Beijing 2008
Shooting for new heights
STEVE Hooker is not being arrogant, nor getting ahead of himself, when he says the pole vault gold medal could be his in Beijing.
Sorry how it turned out
EMBATTLED swimmer Nick D'Arcy fled to Perth last night with his father as the sport's governing body called in security experts to investigate the 20-year-old's alleged brain snap.
Blaze of security for torch relay
China celebrated the start of the Olympic torch relay yesterday, but heavy security highlighted concerns that protests over Tibet and human rights might tarnish its journey.
Perkins calls for Games ban
OLYMPIC champion Kieren Perkins says the Australian Olympic Committee has no choice but to expel Nick D'Arcy from the Beijing team after serious assault charges were laid against him.
Tears flow for Meares
OLYMPIC champion Anna Meares has qualified for the Beijing Games after sitting out the track cycling world championships in Manchester.
Brave Benita steps out of the shadows
THREE weeks ago Benita Johnson was fifth in Australia's cross-country trial.
D'Arcy charged over bar fight
POLICE have charged Australian swimmer Nick D'Arcy with a serious assault offence following a bar fight that left a former swimming with shocking injuries.
Slow Cyclones still have time to find speed
AUSTRALIA'S track cycling team has plenty of work to do before the Beijing Olympics, national performance director Shayne Bannan said yesterday.
Aussies chasing record gold strike
AUSTRALIA will target a record gold-medal haul in the pool in Beijing after its fastest Olympic trials in history.
Swim enemy will hit back
TRIPLE Olympian Michael Klim expects the US to strike back with force at its Olympic trials after Australia's record-breaking week in the pool.
Wrong-turn hiccup can't beat Snowsill
NOT even a wrong turn in the ocean could stop Emma Snowsill wresting back Olympic favouritism with a crushing World Cup triathlon win yesterday.
It's Waugh for our swimmers
STEVE Waugh, the master of mental disintegration, has spoken to Australia's Olympic swimming team.
Artist when it comes to pool
DON'T expect to catch backstroke prodigy Emily Seebohm looking anything other than her absolute best.
Aussie trials draw praise
TEAM captain Grant Hackett says the 2008 Olympic trials are the best he has seen, after a record-breaking week in Sydney.
McGee salvages bronze
AS IF losing their world record to Britain was not enough, Australia's team pursuiters nearly threw away a medal on the second day of the track cycling world championships yesterday.
Blue skies promise
BEIJING Games volunteers have hit back at claims the city's dirty air will cause health problems for athletes in August.
Robinson selected for Beijing
CLINT Robinson has been selected for a fifth Olympics, despite missing the second round of the kayak selection trials with a throat infection.
Two world records broken at trials
AUSTRALIA'S Eamon Sullivan and Libby Trickett have tonight set new world swimming records at the Olympic trials in Sydney.
Athletes spurn call to boycott Games
AUSTRALIAN team captain Grant Hackett and other top athletes say calls to boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games should be ignored.
Top swimmer calls for Olympic boycott
FRANCE'S dual world record-breaking swimmer Alain Bernard says boycotting the opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympics would send an important message.
Backstroke baby Beijing-bound at 15
EMILY Seebohm has just one thing to say to 100m backstroke world record holder Natalie Coughlin - I'm coming.
Meares to miss titles
OLYMPIC cycling champion Anna Meares remains in doubt for Beijing after failing to regain full fitness from a fractured neck.
Leisel books her spot
LEISEL Jones kick-started her bid for a breakthrough individual Olympic gold in Beijing with a win in the 100m breaststroke at the Olympic trials last night.
Steph can go faster
MEDLEY queen Stephanie Rice will be one of the most dangerous people in Beijing, coach Michael Bohl says.
Super Sophie smashes world mark
SOPHIE Edington has smashed Emily Seebohm's world 50m backstroke record in the space of 24 hours at the Australian Olympic Trials in Sydney.
100m record trash talk angers Sullivan
EAMON Sullivan has slammed world champion Filippo Magnini as immature after the Italian's slur on new French 100m freestyle world record-holder Alain Bernard.
