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August in April

Friday, 18th April 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (2)

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Thanks to coincidences of scheduling, this weekend and the coming week are a live sports event bonanza in Beijing. From golf to volleyball to synchronized swimming, there are enough test events and corporate-sponsored competitions to keep sports fans plenty busy in the capital city.

Below are some of the highlights coming up in this mini-Olympics week. Unfortunately, BOCOG's "Buy Tickets" link still doesn't seem to work. But tickets for some events can be bought at Emma Ticketmaster. If you don't purchase in advance, tickets should be sold at the door—but get there early to improve your chances of securing your seat.

Basketball
Good Luck Beiijing Women's Basketball International Invitational Tournament
The women's teams of six countries will play every evening over the next week except for Tuesday and Friday. Participating teams are China, USA, Australia, Cuba, Korea and New Zealand.
Location: Wukesong Arena
Time: Saturday April 19 to Saturday April 26. View the complete schedule here

Marathon
Good Luck Beijing 2008 Marathon
Location: Starts in Tiananmen Square and finishes in the Bird's Nest. The route in between has not been published.
Time: Sunday April 20, 7:30 am

Soccer (Football)
Brazil v. Ghana
The women's national teams of Brazil and Ghana face off in a qualifying match in one of the venues that will host soccer in the Beijing Olympics.
Location: Workers' Stadium
Time: 7:45 p.m., Saturday April 19
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Golf
Volvo Open
Days three and four of the Volvo Open will see the whittled down field compete for $2.2 million USD.
Location: Beijing CBD International Golf Club
Time: 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m, Saturday April 19 and Sunday April 20. View the complete schedule here.

Volleyball
China Club Tournament (a Good Luck Beijing event)
Teams from all over China compete in a men's and a women's tournament.
Location: Beijing Institute of Technology Sports Hall; Capital Indoor Stadium
Time: April 16 to April 20
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Synchronized Swimming
2008 Olympic Games Synchronized Swimming Qualification Tournament
Location: Water Cube
Time: Saturday April 19 at 3:00 (team free routine) and Sunday April 20 at 3:00 (duet free routine second round)

Fencing
FIE World Championships (a Good Luck Beijing Event)
Location: Fencing Hall (Olympic Green)
Time: Friday April 18 through Sunday April 20. View the complete schedule here.

Race Walking
IAAF Race Walking Challenge
Location: Bird's Nest
Time: Friday April 18 at 9:00 am and 3:00 pm; Saturday April 19 at 7:30 pm. View schedule and results here

Images:
Volvo China Open, Synchroswim2008.org.cn, USA Basketball

Tags: basketball, football, golf, live events, marathon, Olympics, race walking, soccer, volleyball

China Drops Mexico Friendly, 1-0

Friday, 18th April 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

China's men's national soccer (football) team lost 1-0 yesterday in a friendly match played in Seattle, Washington, against the Mexican national team. Cesar Villaluz scored the night's lone goal in the 14th minute.

This story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer describes the pre-game scene at the stadium; it sounds like Mexican fans were much better represented despite the fact that Seattle also has a sizable Chinese population. "The fans for Mexico was its 12th player on the pitch," said China's coach Vladimir Petrovic.

According to the International Herald-Tribune, the Dalai Lama was also in Seattle this week, to speak at a conference.

Tags: football, Mexico, Seattle, soccer, Vladimir Petrovic