Sunday was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Deng Xiaoping. Comrade Deng was "a great proletarian revolutionary [and] statesman," President Hu Jintao told revellers at the Great Hall of the People, "a long-tested Communist fighter, the chief architect of China's socialist reform, opening-up and modernization drive".

Hu told the gathering of prospective Beijing 2008 volunteers that the day's commemoration would "further inspire the whole Party and nation to push forward the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics".

Socialism. Olympics. Oxymoron. See you in four years time, Hu.

The Chinese olympic team celebrated their beloved late Comrade's 100th by winning three more gold medals to take their total thus far to 22. Teng Haibin won the men's pommel horse, Jia Zhanbo won the men's 50m three positions rifle shooting, and Zhang Yining won the table tennis women's singles.

But How's This For Spooky? Zhang's victory was the 100th Olympic gold medal in the history of the People's Republic of China. And on Deng Xiaoping's 100th birthday! Wooooooooo.... (Here's a list of China's 100 gold medallists, compiled by the Xinhua News Agency.)

All I can say is:

Let a hundred flowers bloom:
let a hundred schools of thought contend.
- Mao Zedong.

Curiously, China's most successful sport at the Olympics has been diving, where they have won seventeen gold since their entry to the Games in 1984. One that they didn't pick up in Athens was the women's 10 metre platform. Loudy Tourky was the Australian most likely in this event, but it was Chantelle Newbery who came away the winner. She was Australia's first diving gold medallist since Dick Eve won the high dive at Paris 1924. Read Caroline Wilson's report for The Age.

Khuloud Tourky, to give her correct name, is a Palestinian by heritage who was born in Haifa. See this rather sour piece from the August 2002 edition of "The Review", the monthly journal of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council.

Speaking of Palestine, Raad Aweisat finished third in a heat of three competitors in the men's 100 butterfly with a time of 1:01.60. Sanna Abubkheet came seventh out of seven to finish her heat of the 800 metres on the track on Friday with a time of 2:32.10, 25 seconds behind the sixth-placegetter.

Coming up in Day 9 Part 2: Timor Leste, Great Moments In Choking, and the War on Error .