All Topics  
2008 Summer Olympics

 

 

 

 

 

2008 Summer Olympics


 
 


The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, are an international multi-sport event, that will be held in BeijingBeijing

Beijing [[[Media:Beijing pronounced in English way.ogg|English Pronunciation]]] , a city in northern [[China]], is the [[Capital of China|capital]]...
, People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , is a country in East Asia....
 from August 8 to August 24, 2008, and followed by the 2008 Summer Paralympics2008 Summer Paralympics

The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, will be held in Beijing, China from September 6 - 17, 2008....
 from September 6 to September 17. 10,500 athletes are expected to compete in 302 events in 28 sports, just one event more than was on the schedule of the Athens games of 20042004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, were held in Athens, Greece, over a pe...
.

The Olympic gamesOlympic Games

The Olympic Games, or Olympics, are an international multi-sport event taking place every four years and comprising su...
 were awarded to Beijing after an exhaustive ballot of the International Olympic CommitteeFacts About International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and De...
 (IOC) on July 13, 2001. The official logo of the games, titled "Dancing BeijingDancing Beijing

Dancing Beijing is the name of the official emblem of the 2008 Summer Olympics, to be held in Beijing in the People's Republ...
," features a stylized calligraphic character jing (?, meaning capital), referencing the host city. The mascots of Beijing 2008 are the five Fuwa, each representing both a color of the Olympic ringsOlympic symbols

The Olympic symbols are various logos, icons, flags and symbols used by the International Olympic Committee for various aspe...
 and a symbol of Chinese culture. The Olympic slogan, One World, One Dream, calls upon the world to unite in the Olympic spirit. Several new National Olympic CommitteeNational Olympic Committee

National Olympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide olympic movement....
s (NOCs) have also been recognized by the IOC.

The Chinese government has promoted the games to highlight China's emergence on the world stage. A total of 37 venues will be used to host the events including 12 newly constructed venues. Earlier in 2007, former IOC president Juan Antonio SamaranchJuan Antonio Samaranch

Don Juan Antonio Samaranch i Torrell, Marquis of Samaranch is a Spanish sports official and was president of the Internation...
 had said that he believes that the Beijing games will be "the best in Olympic history."

Bid

2008 Summer Olympics bidding results
City NOCRound 1Round 2
Beijing 44 56
Toronto 20 22
Paris 15 18
Istanbul 17 9
Osaka 6

Beijing was elected the host city on July 13, 2001, during the 112th IOCInternational Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and De...
 Session in MoscowMoscow

Moscow is the capital of Russia and the country's principal political, economic, financial, educational, and transportation...
, beating TorontoToronto Summary

Toronto is the largest city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario, located on the northwestern shore of Lake Onta...
, ParisParis

native_name = Ville de Paris|common_name = Paris...
, IstanbulIstanbul

Istanbul is Turkey's most populous city, and its cultural, and economic centre....
, and OsakaOsaka

listen is the capital of Osaka Prefecture and the third-largest city in Japan, with a population of 2.7 million....
. Prior to the session, five other cities submitted bids to the IOC but failed to make the shortlist in 2000. After the first round of voting, Beijing held a significant lead over the other four candidates. Osaka received only six votes and was eliminated. In the second round, Beijing was supported by an absolute majorityAbsolute majority

Absolute majority in American parlance is a supermajoritarian voting requirement which is stricter than a simple majority....
 of voters, eliminating the need for subsequent rounds.

After winning the bid, Li LanqingLi Lanqing

Li Lanqing is a prominent Chinese politician....
, the vice premier of China, declared "The winning of the 2008 Olympic bid is an example of the international recognition of China's social stability, economic progress and the healthy life of the Chinese people." Previously, Beijing had bid to host the 2000 Summer Olympics2000 Summer Olympics

The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the ...
. It led the voting over the first three rounds, but ultimately lost to SydneySydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia with a metropolitan area population of over 4.2 million people ....
 in the final round in 1993.

