The Beijing Olympics ended after a memorable 16 days of competition and world record-breaking. The opening was massive and lavish, focused on China's history, and the finale was another extravagant display of modern, fanciful performances and fireworks. more ›

There's an amusing article in the Times of London about libidos unleashed after Olympians compete in their events. Former Olympian Matthew Syed remembers, "In 1988 that there were so many used condoms on the roof terrace of the British team's residential block the night after the swimming concluded that the British Olympic Association sent out an edict banning outdoor sex... It is a common sight to see recently knocked-out athletes gorging on Magnums and McDonald's, swilling alcohol and, of course, shagging like crazy." Syed points out how 2008 organizers have more of a "If you can't stop 'em, at least make it safe" philosophy by handing out 100,000 condoms to the 10,500 Olympians in Beijing. There is no count on how many were used, but Syed heard from one competitor, “The swimmers finished earlier in the week and it was like there was an eruption.” [Via Page Six] more ›

It's been a day of highs and lows for American women at the Beijing Olympics. Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor defended their gold medal in women's beach volleyball. Though it was raining, the players didn't seem to mind, with Walsh saying, "The rain made it better. I don't know why, but it made it better. The ball is really wet and slimy, and you have to take care of the ball. But it's not my first rodeo in the rain." The Daily News' Filip Bondy noted after the winning spike, "The two Americans dropped to their knees, hugged, rolled around in the sand and came off looking like glazed doughnuts in two-piece bathing suits." Some other stats at NBC Olympics. more ›

Yes, Michael Phelps's quest to win eight gold medals has helped give NBC much higher than expected ratings for the Beijing Olympics. And his eighth gold medal on Saturday was a bonanza. According to Variety, "You have to go back to 1990 — when Phelps himself was 4 years old — to find the last time NBC drew a larger aud for a Saturday program. That was with an episode of 'Golden Girls' spinoff 'Empty Nest,' which averaged 31.4 million viewers." Viva Dreyfuss! You can watch Phelps' various races here or you can revel in the New Yorker's Nancy Franklin's complaints about the Olympics telecast (Gawker says the review is so curmudgeonly, it "sounds… very New Yorker circa 1990!"). more ›

One of the smaller mysteries of the Olympics has been solved! The Daily News confirms that the black tape-like stuff on U.S. beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh is in fact Kinesio tape, a "brand of therapeutic sports tape from an Albuquerque-based company that claims to assist and support muscles without inhibiting the joint's range of motion." (Walsh had shoulder surgery last year.) more ›

Wow. Michael Phelps won his seventh gold medal in these Beijing Olympics with a 0.01 of a second edge over Serbia's Milorad Cavic in the 100 meter butterfly, with a time of 50.58 (not a world record, but an Olympic record and a personal best). Phelps is now tied with Mark Spitz for having won the the most gold medals--seven--in one Olympics. more ›

The U.S. Olympics team racked up the medals today. Edging Michael Phelps and his world record-setting ways briefly out of the spotlight were the American women's gymnasts Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, who won the gold and silver medals respectively in the all-around competition. First-place was determined only after the final rotation--the floor exercise--and Liukin edged Johnson out. China's Yang Yilin won the bronze. Bela Karolyi described Liukin's and Johnson's differences, “Nastia has those long lines and grace, while Shawn is that little fireball constantly moving. They are so opposite, but their outcome and scores are just about the same.” For fun, here's video of Karolyi freaking out (in a good way) during Liukin's performance. more ›

After setting yet another world record last night in the 200m freestyle, swimmer Michael Phelps racked up his third gold medal at these Beijing Olympics. And he has two finals, the 200m butterfly and 4x200m freestyle relay, which will air tonight in the United States--the 200m fly at 10:18 p.m., the 4x200m relay at 11:16 p.m. more ›

At the National Aquatics Center in Beijing, the U.S. men's swimming team for the 4x100m freestyle relay provided a stirring, come-from-behind win over France in the final moments of the race. While Michael Phelps, who won the 400m individual medley already, is still on track to win eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the real story was the relay's anchor leg swimmer, Jason Lezak. more ›

The 2008 Olympics in Beijing were officially kicked off, and the NY Times reported that the festivities were an "opening ceremony of soaring fireworks, lavish spectacle and a celebration of Chinese culture and international good will." The ceremonies were produced by director Zhang Yimou, and NBC will be broadcasting the ceremony beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST tonight, but in case you want to get a sense of the highlights to look for, USA Today has a liveblog. more ›

Yesterday, the U.S. Olympic cycling team arrived at Beijing's airport and their masked visages caused a frenzy. The cyclists wore the U.S. Olympic Committee-designed and issued masks to protect them from Beijing's polluted air. One team member told the NY Times, “They told us that the Chinese were mad and that this is a politically charged issue, but we didn’t mean to offend anybody. When [the USOC] handed us these masks, they never said, ‘Here they are, but don’t wear them.’" Now the team has apologized, saying, "The wearing of protective masks upon our arrival into Beijing was strictly a precautionary measure we as athletes chose to take, and was in no way meant to serve as an environmental or political statement." more ›

While San Francisco is bracing for tomorrow's Olympic torch relay--protesters scaled the Golden Gate Bridge and unfurled "Free Tibet" banners yesterday --torchbearers hailing from New York City say they aren't worried about potential disruptions. A retired NYPD cop, James Dolan, told the Daily News, "I've seen enough demonstrations in my career. I'm confident the city will be able to make the event go off smoothly." more ›

The eight Democratic presidential candidates debated in New Hampshire last night, covering immigration, health care, and, of course, Iraq. Former Senator John Edwards, who is a distant third in the polls, went after Senators Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's voting on the Iraq spending bill, saying, "They went quietly to the floor of the Senate. They were among the last people to vote. They cast the right vote, and I applaud them for that. ... But there is a difference between leadership and legislating." But Obama fought back, pointing out that Edwads voted to go to war in 2002 (the Daily News gave Obama an "A" for his debate performance). more ›