what type of cultural programs are tied to the sport programs? (examples in past years?) how does it work- are there things in the vicinity of each sporting event, or is there something big each day centrally? what's olymphilex? Is the Canadian Team headquarters the same as Canada House? (http://www.olympic.ca/EN/games/coh/index.shtml) I definitely want to check that out! Good to hear they had TVs for the general public though - it doesn't say that on the website - only for friends/family. I heard it was going to be near Tiannamen square this time though, not the olympic green. I actually have been to Beijing in the past, so doing some of those attractions again is not a must, which will I guess save me some time to relax!!

aww, I like them! The cartoons are adorable. But I agree, they DO look a bit freaky in the costume format...

For those headed to Beijing and those who have been to past games, how packed was your schedule of sporting events? How much time did you (are you) going to leave off to see the city and partake in the free festivities that the olympics organizers will undoubtedly plan? I'm excited about all the tickets I've got (16 or 17 events in 11 days with a couple days totally free and a couple days with just 1 event), but now I'm worried about not getting to experience everything else! But I guess I'm also the type of person who is happiest when I'm busy...

yeah - I just put in another order. I wish I had waited the first time to save another $16, but oh well, I got what I wanted!! water polo canoe/kayak flatwater rhythmic gymnastics football basketball beach volleyball table tennis rowing

actually, I didn't - women's finals. I wish I had known that though! I am more seeing archery for the experience than expecting to cheer for any canadians! did you end up placing your order?

yes, very frustrated as well! It took me 5 tries (and 4.5 hours) to finally get my order in. And what I ended up getting (archery, handball, weightlifting, softball) was different than what I initially had the first time (that plus football, beach volleyball, water polo, canoe/kayak). I'm going for sure anyway, because I was allocated tickets in the first round (gymnastics, swimming, diving, athletics). I guess I'll wait for beijing to see how much I'm willing to pay from scalpers!!

that's what we're all trying to figure out

Was the date still November 26 for the Australians? Technically it is Nov 26 for them right now, and it will cease being November 26 for them by the time morning comes for us North Americans... hmm... Can anyone in Sydney (or can call free to sydney) call cosport and ask what time they'll be on sale? Tel: + 61 2 9241 5500

yeah, but aren't the pool of tickets foreigners are ordering from separate from those in China? So the ones that are snapped up there might have leftovers here?? wishful thinking...

Badminton is a great idea! Even if I'm bored, it'd be wonderful to even be in that atmosphere of such excited Chinese fans. I wonder if cosport has seen demand through the roof for this from the non-China residents. as for Modern Pentathlon... I've never even heard of it - can you tell me more and why it's so exciting to watch?

Hi all, Long time lurker, (second) time poster. I too am looking at adding to my collection of beijing olympics tickets in the 2nd round, and was looking to pick up tickets for some sports that don't receive much media attention (at least in North America) but are exciting to see in person. any suggestions? (on things to go to or avoid)? lpl

I haven't received that email, but it's nice to know that they are still on schedule (for once)! I called them last Monday to inquire, and asked whether it was still on and what time, and they said that they didn't know what time yet, and weren't sure whether or not they were actually going to release the time. vague as always! I tried calling yesterday (Friday) to see whether they had any more details, but it was Black Friday in the US and they were closed. I even tried calling my home country's Jet Set Sports office, but they were closed too. I guess we'll just have to wait in anticipation all day Monday. Hopefully it's early so I can get on with things!