Preparations


Venues

By May 2007, construction of all 31 Beijing-based Olympic Games venues had begun. The ChineseChinese language

Chinese is a language that forms part of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages....
 government is also investing in the renovation and construction of six venues outside Beijing as well as 59 training centers. Its largest architecturalArchitecture

* Architectural history* Architectural mythology...
 pieces will be the Beijing National StadiumBeijing National Stadium

The Beijing National Stadium, also known as the bird's nest will be the main track and field stadium for the 2008 Summer...
, Beijing National Indoor StadiumBeijing National Indoor Stadium

The Beijing National Indoor Stadium is an indoor arena that is located in the Olympic Green in Beijing, China....
, Beijing National Aquatics CentreBeijing National Aquatics Centre

×The Beijing National Aquatics Centre, also known as the Water Cube, is an aquatics centre that is currently being built alo...
, Olympic Green Convention CentreOlympic Green Convention Centre

The Olympic Green Convention Centre is a new convention centre located in the Olympic Green in Beijing....
, Olympic GreenOlympic Green

The Olympic Green is an Olympic Park in Beijing, China that is under construction for the 2008 Summer Olympics....
, and Beijing Wukesong Culture & Sports CenterBeijing Wukesong Culture & Sports Center

The Wukesong Indoor Stadium is an indoor arena that is currently under construction for the 2008 Summer Olympics....
. Almost 85 percent of the constructionConstruction Overview

In project architecture and civil engineering, construction is the building or assembly of any infrastructure on a site....
 budget for the six main venues is being funded by US$United States dollar

For details of current paper money and coins, see Federal Reserve Note and United States coinage....
2.1 billion in corporate bids and tenders. Investments are expected from corporations seeking ownership rights after the 2008 Summer Olympics. Some venues will be owned and governed by the State General Administration of Sports, which will use them after the Olympics as facilities for all future national sports teams and events.

Some events will be held outside Beijing, namely footballFootball at the Summer Olympics

A men's football tournament has been held at every Summer Olympic Games except 1896 and 1932....
 (in QinhuangdaoQinhuangdao

Qinhuangdao is a city in the Hebei province, in China....
, ShanghaiShanghai

Shanghai , situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta in East China, is the largest city of the People's Republic of C...
, ShenyangFacts About Shenyang

Shenyang is the capital city of Liaoning province in Northeast China....
, and TianjinTianjin

Tianjin is one of the four municipalities of the People's Republic of China....
), sailingSailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Sailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 9 to 21....
 (in QingdaoFacts About Qingdao

Qingdao, well-known to the West by its Postal System Pinyin transliteration Tsingtao, is a sub-provincial city in east...
), and equestrianEquestrian at the Summer Olympics

Equestrianism made its Summer Olympics debut at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France....
 (in Hong KongHong Kong

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is one of the two special administrative regi...
, because of "uncertainties of equine diseases and major difficulties in establishing a disease-free zone").
Beijing National Stadium

The centerpiece of the 2008 Summer Olympics will be the Beijing National Stadium, nicknamed the "Bird nest" because of its nest-like skeletal structure. Construction of the venue began on December 24, 2003. The Guangdong Olympic StadiumGuangdong Olympic Stadium

The Guangdong Olympic Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Guangzhou, China, 100 miles north of Hong Kong....
 was originally planned, constructed, and completed in 2001 for the Games, but a decision was made to construct a new stadium in Beijing. Government officials engaged architects worldwide in a design competition. A SwissSwitzerland

Switzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked Alpine country in Central Europe....
 firm, Herzog & de MeuronFacts About Herzog & de Meuron

Herzog & de Meuron is a Basel-based Swiss architecture firm, founded in 1978 by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron...
 Architekten AG, collaborated with China Architecture Design & Research Group to win the competition. The stadium features a lattice-like concrete skeleton forming the stadium bowl and will have a seating capacity of 80,000 people. Architects originally described the overall design as resembling a bird nest with an immense ocular—an opening with a retractable roofRetractable roof

A retractable roof is a kinetic architectural element used in many sports venues, in which a roof made of a suitable materia...
 over the stadium. However, in 2004, the idea of retractable roof was abandoned for economic and safety reasons. The Beijing National Stadium will be the site of the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the athletics events and soccer finals. The stadium's designer Ai WeiweiAi Weiwei

Ai Weiwei , born in 1957 in Beijing, is a leading Chinese artist, curator, architectural designer, cultural and social comme...
 has since withdrawn his support for China's Olympic games, saying "he wants nothing to do with them anymore".

