Before the spectacles of the Democratic Convention in late August and the Republican Convention in early September, a spectacular event will take place which will have the whole world watching. The Summer Olympics are coming to Beijing, China August 8-24. The initial publicity surrounding the Beijing Olympics has not always been positive. The progress of the Olympic torch from country to country was disrupted by human rights activists protesting the violence taking place in Tibet. Olympic athletes pondered, in the press, the wisdom of risking their lung health competing in the unhealthy air of Beijing. A massive earthquake struck part of China killing thousands. Recent bomb explosions which occurred on buses in Yunnan Province act as reminders of possible terrorist threats to the Olympic games.

In spite of all this, Beijing and the rest of the world will be ready on August 8 to begin the Summer Olympic games. As many of the problems as possible have been addressed by the Chinese government, including stringent restrictions on traffic in the city of Beijing in an attempt to reduce smog and air pollutants. If you are interested in viewing what has been done in Beijing to prepare for the Olympics, go to the Beijing Olympics official website. If you are interested in seeing what the city of Beijing has to offer or want to view some of the venues constructed for the Olympic games, the city of Beijing has an Official Website.

Information about the Olympics in general can be found on the Official Website of the Olympics. Here you can find information about Olympic medal winners since the Athens Olympics of 1896, take a virtual tour of the Olympic Museum or view historical information about both Summer and Winter games since 1896.

The library is also a source of Olympic information. These are just a few of the library materials about the Olympics:
Rome 1960 : the Olympics that changed the world
The Olympics : Athens to Athens 1896-2004
The Olympics, a history of the modern games
Awaken the Olympian within : stories from America's greatest Olympic motivators
If your interest is in Olympic history
The naked Olympics : the true story of the Ancient Games and
The Ancient Olympic Games
Of course, if you are into movies, Chariots of fire is the quintessential Olympic movie.