Bernard smashes Aussie's record
FRANCE'S Alain Bernard broke the world record in the 50 metre freestyle today, smashing the time set by Australia's Eamon Sullivan Sydney on February 17.
Aussie girls power to world records
SWIMMING star Stephanie Rice and Brisbane schoolgirl Emily Seebohm last night produced boilovers to break world records at Olympic selection trials in Sydney.
Time to shape up, warns swim coach
HEAD coach Alan Thompson has warned Australia's swimmers will need to be within striking distance of the world's best times at the Olympic trials if they want success in Beijing.
Eamon uses bitter pill as spur
WORLD record-holder Eamon Sullivan says he has used the extraordinary drug slur levelled against him by brash American Gary Hall Jr as a confidence boost.
Trickett up to task in new guise
LIBBY Trickett doesn't think she'll have any problems spotting her new name when she turns to check the scoreboard at the Olympic trials.
Hackett says missing Games pointless
OLYMPIC champion Grant Hackett has vowed the Australian swimming team would not support any boycott of the Beijing Games, as he plots his own return to power.
Hoogie's 200m horror
OLYMPIC champion Pieter van den Hoogenband sensationaly failed to qualify for the 200m freestyle semi-finals at the European swimming championships.
Dutch break relay world record
NETHERLANDS broke the women's 4x100 metres freestyle relay world record at the European championships today.
China denies stifling dissent before Games
CHINA will try a prominent dissident on subversion charges, while denying the case is an attempt to stifle dissent before Beijing's Olympic Games.
Paddler rivalry tense
LIFEGUARD Ken Wallace has emerged as the frontrunner to claim the coveted K1 1000m spot in Beijing.
Stosur in full training
FORGOTTEN Olympic tennis hopeful Sam Stosur has reignited a stalled Beijing bid by returning to full training.
Drug slur on Sullivan swim a disgrace
EAMON Sullivan last night dismissed comments from US Olympic champion Gary Hall Jr that cast suspicions over his 50m freestyle world record.
Aussies strike out in Games bid
ATHENS Olympics silver medallist Australia will not compete in the baseball tournament at the Beijing Games after being knocked out of the qualifying series.
Wallace a winner
GUN kayaker Ken Wallace yesterday qualified for the Beijing Olympics with a thrilling come-from-behind win over arch rival Clint Robinson at Penrith.
Majors matter more, says Hewitt
LLEYTON Hewitt can't wait to play at the Beijing Olympics, but says he understands Andy Roddick's decision to skip the Games to focus on the US Open.
Kayakers qualify
A NEW Zealand protest was dismissed after kayakers Tony Schumacher and Alana Nicholls yesterday qualified two extra Australian spots for the Beijing Olympics.
Diamond slams Vella appeal
FOUR-TIME Olympian Michael Diamond has launched a stinging attack on Adam Vella over Vella's decision to appeal against his omission from the Australian shooting team for Beijing.
Rogers comes to grips with virus
OLYMPIC road cycling time-trial medal contender Michael Rogers is confident of fighting off a virus that will sideline him for two months.
Family values driving Donna
ABOUT the time of the 2004 Olympics, Donna MacFarlane used to get puffed walking up stairs, and the only games that mattered were played with her children.
Olympics 'terror plots' thwarted
CHINESE officials have revealed details of two alleged terrorist plots aimed at derailing the Olympics.
Gebrselassie quits Beijing marathon
THE world's fastest marathon runner, Haile Gebrselassie, will not compete in the event in the Beijing Olympics because he fears the city's air pollution will damage his health.
Final shot for Vella
MELBOURNE shooter Adam Vella will decide today whether to appeal against his non-selection for the Beijing Games, after missing out by one target at the final trials in Sydney yesterday.
London might be too far away- Libby
LIBBY Lenton has flagged the possibility Beijing could be her last Olympics.
Russell Mark gets a shot at Beijing
OLYMPIC champion Russell Mark has won selection for Beijing, but his Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning wife Lauryn missed the team by one point.
