Beijing (2008)
Beijing was simply a massive games. A total of 10,500 athletes competed in 302 events in 28 sports, one event more than was on the schedule of the 2004 Games. The 2008 Beijing Olympics marked the first occasion that either the Summer or Winter Games were hosted in China, making it the 22nd nation to do so. It also became the third time that Olympic events have been held in the territories of two different National Olympic Committees (NOC), as the equestrian events were being held in Hong Kong (the other two instances being 1920 and 1956).
The Chinese government promoted the Games and invested heavily in new facilities and transportation systems. A total of 37 venues were used to host the events including 12 newly constructed venues. At the closing ceremony IOC president Jacques Rogge declared the event a “truly exceptional Games” after earlier asserting that the IOC had “absolutely no regrets” in choosing Beijing to host the 2008 Games. The choice of China as a host country was the subject of criticism by some politicians and NGOs concerned about China’s human rights record. China and others, meanwhile, warned against politicizing the Olympics.
Interesting Facts
- The Games saw 43 new world records and 132 new Olympic records set.
- A record 87 countries won a medal during the Games.
- Chinese athletes won 51 gold medals altogether, the second largest haul by a national team in a modern, non-boycotted Summer Games.
- Michael Phelps broke the record for most golds in one Olympics and for most career gold medals for an Olympian.
- Usain Bolt secured the traditional title “World’s Fastest Man” by setting new world records in the 100m and 200m.
- The Marshall Islands and Tuvalu participated in the Games for the first time.
- North Korea and South Korea held meetings to discuss the possibility of sending a united team to the 2008 Olympics, but the proposal failed, due to disagreements between the two NOCs on the proportion of athletes from the two countries within the team.
- Controversy surrounded the openingceremony as although many watching on TV were amazed at the impressive spectical it later emerged that some footage was computer generated to provide simulated aerial shots of the scene. Another cosmetic enhancement in China’s quest for a “perfect” Summer Games was using 9-year-old Lin Miaoke to lip-sync over the singing voice of Yang Peiyi for the opening ceremony song Ode to the Motherland. Miss Yang, 7, had reportedly won a “grueling” competition to be chosen as the performer, but was considered to be insufficiently photogenic, and a member of the Politburo who oversaw the final preparations ordered that Miss Lin appear in Miss Yang’s place. Another portion of the ceremony featured 56 children carrying a large Chinese flag, with 55 of them dressed in traditional costumes of the ethnic minorities of China. The children wearing the ethnic minority costumes were described in the official program as members of these minorities, but it was later revealed that they were actually Han Chinese.
- Overall, 9 new events were held, which included 2 from the new cycling discipline of BMX. Women competed in the 3000 m steeplechase for the first time. In addition, marathon open water swimming events for men and women, over the distance of 10 kilometres, were added to the swimming discipline. Team events (men and women) in table tennis replaced the doubles events. In fencing, women’s team foil and women’s team sabre replaced men’s team foil and women’s team épée