Beijing

No Big Bottoms

Take the junk out of your trunk if you want to become a hostess at the 2008 Olympic medal ceremonies. Officials selecting candidates for medal ceremonies said last month that they are seeking women with no tattoos, no big bottoms that stick out and not too many earrings. According to the Beijing News, 208 hostesses are needed for 23 test events in a selection process which, although separate from the Olympics next year, will consider successful candidates for the Games. "We don't want anyone who looks in any way sleazy because that could really put athletes off," said Li Ning, principal of the Beijing Institute of Protocol, who is heading the selection process. She also said experts are looking for women of uniform height with neat bottoms. "Bone structure and height should be uniform," she said. "For example, we don't want any wide bottoms."

Traffic Games

The Beijing government will take 1 million vehicles off the roads for two weeks this month to rehearse traffic control for the Beijing Olympics. The project will last from August 7-20, said sources with the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games. A spokesman for Beijing's Road Traffic Management Bureau said the move would speed up traffic and cause little inconvenience. "Students will be staying home for the summer holiday and working people can take public transport," he said. The bureau said road transport has reached a crisis point in Beijing, with 90 percent of roads at full capacity and little room for expansion. Beijing had 3 million registered automobiles on May 26, and 1,000 more vehicles come on the roads each day. The total is expected to top 3.3 million by August of next year, when the Games open.

Flaming Setback

Flames and black clouds billowed from a Beijing University building last month as firefighters raced to put out the fire. The western side of the gymnasium, one of 11 new venues being built in Beijing for next year's Games, was blackened by smoke but the rest of the structure is intact. Preliminary inquiries into the cause of the fire indicated it was caused by construction activity. Construction of the glass-domed 26,900 sq. meter gymnasium started in September 2005 and was scheduled for completion next month, in time to host an Olympic test event in December. All 31 venues are due to be completed by the end of this year with the exception of the National Stadium, or Bird's Nest, which is delayed until March 2008.

Newshounds Welcome

Non-accredited media from across the globe are also welcome to cover the Olympic Games, reported an official last month. But according to the Games regulations, they will not be allowed to enter Olympic venues, take the media shuttle buses or use the Olympic information system, Info 2008. The International Olympic Committee has also imposed a strict quota for accredited media—5,600 for the written and photographic press, the same as that for the Athens 2004 and Sydney 2000 Games. For broadcast media, there will be 4,000 accreditation cards and 12,000 more will go to Right Holding Broadcasters. Sun Weijia, director of the BOCOG media operation department, said more than 10,000 non-accredited media are expected to visit Beijing before and during the Games.

Xi'an

Animal Games

While the capital city is celebrating the one year countdown for the 2008 Olympic Games, a special Animal Games raised its curtain at the Qinliang Wildlife Park in Xi'an, Shaanxi on July 15. One hundred visitors challenged an elephant at a tug-of-war match, parrots showed their talents on the balance beam and Siberian tigers performed swinging stunts. During the 40- sport event, over 100 animals competed in track-and-field games, swimming and gymnastics. No word if animal participation was voluntary.

Shanghai

Flying Man

After Brazilian soccer stars Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, Chinese star hurdler Liu Xiang also received exclusive track shoes designed by American sporting goods giant Nike. At the unveiling in Shanghai, Liu showed the gear with his name embroidered on the swoop.

Diving into Lawsuits

Former diving champion Gao Min took the Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing Group to court last month, demanding a ¥174,000 back payment for her book "Pursue Dream," the Shanghai Daily reported. The Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court was told by Gao's representative that she entrusted her husband, Chen Zhigang, to sign the publishing contract for her book in April, 2005.