gigi
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Post by gigi on Aug 1, 2008 13:48:42 GMT 1
Poland is first Olympic squad to arrive in Beijing China National News Sunday 27th July, 2008 (IANS) Beijing, July 27 (Xinhua) The Polish Olympic team became the first international delegation to arrive here for the Beijing Games Sunday. Forty-two Polish athletes arrived early Sunday morning. They are the first batch of Poland's 400-plus Beijing Olympic delegation, which includes 268 athletes. The delegation is supposed to be Poland's largest since the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The delegation, which arrived here, included canoers, weighlifters and volleyball players. Also aboard the flight were Poland's handball team members who stepped off at the airport for a transfer to Seoul in South Korea, for training. Otylia Jedrzejczak, women's 200 butterfly gold medallist in Athens, also made a transfer at the airport for pre-games training in Japan. 'I am satisfied with services at the airport and the speed of the entry procedure is quick enough,' said Kajetan Broniewski, chef de mission of the Polish Olympic delegation. Exclusive Olympic lanes have been set up at sites such as the border check, inspection and quarantine, and customs, and Beijing Olympic Organising Committee officials said they are trying to make Olympic Family members' passage easier and faster. Other members of the Polish delegation agreed their entry at the airport was basically satisfactory. They did not show up earlier because the luggage claiming took a little more time as some are oversized and the delegation had to wait until the last of them got the belongings. Broniewski said the Polish delegation aims to reap at least 11 gold medals at the Beijing Games. Janusz Tatera, Poland's Olympic attache counsellor, said though it's hard to predict how many gold medals the Poles will win, his country will win no less than the 10 gold medals it won in Athens. Boxing, swimming, canoeing, yachting and fencing are the strongest assets of the Polish team which will compete in 24 sports in Beijing. Star athletes such as Jedrzejczak, gold-winning sailing pair Kusznierewicz Mateusz and Dominik Zycki at the Miami star-classes worlds, and world champion for men's 400m hurdles Plawgo Marek are among Poland's gold hopefuls. Poland's men's volleyball and handball also have a good chance to win. Since its Olympic debut in 1924, Poland has won a total of 59 gold medals, 74 silver and 118 bronze in Summer Olympics, with athletics being its most successful sport.
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gigi
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Post by gigi on Aug 1, 2008 16:43:32 GMT 1
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Post by locopolaco on Aug 1, 2008 19:15:20 GMT 1
hmmm.. and i thought poland would stand up for principles of democracy and freedom and boycot these olympics. there was talk of not attending at one point.. what happened?  |
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gigi
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Post by gigi on Aug 3, 2008 14:12:33 GMT 1
hmmm.. and i thought poland would stand up for principles of democracy and freedom and boycot these olympics. there was talk of not attending at one point.. what happened? Donald Tusk is supposedly boycotting the opening ceremonies. Apparently that will make a strong enough statement... What do you think would be more effective: to boycott the opening ceremony in an act of protest against Chinese actions in Tibet, or to attend the ceremony and claim (loudly) to be doing so on behalf of the people of Tibet (thus drawing more media attention to them and their plight)? |
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Post by Bonobo on Aug 3, 2008 19:28:19 GMT 1
hmmm.. and i thought poland would stand up for principles of democracy and freedom and boycot these olympics. there was talk of not attending at one point.. what happened? There were various propositions. Some suggested total boycot, others only a boycot of the opening ceremony by major Polish officials. The second one was chosen and the Polish Prime Minister and President won`t attend the ceremony. |
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Post by Bonobo on Aug 3, 2008 19:31:10 GMT 1
hmmm.. and i thought poland would stand up for principles of democracy and freedom and boycot these olympics. there was talk of not attending at one point.. what happened? There were various propositions. Some suggested total boycot, others only a boycot of the opening ceremony by major Polish officials. The second one was chosen and the Polish Prime Minister and President won`t attend the ceremony. Loco, sorry for being straighforward, but you surely buy Chinese products sold in the USA, like everybody does, so why do you want Poland to stand out from the crowd and boycot Chinese Olympics? |
