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Connect the World

Ryan Phelps Becomes Most Decorated Olympian of All Time; 600 Million Indians Without Power; Record-Breaking Olympic Highlights; Medal Count; British Police Arrest Teenager for Abusive Tweet to Olympic Diver; Leading Women: What Inspires Them; Aussie Olympic Disappointment; Global Fan Zone Tour; Parting Shots: Bronze Joy

Aired July 31, 2012 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Well, live from the Olympic Park, I'm Becky Anderson. And history is being made in the swimming pool as we speak. U.S. sensation Michael Phelps equaling the record for most Olympic medals, one he may in the next half a minute or so become the most decorated Olympian ever.

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Max Foster at CNN London. In other news tonight, hundreds of millions plunged into darkness: how one of the world's worst power outages threatens India's growth.

And...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: We're in a rebel controlled makeshift prison in a school where they are keeping 112 prisoners. They're going to show us the prisoners conditions right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: What CNN discovered inside that Syrian classroom.

ANDERSON: Well, it has been a dramatic evening in the pool here at the London Olympics. The aquatic center is just behind me. And I promise you I can hear the roars right now watching Michael Phelps as he attempts to become the most decorated Olympian of all time in the 200 meters men's relay as we speak. About a minute or so to go, I believe if he gets a medal in this, comes first, second, or third with Team USA he will become the most decorated Olympian of all with 19 medals.

As we just wait to bring you that, another story that began four days ago and still dominating the news here after setting a new world record on Saturday, China's Ye Shiwen was the focus of everyone's attention in the women's 200 meter individual medley just about 15 minutes ago. Once again, she came out on top, this time setting a new Olympic record.

Joining me now is Ian Hanson, an Australian Olympics commentator, former media director for Australian Swim. And perhaps more important this is your eighth Olympics. You've never been the most decorated Olympian yet, but we may just be about to see the man who is. And he is a remarkable fellow, Michael Phelps, isn't it?

IAN HANSON, AUSTRALIAN OLYMPICS COMMENTATOR: Absolutely, Becky. I remember seeing him for the firs time as a 15-year-old in Sydney in 2000. And hasn't he gone from strength to strength? And there's only one Michael Phelps. And it's a bit of a heartbreaker earlier on, of course, just dipping out on that tournament in his butterfly.

But I tell you what, you know, what a swimmer, what -- the brightest all around Olympian in swimming history. And he really has set himself an amazing target for others to chase.

ANDERSON: And you've had Ian Thorpe who of course was one of the most fantastic swimmers of our generation. And he much be watching this. They just come in. And indeed they've taken the gold in that relay and therefore he does become -- what a moment in Olympic history. Michael Phelps becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time with 19 Olympic records.

I can feel that -- I've got goose bumps on my arm.

HANSON: I don't know about you, but I'd be happy with one, let alone 19, you know. It's just -- other Olympians around the world would be satisfied with that. If they can get just get one medal, whether it be gold, silver, or bronze -- Phelps look at what he's done through Sydney, Athens, Beijing, and now here in London. An extraordinary athlete. And, you know, what a legacy he will leave for the sport.

ANDERSON: Over a period of 12 years. And this is a sport which is always sort of in the headlines, as it were, at the beginning of the Olympics. And always an incredibly exciting event, isn't it?

HANSON: Oh, absolutely. But on Phelps, I mean, you can just imagine the training he's got to do to maintain his ranking and the ability to be able to do that.

ANDERSON: Will you talk us through that? What does he need to do to be like this?

HANSON: It's incredible, it really is incredible to train as hard as he does -- early mornings, late nights, in the gym, doing everything -- but you've got to hang on there for this Olympics. And it's extraordinary. I know, very similar to our own Elisa Jones (ph) who has just hung on for her recordbreaking fourth Olympic games. You just want to try and (inaudible) the line and he's done that for his 19th medal. It's an extraordinary thing.

ANDERSON: What does it feel like to be, for example, an Aussie swimmer in the era of Michael Phelps. I mean, after all the Australians dominated the pool for so long. It's a bit like being a golfer during the era of Tiger Woods as it was.

HANSON: Absolutely. And I mean, it's hard. I mean, I know from our own experiences with the likes of Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett, Michael Klim, Geoff Huegill (ph), Matt Welsh, the golden era of Australian swimmer when it was really Australia versus the USA. It was just a -- it was on in the lead up to Sydney and after Sydney. And it's hard to follow in those footsteps.

ANDERSON: You say you've known and been following Michael Phelps since he was 15 years old. What's he like as a bloke?

