Flame Lighting Ceremony Torch emissary Jiang Xintian

Singers and dancers perform during the Paralympic flame lighting ceremony at the Paralympic Flame Lighting Ceremony. The ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. on August 28.

(Photo credit: Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

The audience rises for the national anthem of the People's Republic of China at the Paralympic Flame Lighting Ceremony. The ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. on August 28 at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

(Photo credit: Xinhua)

A drummer performs at the Paralympic Flame Lighting Ceremony. The ceremony began at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, at 10:30 a.m. on August 28.

(Photo credit: Xinhua)

Torch emissary Jiang Xintian receives the flame from hearing- and speech-impaired Wang Yimei at the Paralympic Flame Lighting Ceremony. The ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. on August 28.

(Photo credit: Xinhua)

Traditional performance at the Paralympic Flame Lighting Ceremony at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, on August 28.

(Photo credit: Li Han)

Torch emissary Jiang Xintian transfers the flame at the Paralympic Flame Lighting Ceremony. The ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. on August 28.

(Photo credit: Li Han)

Torch bearer Jiang Xintian gathers the flame from sunlight at the Paralympic Flame Lighting Ceremony. The ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. on August 28.

(Photo credit: Xinhua)

Torch bearer Jiang Xintian lights the flame urn at the Paralympic flame lighting ceremony. The ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. on August 28.

(Photo credit: Li Han)

Jin Jing holds the urn and Jiang Xintian holds the flame at the Paralympic flame lighting ceremony. The ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. on August 28.

(Photo credit: Li Han)

BOCOG president Liu Qi lights the torch at the Paralympic Flame Lighting Ceremony. The ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. on August 28.

(Photo credit: Li Han)

National flags are waved alongside the flag of the International Paralympic Committee. The Paralympic Flame Lighting Ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. on August 28.

(Photo credit: Li Han)

Guo Jinlong hosts the Paralympic Flame Lighting Ceremony. The ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. on August 28.

(Photo credit: Li Han)

National flags are waved alongside the flag of the International Paralympic Committee. The Paralympic Flame Lighting Ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. on August 28.

(Photo credit: Li Han)

Pu Cunxin and Yang Lan host the Paralympic Flame Lighting Ceremony. The ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. on August 28.

(Photo credi: Li Han)

Artists perform at the Paralympic Flame Lighting Ceremony at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, on August 28.

(Photo credit: Li Han)

Hohhot hosts successful Paralympic torch relay

Beijing Paralympic torch relay in Hohhot concludes
Last torchbearer Chen Guoyi lights the cauldron. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

(HOHHOT, August 30) -- The Hohhot leg of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic torch relay successfully concluded after Chen Guoyi lit the flame cauldron in front of Hohhot Stadium in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Saturday, August 30.

According to Xinhua, the relay began at 10:10 a.m. with first torchbearer Yang Zhimin carrying the flame from Genghis Khan Square.

Of the 70 torchbearers that participated in the relay, three took on the task of relaying the flame by riding horses while dressed in traditional Inner Mongolian outfits.

The next stop for the Paralympic torch relay along the "Ancient China" route is the city of Changsha in Hunan province.

Dancers performed during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Torch Relay in Hohhot, Aug. 30, 2008.

(Photo credit: Xinhua)

Torchbearer Wei Yanling(R) and Ma Wei pass the flame during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Torch Relay in Hohhot, Aug. 30, 2008.

The last torchbearer Chen Guoyi lights the cauldron during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Torch Relay in Hohhot, Aug. 30, 2008.

Local fans welcome the torch cheerfully during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Torch Relay in Hohhot, Aug. 30, 2008.

(Photo credit: Xinhua)

Vijendar won Bronze in Mens 75kg Boxing

vijendAR WON BRONZE:
Vijender Kumar was defeated by Emilio Correa Bayeaux of Cuba during the Men's 75 kg Semifinal boxing match today. Emilio won by 8:5.

Vijender creates history for India by winning the bronze,

Olympics Medal Tally

Olympic Medal winners at NBC Olympics.com!

Another Set of Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony Photos

Another Set of Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony Photos:
Another Set of Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony Photos







Another Set of Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony Photos



Another Set of Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony Photos
Another Set of Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony Photos





Another Set of Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony Photos

China wins first Trampoline Olympic gold medal

He Wenna celebrates her win. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

China wins first Trampoline Olympic gold medal
He Wenna celebrates her win. (Photo credit: Xinhua)
(BEIJING, August 18) -- He Wenna won China's first Olympic Games Trampoline gold medal at the National Indoor Stadium on Monday.