Equine influenza bugs medal bid
THREE-time Olympian Vicki Roycroft says last year's equine influenza outbreak may cost Australia an equestrian medal at Beijing.
Coach's get-fit plan for Henry
TRIPLE Olympic champion Jodie Henry has been urged by national head coach Alan Thompson to resume racing by the end of August.
Eamon an inspiration for Rice
MEDLEY starlet Stephanie Rice is drawing inspiration from her boyfriend Eamon Sullivan's world-record form as she chases her own dream of becoming world No. 1.
Olympic athletics team named
WORLD 400m hurdles champion Jana Rawlinson and star distance runner Craig Mottram are top medal hopes in a 25-strong track and field Olympic team named today.
The rise of the underdog
WHEN Katie Mactier challenged the 3000m individual pursuit's global order four years ago, the former advertising executive held all the advantages of the underdog.
Athlete contingent on track
AUSTRALIA'S Olympics boss John Coates says his initial forecast of sending up to 480 athletes to Beijing remains on target, despite the track-and-field team struggling to meet its forecast quota.
Sluggish sprinters will miss Beijing
A WIPE-OUT in the sprinting ranks may see a smaller-than-expected Australian track and field team sent to this year's Beijing Olympics.
Leisel's dying dad pleads to end rift
THE estranged father of superstar swimmer Leisel Jones has been diagnosed with cancer and wants to end their rift before it is too late.
Injury ends Henry's reign
JODIE Henry has not ruled out making a fairytale Olympic comeback for London in 2012 after calling an emotional end to her Beijing campaign.
Georgie's dream like broken China
A DARING run from the front back-fired for Georgie Clarke last night and ended her dreams of running the 1500m at the Beijing Olympics.
Australian Olympic uniforms unveiled
Australia's 480 Olympic athletes will wear classic dark blue suits made of super lightweight Australian merino wool to counter the heat in Beijing.
Henry pulls pin on Games
ATHENS Olympic darling Jodie Henry will not swim in Beijing because of injury but is adamant her swimming career is not over.
Yao! But Games still on
NBA All-Star centre Yao Ming was ruled out for the season yesterday with a stress fracture in his left foot, but he is still expected to represent China at the Beijing Olympics.
Don't write off Ross
HIGH-profile sprinter Matt Shirvington has urged national 100m title holder Joshua Ross not to give up on Beijing despite missing the Olympic trials.
Lewis on target
IN-FORM Tamsyn Lewis faces a busy time at the Olympic selection trials, beginning with the 400m heats tonight.
Sullivan world record spurs Callus
SPRINT veteran Ashley Callus says Australia's 4 x 100m freestyle relay prospects are looking red-hot for Beijing on the back of Eamon Sullivan's world record-breaking form.
Steff's lap dance
CONTRARY to popular belief, John Steffensen is ready to run three races in three days and get his Beijing Olympic campaign moving.
Clarke running all the way to Olympics
EIGHT years ago Georgie Clarke was big news as the youngest member of the Sydney Olympic team at 16.
UCI ruling vital to Olympic hopes
CYCLING Australia is urgently seeking a ruling over Olympic Games qualifying criteria, with several star Cyclones in danger of to missing Beijing.
Unique insights for Olympic glory
FROM around Australia, these athletes are united by a common goal - Beijing glory.
Meares named for world titles
NATIONAL track cycling coach Martin Barras is stunned by injured Olympic champion Anna Meares's rapid recovery from a career-threatening injury.
Aussies see Beijing torch
STUDENTS at a Werribee primary school yesterday became the first Aussies to see a 2008 Beijing Olympic torch.
Sara regains her craving for gold
SARA Carrigan won the Olympic Games cycling road race in Athens with a stunning manoeuvre which revealed as much about the Queenslander's peerless decision-making as the selflessness of her teammates.
Moffatt on fire
EMMA Moffatt confirmed her status as a major contender for a spot on the triathlon start line at Beijing with a breakthrough Australian championship crown in Hobart yesterday.