HANSON: I think he's a terrific guy. I live on the Gulf Coast in Sydney. And he was there at training camp last year. And he actually saw me on the side of the pool, stopped and said "g'day mate." And that's the sort of guy he is. And I've known him like since he was 15. And he's a terrific young guy. And, you know, what he's done for the sport, assuming in the U.S., but around the world, is extraordinary.

ANDERSON: How long does he go on?

HANSON: Oh, this is it. I'm sure it -- I think he's really struggling just to get it out. I mean, I watched him the other night in the 400 medley. The poor man, he was really struggling. But to get himself up and to do what he's done in the relays -- and that's, that's the key to swimming and the U.S. team is to get yourself up for the relays and they showed that tonight.

ANDERSON: And of course he's been swimming tonight with Ryan Lochte who is his teammate, but nemesis in the pool to a certain extent in some races as well.

HANSON: Absolutely. And -- I mean, Lochte, to have -- I mean, as an Australian to have to deal with Phelps and now he's off the scene, now we've got to deal with Lochte. But he's -- but what an athlete, what a great athlete. And all around too, not just freestyle, but backstroke, medley, butterfly, great swimmers. But they're great for the sport.

ANDERSON: All right. Michael Phelps tonight in the past five minutes or so winning gold with the U.S. 200 freestyle team putting himself in the history books, the most decorated Olympian ever with 19 medals. That is remarkable.

The pool has absolutely dominated the news here at London '12 in the Olympic Park behind me for all the right reasons as we've just seen, and perhaps all the wrong reasons as well.

USA swimming tonight distancing itself from a coach called John Leonard who had made some comments about a Chinese swimmer. This is a story that had legs four days ago. It has still got legs tonight.

Today USA Swimming issuing a statement pointing out that John Leonard is neither an employee nor a spokesman for the U.S. team.

The reason I tell you this is that Olympic organizers have rallied around in defense of the Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen against growing speculation over doping. Now I'm sure our viewers will have been keeping up with this story over the past couple of days. The story wouldn't have had legs if John Leonard after her race on Saturday when she swam faster in the last leg of an individual medley than Ryan Lochte did in his, said this was disturbing, unbelievable, and when we see unbelievable things in the world of swimming generally, he says, effectively doping is involved.

I want to get your response to all of this.

HANSON: Yeah, I mean John Leonard has been outspoken for many, many years. I've known John for, you know, for the last two decades. And he's always quick to pounce on that.

Listen, I think it's too early to cast dispersions against this young lady and against -- against China to be quite truthful. I think that the media is always very quick to do that and in the past with good reason. I mean, we've come through the -- you know, over the decades the East German doping regime and then of course China as well. But I think this -- and this time, Becky, I've been a bit too quick to jump. And I think we've got to give some benefit in the -- benefit of the doubt in that area.

But listen I just watched the 200 IM before coming on air. And there wasn't that much difference between -- between the Chinese girl and our girl. Alicia Couuts finishing second. The American girl finished third. It was blanket finish. So, you know, I think it's too soon

ANDERSON: I think it's important for our viewers who may not have heard this story to just get a sense of who Ye Shiwen is, profile piece on you from Max Foster here who has been taking a look at her dramatic rise. Straight after that you're going to hear a comment from the IOC spokesman Mark Adams who I spoke to earlier on today. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: It may seem like Chinese swim sensation Ye Shiwen has come out of the blue, but the 16 year old has been a dominant force in the individual medal relay for the past two years. The swimmer, who has an Australian coach, entered the 2012 games as the world champion in the 200 meter medley. But it's the 400 meter event in which Ye originally caused a stir in the London pool.

She not only won gold and smashed the world record, but swam faster in the last 50 meters than U.S. champion Ryan Lochte. It's a statistical anomaly that's raise allegations of doping, but this young superstar has strongly denied those allegations.

MARK ADAMS, IOC SPOKESMAN: She gets tested straight after she's won. And I should just say here that the top five finishers in a final, plus two others. So in that race, seven out of eight people were tested for blood and urine tests. That will happen straightaway. And then within a period of 72 hours we will have the results back.

I won't hear anything unless there's an abnormal test comes up. I have nothing -- heard nothing at all. And I think basically for people to talk about this in this way is actually kind of rather sad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: She was tested in as Mark said there, as all medal winning athletes are. She was tested Sunday, I believe, so the results will be available to Mark at the IOC by Wednesday morning midday. And we will of course hear if there's anything untowards.

Do you expect there will be?