He Wenna, who finished fourth in the Individual finals at the 2007 world championships, impressed the judges with a difficult routine that earned her a final score of 37.80 points

He Wenna competes. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Karen Cockburn of Canada won her second Olympic Games silver medal, finishing with 37.00 points. The three-time Olympian's medal collection already includes a bronze medal from Sydney 2000 and a silver from Athens 2004.

Ekaterina Khilko of Uzbekistan was third with a score of 36.90. She was the first to perform and is the first Uzbekistan athlete to win an Olympic Games medal in trampoline.

Anna Dogonadze of Germany, the Athens 2004 gold medalist, fell midway through her routine, taking her out of medal contention. Sydney 2000 gold medalist Irina Karavaeva of the Russian Federation, the current Individual world champion, made a small slip after her voluntary elements and finished in fifth place.

Isinbayeva sets new WR to win gold

Elena Isinbaeva competes. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

(BEIJING, August 18) -- Defending Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia broke her own world record with 5.05m to win gold in the Women's Pole Vault at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. This was the third time that Isinbayeva set a new world record this year.

Jennifer Stuczynski of the United States cleared 4.80m to take the silver medal, while Athens 2004 silver medalist Svetlana Feofanova of Russia earned bronze with a vault of 4.75m.

Photo Gallery

Elena Isinbaeva competes. (Photo credit: Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Russia's Elena Isinbaeva successfully defended the Women's Pole Vault Olympic gold medal here on Monday.

Jennifer Stuczynski of the United States took silver and another Russian, Svetlana Feofanova, went away with the bronze medal.

Elena Isinbaeva competes. (Photo credit: Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Elena Isinbaeva competes. (Photo credit: Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Elena Isinbaeva gestures during the final. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Blanik wins the gold medal in the Men's Vault

Leszek Blanik of Poland celebrates with his coach (Photo Credit: Xinhua)

(BEIJING, August 18) -- Leszek Blanik of Poland scored 16.537 to win the gold medal in the Men's Vault in Beijing on August 18. Thomas Bouhail of France won the silver medal with the same score, but was placed second due to inferior execution.

The bronze medal went to Anton Golotsutskov of Russia who scored 16.475.

Blanik is the first Polish gymnast to win a gold medal in the Men's Vault. The 31-year-old veteran won a bronze medal at Sydney 2000.

Favorite for the gold, Romania's Marian Dragulescu, finished a disappointing fourth. The bronze medalist at Athens 2004 made a mistake on his second vault and it cost him dearly.

"I am unlucky in the Olympics. In Athens I was a favorite, but I made the same mistake like today. I am a multiple world champion, but in the Olympics, I haven't won a gold medal," said Dragulescu after the event.

Flash: Americans clean up Men's 400m Hurdles

The United States swept all three medals in the Men's 400m Hurdles final at the National Stadium on August 18. Angelo Taylor, Kerron Clement and Bershawn Jackson won gold, silver and bronze medals with times of 47.25s, 47.98s, and 48.06s respectively.

He Kexin wins China's seventh Gymnastics gold at Beijing 2008

(L-R) Nastia Liukin, He Kexin and Yang Yilin. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

(BEIJING, August 18) -- He Kexin carried out the most difficult moves tonight in the Uneven Bars, but so did Nastia Liukin of the United States. Both scored 16.725, with even the Score A (a measure of difficulty) of both gymnasts being an identical 7.7. According to the rules of Artistic Gymnastics, the gold medal went to He because she made fewer mistakes than Liukin.

The gold medal is He's second of the Games as she won the gold medal in the Women's Team event on August 13. Liukin has now won four medals at Beijing 2008, with her other three medals being the gold medal in the All-Around, the silver medal in the Team final and the bronze medal in the Floor Exercise event.

Yang Yilin won the bronze medal with a score of 16.650. Yang has won a Team gold and the All-Around bronze medal at Beijing 2008.

Despite the disadvantage of competing first, as the first competitor tends to score less due to the conservative attitude of the judges, He dished out a nearly flawless performance and scored 16.725.

Liukin was the second to compete and performed a routine with the same level of difficulty as He's routine. However, six Score B judges found more flaws with her performance and she was ranked behind He despite having the same overall score.

Indonesians Kido and Setiawan win Olympic Men's Badminton Doubles gold

Hendra Setiawan (L) and Markis Kido bite their gold medals. (Photo credit: Lars Baron/Getty

Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia beat Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng of China 2-1 in the final and grabbed the Badminton Men's Doubles gold medal in Beijing, China, August 16, 2008.

Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan (R) of Indonesia compete. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan (B) of Indonesia compete. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng (B) of China compete. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan (front) celebrate. (Photo credit: Xinhua)