2008 Summer Olympic Games, Beijing

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Games of the XXIX Olympiad
同一个世界同一个梦想 (One World, One Dream) The "Dancing Beijing" emblem, depicting a Chinese seal inscribed with the character "Jīng" (京, from the name of the host city) in the form of a dancing figure.
Host city	Beijing, China
Nations participating	205 NOCs
Athletes participating	10,500 (approx.)
Events	302 in 28 sports
Opening ceremony	August 8
Closing ceremony	August 24
Officially opened by	President Hu Jintao
Athlete's Oath	TBA
Judge's Oath	TBA
Olympic Torch	TBA
Stadium	Beijing National Stadium

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, are an international multi-sport event, that will be held in Beijing, People's Republic of China from August 8 to August 24, 2008, and followed by the 2008 Summer Paralympics 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 2004.

The Olympic games were awarded to Beijing after an exhaustive ballot of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on July 13, 2001. The official logo of the games, titled "Dancing Beijing," features a stylized calligraphic character jīng (京, meaning capital), referencing the host city. The mascots of Beijing 2008 are the five Fuwa, each representing both a color of the Olympic rings 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 Committees (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 Samaranch had said that he believes that the Beijing games will be "the best in Olympic history."

Bid

Beijing was elected the host city on July 13, 2001, during the 112th IOC Session in Moscow, beating Toronto, Paris, Istanbul, and Osaka. Prior to the session, five other cities (Bangkok, Cairo, Havana, Kuala Lumpur, and Seville) 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 majority of voters, eliminating the need for subsequent rounds.

After winning the bid, Li Lanqing, 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 Olympics. It led the voting over the first three rounds, but ultimately lost to Sydney in the final round in 1993.

These games will be the first to be produced and broadcast entirely in high definition television, and will likely garner upwards of four billion viewers. In their bid for the Olympic games in 2001, Beijing confirmed to the Olympic Evaluation Commission "that there will be no restrictions on media reporting and movement of journalists up to and including the Olympic Games," but according to a report in the New York Times, "these promises have been contradicted by strict visa rules, lengthy application processes and worries about censorship."

References

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Links

• Official Website of the 2008 Summer Olympics
• IOC Official 2008 Summer Olympics Website

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.