Golf, Rugby Sevens and Women's Boxing - New Olympic Sports

The International Olympic Committee has made recommendations to add golf, rugby sevens and women's boxing as new sports in the Olympics.

Women's boxing will be part of the 2012 London Olympics. British women boxers are delighted to be given the chance to compete on home ground.

Image via Wikipedia

In the meantime, the IOC executive board has also voted to include golf and rugby sevens in the games, but that will be for the 2016 Olympics. The recommendations have to be approved by the full IOC congress, which will meet in October in Copenhagen. It is expected that the congress will rubber-stamp the recommendations.

Even Tiger Woods is delighted at the prospect of playing in the Olympics.

Rugby sevens is a fact-action sport, that has grown rapidly in popularity world-wide. It will certainly add to the excitement of the Olympics. More on Rugby Sevens.

After Tragedy the U.S. Indoor Volleyball Team Wins First Match

The man killed in the Drum Tower was disclosed as the father-in law of the Men's Indoor Volleyball Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon.

Before their first match, the U.S. team observed a moment of silence, then went on to beat Venezuela in five sets for their first win in the Olympics.

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Olympics | Drum Tower Killing in Beijing

An American couple were at the famous Drum Tower in Beijing with their guide. A 47-year old Chinese assailant stabbed them. The man was killed.

The assailant jumped to his death from the tower.

No motives are established for the attack. The authorities say he was a lone assailant.

The American couple are relatives of one of the coaches of the U.S. volleyball team.

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Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony

Well, the long wait is over. The Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony was a huge success, providing a stunning display. Viewers like myself, watching it on TV, were glued to the television screen. And it's estimated that this might be the single most watched event on television in history, given that China itself has about 1.3 billion people.

But credit must be given where it's due. Clearly China spared no expense and talent in preparing for the Opening Ceremony. It was magical. There were fireworks, but that's the least of it. It wasn't the noise that was impressive, but the beautifully crafted effects, both electronically, mechanically or by the sheer number of performers acting in flawless concert. You never knew what might come next, and when it came it was overwhelmingly impressive.

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Iraq Out of the Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that Iraq will not be allowed to take part in the upcoming Olympics.

This is the result of the Iraqi government replacing the country's Olympic committee with its own appointees.

The IOC expresses regret that no Iraqi athletes will be at the Olympics, and says they have been "ill-served" by their governments actions.

The Iraqi government has claimed that the original committee was corrupt and was not working properly. According to IOC regulations, committees must be free of political influence.

The real victims are the athletes who've been training hard and looking forward to participating in the Olympics. At least 7 athletes were slotted to take part. Iraqi sprinter Dana Hussain broke down and cried when she heard the news of the ban.

It's also a blow for Iraq in its journey to regain some semblance of normalcy as a nation.

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Anna Willard Sets Steeplechase Record - U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials

Anna Willard has broken the U.S. record in the 3,000-metre steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, which took place at the University of Oregon.

The record set last year was 9 minutes 28:75 seconds. Willard has set a new record at 9 minutes 27:59 seconds.

She won the national title last year at the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships.

She will be one of the three women representing the U.S. at the Beijing Olympics in the steeplechase event.

Joining her will be Lindsey Anderson, who came second, and Jennifer Barringer, who came third.


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