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gigi
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Post by gigi on Aug 7, 2008 2:52:41 GMT 1
Natalia Partyka, born June 27, 1989, is a Polish table tennis player. Lacking her right forearm, she participates in competitions for able-bodied athletes as well as in competitions for athletes with disabilities. Partyka won her first international table tennis medal in 1999, at the disabled World Championships. She competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney. In 2004, she won a gold medal in the singles event and a silver in the team event at the Athens Paralympics. She also won two gold medals that year at the European Championships for Cadets, organised by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). The latter competition was intended for able-bodied competitors. In 2006, Partyka won three gold medals at the European Paralympic Championships, one gold and two silver at the International Paralympic Committee's Table Tennis World Championships for Disabled, and a silver in the team event at the ITTF European Junior Championship. She won two silver medals and one bronze at the 2007 edition of the latter competition. Also in 2007, Partyka won three gold medals at the European Paralympic Championships, and a bronze at the ITTF World Junior Teams Championships. She will compete in both the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing - one of only two athletes to do so, the other being Natalie du Toit in swimming. They will be her third Paralympic Games, and her first Olympics. from Wikipedia  Imho, table tennis is a questionable olympic sport, but I admire Partyka's dedication and determination. |
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gigi
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Post by gigi on Aug 10, 2008 16:36:41 GMT 1
1st day of Polish athletes competing in Beijing  Leszek Blanik In volleyball the three-time Olympic champion Cuba beat the Polish women 3-1 in the preliminary match of pool A. In the men’s gymnastics, world champion Polish vaulter Leszek Blanik scored 16.7. In shooting the last one to make the eight-shooter final was Sylwia Bogacka of Poland. In bandminton Poland's Przemyslaw Wacha, ranked 13 in the world, also enjoyed a 2-0 win over Estonian Raul Must, playing in his first Olympics. Out of the roughly 10 thousand sportsmen gathered in the Chinese capital the Polish team comprises 263 athletes competing in 24 events. 09.08.2008 Polskie Radio |
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Post by pjotr on Aug 14, 2008 21:53:29 GMT 1
Folks,
I don't like China for historical, human, political, ethical & moral reasons.
I remember the distruction of Tibet, a lot of Chinese culture during the
stupid and criminal Cultural revolution, the bad role Maoism and ofsprings
of Maoism play in the world (Cambodja, North-Korea, Nepal, Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) in Peru) and the Cult of personality around Mao.
I have a problem also with China blackmailing Western Countries who have political,
diplomatic, trade and economical ties with Taiwan, and the fact that China constantly
threatens it's little neighbour. Also China's ties with the regime of Sudan are
questionable. China is involved in Sudan and therefor connected to the drama in
Dafur and Southern Sudan, because China is developping Sudans oil industry,
delivering the country arms and etc.
Tibet
With the invasion of Tibet in 1950 and the subsequent Seventeen Point Agreement, the People's Republic of China (PRC) asserted control over Tibet.
A rebellion against the Chinese occupation was led by noblemen and monasteries and broke out in Amdo and eastern Kham in June 1956. The insurrection, supported by the American CIA, eventually spread to Lhasa. It was crushed by 1959. During this campaign, tens of thousands of Tibetans were killed and the 14th Dalai Lama and other government principals fled to exile in India.
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in the People’s Republic of China was a struggle for power within the Communist Party of China that manifested into wide-scale social, political, and economic violence and chaos, which grew to include large sections of Chinese society and eventually brought the entire country to the brink of civil war.
