Stories about Sport from August, 2012
Kazakhstan: Olympic Veterans and New Champions
Team Kazakhstan's 13 medals, including seven golds, taken at the London Olympics were nothing short of triumph. Vox Populi posts [ru] photos of Kazakhstani athletes who triumphed in London and adds [ru] images of the country's celebrated Olympic champions from decades past.
Cameroon: Olympic Escape – Blame the System, Not the Athletes
"It's rather sad, however, to see that our country has become a prison, from which everyone wants to escape at any cost." Cameroon delves into reasons behind the disappearance of seven athletes from the 2012 London Olympic Games.
East Timor: Marathoner Captures London Hearts
East Timorese young marathoner Augusto Soares, 25, captured the hearts of the Olympic marathon audience with his perseverance and good humour. With only two months training, his goal was to finish the race, which he did. His smiling run was one of the closing moments of London 2012 Olympics.
Argentina: Football, the ‘Evita Cup’ and New Security Measures
Following the violence at football matches, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner signed an agreement with the Argentine Football Association to control the entry to stadiums. She also proposed a new name for this year's Argentine Football Championship.
London Olympic Games made in China
Beatrice from Ministry of Tofu puts together a set of infographic and reports on products related with London Olympic Games which are made in China.
Trinidad & Tobago: Dark Cloud, Gold Lining
Heavy floods pounded the northwestern part of Trinidad yesterday morning, as two rivers burst their banks following torrential rains from a tropical depression. But the nation's spirits were to be lifted - at least for a while - as the country won Olympic gold for the second time in its history, thanks to the efforts of Keshorn Walcott in the Javelin Throw.
China: Hurdler Liu Xiang's Olympic Failure Provokes Fierce Debate
Liu Xiang', the former world-record holder of the 110-meter hurdles and 2004 Olympic champion in the same event, dropped out of the London Olympic Games without clearing a single hurdle in the race. Some Chinese are sympathetic, others are more frustrated by the failure.
Mexico Wins Historic Football Gold Medal
For the first time in the country's Olympic history, Mexico won a gold medal in Men's Football. On August 11, 2012, the country celebrated as the Olympic team beat Brazil 2-1.
Tajikistan: Can Olympic Medalist Become a ‘National Symbol'?
Fans in Tajikistan continue celebrating Olympic bronze won by female boxer Mavzuna Chorieva. Blogger Harsavor suggests [ru] that the fighter might become the country's new “national symbol”.
Argentina Wins its First Gold Medal in London 2012
Argentinian Twitter users are celebrating the country's first gold medal in London 2012 after Sebastian Crismanich beat Spain's Nicolás Garcia Hamme in Taekwondo.
Jamaica: Caribbean Region Rallies Behind Bolt
Jamaican bloggers - and indeed netizens from the wider Caribbean region - are continuing to celebrate the island's successes at the London Olympic Games. Unsurprisingly, Usain Bolt is at the centre of the online discussion, thanks to his amazing performance in the Men's 200m event and his response to Carl Lewis' drug use accusations.
Colombia: Gold for Cyclist Mariana Pajón
Colombians on Twitter anxiously awaited the performance of BMX cyclist Mariana Pajón. Hashtags like ORO (“gold”), #ÁnimoMariana (“Go Mariana”), or Mariana Pajón became local Trending Topics before and after Pajón won the gold medal. With this achievement, Colombia ratifies the country's historic performance at the this year's Olympics and now ranks...
Kirani James Delivers on Grenada's Olympic Dream
Earlier this week, Kirani James won the Gold Medal in the Men's 400 Metres race at the London Olympics with a time of 43.94, making him the first person from Grenada and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to win an Olympic medal of any kind. The region celebrates.
Should Singapore ‘Import’ Athletes to Win Olympic Medals?
The bronze medal victory of Feng Tianwei, a Chinese-born athlete who represented Singapore in the 2012 London Olympics, has ignited debate whether the Singapore government should exert more effort to develop local talent instead of simply 'recruiting' from other countries.
Colombia Achieves Historic Results in London 2012
With 6 medals up until now, the Colombian delegation that is participating in the London Olympics has achieved the best performance in the history of Colombia in the Olympic Games.
Tajikistan: Female Boxer Fights Odds, Wins Olympic Bronze
"I hope Chorieva will become a motivation for other Tajik girls and women, and we will have more female champions in future. It doesn't matter whether she wins or loses, she has already broken a social stereotype."
South Korea: Driving Force and Little-Known Facts Behind its Olympic Success
The Korea and the World blog published a detailed analysis on South Korea's good results in the 2012 London Olympics, pointing out Koreans’ strong patriotism as one of the main reasons for success.
China: Liu Xiang falls out of race
China Hush translated netizens’ reaction on national hero Liu Xiang's out of the Olympic opening heat because of the same Achilles tendon injury.
Kazakhstan: ‘Imported’ Olympic Champions Cause Controversy
Two of the six gold medals bagged by Kazakhstan at the London Olympics were claimed by Chinese-born female weightlifters. The success of the "imported" athletes has caused a lot of controversy, with Chinese officials accusing Kazakhstan of misinforming the public about the athletes' country of origin.
Dominican Republic: Pride and Celebration of Félix Sánchez's Gold
Dominican Republic celebrates the gold and silver medals of Félix Sánchez and Luguelín Santos respectively. This marks the first time the country takes home two medals in Olympic Athletics events. Domincan netizens express their happiness and pride on Twitter.
Jamaica, Bahamas: Long Way to Go?
Two bloggers, Stunner from Jamaica and Pure Fawkery from the Bahamas, consider how far their countries have come – or not – since independence.