Transport


In preparation for the huge rush during the games, Beijing's subway systemBeijing Subway Summary

The Beijing Subway is a rapid transit system that serves Beijing city and its various outlying suburbs....
 underwent a major expansion which increased its capacity to more than twice its previous size. The previous system was composed of four lines and 64 stations. An additional seven lines and more than 80 new stations were constructed, including a direct link to Beijing Capital International AirportBeijing Capital International Airport

Beijing Capital International Airport is the main international airport that serves the capital city of Beijing, People's R...
. In the airport itself, 11 unmanned trains, each transporting a maximum of 83 passengers, will expedite the movement of people throughout the new terminal building. Most of them are scheduled to operate from June 30, 2008, one month before the beginning of the games. In January 2007, the BOCOG announced that the Metro cars will be fitted with video screens showing the latest news and events during the games. Additionally, cellphone signals would be made available, so that people can use their communication devices in the metro stations or underground.

According to the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, a new five-level emergency alert systemEmergency population warning

Some emergency situations can reach an entire population....
 for extreme weatherExtreme weather

Extreme weather includes weather phenomena that are at the extremes of historical patterns, especially severe or unseasonal ...
 and security threats will be implemented in the airport. This system is designed to ensure smooth and safe transportation for the estimated three million domestic and overseas visitors who will flock to Beijing for the games in August 2008.

On the ground, Beijing is set to designate 38 official public transit routes that will link the Olympic venues. During the games, 2,500 large-size busBus

A bus is a large automobile intended to carry numerous persons in addition to the driver and sometimes a conductor....
es and 4,500 minibusMinibus

A minibus is a motor vehicle that is designed to carry fewer people than a full-size bus....
es will be operated by a total of 8,000 drivers to transport people across various venues. Prior to the games, public transport will be optimized in order to reduce the existing 110 overlapping routes.

BeijingBeijing

Beijing [[[Media:Beijing pronounced in English way.ogg|English Pronunciation]]] , a city in northern [[China]], is the [[Capital of China|capital]]...
 will be implementing a temporary road space rationingRoad space rationing

Road space rationing is a travel demand management strategy aimed to reduce the negative externalities generated by peak ur...
 based on plate numbers during the Games in order to significantly improve air quality in the city. Under the traffic plan made public on June 20, 2008, the rationing will be enforced for two months, between July 20 to September 20, as the Olympics will begin on August 8, and then will be followed by the 2008 Paralympics, from September 6 until 17. The restrictions will be in placed on alternate days depending on the plates ending in odd or even numbers. This measure is expected to take 45% of the 3.3 million car fleet off the streets. In addition, 300,000 heavy polluting vehicles will be banned from July 1, and the plan also prohibits access to most vehicles coming from outside Beijing. The boosted public transport network is expected to absorb this additional demand, estimated in more than 4 million extra passengers per day.

Marketing


Emblem, slogan and mascots


The 2008 Summer Olympics emblem is known as "Dancing Beijing" (). The emblem combines a traditional Chinese red seal and a representation of the calligraphic characterChinese character

A Chinese character is a logogram used in writing Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and formerly Vietnamese....
 jing with athletic features. The open arms of the calligraphic word symbolizes the invitation of China to the world to share in its culture. IOC president Jacques RoggeJacques Rogge

Count Jacques Rogge is by profession an orthopedic surgeon....
 was very happy with the emblem, saying, "Your new emblem immediately conveys the awesome beauty and power of China which are embodied in your heritage and your people."

The slogan for the 2008 Olympics is "One World, One Dream" (.) The slogan calls upon the whole world to join in the Olympic spirit and build a better future for humanity. It was chosen from over 210,000 entries submitted from around the world.

