Olympia

Is it also a link with Vancouver 2010? Vancouver was a Dutch city in the past, called Coevoorden or Koeverden. Coincidence or is there a link with the next Winter Games?

Ok! But it felt good to say it! But what i read about the opening was great. The pictures of the dress rehearsels looked great. I read an artical that a Chinese man payed 19.000 euro for a ticket to see the opening. That's unbelievable. I can understand that you will see, but so much... I hope that also the 'normal' people of China will be able to watch the OC. It is a great moment for there culture. My question is about the athletes participation in the OC. The Dutch team have the rule that athletes are not allowed to participate in the OC when they have to compete in 48 hours after the OC. That means that the swimmers and hockey teams will not be in the OC for the Netherlands. Do other countries have the same rules?

Please, tell me that you're joking... 2002??? You mean the Games in Salt Lake??? You mean the Games with the way too chauvinistic American crowd??? Terrible! The only thing what counted was USA... I remeber the short-track competition where Ono lost and an Australian took the gold. Instead of cheering you were just screaming ans shooting! That is not were the Olympics stands for! USA was the only country wich counted for you! I liked the crowd in Norway more! They were cheering when they lost the gold in the cross-country relay to Italy, because they saw an amazing race! I never think Americans will do that! Will be the next joke that you call the Atlanta Games the best ever???

En dat vanuit Hamburg Zo'n grote fan van vd Vaart dat je in Hamburg bent gaan wonen? Maar idd een Nederlandse fan op GB! OT: You mean that for coaches there has to be also a spot at section E?

Or are the jumping and trowing area's at that side of the track? But there is still a bit yellow in that section, so there will be no vip's there. They don't want to sit next to the 'normal people'. The grey sector at the end of the 100 meter line will be reserved for the press. They will have a stand like in Athens.

About the website beijing2008.com I think it is slow. It takes a long time to load. And it is not my connection, I tested several sites. Why is the competition schedule not completed with the teams playing. Still you just get the dates and the times, not the teams. And I miss a day-by-day scheldule. Is this information being placed later when all the qualification is been done?

The 2008 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament is broadcasted by the following channels: Americas Argentina - TYC Sports Brazil - ESPN, Sport TV, Bandeirantes Sport, Sport Interactivo Canada - The Score Puerto Rico - CaribeVision/Channel 24 Venezuela - Telesur Asia Indonesia - First Media Japan - JSport Korea - MBC/ESPN Philippines - Solar Entertainment Middle East/North Africa Algeria - Al Jazeera Sport Chad - Al Jazeera Sport Djibouti - Al Jazeera Sport Egypt - Al Jazeera Sport Libya - Al Jazeera Sport Tunisia - Al Jazeera Sport Morocco - Al Jazeera Sport Jordan - Al Jazeera Sport Lebanon - Al Jazeera Sport Mauritania - Al Jazeera Sport Bahrain - Al Jazeera Sport Saudi Arabia - Al Jazeera Sport Oman - Al Jazeera Sport Qatar - Al Jazeera Sport Somalia - Al Jazeera Sport Syria - Al Jazeera Sport United Arab Emirates - Al Jazeera Sport Yemen - Al Jazeera Sport Sudan - Al Jazeera Sport Iraq - Al Jazeera Sport Iran - Al Jazeera Sport Kuwait - Al Jazeera Sport Palestine including Gaza Strip - Al Jazeera Sport Europe Austria - DSF Cyprus - Lumiere TV France - Ma Chaine Sport Germany - DSF Greece - ERT Israel - The Sport Channel Liechtenstein - DSF Luxembourg - DSF Romania - Boom Sport One Slovenia - RTV SLO, Sport TV Switzerland - DSF Turkey - NTV

Who is broadcasting this event in Europe? I want to see some matches, but there is nothing about the broadcasters at the website of the tournament.

I saw a news item on the BBC about the pollution. Just 1 day out of 7 it was under the norm of the World Health Organization. But that was without all the regulations. I hope it will help. But are there rules about the maximum pollution during the marathon or road cycling? And what are they gonna do when the pollution is too high? Postpone the events?

My focus will be on the hockey-tournament. The Netherlands is participating in the men's and women's competition and both teams can win a medal. The Netherlands will also have medal-chances in judo, equestrian (jumping, dressage and eventing), swimming, baseball, softball, waterpolo for women, athletics (shot put men, discus trow men and steeple for men), beach volleybal for men, track and road cycling, men's football and sailing. In gymnastics we have a former world champion and this years worl cup winner, but he is not qualified because we don't have a team at the Games. Yuri van Gelder is the best men on the rings. But he is at home... I don't see medal chances for both Dutch athletes in gymnastics: Epke Zonderland (men, horizontal bar) and Suzanne harmes (allround)). So I have enough to watch!

The Dutch broadcaster NOS will send almost 90 people of the sport department to Beijing. The news department are also sending tweo teams: 1 team of 9 journalists for the real news and 2 people for the youth-news. The NOS is complaining that the communication with Beijing is difficult. While the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is arranging all the contracts, the NOS self has to arrange the broadcast facilities for their own programms and those facilities are not fully arranged yet. The NOS started 2 years ago with the preparation for these Games, but according to the NOS 'they needed at least 5 years'. I don't hope it will affect the Dutch programms and i hope other countries don't have these problems!

Sydney had indeed problems with the cauldron. It was not moving up. I remeber that the orchestra was just playing and playing. But it was not so long. And still it is my favourite ceremony! Sydney mixed the creative part with all the official things. i think that the OC in Beijing will follow the same procedure and the same order. So 1 hour before the official part and 40 minutes afterwards including lighting the flame sames ok to me.

What were the results of the tcar-bans during the test-period to clear the sky? Worked it?

Why is china not allowed to have a crew on every event as host nation?

The Netherlands will have 6 crews in Beijing: Men's 8 Men's light 4 Men's 4 Men's skiff Women's 8 Women's light D2

Even the way the fire is lit is not always a secret. Barcelona 1992 announced a few days before the opening the fire would be lit by an archer. And before the OC in Athens 2004, there were some pictures that the cauldron would bent.

The Dutch hockeyteam is certainly a candidate for a medal, but not the big favourite. I think Germany and Australia are the best countries, followed by The Netherlands and Spain. I think these four countries will be in the semi-finals and batteling for the medals.

It looks more like a funeral pyre like the used in the middle-ages to burn witches!

It will be a nerve-breaking event! What is the date of it?

The Netherlands will have 2 men's teams participating. Schuil and Nummerdor are already certain and a candidate for a medal. The 2nd place will go to Boersma and Bram Ronnes, or De Gruiter and Gijs Ronnes. Two brothers batteling for one place. That will be a special family-dinner!

It will be on Nederland 1 this year. All the sport is on that channel. The internet coverage will be the world feed, so without commentary and interviews. I know that it is only availible for internet-users with a dutch IP-adress. So if you are living outside The Netherlands, you will have to use a proxy-adress to see it.

The NOS will broadcast from the start till the end of an Olympic day and the internet will also broadcast the whole day. The NOS has a talk show with the most famous sport reporter of the country, Mart Smeets. He will invite the Dutch medal winners and combine that with other Dutch guests out of sport, music, politics and television. It will be broadcasted from the Holland Heineken House, the place to be in Beijing!

Go to the beach volleyball. The Netherlands will beat Canada

Strange that there is only 1 team from Europe. I'm glad it is the Netherlands, but is that one of the reasons baseball will be skipped after these Games?

this is what Hein Verbruggen meant with 'over-organizing' the Games by Beijing! Please let it be spontaneous!