HANSON: Oh, listen, it's just -- I mean, it's just a ridiculous situation to (inaudible) Becky, it really is. I mean, you've got to be, you know, innocent until proven guilty. And I think it's -- you know, I think it's quite ludicrous that this is happening.

ANDERSON: There have been a number of expert and former swimmers who have been on our air and across print and broadcast media over the last couple of days saying it is not impossible to see dramatic improvement in teenage competitors. We saw the 15 year old Lithuanian girl in the pool yesterday winning a gold. We've seen the likes of (inaudible) in the past. Mark Spitz talking on our air to Piers Morgan suggesting that he made huge improvements, leaps and bounds. Have you seen that in the pool, 14, 15, 16 year olds shaving seconds off their times in months?

HANSON: Absolutely. I've had a daughter who has done that in her own career who went on to win Olympic silver in Athens. And, you know, it's -- we judged her and looked at her through 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 without hardly any training. And they just improved from week to week. It just -- it does happen in teenage -- in girls in particular. And we've seen a lot of that happening around the world in various things. And this young girl from Lithuania, I mean what a performance. And she's coached here in England, in Plymouth.

ANDERSON: Spoke to her coach earlier on today, remarkable story at that, came over from Lithuania, searched around. He wanted her to swim. Searched around in Portsmouth in the south of England, found a pool. Same pool that the diver Tom Daley goes -- same school, in fact. And the rest is history there as well.

Thank you very much indeed, sir, for joining us this evening. Best of luck with those Aussies. Not doing particularly well, are they?

HANSON: Oh, we're getting...

ANDERSON: Cross fingers for them.

HANSON: Thank you.

ANDERSON: Still to come tonight on this show, this is a special Connect the World live from the Olympic Park, making royal splash outside of the pool, let's just remind you what happened in the pool tonight. Mark Phelps -- Mark Phelps, here we go -- Mark Phelps -- Mr. Phelps winning a gold with the U.S. team and therefore becoming the most celebrated Olympian ever.

The picture's your thing of the Queen's granddaughter getting a medal from her mom. That, plus a roundup of the other Olympic headlines in about 20 minutes here on CNN.

All that, let's get back to Max in the studio for all the other big stories of the day -- Max.

FOSTER: Becky, coming up almost 10 percent of the world's population in the dark. India experiences a colossal power failure for the second straight day.

And another moment Mitt Romney could have rather avoided. The latest embarrassment of his overseas tour when Connect the World continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Now most of the power is back on in India after the country was crippled by one of the worst ever blackouts. It comes just a day after a massive electrical grid failure left more than 350 million people in the dark. But this time, more than half a billion people were affected.

Mallika Kapur has the details for us from Mumbai.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Almost half of India plunged into darkness after three grids collapsed, cutting off power to 600 million people across more than a dozen states, that's more than the entire population of the European Union. Life came to a standstill a day after a smaller, but similar power outage crippled the country's north.

Hospitals resorted to using backup generators. Traffic was disrupted. Commuters were stuck in traffic jams, on the roads, and in trains.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's very crowded. Escalators aren't working. There are long lines. And machines aren't working.

KAPUR: Small businesses were affected. This shopkeeper in New Delhi said the outage is affecting his business. "There are no customers," he says. "At the moment I'm using a generator, but how long can I use it for?"

India's power minister says the blackout was caused because some states used more power than they should have.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The second power crisis is the result of the mistake of various state governments. I urged the state governments not to use more electricity than the estimated and sanctioned quota. I've ordered my officers to take legal action against such state governments. And they should also cut down regular supply to these states.

KAPUR: The summer has made it worse. Scorching temperatures and delayed monsoon rains means farmers are using power to water their fields. And air conditioners and electric fans are running non-stop.

The outages raises serious questions about India's out-dated infrastructure. As India's economy has grown in recent years, so has its massive appetite for energy, which the power industry hasn't been able to meet. At peak times, it faces a 12 percent shortage.

To many in India, power is still a luxury. According to last year's census, one-third of India's households don't have enough electricity to power even a light bulb.

Mallika Kapur, CNN, Mumbai.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, joining me now is CNN producer Harmeet Singh from New Delhi where power has now been restore. So Harmeet, what's the situation like there right now?

HARMEET SINGH, CNN PRODUCER: As Mallika said, the power has now be restored in most of India, but it took around 10 hours to restore supplies. But before that, it was a pretty (inaudible) time for many of Indians. And you can see the scale of the outage, then it started from -- it covered the western part of the desert state of Ragistan to the Himalayas in the north. So -- and that mass of land is home to more than 600 million people. So of course the outage was enormous.

