The Olympics Blog » Countries

How Much Money Do Chinese Olympic Gold Medalist Make?

bill — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:17:00 +0000

Well, they receive more “reward” money than their American counterparts who get US$25,000 for a gold medal. But they don’t do as well as Thai gold medalists who are given US$314,000.

From the China Daily:

China’s gold medal winners at the Beijing Olympics will be taking home cash along with their medals, state media reported Tuesday.

Each gold medalist will get 350,000 yuan (US$51,000) each, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing Xiao Shan, the deputy head of China’s General Administration of Sports.

The prize compares to the 200,000 yuan (US$29,000) handed out to gold medal winners after the 2004 Olympic games, the report said.

The report did not say if silver and bronze medalists were also to be rewarded. Phone calls to the press office of China’s General Administration of Sports rang unanswered Tuesday.

Irving Saladino’s Golden Jump

bill — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:29:00 +0000

Here’s another one I should have blogged about last week but didn’t because of a tight schedule: Panama’s Irving Saladino who lived up to the hype by outjumping the competition in the men’s long jump. Congratulations, Irving.

Update: Here’s a video of Irving’s golden jump.

And here’s a picture, courtesy of estrelladepanama, of the Olympic hero’s homecoming.

Interestingly, the Panama Guide reports that Irving was “re-awarded” his medal during his homecoming. Why go through the process of awarding the medal to him again? Panama Guide has the juicy details:

As part of the festivities yesterday, Panamanian boxer Roberto Duran “re-presented” the Olympic Gold medal to Irving Saladino in front of thousands of cheering fans at the steps to the ACP administration building in Balboa yesterday morning.

Saladino considered the medal to be “tainted” because it was awarded to him by Melitón Sánchez, the only member of the Panamanian Olympic Committee who was not under a court ordered restriction to keep him from traveling to Beijing.

Check out this video on delante.com that shows how Telemetro had blocked out the face of Melitón Sánchez to the delight of Irving Saladino’s father, who went on to say that after Melitón Sánchez awarded the medal and shook Saladino’s hands, that he wiped them on his ass to clean them.

So, the “re-do” medal award ceremony with Roberto Duran presenting the medal again was specifically to purge the memory of Melitón Sánchez. In an interview Irving Saladino said about Sánchez “that guy has no shame.”

The controversy over the fight to gain control of the Panamanian Olympic Committee continues, and hopefully with the attention drawn to the issue with Irving Saladino’s win in Beijing, the Panamanian justice system will smack a homerun and set things straight (finally.) This whole thing has been one big embarrassment and Irving said it right, they have no shame at all.

So it seems like there is a power struggle on who should control Panama’s Olympic Committee. Sounds familiar, no?

Photo credit: BBC and estrelladepanama

Oussama Mellouli: Tunisia’s Olympic Hero

bill — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:38:00 +0000

I got busy doing some other stuff so I wasn’t able to update this blog during the Olympics but this doesn’t mean that I will stop blogging about our Olympic champions

Our fist post-Olympic post would be about Oussama Mellouli, winner of the 1,500 meter race in swimming, who went home to Tunisia and was deservedly welcomed as a hero. Good for him!

Here’s what Oussama says about his Olympic victory:

“I return to Tunisia carrying not just a medal, but a gold medal. It’s the gold medal that all Tunisians have been waiting for. Thank God I did what I’m supposed to do, and even more.”

This is a comeback of sorts for Oussama since, as you may already know, he was banned in 2007 for taking Adderall, an amphetamine for ADD medication which is reportedly being used by students who are cramming for exams. Oussama claims that he took in the substance to help himself in writing a term paper not to gain any advantage over other swimmers.

Photo sources: Associated Press; Beijing2008; and magharebia

Andreas Thorkildsen: The Best Gold Medal Biter

bill — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 21:17:00 +0000

Norwegian Andreas Thorkildsen who won the gold medal in the javelin throw is probably the best medal biter I’ve seen in the Beijing Games. Seriously, have you seen a better practitioner of the art of Olympic medal biting than Andreas?
Congratulations to you Andreas. May you have another gold medal to bite in London 2012.

Photo source: beijing2008

Angel Matos: The UnOlympian

bill — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:50:00 +0000

Ban this guy. There’s no excuse for this kind of stupid and unsportsmanlike behavior.

From Newsweek:

Cuba’s Angel Matos deliberately kicked a referee square in the face after he was disqualified in a bronze-medal match, prompting the World Taekwondo Federation to recommend he be banned for life.

“We didn’t expect anything like what you have witnessed to occur,” said WTF secretary general Yang Jin-suk. “I am at a loss for words.”

Yang also recommended Matos’ coach be banned.

Matos was winning 3-2, with 1:02 left in the second round, when he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent, Kazakhstan’s Arman Chilmanov. Matos was sitting there, awaiting medical attention, when he was disqualified for taking too much injury time. Fighters get one minute, and Matos was disqualified when his time ran out.

Matos angrily questioned the call, pushed a judge, then pushed and kicked referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden, who will require stitches in his lip. Matos spat on the floor and was escorted out.

