Almost all athletes know how to seize a chance to compete in the Olympic Games. But how to lose it is a tricky question and sometimes they will never find out the answer until it is too late.

The movie "Final Destination" tells people the frangibility of human lives. Any reason, wield as it may be, can finish a person's life. This viewpoint can also be applied to athletes, who will lose their chances to compete in the Beijing Games for any reason.

Generally speaking, there are three reasons for an athlete to lose the chance, namely inconsistent performance or form, sport-related injuries and doping problems. However, some unusual and unexpected causes will also ruin an athlete's Olympic dream.

Hungary's two-time Olympic canoe champion Gyorgy Kolonics, who was set to compete in Beijing, lost not only his opportunity, but also his life. The 36-year-old veteran died due to heart failure during a practice session on July 15.

Kolonics won Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2000 and bronze medals in 1996 and 2004. And the coming Beijing Games should have been his fifth Olympics, in which he was scheduled to compete in the 500 meters and 1000 meters double events with Gyorgy Kozmann.

Croatian promising handball star Ivan Cupic was also forced out of the Olympics due to a wield accident. He was at a training camp for the Olympics, when he tripped and caught a wire fence with his wedding ring which sheared off his finger as he fell. And two-thirds of the finger had to be amputated.

The 22-year-old was meant to help Croatia to defend its Olympic title in Beijing. However, whether he can continue his handball career remains a question now.

Kaka, world football player of 2007, hopes to play for Brazil in Beijing Olympics. But the AC Milan club refused to set him free for the tournament. They want him to stay with the squad and tune up for the new season.

Another football player missing is Real Madrid striker Robinho. He was included in the Brazilian Olympic team, but his club announced that he had a groin injury, ending his dream to bring home the first-ever Olympic football gold for his country.

Both Kaka and Robinho were forced out of the Beijing Games because their clubs declined to release them. But Australian swimmer Nick D'arcy lost his chance to swim in the Water Cube because of his own fault.

The national 200m butterfly record-holder got dumped from the Australia team after being charged with a nightclub assault and inflicting grievous bodily harm. The Australian Olympic Committee sacked D'Arcy, claiming that the swimmer had brought the team into disrepute.

Seven athletes from war-torn Iraq had hoped to travel to China but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the ban on Iraq to send a team to next month's Olympic Games in Beijing.

The IOC took the measure as a result of what it described as "the Iraqi government's ongoing interference in the affairs of the executive board of the Iraqi National Olympic Committee". However, the helpless athletes have to pay for the government's bill.

With 12 days to go before the Beijing Olympics, athletes still have to take care of their Olympic berths. They need to keep healthy, keep training, and most importantly, keep praying. After all, they may lose their chances to compete in the Beijing Games for any reason.

(Xinhua News Agency July 27, 2008)