Team USA

Turning our attention back to the United States, many of the country's athletes have been preparing for months to make the Olympic team and many of the sports seasons are in full swing right now. One such sport that athletes are vying for spots in is track and field. The indoor track and field season has been underway for some time now, culminating this weekend with the United States of America Track and Field (USATF) Indoor Championships this weekend in Boston. The top two finishers in each event will then proceed onto the World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain next weekend.

Many of the United State's top athletes were missing from the USATF Championships. This is mainly due to the fact that this is an Olympic year. Many of the athletes are either getting a later start on the season in hopes of peaking in the summer, or participating against tougher competition around the world to prepare for the summer Games. One such example is middle distance runner and American record holder in the mile, Alan Webb. Webb has been taking time off following a sub-par performance at the World Outdoor Championships in Osaka and will make his 2008 debut at the US 8k Championships in March. Another runner absent from the USATF Indoor Championships was defending Olympic gold medalist, Jeremy Wariner, who has raced in a few races over seas but seems to be taking it slow knowing that he has a long season ahead of him.

Another runner absent from the USATF Indoor Championship was Dathan Ritzenhein. Ritzenhein, known to the running world as merely 'Ritz', is preparing to represent the United States this coming weekend at the World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland. Being a long distance runner, indoor track doesn't really play to Ritz's strengths so it wasn't that shocking that he wasn't participating. In fact, Ritzenhein has already earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team by placing second at the U.S. Marathon Trials last November in New York City.

There are so many races and so many things going on right now, not just in track and field, but also in the other olympic sports. I'll hopefully keep this blog multi-dimensional but again, forgive me for my bias towards track and field.

This video offers an excellent view of what is going on in Beijing and also portrays what the Games mean for China.

Beijing: An Overview

Moscow. July, 2001. That's where and when we'll begin. Moscow was the site that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose to hold their quadrennial elections to vote on the list of cities that entered a bid to host the next summer games. Overwhelmingly, the committee selected the bustling capitol of China, Beijing. 

There were mixed feelings about the committee's selection. Many questioned the committee's decision on grounds of political tensions, environmental issues, and even human rights. Other's argued that in rewarding Beijing with the 2008 bid, it would in many ways help the country. Whether it would be to help clean up the environment, or even create new jobs, this is without a doubt a huge opportunity for China to shine with all the eyes of the world upon it.

China has been constructing some revolutionary, state-of-the-art facilities for this summer's Games. 

This stunning aquatic facility, known as "The Cube". It will hold all swimming and diving events during the Games.    

This peculiar looking building will be the Olympic Stadium, which will hold opening and closing ceremonies as well as all track and field events. The stadium is known as, "The Nest"

And the journey begins..

Actually, the journey began quite a while ago, but I'll get you caught up on what you've missed. For now, here's a quick rundown on what this blog is all about:

This blog will follow mainly the United States and it's athletes, more than likely track and field athletes, as they prepare for this summer's games. The blog will not be limited to track and field nor the United States. Any significant news regarding the olympic games will be discussed. However, there will primairly be track and field related posts pertaining to the athletes who have already earned a spot on the U.S. team or who are still striving to attain one of the coveted spots on the U.S. Olympic team. This blog will also provide news on the preparations China is making in hosting the XXIX Olympiad.