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Baseball may be on the way out as an Olympic sport, but observers anticipating the eventual clash of civilizations between the United States and China may have seen a sneak preview on the diamond Monday:

The U.S. beat China 9-1 in the Olympics Monday night, and it was awful. China’s pitchers hit five U.S. batters, sending one to the hospital. U.S. baserunners plowed over two China catchers, likely knocking one out of the Games.

While some reporters at the scene think "Our relations with China were nearly broken at the plate," I wouldn't go that far. After all, the manager of the Chinese team -- who was ejected from Monday's game -- is an American who has been helping establish the national pastime in China since 2003. Personally, I'm still more outraged about the Chinese gymnasts.

Remember way back when people were asking whether we should "politicize" the Olympics? Isn't it just supposed to be about sports and itty bitty gymnasts doing their best? I have to say, in China, that question is bizarre. The Olympics is politics: that is the point.

Take the case of Owen, a torch-bearer living in the youth camp of the Olympic village. He is not a star athlete, but he's certainly well-spoken and smart as a whip. When you ask him what it was like to run those 30 meters he ran with the torch, he begins his story this way:

There is a garden next to the youth camp. In 1860, warriors broke into it and killed everybody. And that was the start of a terrible part of Chinese history, but now, within 140 years, I, as a representative of the youth, stand on the same ground and hold the torch showing that China is ready to be one of the strongest countries in the world. It's completely new and it's completely meaningful. And all of this is seen by the grass and by the land, by the earth, so I kissed it."

After telling us more about the Olympic compound, which is a heavily fortified, expansive prep school surrounded by green walls with the slogan "the youth are the future" scribbled across them, Owen went on. (By the way, at the Olympic youth camp, the youth are provided with soccer fields, basketball courts, swimming pools, a variety of stores and post offices. It is not dissimilar to Oberlin, Ohio, where I went to college, except you can't get in and out of the Village without a pass or the Olympic torch.)

We have dreamed about having the Olympic games for about 100 years. And we've tried so many times, but we failed so many times. If you give the holding rights to a city, it means you have to say that the city is good. We want to hear that you are respecting our behavior, our hard work. Whenever you hold the Olympic games it is a chance for a country or for a city to improve. And that will eventually benefit each and every Chinese.

Years later, when you look at history, you will see, we have made great progress. After we've had so hard time, we've survived. All of the Chinese are strong. We can never be defeated! You can kill us with your gun. But we will never be defeated. We survive. That's what the Olympics can tell the world."

Olympics 2008: It's not just sports; it's not just politics. What it's about is China.

Editor's note: Zoe Chace is an independent public radio producer who is in China for the Olympics. She'll be filing periodic dispatches for Passport about what it's like to be in the middle of the world's biggest spectacle, the 2008 Olympic Games. Got any questions or thoughts on what she should report on? Post your thoughts in the comments below.

Previous posts:

• Olympic Diary, Day 5: Hating the Olympics
• Olympic Diary, Day 2: China's lonely chairman
• Olympic Diary, Day 1: Where is everyone?

Picking up on Katie's post: What happens when you give in to a massive lobbying effort, somehow believe bogus promises of improvement, wallow in corruption, and ultimately give the Olympics to a country that never deserved them? Just ask the International Olympic Committee:

IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said journalists should not be prevented from doing their jobs, a day after John Ray of London-based ITV News said he was wrestled to the ground and briefly held by police who apparently mistook him for a protester.

Asked repeatedly if IOC officials are embarrassed that China was not living up to its promises, Davies would only say they are happy with the way China is running the sporting events."

And, of course, the opening ceremony was lovely.

Adam Pretty/Getty Images

While Americans have been enthralled with the performances of God-King Michael Phelps, their neighbors to the north are starting to get a bit worried. The reason? Canada hasn't won a medal yet.

The team, which won 12 overall medals in Athens, does expect some wins in the coming days. And the hapless Canucks are nowhere close to some of the worst Olympians of all time, thanks largely to their prowess in winter sports. Still, as Mark Spector laments in the Toronto-based National Post, folks in Canada are starting to get a bit worried:

Togo has a medal. Michael Phelps has five. Azerbaijan has three. Kyrgyzstan has two.

We'll pass them all by the end, barring an absolute disaster, but still, as the calls from editors begin to roll into the press centres here - all looking for the "What's going wrong?" angle that usually doesn't arrive for a few more days at these things - it is clear that Canadians are getting edgy."

