Forward to Beijing

FORWARD TO BEIJING: A GUIDE TO THE SUMMER OLYMPICS-Gives a brief history of the Games from their ancient origins in Greece to their revival in 1896.-Surveys some of the triumphs enjoyed and difficulties encountered by the Olympic Movement over time. -Gives some of the highlights of Olympiads held from 1896 to 1984, including details of those athletes who won more than one gold medal each in any one of these early modern Olympiads. -Taking 1988 as a starting point, gives a detailed account of several important aspects of the Olympic Games.-Each of the twenty-eight Olympic sports from "Aquatics" to "Wrestling" is described with definitions of some of the special terms used and explanations of the rules that govern these sports, together with their associated disciplines.-Gives, for every single Olympic sport, the names of gold medal winners at these Games, and information about the country they represented. Appeals across age and gender, designed for longevity. "Will appeal to the adult 'armchair enthusiast' seeking to get the most out of televised events." -Vincent Heywood, Chinese Cross Currents."Comprehensive and scholarly. The idea is noble: encourage visitors to embrace the symbolic gesture of this third Asian summer Olympiad - international goodwill, cooperation and peace." - Hong Kong Magazine.