Beijing 2008 has changed the English name of its five mascots, from Friendlies to Fuwa, to make it easier to remember. Beijing Olympic organizing committee official Hu Chunzheng told Xinhua that the name was changed because it would be more accessible and “a better name to promote the five mascots”. But the Beijing Daily Messenger said that since the unveiling of the mascots last November, the accuracy of its English translation, the Five Friendlies, which literally means kids embodying blessings in Chinese, has been questioned by the public. The newspaper said some think the English name may be misleading as “Friendly” has two meanings in English – a friendly person, or a game played for pleasure or practice. “Friendlies”, carrying a similar pronunciation to the word “Friendless”, is another flaw, said the newspaper.
Work was stopped at a Beijing Olympic shooting venue after workers unearthed an imperial-era tomb at the site. The tomb is located about 100 metres from the site of several Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) tombs unearthed during the construction of the Beijing Shooting Range Hall in May, reports the Beijing Times. Workers laying pipe at the site on Saturday discovered a “relatively large chamber with a structure” and informed authorities.
Local police forces announced Monday that a rescue dog team is being trained in Shenyang for the fire fighting team for disaster relief during the Beijing Games at places where detectors fail to get through. The rescue dogs are being trained to locate people trapped in collapsed buildings and to search for the remains of victims at fire sites.
A Chinese sports official said Monday Wushu will probably appear during the 2008 Games as a “specially-set” sport. Chen Guorong, vice chairman of the Chinese Wushu Association said, “the International Wushu Federation has continuously made great efforts to introduce martial arts into the Olympics. The Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympiad has made some fruitful progress. Marital arts matches will hopefully be held during the Beijing Olympics”. Chen confirmed that the entry of martial arts in the Olympics is still under discussion and the final result may be released by the end of the year.