Spector's piece also speaks to the incredibly high cost of churning out top-tier Olympic athletes, comparing powerhouses like China and the United States to the New York Yankees, who pay obscene amounts of money and are highly successful (although he should have used a team that actually wins these days, such as, ahem, my own Boston Red Sox).

It's tough to argue with his point. The deck is obviously stacked for the likes of China and the United States, where no matter the price for Olympic glory, people are willing to pay for it. Of course, it also helps when you hand-pick your gymnasts at age three or four, cut them off from their families, and then have them compete in the Olympics when they're 13.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Beach volleyball isn't the only event giving Russia fits in Beijing.

More than a few Russian Olympians have faltered in competition and come up well short of national medal expectations. In fact, it wasn't until today that Russia captured its first gold medals of these games, with both Nazyr Mankiev and Islam-Beka Albiev taking top honors in Greco-Roman wrestling. Adding those two golds, Russia's medal count now totals 12, which still leaves it far behind China (27) and the United States (29) -- and pretty unlikely to reach its goal of 80 medals by the games' end.

One Russian who failed to medal was 20-year-old weightlifter Svetlana Tsarukaeva (left), who added insult to injury by banging her head on the door frame as she exited the competition. Anastasia Zueva, favored for the silver in the 100m backstroke, came in a distant fifth.

Most surprising, though, are the number of setbacks in sports that are typically Russia's strengths, including gymnastics (the men's team finished a dismal sixth) and tennis (Maria Sharapova dropped out, and third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova lost in an early round).

So what gives, Russia? It could be that the team is still shaken after five of its members -- including a discus champ and former world-record holding hammer thrower -- were suspended for reportedly trying to cheat on their drug tests. A lack of trainers could also be to blame.

Of course, some might attribute the lackluster showing to bad karma from the Georgia conflict. At least the Russian and Georgian (er, Brazilian?) beach volleyball players put the affair aside, embracing before their match.

In any case, it looks like luck is currently on Georgia's side. As of about 30 minutes ago, the country just won its first gold of the Beijing Games, thanks to Greco-Roman wrestler Manuchar Kvirkelia.

THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images

This is what makes the Olympics great: With their two countries embroiled in conflict, Russia and Georgia took to the sand Wednesday to settle the score in beach volleyball. And Georgia, also the underdog in sport, won the match in three sets.

But the Russians were not about to concede defeat, pointing out that the two Georgians are, in fact, Brazilian:

Cristine Santanna and Andrezza Chagas go by the nicknames of Saka and Rtvelo, which put together spell the Georgian word for Georgia. Cute, perhaps, but not if you've just lost to them at the Olympic Games.

"We were not playing against the Georgian team today," sniffed Natalia Uryadova after losing 12-15 in the third and deciding set. "We were playing against the Brazilian team. If they are Georgian, they would have been influenced [by the war], but certainly they are not."

To be fair, the "Georgian" pair have passports from both Brazil and Georgia, and had trained for two years after receiving personal invitations from Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, whose wife also happens to play beach volleyball. But the two admitted they had only visited the country twice before representing it in the Olympics -- an increasingly common phenomenon, it seems, but one counter to the Olympic spirit.

Georgian Volleyball Federation President Levan Akhvlediani, however, would have none of it, calling the Russians "bad losers" and hailing the victory as "wonderful for the Georgian people."

It's better to make a war... on the sporting fields," Akhvlediani said.

It surely doesn't hurt that on the sporting fields, for this match at least, Georgia won.

NOGI KAZUHIRO/AFP/Getty Images

Bela Karolyi, the NBC sports analyst who was coach of some of the world's greatest gymnasts, including Mary Lou Retton and Nadia Comaneci, is incensed. He is convinced that China has included underage girls -- the age requirement is 16 -- on its women's gymnastics team by forging the girls' birth dates on official documents.

Yesterday, in reference to the Chinese gymnasts' childish body sizes (the team average is 4 feet, 9 inches, and 77 pounds), he unleased some verbal venom to the Associated Press:

They are using half-people. One of the biggest frustrations is, what arrogance. These people think we are stupid.

Gymnastics is famous for its small women -- or rather, girls -- but the Chinese gymnasts look awfully tiny and juvenile. In comparison, Japan's team average is 4 feet, 10 inches, and 83 pounds, while the Americans are an average of 5 feet and 107 pounds. Granted, size isn't always an indicator of age, but the New York Times recently pointed to other evidence of age falsification -- inconsistent reporting of some gymnasts' ages in official documents, media reports, and government Web sites.