Robbo likes doing things in threes
TRIPLE world triathlon champion Peter Robertson is hoping three is his new lucky number before selection trials for the Beijing Olympics.
Smith hopes it's third time lucky
THE pain of being cut from the Athens Olympics' men's hockey team and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games is driving Victorian co-captain Andrew Smith to Beijing.
Tamsyn's new foe on track
RISING 800m star Madeleine Pape has slammed Tamsyn Lewis's suggestion that she lacks competition in Australia.
Our Dawn pushes Aussie cause
DAWN Fraser sits in the lobby of a plush St Petersburg Hotel sipping a glass of red wine.
Sally's second wind
ROWER Sally Robbins produced her best result at the Australian Olympic selection trials yesterday, finishing second with Zoe Uphill in the double sculls.
Hackett flies in Beijing build-up
GRANT Hackett's build-up to the Olympic trials continues to gain momentum, with the distance ace making a strong start to the NSW championships in Sydney today.
Spielberg's quitting over Darfur 'unfair'
EFFORTS to link China and the Beijing Olympics with the violence in Darfur are "irresponsible and unfair," according to a statement published in state-run press today.
Aussie firms for Beijing gold tilt
AUSTRALIAN sailor Tom Slingsby has emerged as favourite for Olympic gold in China after defending his Laser world championship title yesterday.
Bush asked to push for media freedom
A GLOBAL media watchdog has called on the US President to use his attendance of the Olympic Games in Beijing to push for press freedom and other reforms in China.
Time to draw the line through Robbins
IT WAS August, 2004 when I first met Sally Robbins as she came to terms with fame and prominence for all the wrong reasons.
Tamsyn's 400 wish
NATIONAL champion Tamsyn Lewis is trying to add the 400m to her program for the Beijing Olympics.
Scary as it gets
AS JAMES Tomkins inhaled on the start line of his Olympic trial yesterday, he could not rid himself of the paranoid thoughts eating away at him.
Jones still has passion
LEISEL Jones says her passion to take women's breaststroke into unchartered waters is still burning brightly in an ominous warning to her rivals before this year's Beijing Olympics.
Swimming efforts not being rewarded
SWIMMING Australia chief Glenn Tasker has warned medal prospects could suffer and team sizes cut if government funding is not improved for swimming and other Olympic sports.
Lynch a third wheel, but drive remains
FOR hundreds of young athletes with the Olympic dream burning brightly, Beijing looks a long way away.
Sixth, but Sally's still a chance
ROWER Sally Robbins is still a chance for a berth at the Beijing Olympics despite finishing sixth in the single sculls final at the national selection trials today.
Robbins flops in Beijing trial
CONTROVERSIAL rower Sally Robbins is in danger of missing selection for the Beijing Olympics after a disastrous heat in the sculls at the national selection trials in Penrith today.
Swimmers suited for space race
HOUSTON, we have a record. The futuristic suit Australia's swimmers will wear in pursuit of gold at Beijing was unveiled yesterday.
Wrestling mystery
AUSTRALIA is poised to field a female wrestler at the Olympics for the first time - but might have to fight an international political battle to get her to Beijing.
China backs ban during Olympics
OLYMPIC organisers said yesterday they backed a ban on political protests by athletes attending this year's Beijing Games, amid uproar over an effort to silence British athletes.
British athletes gagged
BRITISH Olympic athletes will be forced to sign contracts banning them from criticising China's human rights record before travelling to the Games.
Exodus to the Olympic Games
A MASS exodus of Australian tourists and corporate heavyweights to Beijing is forecast for August's Olympic Games.
Eric, the Beijing pool party needs you
Hi Eric, Been a long time, huh? Almost eight years? What's wrong? You never write, you never call. But we haven't forgotten you.
Olympics pledge being ignored
CHINA is shirking its pledge to improve human rights for the Olympic Games and world pressure is needed to force Beijing to comply, Human Rights Watch said yesterday.
