Badminton Controversy! Shuttlers Accused Of Deliberately Losing [UPDATE]

Shuttlers Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli
Let’s start with the format: the Olympic women’s doubles badminton tournament begins with pool play with four groups of four teams, with the top two teams in each group moving on to the quarterfinals. The matchups in the quarters are predetermined: teams from Groups A and C crossover (1st-place team from A plays 2nd-place team from... Read more » Read more »

Here’s A Rhinestone Cap-Donning Minor Nourishing His Inner Alcoholic

Get 'em while they're young
Pictured: child learns the valuable life lesson that one should never let the world get you down, because that’s alcohol’s job. Via Carl Setzer, the authoritarian brewmaster of Great Leap Brewing (winner of the BJC Bar and Club Award for “Place in Which You’re Most Likely to Hear the Phrase ‘You’ve Probably Never Heard of Them’”) and... Read more » Read more »

Our Belated Review Of London’s Opening Ceremony Vis-a-Vis Beijing’s

London Olympics opening ceremony
By Andray Abrahamian There was something approaching unabashed joy at Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony for London 2012. Partly because it was a creative way to render the best of Britain on stage, partly because the soundtrack was great, but mostly because it stood up to the incredible spectacle of Beijing. After the handover at the... Read more » Read more »

Weightlifter Wu Jingbiao Demonstrates The Meaning Of “Agony Of Defeat”

Weightlifter Wu Jingbiao Demonstrates The Meaning Of “Agony Of Defeat”
You don't need to know Chinese to appreciate this video (though the subtitles by chnnewsengsub are appreciated). Wu Jingbiao, the two-time reigning World Weightlifting Championships gold-medalist, was the favorite to win on Sunday, and would have if not for North Korean Om Yun Chol's perfect day. In his post-lift interview, Wu was inconsolable. “I feel terribly guilty for disappointing my country, the Chinese weightlifting team and all the people who supported me," he said. "I really wanted to be the best but I didn’t make it. I am sorry!" Read more »

Olympics Roundup: Ye Shiwen passes drug test, the Guardian’s Lego reenactments of Olympic moments, and US and North Korea make Old Trafford history

London bus ad
While we all await Ye Shiwen’s next race — she’s the top qualifier (and Olympic record-holder) in the 200-meter individual medley, which begins at 8:43 pm London time / 3:43 am Beijing time — you might be interested to know that women’s gymnastics is on right now. Other Olympics stuff happened too, as you’ll see... Read more » Read more »

Here, Again, Is Ye Shiwen’s Controversial Swim In The 400-Meter Medley

Ye Shiwen race screenshot
UPDATE, 6:19 pm: The Ku6 video has been pulled, but you can watch the full race on Sina here if you’re within mainland China (they don’t allow embedding). All eyes will be on Ye Shiwen tonight (8:43 pm London, 3:43 am Beijing) when she competes in the 200-meter individual medley (she set an Olympic record... Read more » Read more »