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THE OLYMPIC GAMES
Every four years athletes from all over the world take part in the Olympic Games.Both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games are held every four years.The Winter Olympic Games are usually held two years before the Summer Olympic Games.
The ancient Olympic Games began around the year 776 BC in Greece.Many of the sports were the same as they are now.Some of the games in which the young men competed were: running, jumping and wrestling.Women were not allowed to take part in the games.After about the year 393 AD the Olympic Games stopped.For centuries there were no Olympic Games.But they were not forgotten.
The first Olympic Games in modern times happened in 1896.They were held in Greece-the country in which the Games were born.In the Games there were 311 competitors from just 13 countries. After that more and more countries joined in the Games.In 2000, over 10,000 athletes from nearly 200 countries went to Sydney, Australia, for the 27th Olympic Games!There are 300 different events in the Games.Horse-riding, hammer throw and shooting are some of the more unusual events.
The Olympic motto is "Faster, Higher, Stronger".It means that every athlete should try to run faster, jump higher and throw further.They do their best to win medals. In the 1984 Olympic Games, Carl Lewis from the USA won four gold medals in track and field and became one of the best sportsmen in the 20th century.In Sydney the Chinese team got 28 gold medals, ranking third of all the competing countries.Many of the Chinese medals were won in diving and gymnastics and also in events such as weightlifting and shooting.
Following the history-making success in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, China won another great competition in 2001 which was not for a medal. It was the competition between countries to host the Olympic Games.In 2008, the 29th Olympic Games will be held in Beijing.To make it the best ever Games, the capital city will make several big changes.New buildings and sports venues will be built.More trees will be planted and new roads will be built.The people of Beijing, and of the whole country, will be preparing to light the Olympic torch to welcome athletes and sports fans all over the world.
YAO MING
Born: Sept. 12, 1980 in Shanghai, China
Height: 2.26m (7.5 feet)
Weight: 134 kg
Position: Centre
Club: the Houston Rockets
In his last season with the Shanghai Sharks, Chinese superstar basketball player Yao Ming scored 32.4 points per game.Now the big man from China is helping the Houston Rockets in the NBA.Yao Ming has more than just size: he also has great skill and speed and he is a team player.Yao Ming is the son of two great basketball players and learnt how to play one of the world's most popular games when he was young.Now, as one of the stars in the NBA, Yao Ming is working hard to live his dream and show the world that Chinese basketball players love this game too!
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