FOSTER: As Mallika was referring to there, a third of the population. Well, the households there can't even afford to light a light bulb. So how are they reacting to this situation?

SINGH: Yeah, here lies the paradox. This grid collapse happened in these two days after a decade, but Indians, most of the Indians are no stranger to power cuts. There are power outages for eight hours, 10 hours in many parts of Indian. And many other parts of India are not even electrified. So for Indians, for most of the Indians in rural belt, they are used to a power cut.

And for them -- and in fact, Tuesday's power outage hit the commuters most. The users of rail and road transport when hundreds of thousands of passengers were stranded, because of hundreds of trains were held up because of this outage.

FOSTER: And in terms of the economy, obviously a very important economy not just in Asia but around the world right now. How much do you think this energy crisis will affect the economic growth there which is so important?

SINGH: India still remains one of the world's brightest spots as far as investment -- investment is concerned. For foreign investors, it perhaps remains a potential investment destination, because it's one of the world's few growth markets left.

Nonetheless, India is in -- analysts say that India does need to overhaul its infrastructure. And it does need to overhaul its archaic laws that are seen as bottlenecks to infrastructure development.

FOSTER: OK. Harmeet Singh, thank you very much indeed for joining us in New Delhi.

We're going to take you to a short break now, but when we come back, Syrian rebels celebrate the capture of a police station in Aleppo. An update in the battle for Syria's biggest city straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Syrian rebels and troops have both reportedly sending more reinforcements to Aleppo as they battle for control of Syria's biggest city. Opposition activists say today's fighting was the fiercest there so far. They say rebels went on the offensive attacking police stations, a military court, and other regime targets.

At least 40 people -- 40 police officers were reportedly killed. And this amateur video is said to show a police station now in rebel hands.

Our Ivan Watson is in northern Syria and has extremely rare access to the rebels. He's just filed an exclusive report about his trip to a rebel detention center. We warn you some of the images are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're in a rebel controlled makeshift prison in a school where they're keeping 112 prisoners. They're going to show us the prisoners' conditions right now.

Instead of school children, this crowded classroom holds at least 40 prisoners. We won't show their faces, because most of them clearly don't want to be filmed, perhaps fearing retribution against their families. The prison warden accuses these men of being members of the Shabiha, Syria's much feared pro-government militia.

He orders one prisoner to stand up for the camera and take off his shirt. He lives, unable to stand flat on his feet.

This prisoner has the face of the Syrian regime tattooed on his chest. Portraits of the family that's ruled Syria for more than 40 years. Former President Hafez al-Assad, his long dead son Basel, and the current president Bashar al-Assad. On his back, a greeting in Arabic to Hezbollah, the Shiite movement in Lebanon.

But someone has cut deep gashes into tattoos showing Bashar al-Assad's face.

Allahhu akbar, god is great, is all the prisoner says.

This prisoner is a Shabiha member who used to beat protesters at demonstrations, says the warden. A former employee in the agricultural ministry who asks only to be called Abuhatem (ph).

It looked to me like someone had deliberately cut him on those tattoos of the Assad family.

This man confessed to committing crimes, Abuhatem (ph) tells me, so he cut himself because he wanted to donate blood to the rebels.

It seems an unlikely account.

The warden shows us the food his men feed the prisoners. Jailers bring us another suspected Shabiha member. The man trembles, glancing terrified at his captors every time he speaks.

He says he worked as a bureaucrat in the state finance office in Aleppo until rebels blew it up. Desperate for money to pay for his pregnant wife's cesarean section, the man took a job as a guard at a checkpoint for about $190 a month. He says he'd only been on the job for five days when rebels captured him.

The top enforcer at this facility is a hulking man nicknamed Jumbo. He says he endured days of torture in government prisons.

In another room, he seems to treat captured soldiers and army officers with more respect. Just days ago, these were men in uniform, fighting for the Syrian government. Now they are captives of an increasingly confident rebel movement that's determined to destroy the Syrian regime.

Ivan Watson, CNN, reporting from northern Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, we do have the latest world news headlines for you coming up on Connect the World, but Becky is currently at the Olympic Park -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes, I am.

Still to come here on Connect the World, a teenager is arrested over an abusive tweet to British diver Tom Daley. Hear Daley's response on that coming up.

Plus, in a spin over the Olympics, a look at some of the country's fan zones popping up over London.

And disappointment for the team Down Under over their lack of swimming golds. But can the British weather really be to blame? All that coming up.

