Welcome to Olympic Countdown. This is Stephen. There are now 37 days to go before the Beijing Olympics.

Torch Relay Underway in Cradle of Chinese Revolution

Liu Tianyou, a 93-year-old retired Red Army soldier, started running at 8:15 a.m. today at the site of the Zaoyuan Revolution, marking the beginning of the Olympic Torch Relay in Yan'an city, known as the cradle of the Chinese revolution. The torch relay closed at 12:05 at noon. A total of 208 torchbearers took part in the 6.31 kilometer relay. 

China Opposes Linking Tibet-related Issues to Olympics

China yesterday(July 1st) expressed resolute opposition to connecting Tibet-related issues with the Beijing Olympic Games. Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao made the remarks in response to a question concerning French President Nicolas Sarkozy's recent comments about the Dalai Lama. Sarkozy said on Monday he would attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics if the latest contact between China's central government and the private representatives of the Dalai Lama achieves progress. He plans to meet with the Dalai Lama in early August.

Zheng Makes History at Wimbledon, Vows to Help Quake Victims

China's Zheng Jie made history at Wimbledon yesterday, becoming the first Chinese player to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament. The Chinese ace beat Nicole Vaidisova, of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 to set up a semifinal clash with former winner Serena Williams of the US. Zheng said she will use her prize money to help the earthquake victims in her home province of Sichuan.