Tajikistan: Olympics Blogwatch · Global Voices
Vadim Sadonshoev

One of the major events in the world of sports is going to happen in Beijing during the coming month. Almost all the countries are proudly sending their sportsmen to take part in different competitions and win in the name of their nations. Tajikistan is one of those countries which is proud to send its sportsmen to Olympic Games. This time we have 14 sportsmen and we hope they will win at least one golden medal. I think that sportsman will be a hero of the country.
Shannon is reporting on the departure of Tajik sportsmen to Beijing.
Judging by the deserted stands at the Tajikistan/Turkmenistan football match in the AFC Challenge Cup opening round, all eyes are already focused on the Beijing Olympics as the ultimate sporting and political event of the year. As with many other delegations, the Tajik Olympic team left for Beijing today.
Neweurasia is doubting that Tajik sportsmen can win any medal.
They are financed on leftovers by Sports Committee of Tajikistan and National Olympic Committee. I saw with my own eyes in what terrible conditions they got trained and prepared for the games. I can say for sure that their results are not on international level. Most probably they will bring no medals with them. But this is not their fault. Both of the committees allocated very little resources. Most of the sportsmen received invitation for participation in the Olympic Games very late and had not time for preparations.
Firuz revises an article in Financial Times and reports in Tajik about the bad ecological situation in Beijing and what the government is doing to manage the situation [tj].
According to Financial Times, despite the allocation of billions of dollars for improvement of ecological situation in Beijing, the results are barely seen. Even after removing almost 50 per cent of cars from the center of the city, the amount of exhaust fumes in the air is not decreasing.
But the Olympics is not only about games and entertainment it is also about the national security of China. Tterrorist attack before the Games was conducted near the border with Tajikistan. And according to some sources, the attackers were Tajik nationals. Certainly this does give a credit to Tajikistan at all.
Shannon reports on that.
News is beginning to spread of an attack in Kashgar, Xinjiang province of China that resulted in the deaths of 16 Chinese Border patrol officers.  Some sources are reporting that the two attackers crossed over from Tajikistan, but the NYT and AFP aren’t yet making that assumption.  The AP on the other hand identifies the men as Uighurs and ambiguously refers to their origin as “across the border.”
Also posted on neweurasia.net