(COMMERCAIL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: A very warm welcome to our viewers across Europe and around the world wherever you are watching. This is the Olympic Park behind me -- I'm Becky Anderson -- where in the last 40 minutes, US swimmer Michael Phelps has become the most decorated Olympian of all time.

MAX FOSTER, HOST: Max Foster, CNN London. These are the latest world headlines from CNN.

Power is now largely back on in India. Half the population were left in the dark when three regional grids collapses. Trains, hospitals, and airports were all affected. The blackout was the second in as many days.

Syrian opposition activists say today's fighting in Aleppo was the fiercest yet. Rebels and troops were battling for control of Syria's largest city. Activists say rebels attacked police stations today, killing at least 40 police officers.

Another embarrassment for Mitt Romney as he wrapped up an overseas tour. This time, it didn't come from the US Republican presidential candidate himself. And aide told reporters to shove it when they tried to question Romney after he left Poland to the unknown.

And as Becky mentioned, American swimmer Michael Phelps has become the most decorated Olympian ever after Team USA won the 4 by 200 meter freestyle. He's now won 19 medals, including 15 golds, two silvers, and two bronzes, beating former Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina.

Minutes earlier, Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen earned a second gold medal setting an Olympic record in the process. This time it was the women's 200 meter individual medley.

ANDERSON: So, 15 golds plus plus, what we have on us, who cares, really? There were 19 of them, which means, well, there have been over the last 12 years or so, which means Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time.

What a performance tonight. Out of the pool, of course, athletes across London also making waves of their own. At Greenwich Park, Zara Phillips became the first royal to win an Olympic medal. The queen's granddaughter helped team GB to silver in the eventing competition. Her mum, Princess Anne, taking to the podium to award her daughter that medal, something Princess Anne never gained herself, although she was a very good rider.

In the women's team gymnastics, the USA took gold, their second ever in this event and first since 1996.

And Wimbledon, let me tell you, there was a monster match between France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Canada's Milos Raonic. Tsonga finally beating his opponent in the third set, 25-23. The longest single set, they tell me, in Olympic history.

Ian Prior is the sports editor of Britain's "Guardian" newspaper. All over these sports like a rash.

IAN PRIOR, SPORTS EDITOR, "GUARDIAN": I don't know if that's true.

ANDERSON: Where do you want to start? What a remarkable day. We've got to start with Phelps.

PRIOR: You've got to start with Phelps, and just a simply astonishing achievement. You know, 19 gold medals, or 19 -- sorry, 19 medals.

ANDERSON: Yes, 15 gold.

PRIOR: 15 gold. There's an awful lot of countries out there would kill for 19 medals. I was Googling it frantically beforehand because I thought for a moment that he'd got more than India, population 1 billion. He's got two fewer.

ANDERSON: Unbelievable stuff.

PRIOR: But what an astonishing achievement for one individual.

ANDERSON: Yes. Good on him. I don't want to do the China story with you, the Chinese swimmer story, because we've done a lot of that in this show, and she won again, 16-year-old swimming sensation tonight in the 200 meters individual medley. A lot of doping allegations around her at the moment. I think we should leave it at this point.

PRIOR: OK.

ANDERSON: And see where that goes as we move on. Zara Phillips, the queen's granddaughter, watched by her cousins, Prince William and Harry today, as she stole a silver.

PRIOR: She did.

ANDERSON: Along with her teammates in what they call three-day eventing, which is actually wrong, because it's over four days. But never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

PRIOR: It is over four days, but that's what it's called, and who are we to argue? No, a fairly surreal moment to be presented an Olympic medal by your mother, I would've thought. I've really never seen that before.

Famously, of course, when Queen Anne -- or when Princess Anne was an Olympian, she was awarded Britain's sport personality of the year despite, as you correctly pointed out, not winning a medal. I think the chances of Zara repeating that are somewhat fewer. If that had have been gold, she'd have had some hope.

And whisper it, but there's a certain mutterings among the press corps this afternoon that Zara might have cost them gold, that it was her mistake in the show jumping round that made the difference.

ANDERSON: Ooh, that's tough.

PRIOR: But that might not be an opinion that'll be voiced too loudly in --

ANDERSON: That might be treasonable!

PRIOR: -- the more patriotic corner of Her Majesty's press.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: Treasonable stuff, you're facing the Tower for that. What about the gymnastics, the men? The Team GB, it's got to be said, had a tremendous time on the floor yesterday. Out came the women today, Team USA winning this by a mile.