It was launched by Mao Zedong, the chairman of the Communist Party of China, on May 16, 1966, officially as a campaign to rid China of its “liberal bourgeoisie” elements and to continue revolutionary class struggle by mobilizing the thoughts and actions of China’s youth, who formed Red Guards groups around the country. It is widely recognized, however, as a method to regain control of the party after the disastrous Great Leap Forward led to a significant loss of Mao’s power to rivals Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, and would eventually descend into waves of power struggles between rival factions both nationally and locally. Although Mao himself officially declared the Cultural Revolution to have ended in 1969, the term is today widely used to also include the power struggles and political instability between 1969 and the arrest of the Gang of Four in 1976.
The damages caused by the Cultural Revolution were seen by observers, the majority of China’s population, as well as the Communist Party of China, as an unmitigated disaster upon the country and its people. Although differing assessments continue to exist, in its official, historical judgment of the Cultural Revolution in 1981, the Party assigned chief responsibility to Mao Zedong, but also laid significant blame on Lin Biao and the Gang of Four (most prominently its leader, Jiang Qing) for causing its worst excesses.
Politics of the People's Republic of China
While the PRC is regarded as a Communist state by many political scientists, simple characterizations of China's political structure since the 1980s are no longer possible. The PRC government has been variously described as authoritarian, communist, and socialist, with heavy restrictions remaining in many areas, most notably in the Internet and in the press, freedom of assembly, reproductive rights, and freedom of religion. However, compared to its closed door policies until the mid-1970s, the liberalization of the PRC is such that the administrative climate is much less restrictive than before, though the PRC is still far from the full-fledged democracy practiced in most of Europe or North America, according to most observers internationally.
Pjotr
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gigi
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Post by gigi on Aug 15, 2008 17:29:41 GMT 1
Loco, sorry for being straighforward, but you surely buy Chinese products sold in the USA, like everybody does... Yes, even young Americans have noticed the ever increasing volume of Chinese made products sold here. For example, my son was recently examining some small toys he received at a friend's birthday party. He turned each item over, saying "Made in China, made in China" after each examination. Finally, he looked at me and said with exasperation, "Mom, doesn't anybody else make stuff besides China?".  |
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gigi
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Post by gigi on Aug 15, 2008 17:37:02 GMT 1
 Tomasz Majewski of Poland displays a national flag of Poland. (Photo credit: Liao Yujie/Xinhua) (BEIJING, August 15) -- Tomasz Majewski of Poland won gold in the Men's Shot Put final at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on Friday, August 15, at the National Stadium. His best throw of 21.51m put him ahead of Christian Cantwell of the United States, whose throw of 21.09m won him the silver, while bronze went to Andrei Mikhnevich of Belarus with a throw of 21.05m. Majewski set a new personal best of 21.04m in the qualifying rounds this morning, only to beat it again with his gold medal winning 21.51m throw. |
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Post by valpomike on Aug 16, 2008 14:22:47 GMT 1
GO POLAND GO, get more gold.
