As promised, the match between Germany and the Netherlands was clearly decided in favor of Simone & Co. - a decisive 43:28 victory and a spot in the semi-finals against Japan. Today, representatives from Japan and Switzerland faced each other in a different sort of meeting not involving baskets. Or rather, they stood next to each other. Keiichi Tsukishiro and Walter Grubenmann. Walter said he was homesick. In response - hang on to your hats - Keiichi did some yodeling for him. Divine. Afterwards Walter said he felt much better. I wonder if Keiichi knows that his success in yodeling will cause him all kinds of stress over the next few evenings? Everyone will want him to yodel. Even we Lower Saxons, who usually distance ourselves from yodeling. Speaking of Walter: The video of his C-Leg trip on the Great Wall of China is coming. But not today, since the folks with the camera happen to be working at outlying sports events. And there is no question: The work comes first!

In my case, that means responding to media requests. Right now I'm allowing myself to be distracted; Heinrich Popow, who will be competing in the 100-meter final tomorrow at 11:00 am (local time in Beijing) has just sat down at my table. "Matthias Schröder will win gold today, that's my inside tip," he says. Since it is the day before his final, I ask for your understanding that I chose not to interview him further. What he needs is rest and relaxation; sure enough, he is already sitting in the SuperFour.

So back to talking about media. After we met in the "Bird's Nest", China correspondent of the Welt newspaper Johnny Ehrling did some research in the workshop. With 10 years of experience in China, he had much to tell about the country and its people. Stephen McDonell from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) was filming with his crew here today, and Radio China also dropped by. The preconceived notion that learning Chinese is impossible was refuted along the way. Both Johnny Ehrling and Stephen McDonell speak it fluently. Of course, so does the reporter from Radio China.

A topic always brought up by media representatives is the Olympic dream of Oscar Pistorius, who is considered a shoo-in for the gold medal at the Paralympics in the 200 meters tonight. He is rightfully regarded as an anomaly at the pinnacle of Paralympic achievement. But that is the way with anomalies - they are the exception. Since he had both lower legs amputated as a young child, he is able to walk more normally on his prostheses than one would think possible. They are practically his legs. He first learned to walk with the prostheses and continued to perfect this skill. He is also very talented and extremely enthusiastic about sports, enjoyed a supportive environment from the outset and has the ability to remain an entirely normal person in spite of all the media hype. I expect the 95,000 spectators in the national stadium will pay tribute to him today. The stadium will likely be sold out again. It was filled to two-thirds capacity by 10:00 am, and people were standing in line at the entrances.

It is hard to believe the popularity of the Paralympics here in Beijing. Of course the many gold medal winners from the host country earned the most applause. That would be the same anywhere. But today in the 5000-meter final, even the last competitor who crossed the finish line two minutes behind everyone else was celebrated as a winner. And he was from Brazil. The Paralympics are coming to an end with the closing ceremonies on Wednesday, and many believe they will be unforgettable and have a lasting impact on China and the world.