PRIOR: Team USA winning this by a mile, as everyone expected them to, but oh, they're flawless, aren't they? They're just unbelievable to watch. It's sheer perfection.

The British acquitted themselves pretty well today. That's their highest finish in that event since 1984, and certainly above the graph of their expectations, so I don't think they'll be too downhearted about Anne. And for America, that's only the second time America's ever won gold in the event.

ANDERSON: I'm surprised by that.

PRIOR: The first -- it is surprising, when you know, because they look like the country that has got all the tradition in the world. They look like it's been bred into them for decades. But funnily enough, they usually picture that, and it means a lot.

ANDERSON: Finally, let's talk about some tennis, because it was one of the most remarkable matches spectators at Wimbledon will ever have seen in its length if not in its quality, although I'm sure the quality was good as well. 25-23 in the last. How do they keep going?

PRIOR: I think Wimbledon's developing a little habit of this, because a couple of years back, we had the longest match in tennis history there in one of the early rounds between Isner and John Mahut (sic).

And today, it was Tsonga's turn. I guess you get to the point where you just can't stop, though. Where it becomes just this bloody --

ANDERSON: You're enjoying it so much.

PRIOR: It becomes this bloody battle of wills and, well, frankly if people can ride around France for three weeks on a bike, you can do an extra hour of tennis. I'm sure they'll live.

ANDERSON: What are you looking forward to for tomorrow, just as we take a look at this medal table? Because there were 15 up for grabs today, and we'll take a look at that and we'll talk about what we're looking for tomorrow.

The Chinese out front once again. The Americans, I think, in second place. Yes, they are. You've got 12 -- sorry, 13 golds for the Chinese, 9 for the US, 4 for the French. A total of 23-23 China-USA. This is close, isn't it?

PRIOR: This is close, but in the early part of the Games, you expect China to be ahead. A lot of their kind of specialist disciplines come in that first week.

ANDERSON: Including swimming, we think.

PRIOR: Including swimming, and they have well -- they have really caught up in the swimming, as we've seen. But once the kind of -- once the athletics starts, once the -- there's a lot of disciplines out there haven't even started to award medals yet, from sailing to rowing to track cycling to track and field. The Americans will catch up.

The Chinese going into these Olympics were really not confident of first in the medal table, even though that's where they came in Beijing, but they had the boost of the home Games. They really didn't think they'd get too close. But they've had the best possible start, and who knows? It's the race to watch.

ANDERSON: Fantastic to have you on. Thank you very much, indeed, sir, for that. There's been a story over the past 24 hours which has, quite frankly, sickened me. I'm sure it sickens you, today, as well, when you heard about it.

British police have arrested a teenager after an abusive tweet was sent to the British diver Tom Daley just hours after he missed out on an Olympic medal. These are the sort of stories you don't want at the Olympics, but unfortunately we've got it, and Matthew Chance has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's painful enough to finish fourth in the Olympics, so Tom Daley didn't deserve this. After narrowly missing out on a medal in the men's synchronized diving event on Monday, the British Olympian received and abusive message from a user called @Rileyy_69. "You let your dad down," it said. "I hope you know that."

Daley was famously close to his father, who died of brain cancer last year. He retweeted the message and responded, "After giving it my all, you get idiots sending me this."

British police say they've arrested a teenager on suspicion of malicious communication. Online abuse like this is called trolling in social media circles, and big events like the Olympics really bring the trolls out.

CORINNE SWEET, PSYCHOLOGIST: I think the internet has given people a cloak of invisibility, a kind of anonymous thing where they feel they can do anything, say anything, with now boundaries. It's what I call netiquette. We've lost our ability to think what is appropriate and to behave appropriately.

CHANCE (on camera): Already, there's been more than half a dozen instances of Twitter-related Olympic scandals. The Swiss Olympic team expelled one of its sportsman earlier this week after he posted a threatening and racist message about South Korea.

After losing a soccer match to them, Michel Morganella, here, tweeted that South Koreans can "go and burn" and referred to them as a "bunch of Mongoloids."

Earlier, a Greek triple jumper was dropped from her team after posting a tweet that mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus in Greece could feed off African immigrants in the country.

And then, on Sunday, US soccer player Hope Solo was chastised by her coach for using Twitter to question the knowledge of a soccer analyst, once a famous player herself, and now employed by NBC, the American television network which owns broadcast rights to the Games.

CHANCE (voice-over): Most Twitter traffic, of course, has been positive, allowing Olympic athletes and spectators to participate in a communal discussion. But it has also exposed what can be a very un-Olympic spirit at these 2012 Games.