China to 'stop the rain' for Olympics
CHINESE weather boffins say they have stopped the rain from falling in experiments aimed at guaranteeing a dry opening ceremony at August's Olympic Games.
Flaming heck, it's Ian Thorpe
IAN Thorpe will lead a host of past and present Olympic greats, award recipients and inspirational volunteers in the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay.
Prince to boycott Olympics opening
PRINCE Charles has told the Free Tibet campaign group he will not attend the opening ceremony of this year's Olympic Games in Beijing, the group says.
Starting block axed for Games
A RADICAL starting block has been scrapped for the Beijing Olympics, with Australia playing a key role in delaying its introduction into swimming.
Anstey states it's Games on
HAVING not played for the Boomers at a major event for almost eight years, Chris Anstey is 100 per cent committed to making the Beijing Olympics his international swan song.
Snowsill's pain for Beijing gain
EVERY day for the past few months triple world triathlon champion Emma Snowsill has battled pain like she has never felt before.
Another Rafa chases glory
WHILE one Rafa prepares for the end of his championship run, another Rafa, far less known to most of the sporting world, is just beginning his.
Medal heat on Murray
HOCKEYROOS coach Frank Murray is likely to lose his job if his team fails to win a medal at the Olympics but no decision will be made until after the Games in August.
Balogh critical of Olympic criteria
OLYMPIC shooting champion Suzie Balogh has questioned the sport's selection criteria ahead of the Beijing Games with the Athens gold medallist needing a miracle.
Brown has one goal on her mind
AUSTRALIAN goalkeeper Victoria Brown knows all about the rough and tumble of international water polo.
Gatlin fights ban
SUSPENDED Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin has appealed his four-year doping ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Athletes run from violence
WEEKS of violent unrest in Kenya have cast a pall over the country's sporting ambitions and could haunt some of its leading athletes well beyond the end of the crisis.
Games awe builds
JUST 200 days out from the Olympic Games world champions Libby Lenton and Leisel Jones can't wait to compete in Beijing.
Boyle says Steffensen must focus
OLYMPIC great Raelene Boyle has called on outspoken Commonwealth 400m champion John Steffensen to let his feet do the talking in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics.
Pistorius fights blade ban
DOUBLE-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius expects independent tests to show he does not get an unfair advantage from his prosthetic racing blades.
Gosper: Olympics won't go late
SENIOR Olympic powerbroker Kevan Gosper says competition at this year's Beijing Olympic Games will be completed on time.
Seven cities bid for 2016 Games
SEVEN cities had submitted bids to stage the 2016 Olympic Games when the International Olympic Committee deadline passed today.
Diving coach says pressure Chinese
NATIONAL head diving coach Hui Tong says Australia will have the team to pressure the powerful Chinese at this year's Beijing Olympics.
Touch of Oenone charm ends a horror run
OENONE Wood is not superstitious, but don't be surprised if you see her with a lucky charm on her helmet come the Olympics.
Diver Newbery's crash agony
DUAL Olympian Robert Newbery's comeback bid for Beijing suffered a jolt yesterday after a painful crash-landing off the 10m platform in Adelaide.
Road show begins
MAYBE it's the bushfire smoke resembling Beijing smog, but the Olympics are in the Ballarat air this weekend.
Henry form doubt
AUSTRALIAN head coach Alan Thompson admits he is concerned over Jodie Henry's wayward preparation for the Olympic trials after it hit another speed hump yesterday.
Sizzling 200m pumps up Hackett
GRANT Hackett's Olympic preparations were last night buoyed with an impressive 200m freestyle swim at the Victorian championships, despite being pipped by Kenrick Monk.
Grant ready to go the distance
BY THE time the Beijing Olympics roll around, Grant Hackett would have swum from Melbourne to the Chinese host city more than four times over the course of his career.
Stars dive in to Olympic preparations
NATIONAL head coach Alan Thompson has urged Australia's top coaches to keep their eye on the ball as their swimmers enter a crucial phase of preparation for the March Olympic trials.
