Beijing 2008

Walk Beijing by Annie Coburn is a self-paced travel guide to seeing the best of beautiful Beijing during the 2008 Olympics and beyond.

Houston, TX (PRWEB) March 21, 2008 — Walk Beijing, the second book in the Suzy Guides series, is devoted to exploring “off-the-beaten paths” in the heart of Beijing. Author and travel chronicler Annie Coburn clearly understands the frustration of many travelers at having too many options. Walk Beijing’s self-paced selections enable travelers to see the best and most unusual parts of Beijing while accommodating the busy schedules of 2008 Olympics attendees.

Combining maps with historical tidbits, Walk Beijing offers five different walks with options ranging from all-day treks to smaller selections applicable to a variety of schedules. The series mascot “Suzy” shows up frequently, guiding walkers with scheduling tips, points of interest, and cultural trivia to make this intimidating city more accessible to first-time and even frequent visitors.

With its aesthetically pleasing layout by Lorin Bruckner and carefully selected options based on months of on-site research, Walk Beijing is as informative as it is easy to follow. It is one of the least daunting travel guides available to date.

For more information or to request a free review copy, members of the press can contact the author at annie@the-suzy-guides.com or visit http://www.the-suzy-guides.com. Walk Beijing is available for sale online at Amazon.com, BookSurge.com, and through additional wholesale and retail channels worldwide.

About the Author
Travel writer Annie Coburn focuses on the unique sites of the major cities in the world. After writing Walk Paris, she collaborated with Zhu Xiaojian, a native of China, to walk Beijing, documenting the process through journals, photos, and videos available online.

About BookSurge
BookSurge Publishing is a DBA of On-Demand Publishing LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon.com Inc., (NASDAQ AMZN). BookSurge is a pioneer in self-publishing and print-on-demand services. Offering unique publishing opportunities and access for authors, BookSurge boasts an unprecedented number of authors whose work has resulted in book deals with traditional publishers as well as successful authorpreneurs who enhance or build a business from their professional expertise.

On his second visit to Vancouver since the city was awarded the 2010 Olympic Winter Games five years ago, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge, praised the progress that the Organising Committee (VANOC) is making. The President was in town at the same time as the Coordination Commission, the group of IOC members and experts monitoring preparations and guiding VANOC throughout the challenging journey leading to the staging of the Olympic Winter Games in 2010.

 “The work that is being done here by the VANOC team and its partners is of a very high standard and I would like to thank everyone involved in Games preparations for their professionalism and dedication”, said the IOC President during the press conference wrapping up the three days of meetings.

 ”I am glad to see that athletes are already enjoying brand new sports facilities and are speaking highly about them. Sporting venues will be one of the many legacies that the Games will leave behind and we know that VANOC is doing its best to deliver a strong heritage to local communities,” he added.

 “The next two years will be busy but I have no doubt that our friends in Vancouver will keep up the good work to achieve their goal, drawing from the advice and knowledge that the IOC and its very experienced Coordination Commission are putting at their disposal,” Rogge concluded.

 The IOC President was able to see the Richmond speed skating oval and the UBC Winter Sports Centre during his visit. He also discovered the Vancouver Olympic Village, where the athletes will live during the Games. The Village will truly be a home away from home for the athletes, creating a true sense of community for all who stay there at Games time. The Village will also be a model for sustainable development with environmental, social and economic principles being taken into consideration across the entire project, becoming a great legacy to the city of Vancouver once the Games are over.

 Meetings with local leaders also took place. Rogge met the Premier of British Columbia, Gordon Campbell, and with the mayors of Vancouver, Whistler, and Richmond. He also received strong support from the Chiefs of the Four Host First Nations who symbolically gave him the name of “Spall”, which means Raven – one who is wise, clever and carries messages.

 ”With under two years to go to the 2010 Winter Games, this visit by the IOC Coordination Commission and President Rogge, are invaluable opportunities to take a pulse check and to make sure we are on track,” said John Furlong, VANOC Chief Executive Officer. “We are honoured to have had the opportunity to host President Rogge and, in particular, to showcase our progress on sustainability and Aboriginal participation.

