The 2008 Beijing Olympics open on Friday, and by now, even the most casual sports fan is probably familiar with the swimming pool dramas of Michael Phelps, aiming to win a record-eight gold medals, and Dara Torres, the 41-year-old Parkland Supermom and five-time Olympian whose goggles are older than the women she beats.
Argentina won its first gold medal in soccer in 2004 and will try to become the fourth repeat winner at the Olympics when it opens play on Thursday, a day featuring only men's soccer.
Slobodan Rajkovic scored with a header off a corner kick as Serbia rallied to tie Australia 1-1 in an opening round soccer match at the Beijing Olympics.
The wall of gray haze around the National Stadium and across the city cut visibility down to a mile. On the eve of opening ceremonies, Beijing's polluted air took center stage Thursday as the most visibly pressing problem for Olympic organizers who had promised to clean up the Chinese capital.
Daily schedule of Olympic events for Thursday, Aug. 7.
The warmth that Peter Ueberroth feels for China of course goes back to the decision the Chinese made in 1984 that he feels helped "save" the Olympics at a crucial point in the event's history.
BEIJING - When Chinese leaders gaze into stadium stands Friday and see President Bush and his extended family watching the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, they'll feel strong gratitude for his presence.
BEIJING - Four American cyclists have apologized to Beijing Olympic organizers for wearing masks upon their arrival.
American gymnast Morgan Hamm will miss the Olympics due to a nagging left ankle injury.
Britain's Frankie Gavin, the reigning World Lightweight Boxing Champion, will miss the Olympics after failing to make weight.
Goal scoring hasn't exactly been a strength for the U.S. men's Olympic soccer team.
BEIJING - If not for the love-hate relationship most siblings experience growing up, Marcie Van Dusen might not be in China.
Norway scored two goals in the first five minutes of the game on Wednesday to beat the United States Women's National Team, 2-0 in the Group G opener for both teams at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Hernanes scored a late goal and Brazil began its quest for a first Olympic gold in soccer with a 1-0 win over Belgium in Group C play.
Top-ranked Roger Federer will play Russia's Dmitry Tursunov in the first round of the Beijing Olympics tennis tournament.
Lionel Messi has scored in his long-awaited and nearly canceled Olympic debut, inspiring Argentina to a 2-1 victory over the Ivory Coast.
Morgan Hamm isn't comfortable serving as the face of the men's gymnastics team.
The reigning Olympic champion is gone and so is the only other guy who's competed under the glare of the Olympic spotlight. Yet the Hamm-strung Americans insist nothing's changed. When the team medals are handed out next week, they think they can be right there with the Chinese.
The new U.S. Embassy in the Chinese capital is a sprawling maze of glass and concrete that's the second biggest construction project in the history of the State Department. President Bush himself will inaugurate the complex Friday.
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