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 Beijing 2008
The 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games

The greatest spectacle in world sport is once again with us. This time, men and women from all over the globe will be pitting themselves against each other, the clock, and the measuring tape, in a celebration of athletic excellence in Beijing, China.

From doping, dirty air, artificial limbs, and injuries, the the sheer splendour of athletes performing at their peak, we will have all the health angles covered.

Also keep an eye open for regular updates from Ross Tucker – our popular science of sport blogger.

 CONTENT
01. Oscar's win - what now?
Oscar Pistorius won his appeal and will now be allowed to compete in able-bodied events at the Beijing Olympics. But what will this mean for the future of athletics?
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02. Pollution scare hits Beijing
Pollution levels rose sharply in Beijing this week, just two and a half months before the Olympic Games. Authorities have warned residents with respiratory problems to stay inside.
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03. Hormone test in time for Olympics
Tests for human growth hormone, which world anti-doping bodies hope to use to trap cheats during the Beijing Olympics, have hit a snag but should be ready by August.
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04. Tough new doping regulations
The International Olympic Committee has dispatched details of the tough anti-doping regulations it will implement at this year's Beijing Games to all national committees.
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05. Speedo swimsuit update
FINA approves the Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit - and opens the can of worms
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06. Olympic athletes in asthma study
Athletes from 10 European countries will take part in an allergy study at the Beijing Olympics.
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07. New doping test for Olympic cheats
The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency has said that an effective test for human growth hormone would be ready in time for the Beijing Olympics and warned drug cheats to beware.
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08. China bans smoking for Olympics
Beijing is to ban smoking in most public places from May 1 as part of its efforts to improve the city ahead of the Olympics, state media has reported.
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09. Concern for athletes at Olympics
A study has shown that there may be a risk to athletes competing in this years Olympic Games, despite the IOC's reports that Beijing's air quality is better than expected.
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10. Food safety assurances in Beijing
Beijing is growing vegetables at special farms and breeding "Olympic pork" after food quality issues gained international attention last year following a series of scandals.
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11. The Olympics in the movies
There have been numerous films related to the Olympics, few of them good ones and several Olympic athletes have made a transition to Hollywood, but none became really good actors.
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12. A description of badminton
Players use a racquet to strike a leather-covered, cork-topped shuttlecock over a net into the opponent's area. Points are won when the opponent fails to return the shuttlecock.
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13. A description of baseball
Baseball has been an Olympic sport since 1992. The Olympic format consists of one elimination tournament with eight teams, each with nine players.
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14. A description of basketball
Basketball was first played in 1891. The game is played by two teams. The aim of each team is to score in the opponent's basket and to prevent the opposing team from scoring.
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15. A description of canoeing
Canoeing (kayaking) competitions are conducted under two categories: slalom and flat water.
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16. A description of fencing
One of the four sports featured in every Olympic Games since 1896, fencing is the modern manifestation of an ancient form of combat, practiced indoors.
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17. A description of football
Arguably the most popular sport in the world, after the elimination rounds, the teams (are split into four groups (two for the women) of four teams.
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18. A description of handball
Handball consists of two teams of seven, who aim to score as many goals against the opposing teams using only the hands.
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19. A description of the sprints
Sprints generally include the 100m, 200m, 110m hurdles and 4 x 100m relays.
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20. A description of the 3-day event
The three-day event is essentially a combination of the dressage, cross country and showjumping events.
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21. A description of wrestling
There are two styles in modern wrestling: freestyle and greco-roman.
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22. Asthma & the Olympics
Asthma need not hinder your performance: here's the proof.
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23. Description of sailing events
Sailing originally became an Olympic sport in 1900. Now small design boats and not large yachts are used, with the emphasis being on the skill of the sailor not the boats speed.
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24. Description of swimming
At first glance it’s less visible than, say, athletics, but swimming is a perennial Commonwealth/Olympic favourite and eagerly anticipated.
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25. Description of weightlifting
Weightlifting is one of the few Commonwealth/Olympic sports that measures pure strength.
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26. Doping boost - all in the mind?
The "placebo effect" may play a part in the athletic performance-enhancing effects of growth hormone, particularly in men, new findings suggest.
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27. Games: Russia's finest banned
Seven of Russia's leading women athletes have been banned from competing in the upcoming Olympic Games following what the IAAF are describing as tampering with the urine samples.
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28. Middle-distance athletes- how fit?
Simply put, Commonwealth/Olympic runners are the pinnacle of physical conditioning.
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29. How fit must you be for badminton?
Badminton is one of the finest conditioning game activities. During the game, the player performs highly concentrated actions on a continual basis.
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30. How fit must you be for sailing?
While people can carry on sailing for the rest of their lives, sailing at Olympic level is fiercely competitive and requires top-level fitness.
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31. How fit are weightlifters?
How fit must you be to take part in wrestling? World-class weightlifters have to be strong and powerful, fast and flexible. A high level of fitness is required.
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32. How fit must you be for wrestling?
Wrestling greatly emphasises strength and flexibility. You have to be very fit and very strong just to participate.
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33. Whats the hardest event?
What Olympic event causes the greatest physical strain? Arguably, it's dingy racing. Even though the race may seem dull, the sailors get a real workout.
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34. What price for an Olympic Gold?
We are five days into the Beijing Olympic Games and the SA team has been humbled by standards that have progressed well beyond what might have been expected.
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35. A devastating 9.69 seconds
Health24's FitnessDoc describes Usain Bolt's winning race as "the most devastating display of 100m sprinting I have ever seen". He gives us his analysis on this spectacular race.
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36. Heptathlon athlete fails dope test
Ukraine's heptathlon silver medallist Liudmyla Blonska has failed a drugs test, the IOC confirmed as the first high-profile doping failure hit the Beijing Olympics on the 13th day.
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37. Bolt: the world's fastest man
The debate is over: Bolt is the fastest man in the world, ever. FitnessDoc tries to answer the only question left - which performance was more spectacular?
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38. Discovering Bolt
Health24's FitnessDoc, Dr Ross Tucker, takes a look at the man behind the medals and tackles the tricky question on everyone's mind: did he dope?
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39. 302 golds
The Olympics: who really got the medals? Two sports scientists take a closer look.
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40. Could Bolt have run 9.55s?
Swedish scientists claim Usain Bolt could have run 9.55s if he hadn't started celebrating before the end of the race. Is this possible? Not a chance, says Health24's FitnessDoc.
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41. Olympics vs Paralympics
With both the Olympics and the Paralympics behind us, Health24's FitnessDoc evaluates the success and failures of both, and explains why it's unwise to compare the two.
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