Matthew Chance, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: If you can't say something nice or interesting or clever, don't say it at all. Join me again in around ten minutes. We're going to have a bit of Aussie comedy on the British weather and, indeed, on the medal tables. Don't go away. Coming back. Max, though, is in the studio for a little bit more before that. Max?

FOSTER: Becky, thanks very much. Still to come on CONNECT THE WORLD, two powerful women take us behind the scenes revealing some of the personal sacrifices they've had to make to get to the top.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Time now for our weekly Leading Women series. This week, we introduce you to a fashion designer to Hollywood's finest, and the other is the CEO of one of Norway's largest companies. Different careers, but they both share one fundamental belief. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MONIQUE LHUILLIER, FASHION DESIGNER: So, right now, I'm doing fittings on my pre-fall collection.

All right, Michelle, let's have you walk for us.

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fashion designer Monique Lhuillier has been building her business for more than a decade.

LHUILLIER: I start the process by sketching out the designs, but for me the magic happens when I have it on the model's body, and then when I see the fabrics move and the way it drapes on the body.

We should tack this in the center back so it doesn't -- get lost.

The magic also begins when I work with beautiful fabric. That's where the inspiration starts. So, I'll view lots of fabrics, and I'll be like, these are speaking to me, and then that will start the color pallet.

Pretty. Hands in the pocket. Yes. Good height. Perfection.

TAYLOR: Lhuillier was inspired to create beautiful gowns right out of design school.

LHUILLIER: So beautiful.

TAYLOR: It started when she couldn't find the right wedding dress for her own nuptials. Her husband, Tom, a business major, became her company's CEO, and together they grew a small line of wedding dresses into a successful design house.

But that success meant sacrifice along the way.

LHUILLIER: What I realized when we were starting out company, when we were building our company, is that you have to give up everything personally in the very beginning, because it's all about the business. There's no balance at that point. It's all about work.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD (singing): La la la! Elmo's World!

TOM BUGBEE, MONIQUE LHUILLIER'S HUSBAND: Elmo's World!

LHUILLIER: Tom and I have been married for 17 years, and we didn't start our family until our 11th year of being married. It's because we really gave up everything to start this.

TAYLOR: Lhuillier not only designs for well-known personalities. She also has a more affordable line that is sold in department stores. Lhuillier also has created a line of china, crystal ware, and home fragrances.

A little confidence in what she was building gave her the tool to persevere.

LHUILLIER: It takes a lot of tenacity in the beginning, and really -- a beautiful product will shine in the end. And so, you just have to stick it through and believe in yourself.

ANDERSON (voice-over): I'm Becky Anderson. Having confidence is a central theme for Kristin Skogen Lund. She's held many executive level positions in international companies such as Unilever and Coca-Cola.

And before she became executive vice president of Telenor, she was the first female managing director of a major media company in Norway. But Lund admits it took her some time to feel comfortable in the role of boss.

KRISTIN SKOGEN LUND, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, TELENOR: When I started to work for Coca-Cola and I had two guys working for me and I was the marketing director and they were marketing managers, and when I first met them, I was really shocked, because they were so tall. They were like 6 feet 4 tall, and I -- and I thought it was very absurd that I should be the boss of someone who was that tall.

(LAUGHTER)

LUND: I've gotten more used to bossing now, you can say that.

ANDERSON: For Lund, believing in oneself is crucial, and when she gives inspirational talks, she points out why certainty is crucial to good business.

LUND: I try to focus on this thing about your own confidence and security, that you just do yourself such a big favor by allowing yourself to gain confidence and to focus nine times out of ten on your strengths.

I really believe that insecurity is the root cause of a lot of bad management and a lot of bad behavior. It's not because the people are bad, it's just because they're not secure.

ANDERSON: Despite all of her success, Lund tries to remain grounded, even admitting one of the biggest obstacles she's faced since she started out in the business world: insecurity.

LUND: Well, I guess I didn't realize how good I was. And I certainly wasn't comfortable with it. I didn't want to stick out. I was afraid that others would dislike me. I was -- I still am, actually -- afraid that people will accuse me of thinking I'm something special. I really don't want to have that attached to me, and I really don't want to be perceived that way. I still worry about that.

I really believe in optimizing what you do at the moment, and then possibilities will occur, and you just need to be open-minded to those possibilities when they come to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Our Leading Women series. Coming up after the break, he co-wrote a TV series satirizing the 1992 Sydney Olympic Games. The comedian Ross Stevenson and I have a bit of a laugh over London. That is coming up right after this.