“This is an insult to the Olympic vision, an insult to the spirit of taekwondo and, in my opinion, an insult to mankind,” Yang said.

Matthew Mitcham Wins Gold, IOC to Look Into Allegations That He is "Young"

bill — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:48:00 +0000

Australia’s Matthew Mitcham just became China’s public enemy number one when he denied his hosts a clean sweep of the diving gold medals. If I am one of them Chinese authorities, I will start digging dirt on this guy to disqualify him so the gold medal will go to China.

In fact, I personally believe that this Matthew guy is is only eight years old and should therefore not be allowed to participate in the Olympics. Look at his facial hair for instance. It kinda looks fake, no? I think Australia, in its desperation to get a diving gold, pasted kangaroo hair on the face of this poor eight year old boy to make him look older. Boo Australia, you are sooo an age cheating country.

Photo credit: Jamie Squire via Beijing2008

Nike Really, Really Loves Liu Xiang

bill — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 04:36:00 +0000

Earlier, I wondered whether Liu Xiang’s withdrawal from the 110 meter hurdles competition will negatively affect his relationship with Nike. Thanks to this tip from snactres, we find out that Nike will continue to feature Liu in its ad campaign.

From CNBC:

Despite the disappointment of one of their biggest endorsers, Nike will salute hurt Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang tomorrow — instead of hoping that he’ll disappear.

This is the type of thing that makes Nike a leader in sports marketing. When the other sponsors privately cringe at the thought of one of their top guys going down, the folks at the Swoosh actually think, “How do we spend on this and turn it into a great human moment that appeals to people?”

The print ad, which will appear in The China Daily and a few local papers here in Beijing, will have Liu Xiang’s face and will contain the following copy (in Mandarin):

Love competition.
Love risking your pride.
Love winning it back.
Love giving it everything you’ve got.
Love the glory. Love the pain.
Love sport even when it breaks your heart.
Just Do It.

I believe that this is a good move on the part of Nike as there appears to be more public sympathy than public irritation/condemnation for Liu’s failure to defend his title. In fact, maybe Nike may have hit on a winning marketing formula. Who among you will agree with me that the “sympathy card” will sell more shoes than the “hero-worship” card?

Maris Strombergs Bags First Gold Medal for Latvia

bill — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:59:00 +0000

Maris Strombergs of Latvia wins the first gold medal for his country and the second gold medal awarded for the newly introduced sport of BMX cycling. French Anne-Caroline Chausson has the distinction as the first Olympic gold medalist for the sport when she won the women’s BMX competition.
Photo credits: Adam Pretty and Phil Walter.

Bryan Clay: No Feet of Clay

bill — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:29:00 +0000

Forget the overhyped Michael Phelps, the real strongman in the Beijing Olympics is American decathlon gold medalist Bryan Clay. A short visit to his website made me an instant fan. I particularly like the fact that he takes time to answer questions from his fans:

Q: Bryan, best of luck, all the Hapa Kepanis peeps worldwide are pulling for you. My query is how much of an Asian influence did your mom bring to your family, e.g. did you eat a lot of Japanese food and/or get exposed to Japanese culture?

A: Japanese culture and food were a huge part of my life growing up. My mother made sure I knew who I was and where I came from.

Q: Bryan, why did you choose Azusa Pacific an NAIA school over a NCAA Division I School? Azusa Pacific has an excellent reputation in the decathlon. Most people don’t realize some of our countries greatest decathletes have come out of the NAIA. GO FOR GOLD!

A: I chose APU because I felt it was the best combiation of academics, athletics, and atmosphere. All that stuff together has allowed me to be successful.

Q: Brian, what’s your typical Ipod playlist? I want to know what you listen to to motivate you when you are competing.

A: I usually have a mix of christian, country, r&b, and techno.

Congratulations, Bryan Clay. Anyone who’s got country music in his ipod playlist is fine by me.

Photo source: xinhua via beijing2008

Liu Xiang Quits

bill — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:57:00 +0000

Argh! Liu Xiang, my favorite Olympian pulled out of the 110 meter hurdles reportedly because of a “tendon injury to the right foot“. As a fan who’s been blogging about Liu and who hoped that he will get his second Olympic gold medal, his decision to quit is very disappointing.

It would have been great to see him run despite whatever injury he sustained. After all, isn’t that what the Olympics is about — overcoming all odds and that kind of stuff? But, then again, maybe its unfair to expect him to risk his health and future well-being if only because his fans want to see him running. I’m sure his other fans also have mixed feelings about this.

What would be interesting to see in the future would be the impact, if any, of Liu’s decision to quit. Will Nike, for instance, still produce its Air Liu? Or will they find someone who will be a better fit for their expensive shoes? [It's expensive not because it is expensive to produce but because of the ridiculous fees they give to the stars who wear them.]

Update: The video of Liu Xiang in the 110 meter hurdles is here.

Update II: Nike continues to feature Liu Xiang in its ad campaign, details here.

Photo source: xinhuanet