 ”It has been a highly productive three days and we are buoyed by the IOC’s feedback as we move into the heavy lifting ahead: testing venues, building up our team, raising the remaining required revenue and exercising discipline in our expenditures. We will be out in the community more than ever before in the coming months, inviting participation and truly engaging Canadians and the world in the project and the endorsement of the IOC of our work to date is a welcome boost.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that four cities have been put forward by their respective National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to apply to host the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012. The Candidate Cities, in alphabetical order, are: Harbin (China), Innsbruck (Austria), Kuopio (Finland), and Lillehammer (Norway).

 The NOCs had until 6 March 2008, midnight, to notify the IOC that a city within their jurisdiction was interested in applying.

 The four Youth Olympic Games Candidate Cities now have until 19 June to prepare and submit their Candidature Files by replying to the IOC questionnaire. An analysis of their Files by a panel of Olympic Movement experts will allow a shortlist of Youth Olympic Games Candidate Cities to be drawn up for further assessment by an IOC Evaluation Commission.

 Further information on the Youth Olympic Games:

 Click here  to download the 2012 brochure

 Click here  to download the IOC questionnaire which the Youth Olympic Games Candidate Cities must complete

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today joined in International Women’s Day and revealed the winners of its 2008 Women and Sport Awards.

During the Opening Ceremony of the IV IOC World Conference on Women and Sport in Jordan, IOC President Jacques Rogge announced that the World “Women and Sport” Trophy has been awarded to the first female and youngest Minister of Youth and Sports in Malaysia, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said. Azalina was honoured for boosting the number of women practising sport in Malaysia – and this just under four years since her appointment.

 As well as the World Trophy, five continental trophies were presented to women who have made outstanding contributions to strengthening the participation of women and girls in sport around the world. The 2008 winners - a mix of political personalities and former top athletes - were selected by the IOC Women and Sport Commission from 70 candidatures submitted by the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Federations (IFs):

 -           Trophy for Africa: Ana Paula Dos Santos (Angola)

 -           Trophy for the Americas: Abby Hoffman (Canada)

 -           Trophy for Asia: Lingwei Li (China)

 -           Trophy for Europe: Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria)

 -           Trophy for Oceania:  Debbie Watson (Australia)

 The ceremony took place at the Dead Sea in Jordan, in the presence of HM King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; HRH Prince Feisal bin Al-Hussein, President of the Jordanian NOC; IOC President Jacques Rogge; Anita DeFrantz, IOC member and Chairwoman of the IOC Women and Sport Commission; the members of the IOC Women and Sport Commission; and the attendees of the IV IOC World Conference on Women and Sport.

 During the next two days, more than 600 participants from across the globe will debate the topic “Sport as a vehicle for social change” and the role women and girls can play in this. Keynote speakers include former top athletes, representatives from governments, businesses, UN agencies and the media, and academics. The event is under the patronage of Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and is jointly organised by the IOC and the NOC of Jordan.

   Information on the winners:

 Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said

 As the first female and youngest Minister of Youth and Sports in Malaysia, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said has completely revolutionised the participation of Malaysian women in sport. In addition to her role as Youth and Sports Minister, Azalina is a sports book author, a founder of a sports festival and a women’s sport and fitness foundation and, last but not least, an enthusiastic sports woman. She set up the Women’s Games, attracting 3,400 Malaysian women in 2007; developed the power walk manual, which currently reaches some 60,000 people across the nation; and established 580 community centres, enabling about 100,000 female participants to practise sporting activities.

 Ana Paula Dos Santos

 The First Lady of the Republic of Angola has taken a hands-on approach to help develop Paralympic sport in her country. Ana Paula Dos Santos is founder and President of the Lwini Foundation – a body that promotes and financially supports the interests of land mine victims. Using sport as a means to bring back hope, she started a collaboration with the Angolan Paralympic Committee and set up the Lwini Cup. During this event, which has already been successfully held six times, people with a disability get the opportunity to enjoy sports activities such as athletics, wheelchair basketball and football.

 Abby Hoffman

 It was an incident in her childhood that made Canadian Abby Hoffman fight against gender, race, political or unfair discrimination in sport throughout her athletic and professional career. At the age of nine, Hofmann was banned from playing hockey with a boys’ team that she had joined as there were no girls’ teams. She made a career in athletics instead, and participated in four Olympic Games. Later she became the first woman to serve as Director General of Sport Canada. As an IAAF Council member since 1995, she has advocated equality across female and male competition programmes and a minimum 20% female representation in all IAAF committees and commissions.