The 2008 Olympic Mascots are the five Fuwa (, literally "good luck dolls"). The Fuwa consist of five members that incorporate fishFish

A fish is a water-dwelling vertebrate with gills, that remains so throughout its life....
, giant pandaGiant Panda

The giant panda is a mammal classified in the bear family, Ursidae, native to central and southern China....
, fireFire Summary

Fire is a phenomenon of combustion manifested in intense heat and light in the form of a glow or flames....
, Tibetan antelopeTibetan antelope Overview

The Tibetan antelope is a medium sized bovid which is about 1.2 metres in height....
, and swallow designs. They roughly correspond with the five elementsFive elements (Chinese philosophy)

In traditional Chinese philosophy, natural phenomena can be classified into the Five Elements :...
 of Chinese philosophyChinese philosophy

Chinese philosophy is philosophy written in the Chinese tradition of thought....
: waterWater (classical element)

Water is one of the four classical elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science....
, metalMetal (classical element)

Metal is one of the five elements of Chinese alchemy....
, fireFire (classical element)

Fire has been important to all peoples of the earth, and it is rich in spiritual tradition. ...
, woodWood (classical element)

Wood is one of the five elements of Chinese alchemy....
, and earthEarth (classical element)

Earth is one of the four classical elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science....
. The Fuwa each have as their primary color one of the colors of 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 (Beijing huanyíng ni) which means "Beijing welcomes you".

Tickets

In April 2007, the over seven million tickets for sporting events and ceremonies went on sale. Approximately 75% of tickets went on sale through the Beijing Organizing Committee, which set low ticket prices for domestic tickets, to encourage the Chinese people to attend the Games. International tickets are available through each nation's NOC. By June 2007, 2.2 million tickets had already been sold.

Merchandising

Since early 2007, licensed Olympics merchandise stores have been in business throughout China. More than 800 official stores were in operation at the end of July 2007. Since August 2007, Olympic merchandise has been made available online, with more than 5000 products available via the official merchandising website, which include apparel, mascot dolls, key-chains and commemorative chopsticks.
In November 2007, the overseas Olympic E-shop provided online access to customers all over the world to Licensed Products of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, excluding the USA, Japan, UK, Canada and China. China's central bankPeople's Bank of China

The People's Bank of China is the central bank of the People's Republic of China with the power to control monetary polic...
 also issued a new 10-yuan noteChinese yuan Overview

The yuan is, in the Chinese language, the base unit of a currency; for example, the US dollar is Meiyuan....
 without the picture of Mao ZedongMao Zedong

Mao Zedong was a Chinese Marxist military and political leader, who led China's communist revolution after decades of fo...
.

Music

The official theme for the torch relay was "Light the Passion, Share the Dream", with the English version performed by the 106 contestants of Miss World 2007Miss World 2007

The 57th Miss World pageant will be taking place in September 2007 in a host country that will be announced soon, possibly Moscow,...
. The official song for the game's one-year countdown celebration was "We Are Ready" with a version recorded by Jackie ChanJackie Chan

Chan Kong-sang known as Jackie Chan is a Chinese martial artist, actor, director, producer, stuntman and singer....
. "Beijing Huan Ying Ni" ("Beijing welcomes you") was the theme song for the 100-day countdown celebration. "I am a Star" and "Smile Beijing" have been selected as theme songs for the Beijing Olympic Volunteers Committee.

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing will be held in the Beijing National StadiumFacts About Beijing National Stadium

The Beijing National Stadium, also known as the bird's nest will be the main track and field stadium for the 2008 Summer...
, and begin at 8:08:08pm CST (12:08:08 UTCCoordinated Universal Time

Coordinated Universal Time is a high-precision atomic time standard....
) on 8 August 2008. It has been announced that Canada's Celine DionCeline Dion

Cline Marie Claudette Dion is a Canadian Grammy and Juno award winning pop singer, and occasional songwriter and actress....
 and Taiwan's Jay ChouJay Chou

Jay Chou is a popular Taiwanese musician and singer specializing in R&B and rap....
 would perform during the opening ceremony.

