8/08/08 to 24/08/08

The 2008 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, People's Republic of China, from August 8 (except soccer which started on August 6) to August 24, 2008. 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.

When did it all start?It all started when China entered the ballot of the IOC for the chance to hold the 2008 Olympics.They won and everybody celebrated.

Why did it happen?The Chinese Government wanted to show the world they can hold an Olympic Games.

Mascots – The FuwaThe five mascots of the Beijing Olympics were called ‘The Fuwa’. The official 2008 Olympic Mascots are the five Fuwa (which means "good luck dolls"). The Fuwa are made up of five figures that represent a fish, giant panda, fire, Tibetan antelope, and swallow designs. The Fuwa each have a main color. Each one are from the five Olympic Rings that stand for the five continents. The five Fuwa are named Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini. When the first syllable of each of the five names are said together, the result is the phrase Běijīng huānyíng nĭ which means "Beijing welcomes you".

Olympic TorchThe design of the Olympic Torch is based on traditional scrolls and uses a traditional Chinese design known as the ‘Propitious Clouds’. The torch is designed to remain lit in 65 kph winds, temperatures as low as -40°C and in rain of up to 50 mm per hour.The relay, with the theme Journey of Harmony, lasted 130 days and carried the torch 137,000 km, the longest distance of any Olympic torch relay since the tradition began at the 1936 Berlin Games.

SportsThe program for the Beijing 2008 Games was quite similar to that of the 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens. The 2008 Olympics saw the return of 28 sports (some of which, such as aquatics, gymnastics and cycling, were divided into multiple disciplines), and held 302 events (165 men’s events, 127 women's events, and 10 mixed events). A new sport, BMX, was added.

The Bird’s NestThe construction of Beijing’s National Stadium began in December 2003 and was officially opened in July 2008. It was given the nickname ‘Bird’s Nest’ as it looks a lot like one. The Bird’s Nest hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, athletic events, and football final of the 2008 Summer Olympics. The stadium also hosted the Opening and Closing ceremonies and athletic events of the 2008 Summer Paralympics.

Rank NOC Name

Men Women Open/Mixed TotalRank by TotalG S B T G S B T G S B T G S B T

1 CHN - China 24 10 8 42 27 11 19 57 1 1 51 21 28 100 2

2 USA - United States 20 13 20 53 15 23 15 53 1 2 1 4 36 38 36 110 1

3 RUS - Russian Fed. 12 8 20 40 11 13 8 32 23 21 28 72 3

4 GBR - Great Britain 11 8 7 26 7 5 6 18 1 2 3 19 13 15 47 4

5 GER - Germany 7 7 6 20 6 2 7 15 3 1 2 6 16 10 15 41 6

6 AUS - Australia 6 6 9 21 8 7 8 23 2 2 14 15 17 46 5

7 KOR - Korea 8 6 4 18 4 4 4 12 1 1 13 10 8 31 8

8 JPN - Japan 4 4 5 13 5 2 5 12 9 6 10 25 11

9 ITA - Italy 4 7 6 17 4 3 4 11 8 10 10 28 9

10 FRA – France 6 14 12 32 1 2 4 7 1 1 7 16 17 40 7

26 NZL - New Zealand 1 1 5 7 2 2 3 1 5 9 24

Medal Haul

A record 87 countries won a medal at the games.China won 51 gold medals altogether, the second largest haul by a national team.The Games saw 43 new world records and 132 new Olympic records set.

From left to right: Ryan Lochte (bronze), Michael Phelps (gold), and László Cseh (silver) show off the medals they earned from the men's 400 metre individual medley.

Medals WinnerMichael Phelps gained the record for the most Olympic medals at one Summer Olympic Games with 8 gold medals.

Bibliography• 2008 Summer Olympics. Retrieved 19 Sep 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_Olympics • The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Retrieved 22 Sep 2008, from

http://en.beijing2008.cn/• Google. Retrieved 19 Sep 2008, from http://ww.google.co.nz• INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE. Retrieved 24 Sep 2008, from

http://www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp