"
The Rio Olympics is shaping up to be the most pivotal of recent times.


Not because the sporting action is any more anticipated than at previous Games - far from it - but because the Olympic concept has taken so many knocks in recent years that the very credibility of the Games is under threat.


In fairness ECCO Hombre Whistler Gtx High Botas Amber Negras Rebajas , there has been criticism in the build-up to all Olympic Games in recent memory. This happens -largely -because the hordes of international -media are on site days before the Games kicks off and have to file daily stories with little or no sporting action to discuss. But the build-up to Rio seems worse than normal.


Locally, health has been a big concern with the Zika virus seeing a number of high-profile withdrawals - mostly notably the top four male golfers in the world - even though the official line from the IOC has been that there is nothing to worry about.


Additionally, the water in the bay in which some of the athletes will be swimming has been criticized for being filthier than swimming pool. More -recently, the sub-standard accommodation has been a favorite target - as it was in Sochi two years ago.


Safety has been another big area of concern, with the localized fears of kidnapping, robberies and scams added to the wider global threat of terrorism.


Unusually, perhaps, Chinese athletes - and fans - have also been complaining on social media, with some joking that the athletes' biggest challenge will be simply to return home alive.


But the pressure has been building on China's athletes and officials alike, with Liu Peng, head of China's Olympic Committee, saying that the country will face sterner competition in some of the disciplines it traditionally dominates. China will still, no doubt, see success in diving, gymnastics and some of the other sports Liu mentioned, but his comments prove that - in China as elsewhere - funding has to be justified by medals.


But it is the issue of doping that has arguably created the biggest cloud for Rio.


By refusing to issue a blanket ban on Russian athletes for state-sponsored -doping, the IOC has transferred the -burden to individual sporting federations. While arguing that this is somehow more fair to those affected, the result has done nothing to repair the damaged reputation of the Olympics.


Athletics - the showpiece event of the Games - already has its credibility in tatters. If these Games fails to win over sports fans from around the world, the Olympics may lose its relevancy forever.

"

XIAMEN, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Xiamen Customs in east China's Fujian Province seized more than 14,000 pairs of fake Adidas, Nike and Puma shoes with a street value of 150,000 U.S. dollars.


Customs officers said the shoes were declared by a local trading company, which failed to provide the required certificates for using the trademarks of Adidas on 8,728 pairs of shoes, Nike on 5,400 pairs and Puma on 696 pairs.


Customs contacted the three trademark holders who confirmed the infringement on Monday and applied for customs protection of intellectual property rights.


The goods have been detained for further investigation.

"Chinese Korean Share Your Dream Short Film Festival" will screen next month.

A micro-movie exhibition focusing on youth co-launched by China and South Korea will screen next month, organizers announced on Tuesday.


The first Chinese-Korean "Share Your Dream" Short Film Festival, organized by multiple institutions and enterprises including the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio, and Seoul-based CJ Entertainment & Media Group, will be held in Beijing from Oct 23 through 26.


The festival has already attracted more than 300 films.


Chinese director Wang Xiaoshuai will lead the judging panel, which will decide the winners of seven major awards at the festival. South Korean pop singer and TV star Yun Eun-hye will be the publicity ambassador.


Organizers said the major criteria for the films include expression of young people’s dreams, and an explanation of the combination of cultural tradition inheritance and modern lifestyles.


"We hope this event could be a platform for the young generation for mutual communication and explore a new field to strengthen the friendship between the two countries," said Feng Zuoku, deputy head of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. "It will be meaningful for the two countries' long-term cooperation."

"

Thousands of Chinese fans went home very disappointed on Monday evening, following the cancellation of the much-anticipated Manchester derby, after rain last week left the pitch at the Bird's Nest stadium in an unplayable state.


The expected resumption of hostilities between Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho - the new coaches of City and United respectively - had shone an -unusually bright spotlight on this pre-season friendly, which, unfortunately, only served to highlight the inadequacies of the event's preparation.


When the dust has settled on the Match That Never Was, it can only be hoped that the post-event internal -report - assuming one is actually -written - does not place the blame solely on a freak weather occurrence that could never have been foreseen.


Yes, Beijing experienced some heavy rainfall in the run-up to the match, but the worst of it came nearly a week -beforehand and the city's drains - not known as among the world's best - had long since cleared standing water from the streets.


In fact, Manchester City's groundsman had been dispatched to Beijing 10 days before the game, by which point it would have been abundantly clear that the pitch was in no fit state to host some of the best players on the planet.


The fact that the turf was originally designed to accommodate javelins at a track and fi. Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Wholesale Shirts Cheap NBA T-shirts Wholesale T-shirts China Cheap Hats China Cheap Hats China Cheap NCAA Shirts Cheap Soccer Hoddies