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ANDERSON: A near full moon over the Olympic Park this evening. What a shot. That is the werewolves will be out, no doubt, out and about over London. What a shot. The night sky here over the Olympic Park.

Inside, one of the surprises so far has been the lack of Aussie success. Now, the Australians normally lap up the medals in the swimming rounds, at least, at the beginning of the Games. Been a bit of a disappointment for the fans from Down Under.

I spoke to one of the most famous voices out of Melbourne, radio presenter turned comedian Ross Stevenson to find out just what he thinks has gone wrong this year.

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ROSS STEVENSON, BROADCASTER, 3AW AUSTRALIA: It's been disappointing. We've had athletes, James Magnussen in the 100 meters, a specialist who calls himself "the missile." He's now known as "the SCUD," having performed so abysmally the other day. But he's got a chance in the 100 meters, but it's all looking like it's going pear-shaped.

ANDERSON: It's all going pear-shaped. Listen, what were your expectations of Australians?

STEVENSON: Well, we were told that we would 15 gold medals, and I think we're now accepting that we will win medals in the single figures, gold medals in the single figures. But, there is joy in life. We get up every morning, we look at the medal tally, and we see that we're still ahead of Team GB, and that's enough for us.

ANDERSON: Listen, you've covered -- you've been around for years covering a lot of these Olympics, way back when, Sydney, fantastic event, you came fourth, of course, great for the Aussies, as well. How does this stack up, London 2012, for you?

STEVENSON: It stacks up in many ways, and the differences are acute. The weather, for example. You have to say that Sydney was blessed with greater weather. You and I are sitting here now, I asked an English friend of mine, I said, "How do you actually tell it's summer in London?" He said, "The rain gets warmer."

(LAUGHTER)

STEVENSON: And -- but the friendliness of the volunteers, I think, is second to none. That was a feature in Sydney, and it's a feature in London, just how friendly the volunteers are.

I was out at the archery at St. John's Wood yesterday, and they're incredibly friendly. I went up to this fellow at the Tube station, and I said, "I wonder if you can tell me which bus I catch to get near Leicester Square?" And he was so friendly in the way that he said, "I'm sorry, I don't have a clue."

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Ross Stevenson, what a man. Dozens of countries have created their own cheering zones across the capital -- I'm sure Ross has been to some of them -- which have been dubbed as national Olympic houses. From Cameroon to Canada, Russia to the Netherlands, Phil Han spent the day on a global fan zone tour of this great capital city.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL HAN, CNN DIGITAL PRODUCER: No, I'm not at an Olympic venue at Olympic Park, but I'm actually at Alexander Palace, which has been transformed into what they're calling its Holland House. I'm joined by a couple of Dutch fans that have flown in just for the Olympics. How amazing is this place?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it's very amazing. It's so big. I like it very much, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It makes you feel proud for your country, of course.

HAN: Have you ever seen so many Dutch people in London before?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no. Not so many.

HAN: Do you forget where you are?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I'm in Holland.

HAN: The Canadian consulate here in London has been officially transformed into Canada Olympic House. I'm joined by some Canadians who have come all the way over to support -- and you're supporting your brother, who's a rower. What's it like being here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very proud to support my brother. It's a great experience being here with all the other athletes and all of the other families.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's pretty awesome. This is my first time in Canada House, so experiencing all the spirit and whatnot. It's been a lot of fun watching, and we've seen a bunch of events.

HAN: I'm here at Russia House, which is the home of all things Russian over the next two weeks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, it's great. I love it over here. It's such -- you can feel the spirit and everyone is cheering for the team back home. You get goosebumps.

HAN: So tell me, guys, where are you from and why are you here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are from Cameroon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we are here because of the Olympics and so many activities happening. We are here in the African Village. Lots of stunts, of exhibitions, so we came to have a look and see what we can take home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Having this unique opportunity to have all the countries come together, it's really amazing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: There you go. The sun was shining, Ross, at least at one place in London today. It's been a pretty miserable old day here weather- wise, but in the Park and around London, what a day. Day four at the Olympics, full of some magic moments.

In tonight's Parting Shots, I want to leave you with one of my favorites. It's not a golden moment, but for Kazakhstan's Maiya Maneza, stepping up to receive her bronze was the moment of her life. It was just wonderful. Utter joy, there, for the weightlifter as she celebrated her podium finish in the 63 kilogram final. And she got bronze.

I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you for watching. Max Foster back with the headlines after this short break.

END