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Olympic artists angry (Kung Fu Students)
Aftenposten.com ^ | August 14, 2008 | Kristoffer Rønneberg

Posted on 08/16/2008 4:46:29 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner

The Kung Fu pupils in the opening ceremony of the Olympics have spent the last year cooped up in a military camp outside Beijing. Conditions have been bad. "They weren't even given enough food," says their trainer. This news adds to the criticism of the Beijing Organizing Committee.

Viewers from around the globe marvelled at the Opening Ceremony last Friday. One of the most spectacular features was the martial arts display by 2008 pupils from the famous Shaolin Centre in Henan province. With coordinated movements, they showed the Tai Chi variant of Kung Fu; a popular way to relax for many Chinese people.

(snip)

Many of the martial arts performers feel abused and ignored by the Olympic organizers. For the last year, they have been housed 50 to a room, more than 70 kilometres from the ‘Bird’s Nest’ National arena. This is where they have slept, eaten and spent all their time.

Leaving the compound around the barracks was strictly forbidden. The dormitories are crammed with bunk beds. Between 30 and 50 of the teenagers spent the night in each room. Only a few of the showers work and the toilet facilities have been bad. The winter was icy and in summer, the pupils had to battle against mosquitoes and the heat.

(snip)

Everything had to be perfect. As result the performers had to practice up to 16 hours a day. "The test performance of the opening ceremony was worst of all. The pupils had to remain in the stadium for 51 hours. They were hardly fed. There was nowhere to sleep. Some managed to sleep on the seats, but they didn't get more than a couple of hours at most," says Liu.

(Excerpt) Read more at aftenposten.no ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2008olympics; ceremony; chicom; china; kungfufighting; olympics
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Olympic ceremony training, totalitarian style.

1 posted on 08/16/2008 4:55:11 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner
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To: JACKRUSSELL; indcons

Made in China Abused Martial Artists PING!


2 posted on 08/16/2008 4:56:05 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner ("We must not forget that there is a war on and our troops are in the thick of it!"--Duncan Hunter)
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To: Virginia Ridgerunner

It’s the ChiComs Olympics, after all. We’d be disappointed if the ChiComs did anything other than behave badly. That’s why they are ChiComs, after all.


3 posted on 08/16/2008 5:04:24 AM PDT by DieHard the Hunter (Is mise an ceann-cinnidh. Cha ghéill mi do dhuine. Fàg am bealach.)
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To: Virginia Ridgerunner
They were hardly fed.

Dog rations?
4 posted on 08/16/2008 5:09:16 AM PDT by SouthDixie (We are but angels with one wing, it takes two to fly.)
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To: SouthDixie

snicker...


5 posted on 08/16/2008 5:13:10 AM PDT by antivenom (Obama's parsed and lawyerly language is empty of any credible meaning...)
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To: SouthDixie

its probably the same thing for alot of the folks participating in this farce. i wonder how many of those young people who don’t acheive for the government will be punished in some way. maybe that is why they look so grim when they don’t win a gold.


6 posted on 08/16/2008 5:14:39 AM PDT by applpie
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To: Virginia Ridgerunner
Kung fu or Wu Shu? Big difference.

I didn't see the demo.

7 posted on 08/16/2008 5:27:25 AM PDT by Ghost of Philip Marlowe (If Hillary is elected, her legacy will be telling the American people: Better put some ice on that.)
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To: applpie
The capitalization event is all but lost for you.

More training might help.

8 posted on 08/16/2008 5:30:24 AM PDT by humblegunner (I'm voting for McCain because he's white.)
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To: Ghost of Philip Marlowe

It was Tai Chi they were actually doing. I would have preferred to see some hard core Hung Gar or Shaolin Five Animals, but oh well.


9 posted on 08/16/2008 5:33:07 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner ("We must not forget that there is a war on and our troops are in the thick of it!"--Duncan Hunter)
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To: Virginia Ridgerunner
"But the organizers have promised them an Olympic certificate thanking them for their effort. They will not receive pay. Nevertheless I think that the majority will think that it was good to do what they did for the Olympics and their country," says Liu.

Wow. They get a piece of paper for their effort?
10 posted on 08/16/2008 5:44:51 AM PDT by Girlene
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To: applpie
will be punished in some way

I was thinking after i read your post...they treat their dogs like their government treats them. It's Animal Farm all over again...Chinese-style.
11 posted on 08/16/2008 5:48:50 AM PDT by SouthDixie (We are but angels with one wing, it takes two to fly.)
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To: Virginia Ridgerunner; jahp; LilAngel; metmom; EggsAckley; Battle Axe; SweetCaroline; ...
MADE IN CHINA POTTERY STAMP

A ping list dedicated to exposing the quality, safety and security issues of anything “Made in China”.


Please FReepmail me if you would like to be on or off of the list.

(This can be a high volume ping list.)

12 posted on 08/16/2008 6:10:18 AM PDT by JACKRUSSELL
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To: SouthDixie

What the show lacked in genuine creativity it more than made up for in stupendous magnificence.
Only in a country where 25,000 people can be conscripted, starved, deprived of personal liberty, not paid, treated as cattle, and tortured for untold hours of precision rehearsel could this have been possible.
It was a showcase for collectivism.


13 posted on 08/16/2008 6:19:28 AM PDT by Louis Foxwell (here come I, gravitas in tow.)
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To: Virginia Ridgerunner

It’s no wonder that dancer fell, and is paralyzed now - I wonder how many hours had gone by before she attempted her fateful leap... After 48 hours awake you’re hurting pretty badly - especially if you are trying to perform perfectly in those conditions.

People are nothing to the ChiComs - what do they care if these kids get hurt? NOTHING. If they did care they would make sure they had enough food, rest, and not feeling like they were in prison! THIS is exactly the reason why China should never have been awarded the Olympics.


14 posted on 08/16/2008 6:24:54 AM PDT by LibertyRocks (LR's BLOG: http://libertyrocks.wordpress.com)
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To: Amos the Prophet

I think the liberals in the USA need to spend substantial time in the socialist “paradises” they eschew the world over...China, Sudan, Russia, etc.

Could they possibly give up what they have and receive in the “bad, old USA” for the enlightenment and tranquility of their “socialist utopias”?


15 posted on 08/16/2008 6:28:02 AM PDT by Boonie
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To: Amos the Prophet
As Homer Simpson would say:

Aaaaaah.....communism!

16 posted on 08/16/2008 6:28:21 AM PDT by Drawsing (The fool shows his annoyance at once. The prudent man overlooks an insult. (Proverbs 12:16))
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To: Boonie

They only want to be in charge of a commie state, not live in one.


17 posted on 08/16/2008 6:37:00 AM PDT by darkangel82 (If you're not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. (Say no to RINOs))
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To: Virginia Ridgerunner

Any society which has to TELL their people when and how to freakin’ SMILE—even having to order them to do so—must be hell.


18 posted on 08/16/2008 7:28:05 AM PDT by bannie
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To: Virginia Ridgerunner

This is what the Left wants for us.

Pray for W and Our Troops


19 posted on 08/16/2008 7:28:21 AM PDT by bray (Drill Congress!!)
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To: Virginia Ridgerunner

There will be a book about all the Chinese shenanigans.


20 posted on 08/16/2008 7:32:28 AM PDT by snowrip (Liberal? YOU ARE A SOCIALIST WITH NO RATIONAL ARGUMENT.)
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