The Chinese gymnasts certainly aren't half-people, but it sounds like the Chinese government might be telling some half-truths.

ESPN has the reactions from the French squad after last night's race:

A fingertip did the victory," said Amaury Leveaux, one of the French swimmers. "It is nothing."

Apparently they didn't learn their lesson.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Unbelievable race:

Michael Phelps won his second gold medal of the 2008 Games on Monday, with a victory by the United States in the 4x100 freestyle relay. The U.S. finished first in 3 minutes 8.24 seconds, smashing the world record by nearly 4 seconds, with France taking silver and Australia getting bronze.

... Bush cheers:

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images

U.S. President George W. Bush (L) plays beach volleyball with U.S. beach volleyball player Misty May Treanor in Beijing on August 9, 2008.

China Vitae

Many of us in the media have spilled a lot of ink about the Beijing Olympics, and a great deal of it has been critical. But what is the Chinese view?

I spoke Thursday morning with Amb. Wu Jianmin, a longtime Chinese diplomat who served as China's ambassador to the United Nations until 1998. Since 2003, he has been president of China Foreign Affairs University, where his mission is training the next generation of Chinese diplomats. Check it out.

China Vitae

Many of us in the media have spilled a lot of ink about the Beijing Olympics, and a great deal of it has been critical. But what is the Chinese view?

I spoke Thursday morning with Amb. Wu Jianmin, a longtime Chinese diplomat who served as China's ambassador to the United Nations until 1998. Since 2003, he has been president of China Foreign Affairs University, where his mission is training the next generation of Chinese diplomats.

Foreign Policy: We’ve seen a lot of analysis in the Western press about China’s hopes for these games. As a Chinese diplomat, what’s your view? How does China want the world to see the Olympics?

Wu Jianmin: Two things. First, we want the world to get this message: The Olympics belong to the whole world. The first Olympic Games were held in 1896, and most Olympics were held in developed countries. It wasn’t until Mexico in 1968 that the Olympic Games were held a developing country. Today, they will be held in the largest developing country: China. It’s great. We hope in the future that the Olympics will move further into the developing world.

Second, we hope that visitors who come to China will go away with the impression that China is a peaceful, civilized, and progressive nation.

FP: When the decision was announced in 2001, a lot of people said that China wouldn’t be able to do it -- whether it was because of political issues, international criticism, infrastructure, or pollution. Now that the games are about to start, what do you think Chinese officials are most worried about going wrong during the games themselves?

WJ: All Olympic Games in the past have had problems of one kind or another. So for us, we are quite prepared to deal with all kinds of problems. The number one problem is terrorists, and apart from that there might be some other issues that might come up. But we are quite sure that the Olympic Games will be a success. That success is not only Chinese, but will be the success of the whole world. At the beginning of 2001, people outside of China had a whole lot of worries, but today the facts are there to show that China has kept her promises. We did our best to meet the challenges, to meet the requests, of the International Olympic Committee.

FP: Amnesty International, you may have seen, issued a report saying that Chinese officials have “broken their promise to improve the country’s human rights situation and betrayed the core values of the Olympics.” Do you think that this is a fair charge, and how would you respond to that?

WJ: No, it’s not fair. This is just one opinion. But you know, the world is so large and there are many other opinions. I think in China, everybody can see that we did our utmost to fulfill our promises.

FP: Experts tell us that China has done pretty much everything it can possibly do to bring air pollution levels down in Beijing, and now it’s up to the weather. But China has a lot of environmental problems outside of its capital city, especially with water quality in rural areas, and those aren’t getting the same kind of Olympic effort. What do you think its going to take to bring the “Olympic spirit” outside of Beijing?

WJ: I think the Olympic spirit will spread throughout China. For instance, you mentioned the quality of water. This is a very serious issue. Our surveys show that about 320 Chinese million peasants do not have access to clean drinking water. It’s a very serious problem and the target is to solve it within a few years, because we Chinese are bound to stay here. We can’t move to other places in the world. When our environment is degraded, everyone suffers, so we are serious about that.

FP: I’m sure that you’re going to be watching the games closely. Are you going to any events?

WJ: Yes, I am going to go to the opening ceremonies. I am very excited about it. It’s the first time in China!

FP: Do you think that China is going to beat the United States in the medal count?