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gigi
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Post by gigi on Aug 17, 2008 14:25:04 GMT 1
GO POLAND GO, get more gold.   Triple world champions Poland won the men's quadruple sculls gold at the Beijing Olympic rowing competition on Sunday. Konrad Wasielewski, Marek Kolbowicz, Michal Jelinski and Adam Korol took the lead from the start and held off Italy, for whom Rossano Galtarossa and Simone Ranieri had been champions in Sydney eight years ago, to claim the title. France finished strongly to beat Australia for the bronze medal by just 0.34 sec. The Polish crew crossed the line in a time of 5 minutes 4.33 seconds. |
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Post by locopolaco on Aug 19, 2008 3:55:08 GMT 1
hmmm.. and i thought poland would stand up for principles of democracy and freedom and boycot these olympics. there was talk of not attending at one point.. what happened? There were various propositions. Some suggested total boycot, others only a boycot of the opening ceremony by major Polish officials. The second one was chosen and the Polish Prime Minister and President won`t attend the ceremony. Loco, sorry for being straighforward, but you surely buy Chinese products sold in the USA, like everybody does, so why do you want Poland to stand out from the crowd and boycot Chinese Olympics? i surely try to avoid chinese products as much as possible but america has sold out to the chinese so it's very, very hard to do but i am a conscientious shopper and like i said, i try. |
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Post by locopolaco on Aug 19, 2008 4:01:45 GMT 1
i watched the volleyball polkas struggle against US.. they did pretty well but got shut down in the 3rd set unfortunately.. and are out. the sculling event was great. the poles won it big time. in other configurations poles did pretty well too. side note: i sculled in high school and my sister did so too but she also continued at the uni. good times. the other polish track and field athletes have made a pretty good showing overall. POLSKA SIŁA!!!!  |
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gigi
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Post by gigi on Aug 19, 2008 13:45:49 GMT 1
 Olympics: Poland's Blanik wins gold in men's vault AFP - August 18, 2008, 10:17 pm Polish gymnast Leszek Blanik won the Olympic gold medal in the men's vault competition here Monday, the first men's gymnastics event not won by the Chinese team at the Beijing Games. Blanik, the reigning world champion on the apparatus, took gold ahead of France's Thomas Bouhail and Anton Galotsuskov of Russia. Blanik and Bouhail both finished scored 16.537 for routines with identical difficulty values, but Blanik was awarded gold under the International Gymnastics Federation's complicated tie-breaker rules. |
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Post by valpomike on Aug 19, 2008 14:13:25 GMT 1
Way to go Poland
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gigi
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Post by gigi on Aug 22, 2008 2:47:15 GMT 1
Polish Silver Medalist Kolecki's Tibet protest Tuesday, August 19, 2008 15:56 By Tenzin Sangmo - Phayul  Szymon Kolecki, 26, Polish weightlifter who finished second in the men's 94 kg at the Olympics made a strong statement when he shaved his head as a mark of solidarity with Tibetan monks just before the competition.
"This haircut is from this morning. I can't directly say why I did it. It's connected with certain things that the Olympic Charter forbids. But I will say that it's symbolic," he told a Polish news agency August 17.
Kolecki, a member of the Polish team for the 2008 Olympic Games has been very outspoken about China's policies. "I am outraged by what's going on in Tibet. When I read about it, I can hardly believe I'll compete in a country that bloodily suppresses street protests and persecutes people who don't agree with the party. I can't believe the Chinese have launched an immense operation to block Lhasa", he said after the events unfolded in Tibet.
Earlier in March, a week after the Lhasa unrest where Chinese troops subdued peaceful protestors he said, "Unless the Chinese regime becomes more moderate, I'll compete with my head shaved in a gesture of solidarity with the Tibetan monks".
True to his word, a bald Kolecki took centerstage on Sunday bagging the silver medal in his category.
He further added, "Until August 17th, I'll be focused chiefly on my participation in the contest. But after that I'll keep my eyes wide open and if I see something worrying, I'll surely not look away."
Kolecki was born on October 12, 1981 in Olawa, a town in south-western Poland and was a silver medalist at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney after which a serious back injury forced him to put his career on hold. He recuperated and returned to weightlifting in late 2005 and remains a five time gold winner at the European Championships over the years. |
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Post by Bonobo on Aug 24, 2008 14:16:23 GMT 1
Gigi, thanks for this thread. As I said before, I am not interested in watching sport. That is why I didn`t see the opening ceremony in Beijing, I didn`t watch any competitions either. I heard Poland won 10 medals. That`s all what I know.
The next Olympic Games will be more successful... ;D ;D ;D
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gigi
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Post by gigi on Aug 25, 2008 1:41:51 GMT 1
Olympics wrap up: ten medals for Poland
Created: 24.08.2008 11:23
Poland finishes the Beijing 2008 Olympics with a haul of ten medals - three gold, six silver and one bronze.
The number of medals is the same as four years ago in Athens, although there the Poles won less silver (two) and more bronze (five).