On July 21, NBC announced the Opening Ceremony would include performances by a cast of 15,000 and declared it would be the most spectacular Olympics Opening Ceremony ever produced.

Sports



The program for the Beijing 2008 Games is quite similar to that of the Athens Games2004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, were held in Athens, Greece, over a pe...
 held in 2004. The 2008 Olympics will see the return of 28 sports, and will hold 302 events (165 men’s events, 127 women’s events, and 10 mixed events), one event more in total than in Athens.

Overall nine new events will be held, which include two from the new cyclingCycling at the Summer Olympics Summary

Cycling has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Su...
 discipline of BMXBMX

BMX is a form of cycling on specially designed bicycles which usually have 20-inch wheels ....
. Women will compete in the 3000 m steeplechaseSteeplechase (athletics)

The steeplechase is an obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing....
 for the first time. In addition, marathon swimming events for men and women, over the distance of 10 kilometers, will be added to the swimming discipline. Team events (men and women) in table tennisTable tennis

Table tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world in terms of player numbers, as well as being one of the newest o...
 will replace the doubles events. In fencingFencing

In the broadest possible sense, fencing is the art and science of armed combat involving cutting, stabbing, or bludgeoning w...
, women's team foil and women's team sabre will replace men's team foil and women's team epee.

The Beijing Organizing CommitteeBeijing Organizing Committee

Beijing Organizing Committee, known also as BOCOG is the informal name for the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 200...
 have released pictogramPictogram

A pictogram or pictograph is a symbol representing a concept, object, activity, place or event by illustration....
s of the 35 Olympic disciplines. This set of sport icons is named the beauty of seal characters, due to each pictogram's likeness to Chinese seal scriptSeal script

and seal script.]]Seal script, also called small seal script, is an archaic style of Chinese calligraphy....
.

The following are the sports to be contested at these Games. The number of events to be contested in each sport is indicated in parentheses.
  • Aquatics
    • DivingDiving at the 2008 Summer Olympics

      Diving competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be held from August 10 to August 23, at the Beijing Natio...
       (8)
    • SwimmingSwimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics

      Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics will be held over a sixteen day period from August 9 to August 21, with the conventiona...
       (34)
    • Synchronized swimmingSynchronized swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics

      Synchronized swimming competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 18 to August 23, at...
       (2)
    • Water poloWater polo at the 2008 Summer Olympics

      The Water Polo competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 10 to August 24, at the Be...
       (2)
  • ArcheryArchery at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Archery at the 2008 Summer Olympics will be held over a seven day period starting August 9 and ending August 15....
     (4)
  • AthleticsAthletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics will be held during the last 10 days of the games starting August 15....
     (47)
  • BadmintonBadminton at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Badminton competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be held from August 9 to August 17. ...
     (5)
  • BaseballBaseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held over an eleven day period starting August 13 and concluding wit...
     (1)
  • BasketballBasketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Basketball at the 2008 Olympic Games will be held from August 9, 2008 to August 24, 2008....
     (2)
  • BoxingBoxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    The boxing programme of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China will be held at the Workers' Indoor Arena....
     (11)
  • CanoeingCanoeing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Canoeing competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be held from August 11 to August 23 at the Shunyi Olymp...
     (16)
  • CyclingCycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Cycling competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be held from August 9 to August 23 at the Laoshan Velodr...
     (18)
  • EquestrianEquestrian at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Equestrian competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be held from August 9 to August 20 at the Hong Kong S...
     (6)
  • FencingFencing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Fencing competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be held from August 9 to August 17 at the Olympic Green ...
     (10)
  • Field hockeyField hockey at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Field hockey at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held over a fourteen day period beginning on August 10, and culm...
     (2)
  • FootballFootball at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics will be held in Beijing, China from August 6 to August 24....
     (2)
  • GymnasticsGymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Gymnastics competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be held from August 9 to August 24. ...
     (18)
  • HandballHandball at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Handball competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be held from August 9 to August 24, at the Olympic Spor...
     (2)
  • JudoJudo at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Judo competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 9 to August 15 at the Beijing Scienc...
     (14)
  • Modern pentathlonModern pentathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Modern pentathlon competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held on August 21 and August 22 at the O...
     (2)
  • RowingRowing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Rowing competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 9 to August 17, at the Shunyi Olym...
     (14)
  • SailingSailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Sailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 9 to 21....
     (11)
  • ShootingShooting at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Shooting competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 9 to August 17, at the Beijing S...
     (15)
  • SoftballFacts About Softball at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Softball at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held over a ten day period starting August 12 and culminating with t...
     (1)
  • Table tennisTable tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Table tennis competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 13 to August 23, at the Peki...
     (4)
  • TaekwondoTaekwondo at the 2008 Summer Olympics Overview