WJ: Even though the team leader of the U.S. says that, I am not sure. Maybe that is his strategy: Keep a low profile and raise expectations about China. Maybe the Chinese team will actually feel more pressure because of that.

FP: If China does win the most medals, how do you think the world will react? Do you think the world will see China as a threat, as some people have speculated?

WJ: No. The Olympics is a sporting event. You may have many medals this time and the next time you don’t have as many medals. Don’t exaggerate! Sports is sports. “If you get a lot of medals, you are a threat. If you get fewer medals, no more threat.” It sounds ridiculous!

FP: Who is your favorite Chinese athlete?

WJ: I think our table tennis players are pretty good. They are very smart; they are also working very hard at training. They do whatever they can to improve their performance. I admire their courage and their persistence.

FP: What do you think is the biggest misperception that Westerners have about China, and what are your hopes for the Olympics changing that perception?

WJ: Some Western people perceive China as a threat, because in the past, when countries were rising, it was always detrimental to others. We all remember what happened with the rise of the colonial powers. They believe that China will behave in that way, but that’s wrong because of two things. First, peace and harmony are important parts of Chinese culture. Culture determines people’s mentality, and people’s mentality determines people’s actions and behavior.

I don’t know if you’re familiar with Zheng He’s expeditions in the 15th century. Eighty years before Christopher Columbus discovered the new continent, He had the largest fleet in the world, with more than 60 vessels. And each vessel’s capacity was about 1,000 seamen. We had the most advanced ship technology, but we did not use this advantage to invade other countries. That was decided by Chinese culture. Today, that Chinese culture is still there.

The second thing they overlook is Chinese policy. We stick to the peaceful development path. That means no expansion, no hegemony, no alliances. We put “win-win” at the center of international strategy because we believe that in a globalized world, only with win-win and a two-way street will our cooperation with the outside world be lasting. With a one-way street -- should China seek unilateral benefits -- our cooperation would not last. That may be good for China for just a few moments, but it would not last. We don’t want that. We want to have sustainable, lasting cooperation with the outside world.

We want the outside world to see this -- that when they go away from Olympics, they believe that China is a peaceful, civilized, and progressive nation.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

In a pointed gesture, the U.S. Olympic team has voted Lopez Lomong, a member of the track team who gained American citizenship in 2007 after fleeing Sudan and spending a decade in a Kenyan refugee camp, as its flag bearer for the opening ceremony in Beijing.

Lomong was abducted at age six by militiamen looking to recruit child soliders. He managed to escape with two other boys and was grabbed by Kenyan authorities after he unknowingly crossed the border. Lomong was one of the 4,000 "lost boys" of Sudan who were resettled in foster homes throughout the United States in 2001. Lomong is also currently a member of the Team Darfur activist group whose cofounder -- American speedskater and Turin gold medalist Joey Cheek -- had his visa revoked by Chinese authorities two days ago.

Lomong's selection is certainly a touching gesture from his fellow athletes, and the Sudanese-American runner is ecstatic, saying that Friday will be "the happiest day" of his life. What effect it will have on U.S.-China relations is uncertain, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that China will not be able to hide from its Darfur policy simply by putting on the world's biggest fireworks show and wowing foreign dignitaries.

I would be absolutely shocked if the Olympics pass without some sort of dramatic protest or political statement from an athlete or group of athletes, on a podium or elsewhere. One English basketball player, formerly with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic, has said that Olympians have an obligation to speak out against China.

It may not be 1968, but that doesn't mean the gloves won't come off.

FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images

Whatever considerable flaws China may have as Olympic hosts, you can't accuse them of not sweating the details. Just ask Brazilian triple jumper Jadel Gregorio:

His Chinese hosts, who are wowing foreign guests with their organizational feats, had already figured out Gregorio's 2.03 meter (6 ft 8 in) frame would overhang the Olympic Village beds and had tacked on a special half-meter extension.

They had also raised his shower head -- to as high as they could without lifting the ceiling. "These people think of every little thing," Gregorio told Reuters as he finished a high-carb pasta lunch in the Olympic Village, his impossibly long legs somehow folded under the table.

At 6-foot-8, Gregorio barely reaches Yao Ming's chin. I imagine his room must be something else.

