Introducing "Countdown to the Olympics"

Inside Gymnastics is pleased to present “Countdown to the Olympics,” a special section of InsideGymnastics.com that will run from now through August 8^th, 2008 at 8:08:08, which is the official start of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Presented by our friends at Cirque du Soleil, this section will take a look at some of the top hopefuls for 2008, the country of China and the city of Beijing, as well as some of the top news headlines and headliners leading up to the Olympics. We’ll also hear from former Olympians on their experience at the Games and their reflections now as they look back on the “Olympic experience.”

In 2004, the American duo of Paul Hamm and Carly Patterson were crowned Olympic Champions in the all-around while Japan and Romania claimed gold in the men’s and women’s team competitions, respectively. Who will forever become a part of history with a gold-medal winning performance in 2008? The journey to Beijing promises to be as exciting as the Olympics itself and Inside Gymnastics will be there at every stop along the way.

We’d also like to know who and what you would like to see featured in this special section. What athletes would you like to see interviewed? What questions would you like to see us ask? What storylines do you most want to see covered? Let us know through out contact line!

For those of you who are competing in the sport and nearing retirement from your competitive career, we encourage you to check out the career opportunities available through Cirque du Soleil. The dynamic company with mesmerizing productions allows gymnasts to continue their passion in a new arena. The casting website provides a great look into the world of Cirque du Soleil so be sure and check it out!

And for all of our readers, if you’ve never seen a Cirque du Soleil show, you’re missing out! The incredible performances are an experience like no other. All of us at Inside Gymnastics have been huge fans of Cirque du Soleil for years (and we see the shows at every opportunity!), so it was an absolute pleasure to team up for this look at the road to Beijing. We hope you’ll enjoy the coverage, and again, please let us know what you’d like to see featured here!

Subscribe today to Inside Gymnastics magazine to follow all of the action on the road to Beijing for the 2008 Olympics!

Photos by Grace Chiu