    Taekwondo competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 20 to August 23....
     (8)
  • TennisTennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Tennis competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 10 to August 17....
     (4)
  • TriathlonTriathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Triathlon competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics, in Beijing, will be held at the Ming Tomb Reservoir, on August 18 a...
     (2)
  • VolleyballVolleyball at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Volleyball competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 9, 2008 to August 24, 2008....
     (4)
  • WeightliftingWeightlifting at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Weightlifting competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 9 to August 19....
     (15)
  • WrestlingWrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics

    Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics will take place in Beijing, China....
     (18)

Calendar

In the following calendar for the 2008 Olympic Games, each blue box represents an event competition, such as a qualification round, on that day. The yellow boxes represent a medal-awarding final for a sport. The number in each box represents the number of finals that will be contested on that day.

 ? Opening ceremony ? Event competitions  ? Event finals  ? Exhibition gala  ? Closing ceremony


August 6th 7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th21st22nd23rd24thT
Ceremonies ?2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony

The 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony will be held at the Beijing National Stadium....
? 
ArcheryArchery at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Archery at the 2008 Summer Olympics will be held over a seven day period starting August 9 and ending August 15....
     1 1   1 1          4
AthleticsAthletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics will be held during the last 10 days of the games starting August 15....
          2 4 6 6 5 3 6 7 7 1 47
BadmintonBadminton at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Badminton competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be held from August 9 to August 17. ...
          1 2 2        5
BaseballBaseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held over an eleven day period starting August 13 and concluding wit...
                  1  1
BasketballBasketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Basketball at the 2008 Olympic Games will be held from August 9, 2008 to August 24, 2008....
                  1 1 2
BoxingBoxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The boxing programme of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China will be held at the Workers' Indoor Arena....
                  5 6 11
CanoeingCanoeing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Canoeing competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be held from August 11 to August 23 at the Shunyi Olymp...
       2  2        6 6  16
CyclingCycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Cycling competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be held from August 9 to August 23 at the Laoshan Velodr...
    1 1   2  1 3 1 2 3  2 1 1  18
DivingDiving at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Diving competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be held from August 10 to August 23, at the Beijing Natio...
     1 1 1 1    1  1  1  1  8
EquestrianEquestrian at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Equestrian competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be held from August 9 to August 20 at the Hong Kong S...
       2  1    1 1  1    6
FencingFencing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Fencing competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be held from August 9 to August 17 at the Olympic Green ...
    1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1        10
Field hockeyField hockey at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Field hockey at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held over a fourteen day period beginning on August 10, and culm...
                 1 1  2
Football (soccer)Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics will be held in Beijing, China from August 6 to August 24....
                1  1  2
GymnasticsGymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Gymnastics competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be held from August 9 to August 24. ...
       1 1 1 1  4 4 4    1 1 18
HandballHandball at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Handball competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will be held from August 9 to August 24, at the Olympic Spor...
                  1 1 2
JudoJudo at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Judo competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 9 to August 15 at the Beijing Scienc...
    2 2 2 2 2 2 2          14
Modern pentathlonModern pentathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Modern pentathlon competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held on August 21 and August 22 at the O...
                1 1   2
RowingRowing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Rowing competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 9 to August 17, at the Shunyi Olym...
           7 7        14
SailingSailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Sailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 9 to 21....
           2 1 2 2 2 2    11
ShootingShooting at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Shooting competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 9 to August 17, at the Beijing S...
    2 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 1        15
SoftballSoftball at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Softball at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held over a ten day period starting August 12 and culminating with t...
                1    1
SwimmingSwimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics Summary

Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics will be held over a sixteen day period from August 9 to August 21, with the conventiona...
     4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4   1 1    34
Synchronized swimmingSynchronized swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Synchronized swimming competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 18 to August 23, at...
               1   1  2
Table tennisTable tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics Overview

Table tennis competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 13 to August 23, at the Peki...
            1 1    1 1  4
TaekwondoTaekwondo at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Taekwondo competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 20 to August 23....
               2 2 2 2  8
TennisTennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Tennis competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 10 to August 17....
           2 2        4
TriathlonTriathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Triathlon competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics, in Beijing, will be held at the Ming Tomb Reservoir, on August 18 a...
             1 1      2
VolleyballVolleyball at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Volleyball competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 9, 2008 to August 24, 2008....
                1 1 1 1 4
Water poloWater polo at the 2008 Summer Olympics Summary

The Water Polo competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 10 to August 24, at the Be...
                1   1 2
WeightliftingWeightlifting at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Weightlifting competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 9 to August 19....
    1 2 2 2 2  2 1 1 1 1      15
WrestlingWrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics will take place in Beijing, China....
       2 2 3  2 2  2 2 3    18
August 6th 7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th21st22nd23rd24th302

Torch relay


The 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 kilometer per hour winds, and in rain of up to 50 millimeters per hour.

The relay, with the theme Journey of Harmony, is expected to last 130 days and carry the torch —the longest distance of any Olympic torch relay since the tradition began at the 1936 Berlin Games. So far, the torch relay has been called a "public relations disaster" by The Times for China, with protests of China's human rights recordHuman rights in the People's Republic of China

The situation of human rights in the People's Republic of China has been criticized by various sources, including other nati...
, particularly in Tibet2008 Tibetan unrest Overview

The 2008 Tibetan unrest, also known as the 3?14 Riots in China, began with demonstrations on March 10 2008, the 49th a...
.


The relay began March 24, 2008, in Olympia, GreeceOlympia, Greece Overview

Olympia, a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, c...
. From there, it traveled across Greece to Panathinaiko StadiumPanathinaiko Stadium

The Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens is the only major stadium in the world built fully of white marble....
 in AthensAthens

Athens is the capital and the largest city of Greece....
, and then to Beijing, arriving on March 31. From Beijing, the torch followed a route passing through every continent except Antarctica. The torch visited cities on the Silk RoadSilk Road

The Silk Road or Silk Route was an interconnected series of routes through Southern Asia traversed by caravan and o...
, symbolizing ancient links between China and the rest of the world. A total of 21,880 torchbearers have been selected from around the world by various organizations and entities.

The international portion of the relay has been a problematic, month-long world tour that has seen wide-scale protests to China's human rights abuses and recent crackdown in Tibet. After trouble in London saw several attempts to put out the flame, the following day, the flame was extinguished in Paris . The American leg in San Francisco on 9 April was altered without prior warning to avoid such scenes, although there were still demonstrations along the original route, but the remaining legs have not been as disastrous. The relay was further delayed and simplified after the devastating 2008 Sichuan earthquake2008 Sichuan earthquake

The 2008 Sichuan earthquake , or "Great Sichuan Earthquake", which measured at 8.0 Ms and 8.3 Mw according to , ...
 affecting western China.


