Liu’s responsibility to China as the gold medal breadwinner has sparked full-bodied financial support. Literally.

You might have heard the rumors that J Lo insured her rear? Well, now Liu Xiang has gone and taken a $13.3 million insurance policy out on his precious hurdling legs. The money was donated by Ping An of China as part of their sponsorship of the Chinese track and field team. Despite the fact that the 2008 Olympics are still about nine months away, pressure is already building for Liu. His already impressive results – Olympic Gold Medal (2004), individual world record (2006) and a World Championship (2007) – are meaningless, unless he manages to win the gold that the whole of China is expecting in Beijing come August.

Men’s tennis action is well underway at the 2007 China Open: Yesterday world number four Nikolay Davydenko was knocked off by unseeded Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-4, the best showing yet for the unseeded Croatian dark horse as he advances into the quarter finals of China’s marquis tennis event. Cilic (pictured above on Xinhua.net) will play against wild-card seeded Nicolas Kiefer of Germany tonight in the final eight rounds of the tournament.

Beijing 2008 Olympics’ guest list is perking up, both in importance and numbers. Last Thursday US President George W. Bush accepted the invitation extended by President Hu Jintao for him and his family to attend the event next August. While the political significance of this acceptance is not lost, Bush has said that he is attending as a sports fan, not a political figure.