Beijing Olympics 2008...

The Olympics has entered its last few days... been interesting so far. Michael Phelps and his 8 gold haul, Usain Bolt and his amazing double records for the sprints. Then of course there is Lee Chong Wei and his silver medal for Malaysia...it's not our first medal but it's the first from men's singles...though his winning the silver medal has also brought in the crows and the hawks to share his fame and glory for personal mileage(s)...him being whisked home, then to the Parliament followed by the Datukship award..... all with the Permatang Pauh by-election just around the corner. Sports should not be tainted by politics.

Then there is Natalie du Toit who finished 16th in the women's 10km swimming marathon. She finished 16th out of 25 but she is going down in history as the first amputee to compete in the Olympics. I agree with the gold medalist of this event...she deserves a medal for her extraordinary feat and character.

As for the team events, volleyball, beach volleyball and basketball are my favourites. The US and Serbia heart-stopping volleyball game was a favourite of mine. The Australians played well against the mighty US juggernaut in the basketball though they lost. Beach volleyball is highly entertaining to watch, the US gals won the gold. But I guess, if I were to pick an event or sport that truly reflects the indomitable human spirit, I'd pick all the marathon, triathlon events...on land and in the water. Those are events in which you can't even steal a second to gulp in the air or rest so badly needed by your body, where your aching muscles are screaming for relief.... They push the human endurance to the limit.

China will dominate this Olympic...as shown in their gold medal haul. Her emergence as the new superpower will be enhanced by her dominance in sports and will lend it the credence as well I supposed. It will probably stir up some sentiment of pride in Chinese all over the world because of the historical ties....Chinese were shipped out of China as coolies at the turn of the 20th century... that was how low the Chinese Empire fell. It has risen from the ashes.