Charting course to Beijing
AUSTRALIAN sailors are on course for a medal bonanza in Beijing with three of the 10 crews heading to China with the world No. 1 ranking.
Stevens tips open slather
CRAIG Stevens has predicted seasoned open water campaigners to employ rough-house tactics on pool swimmers such as himself and Grant Hackett in Saturday's 10km Olympic qualifier at Penrith.
Quick velodrome excites Mactier
TEST events are the order of the day for Australia's athletes with just over nine months until the Games begin in Beijing.
Games law under fire
AUSTRALIAN Olympic chiefs are fighting China over a law that allows for athletes at the Beijing Games to be jailed for 48 hours without notification.
Tina kicks along Beijing Games
WHEN Tina Morgan fights for gold in Beijing next year, a little piece of a selfless, anonymous supporter will power her every kick, jump and slide.
Beijing win boosts Cadel
TOUR de France runner-up Cadel Evans has laid the foundations for Olympic success by claiming the Good Luck Beijing series.
Beijing hopes start in Osaka
A YEAR out from the Beijing Olympics, major sporting events take on added significance, none more so than the World Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan.
Beijing or bust
IF BOOMERS coach Brian Goorjian is feeling under pressure to keep his job beyond next week's Olympic qualifying series against NZ, he's not letting on.
Olympic push building
THE military-style exercise to prepare Australia's swimmers for next year's Beijing Olympics has begun with a full-scale dress rehearsal in Asia.
China lets tyranny begin
TIBETANS, Uighurs, Falun Gong, dispossessed farmers - in China's eyes, they are all potential security threats to next year's Beijing Olympics.
Moffatt stakes claim for triathlon
AUSTRALIAN triathlon coach Bill Davoren is celebrating the emergence of a gold medal contender at the Beijing Olympics following the rapid rise of young star Emma Moffatt.
Rogge 'hypocrisy' riles Troop
MARATHON hopeful Lee Troop has attacked IOC president Jacques Rogge over the push to postpone endurance events at next year's Beijing Games if pollution chokes the Chinese capital city.
Hackett on 1500m outer
DISTANCE king Grant Hackett has effectively been rated an outside chance of claiming his third straight Olympic title in the 1500m at Beijing 2008.
Deakes drops 20km race
RACE walker Nathan Deakes will throw everything into winning the 50km event at the world athletics championships in Osaka after deciding to drop the 20km race.
China losing human rights race
CHINA is failing to live up to its promise that staging the 2008 Olympic Games will bring greater civil liberties, human rights group Amnesty International says.
Crispy duck banned from Beijing toilets
FOOD stalls attached to Beijing's public toilets will be removed in good time for next year's Olympics, state media said.
Smog is still a dirty word
BEIJING'S smog has overshadowed the city's one-year-to-go celebrations, with the IOC considering postponing events at the Olympics if pollution chokes the capital.
On target to top 2004 haul
AUSTRALIA will be in the medal hunt in most of the 28 sports that will be contested in Beijing.
Proving Athens was no fluke
THE superstars of Australian cycling will compete in Beijing next year for a farewell tilt at Olympic glory.
Greek lesson spurs Leisel
WORLD champion Leisel Jones says the lessons of the Athens Olympics have armed her with the knowledge of what she must do to taste success in Beijing.
Right on track to thrive
IF YOU had to name one pet hate of athletics officials, medal forecasts would be a good choice.
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An overview of the National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest", in Beijing. Picture: Reuters
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Models of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games mascots are seen as smoke billows from a power plant in the back in Taiyuan, Shanxi province. Picture: Reuters
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Yan Manchun, 40, a local sports fan, wears a hat decorated with Chinese national flags and the official mascot of the Beijing 2008 Olympics while riding a bicycle in Shenyang, Liaoning province. Picture: Reuters
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Monks demonstrate against China's deadly crackdown on pro-independence protesters in Tibet, sparking domestic unrest in the lead up to the Olympics. Picture: AFP
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French swimming team head coach Claude Fauquet views the National Aquatics Centre in Beijing from the media section. Picture: AFP
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