That was fast. Four members of the U.S. Olympic cycling team have apologized for wearing face masks yesterday at the Beijing airport:

The wearing of protective masks upon our arrival into Beijing was strictly a precautionary measure we as athletes chose to take, and was in no way meant to serve as an environmental or political statement," the athletes said. "We deeply regret the nature of our choices. Our decision was not intended to insult BOCOG or countless others who have put forth a tremendous amount of effort to improve the air quality in Beijing."

The chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee says the athletes wrote the letter of their own accord. About 200 members of the American team are thought to have brought masks to Beijing.

Of course, it's worth noting that plenty of Chinese cyclists wear face masks:

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

Japan's heaviest sumo wrestler has pledged to his fans that he will gain even more weight. Yamamotoyama currently weighs in at 511 pounds, but the 24-year-old's goal is to tip the scales at 531, surpassing the previous Japanese record holder, retired wrestler Susanoumi, who reached 529 pounds.

Yamamotoyama is reported to have once devoured 146 pieces of sushi in a single sitting, so packing on another 20 pounds seems doable. But he might be setting himself up for a difficult situation 16 years from now. This year, Japan enacted a policy that requires citizens ages 40 to 74 to undergo mandatory "fat checks." Those with waists more than 34 inches will be put on special exercise programs. It's part of an effort to keep citizens' bulging bottoms from breaking the government's budget, as reported in the FP article, "Bulging Bottom Lines."

Surely, though, there must be a special sumo exemption?

Boston Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez apparently has great faith in the success of the surge. Look at this press conference brilliance:

I don't care where I play. I can even play in Iraq if need be. My job is to play baseball."

If this latest from Ramirez comes as even a remote surprise to you, you're probably not a baseball fan.

Feng Li/Getty Images

With the 2008 Olympic Games just 10 days away, Beijing officials are scrambling to improve the city's awful air quality. One drastic measure that city officials are considering would essentially ban 90 percent of private-owned automobiles from the roads. This comes after an initial ban has already forced residents to drive every other day.

Meanwhile, the International Olympic Commmittee has been setting a "gold standard" for unfounded praise of the Chinese capital. Just look at this press release from early July:

The city feels ready; it looks ready, with the stunning venues all completed. The quality of preparation, the readiness of the venues and the attention to operational detail for these Games have set a gold standard for the future.

Uh huh. That's why many athletes are staying in South Korea and Japan for as long as possible to avoid Beijing's smog. The U.S. Olympic Committee is even providing protective masks for American athletes. And where does the IOC stand on ozone and particulate levels that might interfere with some of the outdoor events? Here's Gunilla Lindberg, an IOC vice president:

No, it doesn't really look so good, but as I said, yesterday was better. We try to be hopeful. Hopefully we are lucky during the games as we were with Atlanta, Athens and Barcelona."

Right. Barcelona and Athens were pure luck. That's why, according to the World Bank, Beijing boasted twice the particulate matter of either of those two former Olympic cities. Twice last week, the air-quality readings in the Chinese capital were nearly double the targeted levels for developing countries set by the World Health Organization.

Maybe the resourceful Chinese can turn things around by August 8, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

It's official. Iraq won't be competing in Beijing:

The International Olympic Committee says Iraq will not compete at Beijing because of Iraqi government interference.

The IOC suspended Iraq's national Olympic committee in June after Baghdad dismissed elected officials and installed its own people who are not recognized by the IOC.

Al Bello/Getty Images

It was only a matter of time before the declining dollar affected the world of sport. In years past, the Europe's prime basketball talent bolted across the pond for the superior pay and play of the NBA. Now, the trend appears to be heading in the opposite direction, thanks to the rising euro and an influx of Russian investment in the European league. Suddenly, playing in Europe doesn't sound like such a bad idea after all.

Former New Jersey Net Bostjan Nachbar (above left, with Dallas's Dirk Nowitzki) is the latest player to spurn the NBA and sign a more lucrative contract with a European team, which pays in the much more attractive euro, and often tax-free:

The NBA had better be careful," Nachbar said. "European teams are offering a lot of money. It's much more, considering there are no taxes, than what I could make signing for the midlevel exception."

Once confined to players with previous overseas experience, the trend is spreading to home-grown Americans, too. Highly rated high schooler Brandon Jennings, struggling with academic issues, shocked the college basketball world by opting to play in Europe instead of attending school. And Atlanta's Josh Childress, unhappy with the state of contract negotiations with the Hawks, is weighing an offer to play in Greece.

Although the NBA, already cultivating the Chinese market, has been eyeing European expansion, I don't think this is exactly what Commissioner David Stern had in mind.