       Lingwei Li

 Li Lingwei from China is one of the very few icons who continue to share their experience and expertise even after giving up active competition. As badminton champion in the 1980s and having won over 50 Grand Prix and international titles, she has been the catalyst to attract women and girls to her sport. Later she became the coach of China’s badminton women’s national team and inspired young athletes to greater heights. Today she demonstrates how women can lead by example by being a Council member of the Badminton World Federation, a member of the IOC’s Olympic Programme Commission and Deputy Director General of BOCOG’s International Relations Department.

 Stefka Kostadinova

 Determination, dynamism and passion have enabled Stefka Kostadinova to become an Olympic champion in the high jump in Atlanta 1996, but also to develop into a successful sports manager in her home country, Bulgaria. After retiring from competition in 1999, Kostadinova decided to provide her expertise to national sports bodies, and is currently Chairwoman of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee. Through her inspirational athletic performance as well as her management skills, Kostadinova has significantly developed the participation of women and girls in athletics, not only in Bulgaria, but also in the whole Balkan area.

 Debbie Watson

 After being a professional water polo player for 17 years, Australian Debbie Watson is committed to passing on to the next generation what sport has given to her. She is a campaigner for drug-free sport and actively contributes to Australian Olympic Committee’s (AOC) “Live Clean” drug education programme. More recently, she has also become a key presenter in the AOC’s “Winning Attitudes Seminar”, which helps first-time Olympians understand the challenges of competing at the Olympic Games. Who else could be more credible in this role than the Olympic gold medallist from Sydney 2000 who played a record of 315 international games for Australia?

www.olympic.org/jordanconference

Over the past weeks, an analysis has been made of a set of data – including temperature, wind, humidity and SO2, NO2, CO, Ozone and PM10 readings – which were taken by the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau from 8 to 29 August 2007 and given to the IOC. The data have been evaluated on the basis of the WHO 2005 interim target standards.  The findings indicate that, at Games time one year out, the health of athletes was largely not impaired. This finding is upheld by the fact that no health issues related to air quality were reported to the IOC by any of the team physicians who looked after athletes competing during the August 2007 test events. Nor were any such problems reported at the IAAF Junior World Championships that were held in August 2006. Moreover, measures are continuously being taken by the Chinese authorities which can be expected to improve the air quality further when compared with 2006 and 2007.

For outdoor endurance events that include minimum one hour continuous physical efforts at high level – urban road cycling, mountain bike, marathon, marathon swimming, triathlon and road walk - the IOC Medical Commission’s findings indicated that there may be some risk. The IOC will, therefore, be working together with the relevant International Federations in order to put in place procedures which will allow a “plan B” to be activated for such events if necessary. The procedure will include daily monitoring of air quality and weather conditions at the venue, a reporting process from the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau to the IOC and relevant sports Federation, and a joint IOC-sports Federation decision to postpone the event if necessary.

Commenting on the Medical Commission’s appraisal, Chairman Arne Ljungqvist said, “As with all Olympic Games, we want to ensure that air quality risks are mitigated and that measures are put into place to protect the health of the athletes. The health and safety of the competing athletes is of the utmost importance. The IOC Medical Commission is satisfied with the outcome of its analysis of the data of the August 2007 test events provided by the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau. Analysis of air quality data to date indicates that the health of the vast majority of athletes competing in the 2008 Olympic Games will not be impaired. These findings are supported by this analysis, and by the fact that no health issues related to air quality were reported to BOCOG or the IOC by any team physicians looking after athletes who competed in the August 2007 test events. Nor were any air quality-related problems reported at the IAAF Junior World Championships that were held in Beijing in August 2006. It may be that some events will not be conducted under optimal conditions - which is the reality of sports competitions - and that we may not see records broken in Beijing. However, the Games are more about competing in the Olympic spirit, than about breaking records. For a few sports where we do see a possible risk, we will monitor the situation daily during Games time, and take whatever decisions are needed at the time to ensure the athletes’ health is protected. The IOC is confident that measures already put in place, plus those planned by Beijing organisers and city authorities, will continue to improve the city’s air quality leading up to – and during – the Games.”