Jamaica sprinter Usain Bolt has shattered the previous 100m and 200m records in a way never seen before. Michael Phelps now boasts twelve gold medals. Their feats are extraordinary. But are they humanly possible? Read more

French swimmer Laure Manaudou is, unwillingly, the most striking example of an athlete who failed to get results in these Games. But is it fair to judge our sport icons so hard when, after all, they are just men and women. Read more.

It's done. Alain Bernard is Olympic champion in 100 metres freestyle. Read more

Twenty-four years after her first Games, in Los Angeles in 1984, the 41-year-old US athlete Dara Torres has just claimed her 10th Olympic medal in Beijing. Jeannie Longo at nearly 50-year-old could have been in Moscow 1980 if they weren't boycotted. She is also in Beijing, cycling for a potential 4th medal. What are they running to? Read more.

If the number 8 is a sign of prosperity and luck in the Chinese culture, it is also a synonym for happiness for Michael Phelps. The American swimmer, 23, could this year enter into legend by breaking the all-time record of 7 gold medals amassed by his compatriot, Mark Spitz, at the Munich games in 1972. Read more.

It was a crushing defeat. Defending champion Laure Manaudou finishing eight seconds behind the gold medal, Britain’s Rebecca Adlington, in the final of the women’s 400m freestyle. The shock was all the greater given that France’s star swimmer was in the lead during the first 150 metres. Meanwhile, the French team found some consolation in Coralie Balmy’s unexpected fourth place, just short of the podium. Read more.

Laure Manaudou, Natalie Coughlin, Katie Hoff, Stephanie Rice, Alain Bernard, Pieter van den Hoogenband, and Michael Phelps all are real contenders for the gold. For these swimmers, just being present isn't enough; winning is the ultimate and only goal. Read more

Chinese authorities are determined to host a clean Games. To accomplish this, and avoid the repeated embarrassments of the 2004 Athens Games, a staggering 4,500 drug tests have been programmed. Twenty eight cases were revealed in the last Olympics, up from Sydney's 10 in the year 2000. Read more

Like previous Games, Beijing 2008 will make several additions to the list of sacred Olympic sports. Two are completely new, one is an evolution of an existing sport and another is a sport so far reserved for men that will open to women as well. Discover three of these new sports that will mark the Games for ever. Read more

From August 8th to 24th, the world's finest athletes will enter the Beijing arena for the Games of the XXIXth Olympiad. To follow this historic event, twenty-nine FRANCE 24 Observers from 10 different countries will bring you highlights from the Beijing Games, through their commentaries, pictures and videos. Read more...