China: No summer flowers? No problem

About five million pots of flowers will be planted in gardens and along streets around the city in coming years to test whether they can adapt to the climate, Zhang was quoted as saying by the China daily. Horticulturalists are also searching the outskirts of Beijing to find flowers to try and foster new breeds from them.

Hamm vows to give back gold if asked
ATHENS: Paul Hamm, the American gymnast whose Olympic men’s all-around victory has been protested by South Korean officials, said he would give back his gold medal if International Gymnastics Federation officials declare that is the proper course. “If they decide I should give back the gold medal, then I will,” Hamm said yesterday. “I personally believe I’m still the Olympic champion.”

The Koreans objected that Yang Tae Young was given a start value of 9.9 rather than 10 on his horizontal bar routine in the all-around final rotation.

FIG officials agreed the judging was in error and suspended those involved, but said that there was no appeal possible for judges’ scores and the result, with Hamm the winner, would stand.

“I am going to abide by whatever the FIG decides,” Hamm said. “I feel it would be almost disrespectful from my part to do something that would contradict their decision.”

100 golds; China can smoke in joy
shanghai: China is elated about securing their 100th gold medal in Olympic games so far.

China secured the 100th gold when world number one Zhang Yining defeated North Korea’s Kim Hyang-Mi in the women’s table tennis singles final yesterday.

“Fittingly the landmark 100th gold came on the table tennis court, where China has won 16 golds out of a possible 19 since the sport’s Olympic debut in 1988, and where Rong Guotuan claimed China’s first World Championship of any sports in 1959,” the Xinhua News Agency said. “China’s historic 100-gold mark was reached after a timely helping hand by American shooter Matthew Emmons, who misfired the last shot to give the men’s 50m rifle 3 position gold medal to Jia Zhanbo,” it said.

It was the second gold after doubles for Zhang, who had long been under the shadow of Wang Nan, a “grand slam” winner of Olympic, World Championship and World Cup crowns.

China began its Olympic career at the Los Angeles games with 15 gold medals, and followed up in Seoul four years later with just five. But by 1992, China won 16 medals in Barcelona, a feat repeated in Atlanta in 1996. Sydney saw China explode into the elite group of Olympic nations with 28 gold medals, placing it third on the gold and overall medal tally behind the US and Russia. (Agencies)