Almost all the media is utilised when it comes to digging information on the Olympics Games. And it goes without saying that cyberspace is definitely not left behind in the coverage of an event which itself is a multi-media blitz. Rest assured, there is a huge collection of websites which have emerged in the wake of Olympics 2008.
Interestingly, if you search for websites related to the Olympics, you will discover that there are basically two broad categories. The first comprises those especially designed for the Olympics 2008, for example, the official website. You can include numerous blogs here as well.
The other category of sites include all those renowned news or sports websites on the block which have dedicated an entire section of their regular website to the Olympics 2008 coverage. These sections are quite elaborate and useful if you are looking for the latest happenings in Beijing. So, whether it is an exclusive website you wish to visit, or sections dedicated to Olympics, the cyberdom is at your fingertips. Here are some of the most interesting picks.
The official website for the Olympics (http://en.beijing2008.cn/) is probably the most comprehensive and authentic place, especially when it comes to looking up the results. The website offers its visitors four different languages and carries details of the schedule as well as separate sections for each sport. If you are interested in football, for instance, then you can easily access information like competition rules, format, history of the game, the participating teams, the events and the time/venue of different matches.
The site also features a hall of fame dedicated to players who have earned laurels for their teams. Similar information is available for all other sports, ensuring that you can easily spend hours on this website catching up with your favourite sport.
If, however, you would rather catch the Olympics coverage on your favourite sports or news website, then the good news is that almost every major news website has a section on Olympics. Be it BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/default.stm) or Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/news/sports/2008olympics) or New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/pages/olympics2008/index.html) , everywhere the Olympics are being extensively covered.
Moreover, other websites like ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/index) and Sports Illustrated (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/ ) have also gone out of their way to become a part of the Olympics 2008.
Most of these websites have more or less the same information; they mainly cover history of the games, views and analysis pertaining to the games, display the schedule and venues, give information on the teams and, of course, there is a multimedia gallery of photos and videos as well.
Apart from this, quite interestingly, some websites designed for children have also dedicated a section to Olympics. This includes Kids Turn Central (http:// www.kidsturncentral.com/links/2008olympics.htm) and Surf Net Kids (http:// www.surfnetkids.com/summer_olympics_2008.htm) .
Various sections in these websites direct children to several different sources of information about Olympics along with numerous interesting Olympics-related activities, which include cyber hunts, puzzles, crafts, trivia and more.
In an age of blogs, it is virtually impossible for bloggers to remain silent. And so, some avid bloggers have actually created special blogs which are dedicated to Olympics while others are routinely making Olympic-related entries on their regular blogs.
Summer Olympic News (http://summerolympicsnews.com/) is one of the more interesting blogs to read. The entries on this blog mainly contain links to news chunks pertaining to Olympics that the blogger has read on the internet. The fun part is that the blogger has further written her own comments on these news, which makes an interesting read. Of course, you can easily comment on the news stories yourself.
Beijing Olympics Blog (http://beijingolympicsblog.wordpress.com/) goes quite a few steps further. The entries on this blog are more detailed and analytical, taking information from various websites, combining it and then analysing it. If you have some extra time and inclination, you can definitely keep yourself updated on the many issues related to the games. This blog is highly interactive with entries dotted with photographs for quite an appealing layout.
At the end of the day, it is all about what you as an internet surfer want for your Olympics experience in cyberspace. Of course, most of you will go for the official website, but some may also be interested in the blogs. But whether you specifically want hard news, or opinion-based analysis, or something light and entertaining for your kids, internet has a wide variety of fare to offer. You just have to know where to look for it.
Olympics Under Fire
While on the one hand, it is said that the spirit of the game should not be spoilt by politics, on the other hand, there are people who are genuinely concerned about what they see as human rights issues in China. There is also a lobby which has been calling for a boycott of the games as well. The cyberspace has also been the lobbying ground for people belonging to this school of thought.
Hence, there are some websites which define human rights issues in China to call for more awareness like Olympic Watch (http://www.olympicwatch.org/) , and Reporters Sans Frontiers (http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=174. )
A few websites take a much stronger stance, like this blog (http://boycott2008games.blogspot.com/) which calls for an open boycott of the games. You can read up on all of these diverse opinions and come up with your own, keeping in mind that your views do not become prejudiced.
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