Taking into account the number of medals, Poles showed their best in athletics and rowing. Shot-putter Tomasz Majewski surprised the nation with gold and Piotr Malachowski won silver in discus throwing.
The athletics team managed to get close to the lead - pole-vaulter Monika Pyrek, hurdlers Anna Jesien (400 m) and Artur Noga (110 m) were in fifth places.
In rowing, Adam Korol, Marek Kolbowicz, Konrad Wasielewski and Michal Jelinski won gold in the men's quadruple sculls race, while Pawel Randa, Milosz Bernatajtys, Bartlomiej Pawelczak, Lukasz Pawlowski took silver in the lightweight men's four.
The third gold medal was won by gymnast Leszek Blanik in the vault.
Epee fencers Robert Andrzejuk, Radoslaw Zawrotniak, Tomasz Motyka and Adam Wiercioch won team silver - the first medal for Poles at the Beijing Olympics.
Maja Wloszczowska won silver in mountain biking - the first medal in 16 years won by a Polish athlete in cycling.
Weightlifter Szymon Kolecki (up to 94 kg) fought till the end and was second. Marcin Dolega (up to 105 kg), was close, but finished at fourth place.
Polish canoeists managed to qualify to eight finals. Aneta Konieczna i Beata Mikolajczyk took silver in women's kayak doubles 500-metre race, while Adam Seroczynski and Mariusz Kujawski lost the bronze by less than one tenth of a second in men's doubles kayak flatwater 1000-metre race.
Agnieszka Wieszczek won Poland's only bronze medal in freestyle wrestling.
Polish swimmers were a big disappointment, as they did not take a single medal. Otylia Jedrzejczak, who won gold and silver in Athens four years ago, managed only a fourth place in her favourite discipline, the 200 metre butterfly.
The men's volleyball and handball teams also raised high expectations by effortlessly advancing to the quarter finals, but lost their nerve and did not make it to the podium.
In general, Polish sportspeople made it to the best eight in their sports 60 times, compared to 42 times four years ago in Athens. With their ten medals the Polish Olympic squad finished 20th in the medal table.
thenews.pl
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Post by Bonobo on Aug 25, 2008 7:10:21 GMT 1
In general, Polish sportspeople made it to the best eight in their sports 60 times, compared to 42 times four years ago in Athens. With their ten medals the Polish Olympic squad finished 20th in the medal table. [/i] thenews.pl [/quote] Not bad. We left many important sporty countries behind. results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/GL/95A/GL0000000.shtmlHere is an overall Olympic ranking. Poland is 24. www.olympic.it/english/medal |
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Post by gigi on Aug 25, 2008 14:27:34 GMT 1
Just to clarify, the first chart is for Beijing medal results only. The second is for historical rankings without all of the Beijing totals. For example, Armenia is ranked 86th in the second chart, with 3 medals total - 1 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze. In Beijing, they won 6 more bronze medals. The same for Mongolia, who was listed 95th in the first chart with 5 silver and 10 bronze, and they won 2 gold and 2 silver in Beijing. |
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Post by gigi on Aug 25, 2008 14:42:28 GMT 1
Interesting Facts About the Overall Medal Count:
* China won the most gold medals at the Beijing Games with 51. They become the first country to crack the 50-gold mark since the Soviet Union in 1988. The most golds ever won in a single Olympics is 83 (United States, 1984).
* It's the first time since 1936 that a country other than the United States or the Soviet Union has led the gold medal count.
* China won more golds in Beijing (51) than they did total medals in Atlanta (50).
* 'Project 119' was a Chinese initiative designed toward winning golds in the medal-rich sports of swimming, track, rowing, kayaking and sailing. Reports are already crediting Project 119 with China's dominance in the gold medal count, but Chinese athletes won just four golds in those sports. Their total was instead augmented by even better performances in Chinese-dominated events like diving, gymnastics and table tennis.
