2. The 2008 Beijing Olympic
Games (officially known as Games of
the XXIX Olympiad) were held in Beijing,
capital of China, between 8 and 24 august,
2008. After its
conclusion, the XIII Paralympics held from 6
to17ofseptember.
These games became the most expensive
event in Olympic history, reaching a cost
that would have exceded the 44,000 million
dollars, nearly tripling the final budget of his
predecessor, the 2004 Athens Olympics.
3. SPORTS:
Beijing Olympics 2008 included 302
events in 28 sports, they exist in Athens
in 2004,with a total of 37 disciplines,
some10,902 athletes. Among the
changes were added new
competitions The following list
shows the 28 sports participating in
theBeijing 2008 Olympic Games, where
he played a total of 302 events:
165 male, 127 female and 10
mixed (indicated in parentheses)
5. PARTICIPANTS
For the Beijing Olympics enrolled 204 athletes
from national federations affiliated to
the International Olympic Committee. This
number represents more than 3 countries in the
Athens 2004 Olympic Games,
however, Brunei was excluded at the last
moment of the Olympics after
the respective National Olympic Committee not
to register their athletes to the IOC.
-ATHLETES:
Regarding the number
of athletes, 11,883 athletes initially
enrolled (including the two athletes from Brunei)
but only 10,902 athletes participated effectively
in the Games, excluding injuries
and descalificated. Of these, 6294 were males
and 4608 were women.
6. ORGANIZATION
The organization of these Games was in the
hands of the Organizing Committee for
the Beijing Olympics the Chinese
governmente stablished by the Organizing
Committee a total of 31
sports venues and facilities for carrying out the
Games in the city of Beijing. Of these, 12 new
facilities were constructed entirelybetween
the protruding the National Stadium
and National Aquatics Center.
7. ï National ï bĂĄdmiton Coliseum
Swimming Center
âąCYCLING FIELD
9. MEDALS.
# PaĂs Total
1 China (CHN) 51 21 28 100
2 Estados
Unidos (USA)
36 38 36 110
3 Rusia (RUS) 23 21 28 72
4 Reino
Unido (GBR)
19 13 15 47
5 Alemania(GER) 16 10 15 41
6 Australia(AUS) 14 15 17 46
7 Corea del
Sur (KOR)
13 10 8 31
8 JapĂłn (JPN) 9 6 10 25
9 Italia (ITA) 8 10 10 28
10 Francia (FRA) 7 16 17 40
10. CEREMONIES
The opening ceremony began on August 8 at
20:00 local, equivalent to 8 pm on 8/8/08, this
sequence of number eight is due in part to the
tradition of some Eastern countries who see it
as a number of luck. Before the start of the
ceremony, an event took place priorto 75-
minute show in which their own ethnic folk
dances and China, conducted by 28
groups. The Olympic torch made âentry into the
stadium to be delivered by a number of
athletes gymnast Li Ning, who was elevated to
the top of the stadium and began to walk as if
you were running on it. As Li went on, the
roof was projected on a scroll that is going
to open showing images of the Olympic torch
up to the cauldron, then turn the flame on it.
11. LI NING THE
OLYMPIC TORCH
THE NEST, ALREADY
KNOWN WORLDWIDE, "SPITS"
FIREWORKS
12. Criticism in general praised the event,
considered as one of the most
magnificent opening ceremonies performed in
the history of the Olympics, although
some considered it "cynical" compared to the
constant criticism that the country
receives about human rights. Subsequently,
a series of transcended public would come to
light casting doubt on some of the
presentations of the ceremony, at which the
organizing committee acknowledged the use
of pre-recorded images in the presentation of
the "fingerprint" pyrotechnical and the girl who
sang Ode to the Motherland was not presented
during the event.
13. The closing ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was held
in the National Stadium in Beijing on August 24, 2008 at
20:00local time following the idea used in the opening
ceremony for the use of No. 8 . The event was directed
by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou and featured a series
of artistic events. The ceremony began with a fireworks display,
followed by the entry of the Chinese flag and the singing
of the hymn. A choreographic art performances were held in
the center of the stadium before giving way to the entrance of the
204 delegations and athletes. In the center, placed the flags of
all delegations and between them made âthe award of the men's
marathon, the last competition of the Games. Kenyan Samuel
Wanjiru received the gold medal for his performance in that
discipline, as the anthem of his country was run.
Following the presentation of the flag of Greece and its national
anthem, BOCOG President Liu Qi gave his closing speech in
Mandarin Chinese by thanking
the participants and the Athletes. All gave way to
the final handover ceremony of the Olympic duties to the city
of London, home of the next Olympic Games in 2012.
15. The British flag entered the stadium as they played God
Save the Queen. The Olympic flag was handed over by
the Peking MayorGuo Jinlong to Jacques Rogge,
who handed it to Boris Johnson, Mayor of London. After
the handover ceremony was performed a small act
of eight minutes of presentation of the new host
city. After an introductory video, a traditional red double-
decker busentered the stadium together with bicycles
and pedestrians, representing urban life in
London. Finally, David Beckham went along with the
artists and threw a football to the audience, as
representing the beginning of the new Olympic period.
To conclude the event, a series of images were
projected in the event the most memorable moments of
the Games, while representing an airport
terminal where the athletes returned to their countries,
keeping their memories of Beijing as the Olympic
flame is slowly extinguished.