The flame was carried to the top of Mount Everest2008 Summer Olympics summit of Mt. Everest

The 2008 Summer Olympics summit of Mt....
 on a 108 km (67 mi) long "highway" scaling the Tibetan side of the mountain especially built for the relay. The $19.7 million blacktop project spanned from Tingri CountyTingri County

Tingri County or Dhringgri County is a county of the Xigaz? Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region....
 of Xigazê PrefectureXigazê Prefecture

Xigaz? is a prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region in China....
 to the Everest Base CampEverest Base Camp

Everest Base Camp is the camp which most expeditions up the worlds highest mountain starts from in Nepal....
. In March 2008, China banned mountaineers from climbing its side of Mount Everest and later persuaded the Nepalese government to close their side as well, officially citing environmental concerns. It also reflected concerns by the communist government that TibetTibet

Tibet is a region in Central Asia and the home of the Tibetan people....
 activists may try to disrupt its plans to carry the Olympic torch up the world's tallest peak.

The original route included a stop in TaipeiTaipei Overview

Taipei City is the capital city of the Republic of China....
 before heading for Hong Kong. Taiwan's government, however, later rejected this proposal, claiming that such arrangement would make the Taiwan relay be seen as part of China's domestic route, rather than the international route. The IOC eliminated Taipei from the relay; both China and Taiwan have blamed each other for injecting politics into the event.

Participating NOCs

Though the qualifying competitions for various sports are well underway, it cannot be certain which of the current 205 National Olympic CommitteeNational Olympic Committee

National Olympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide olympic movement....
s (NOCs) will participate in 2008. Most NOCs participate regularly, although various circumstances could cause a nation to be absent from the games, as was the case for six NOCs at the 2006 Winter Olympics2006 Winter Olympics

The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were celebrated in Turin, Italy from Februa...
. Nevertheless, placements in various qualifying events can help predict which nations and how many athletes will be at the games. Steven Roush, chief of sport performance for the United States Olympic CommitteeUnited States Olympic Committee Overview

The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee for the Unite...
, expects that the United StatesUnited States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is...
 will bring about 600 competitors to the games, their largest Olympic team thus far. Other delegations will be much smaller; AfghanistanAfghanistan at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Afghanistan is planning on sending a team to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China....
, for example, will be represented by just four competitors.

South AfricaSouth Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of the African continent....
n swimmer Natalie du ToitNatalie du Toit Summary

Natalie du Toit is a South African swimmer....
, five time gold medalist at the Athens Paralympics in 2004Facts About 2004 Summer Paralympics

The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28....
, has qualified to compete at the Beijing Olympics, thus making history by becoming the first amputee to qualify for the Olympic Games since Olivér HalassyOlivér Halassy

Oliv?r Halassy was a Hungarian water polo player and freestyle swimmer who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics, in the 193...
 in 1936. Natalia Partyka (who was born without a right forearm) will compete in Table Tennis for Poland.
List of participating NOCs

Participation changes

The Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands

The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands , is a Micronesian island nation in the western ...
 and TuvaluTuvalu

Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean midway betwee...
 gained National Olympic Committee status in 2006 and 2007 respectively, and are expected to participate in the Games.

The states of SerbiaSerbia

Serbia, officially the Republic of Serbia is a landlocked country in Central and Southeastern Europe, covering the ce...
 and MontenegroMontenegro

The Republic of Montenegro is a country located in southeastern Europe....
, which participated at the 2004 Games jointly as Serbia and MontenegroSerbia and Montenegro

Serbia and Montenegro the State Union [of] Serbia and Montenegro, was a confederated union of Serbia and...
, will now compete separately. The Montenegrin Olympic Committee was accepted as a new National Olympic Committee in 2007. IOC have promised to recognize the newly independent Republic of KosovoKosovo

Kosovo is a province in southern Serbia which has been under United Nations administration since 1999....
, but probably not in time for the nation to compete in the Olympics.

North KoreaNorth Korea

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is an East Asian country occupying the northern hal...
 and South KoreaSouth Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, is an East Asian state on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula....
 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.

On July 24, 2008, the International Olympic CommitteeInternational Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and De...
 (IOC) banned IraqIraq at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Iraq had planned to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2...
 from competing in the 2008 Olympic Summer Games due to "political interference by the government in sports."

Broadcasting