* The United States won the same amount of golds (36) that they did in Athens, continuing a remarkable consistency that the nation has exhibited over the past half-century. American Olympic gold totals since 1952: 40, 32, 34, 36, 45, 33, 34, 83, 36, 37, 44, 38, 36 and 36. (The outlier of 83 was from the boycotted 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.)
* The overall medal count was won by the United States for the fourth consecutive Olympics. The U.S. earned 110 medals, compared to China's 100.
* Per capita, China won one gold medal for every 25 million people in the country. The United States' per capita rate was one gold for every 8.5 million. The tiny island nation of Jamaica, which won a staggering six golds in Beijing, had a per capita rate of one gold for every 450,000 residents. Had China won at that rate, the country would have earned 2,889 golds.
* Greece won 16 medals as the host country in 2004. Four years later, the founders of the Olympics managed just four -- their lowest total since 1992.
* African countries won a total of 40 medals, the highest total in history for the continent.
* Six countries won their first ever Olympic medals: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Mauritius, Sudan, Tajikistan and Togo.
* Great Britain won 47 medals, the most in their history and a 17-medal increase from Athens. Expect an even higher total in 2012, when the Games will be held in London for the first time in 68 years. The last time Great Britain competed in a Summer Olympics on its home turf, they earned a disappointing three golds.
* India has 17% of the world's population. They won 0.31% of Olympic medals.
* China: 19.8% of population, 10.4% of medals.
* United States: 4.6% of population, 11.5% medals.
* Jamaica: 0.041% of population, 1.15% medals.
* Iceland was the least populous country to win an Olympic medal.
* Pakistan was the most populous country not to win an Olympic medal (164 million residents, sixth-largest nation in the world).
* The rest of the world won seven golds in men's swimming events. Michael Phelps alone won eight.
* Phelps would have finished tied for 9th in the gold medal count, ahead of countries including France, Netherlands, Spain, Canada, Argentina, Switzerland, Brazil and Mexico.
* The United States won the most golds (7) and most total medals in the track competition (23), despite having what was widely considered a disappointing meet.
* China won 8 out of 12 possible medals in table tennis and 7 of 8 possible golds in diving.
*Great Britain won 7 of 10 golds in track cycling and won 12 medals overall. The rest of the world earned 18 medals in the sport.
* National gold-medal sweeps: Basketball (USA), Beach Volleyball (USA), Rhythmic Gymnastics (RUS), Synchronized Swimming (RUS), Table Tennis (CHN) and Trampoline (CHN).
* Members of the former Soviet Union won a total of 173 medals in Beijing.
* In 1992, Cuba finished 5th in the gold medal count. In 2008, the nation finished 28th.
* From 1980 to 2008, Jamaica won three Olympic golds. In a span of six days in Beijing, Usain Bolt won three.
* Sweden was a fixture in the top-three of the overall medal count for the early part of the 20th century. In Beijing, the Scandinavian country finished 38th and was shut-out in golds for just the second time in history.
* Panama and Mongolia won the first gold medals in their respective histories.
* China won 27 gold medals in judged sports.
* The United States won 4 gold medals in judged sports.
* In all, 958 medals were handed out to athletes from 87 countries, the most medals and medal recipients in Olympic history.
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Post by Bonobo on Sept 12, 2008 10:36:32 GMT 1
Polish canoeists managed to qualify to eight finals. Aneta Konieczna i Beata Mikolajczyk took silver in women's kayak doubles 500-metre race, while Adam Seroczynski and Mariusz Kujawski lost the bronze by less than one tenth of a second in men's doubles kayak flathingyer 1000-metre race. Seroczyñski caused a huge scandal. His urine samples A and B proved that he had taken illegal substances. He is denying everything and announced the end of the career. PS. The Para Olympics of disabled sportsmen are taking place in Beijing now. Poles have won 13 medals so far, more than at the regular Olympics before. |
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