A newly released competition timetable for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games shattered previous rumors that the first gold would come from the women's 48 kg weightlifting division.

The newest timetable for the upcoming Games?released by Beijing Olympic Broadcasting (BOB) disclosed that the women's 10m air rifle event would probably witness the first gold medal for the six consecutive Games.

The women's 10m air rifle final will be held between 10:30 AM and 10:50 AM on August 9, 2008, while the 48kg division women weightlifters will compete between 10:00 AM and 11:40 AM on the same day.

However, a source from BOCOG said that the timetable only fixes the opening time for each event; the number of participants would largely determine the concluding time. In the previous two Olympic Games (2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens) few athletes competed in the women's weightlifting event, apparently shortening the competition time. But the situation will probably change next year, according to the BOCOG. "We will see a leap in participant numbers for the Beijing Games. More participants will signify more rounds and a longer competition time," said the source.

The IOC has recently approved a specific timetable for each sport submitted by BOCOG in June. The entire timetable for next year's Games has been fixed. "Small adjustments might occur before the Games," said the BOCOG source.

(China.org.cn by Huang Shan October 29, 2007)