The hundred day countdown begins, IOC releases its playbook, and an interview with USA Today’s Dan Wolken

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Welcome to the China Sports Insider Podcast on the Sinica Network! If it’s about sports and there’s a China angle, we’ll talk about it.

This week: fewer than a hundred days to go to the Beijing Olympics, and foreign athletes have been trickling in for test events. What’s happening? What are they saying? (0:49)

The IOC released their playbook — their game plan for the Olympics. How will visiting media and athletes react to Beijing’s health and safety measures? (6:15)

Then we talk to USA Today’s Dan Wolken. He’s covered four Olympics, and he’s coming to Beijing. What does he make of the playbook? (12:39)

And we end with the saga of China’s men’s national ice hockey team. Their story is getting a lot of attention from foreign media. At the Olympic tournament they’ll be in a group with Canada, USA, and Germany, and there’s a real chance they’ll get blown out. How did we get here? What’s the way out? (34:39)

Update: Since we recorded this, the IIHF has announced that China will not be kicked out of the Olympic tournament.

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