111-606: The 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium , also known as the Bird's Nest . The ceremony was directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou and began at 20:00 China Standard Time ( UTC+8 ) on Sunday night, 24 August 2008. The number 8 is associated with prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture . The Ceremony also included the handover of the games from Beijing to London . Guo Jinlong ,
222-407: A retractable roof , and low maintenance costs. The entry list was narrowed to thirteen final designs. The bird's nest model submitted by architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron in collaboration with Li Xinggang of China Architecture Design and Research Group (CADG) was selected as the top design by both a professional panel and by a broader audience during a public exhibition. The selection of
333-624: A 108 km (67 mi) long "highway" scaling the Tibetan side of the mountain, built especially for the relay. The $ 19.7 million blacktop project spanned from Tingri County of Xigazê Prefecture to the Everest Base Camp . 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
444-571: A beautician, had a daughter Anne Wanjiru and a son Simon Njoroge. Wanjiru also had a third wife, Judy Wambui Wairimu, who was pregnant when he died and has since had a son. Wanjiru's cousin Joseph Riri was a world-class marathon runner, and Wanjiru's younger brother Simon Njoroge was also a long-distance runner. On 15 May 2011, Wanjiru died from a fall off a balcony at his home in Nyahururu. Wanjiru appeared to have suffered internal injuries after
555-522: A disease-free zone", the equestrian events were held in Hong Kong . Some stadiums were built on the former site of hutong neighbourhoods, including Qianmen Subdistrict . The showpiece of the 2008 Summer Olympics was the Beijing National Stadium, nicknamed "The Bird's Nest" because of its nest-like skeletal structure. The stadium hosted both the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as
666-480: A lucky cloud tree symbolizing friendship and joy. The concert section started. Tan Jing , Kelly Chen and Han Xue, Wang Lee Hom and Rain sang together the song "Beijing, Beijing, I Love Beijing", a song about Beijing . Next, seven singers walked from below the steps to the Main Stage and sang "The Moon is Bright Tonight". Two Chinese and foreign singers on the mobile singing performance car went from Gate 1 to
777-473: A major part of his life. Despite that, his marathoning career continued successfully, though his personal life became somewhat chaotic. In December 2010, Wanjiru was arrested by Kenyan police at his house in Nyahururu and charged with threatening to kill his wife and illegally possessing an AK-47 rifle. He denied both the accusations and claimed that he was being framed. Wanjiru and his wife Triza Njeri,
888-657: A privet hedge featuring famous London landmarks such as Tower Bridge , The Gherkin and the London Eye . Jimmy Page and Leona Lewis then performed the Led Zeppelin classic Whole Lotta Love and David Beckham kicked a football into the crowd of athletes, accompanied by violinist Elspeth Hanson and cellist Kwesi Edman. Page recalled: "Doing the Olympics with Leona Lewis was phenomenal. She's really plucky, she's superb, and she sang 'Whole Lotta Love' brilliantly. We managed to do
999-507: A season fraught with injury. In 2011, he died after a fall from a balcony at his home in Nyahururu following a domestic dispute. Samuel Wanjiru was born in Nyahururu , Laikipia County , a town in the Rift Valley , about 150 kilometres (93 mi) northwest of the capital, Nairobi . and was brought up with his brother Simon Njoroge in poverty by his mother Hannah Wanjiru, daughter of Samuel Kamau. Wanjiru took his mother's given name as
1110-555: A single pictogram was released). This set of sport icons was named the beauty of seal characters , because of each pictogram's likeness to Chinese seal script . The mascots of the 2008 Summer Olympics were the Fuwa, created by Han Meilin ( 韩美林 ). The mascots consisted of Beibei, a fish, Jingjing, a panda, Huanhuan, an Olympic flame, Yingying, a Tibetan antelope, and Nini, a sand martin kite. When their Chinese characters are combined, they form 北京欢迎你 , or "Beijing Welcomes You". A year before
1221-620: A surname, because she was a single mother. He dropped out of school aged about 12, because they could not afford the school fees. Wanjiru started running at the age of 8. In 2002, he moved to Japan and went to Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School in Sendai . He had success on the Japanese cross country circuit, where he won the Fukuoka International Cross Country at sixteen years old in 2003. He went on to win in both Fukuoka and at
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#17331162463071332-479: A time of 2:06:24. "It was the greatest surprise I have ever seen in my life", remarked his coach, Federico Rosa, on the performance. Wanjiru married Mary Wacera , a fellow long-distance runner, in 2009 and the two had a child (Ann) in 2010. He had previously married Triza Njeri in a traditional ceremony and had two children, although Wanjiru and Wacera's marriage was legally binding. Wanjiru began drinking alcohol when he moved to Japan, and it increased and became
1443-609: Is associated with prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture , and the ceremonial start comprised a triple eight for the date and one extra for time (close to 08:08:08 pm). The ceremony was co-directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou and Chinese choreographer Zhang Jigang and featured a cast of over 15,000 performers. The ceremony lasted over four hours and was reported to have cost over US$ 100 million to produce. UNGA President Miguel d'Escoto and leaders from 105 countries and territories attended this ceremony. A rich showcase of ancient Chinese art and culture dominated
1554-680: Is led by the Greek team , which hosted the previous games , entered first in honour of its status as the Olympic birthplace. They were led by judoka Ilias Iliadis . Meanwhile, the Chinese team entered last as the host country, led by the NBA 's Houston Rockets superstar Yao Ming and earthquake survivor Lin Hao, who was just 9 years old. The last torchbearer in the Olympic Torch was the gymnast legend Li Ning ignited
1665-857: The 2004 Summer Olympics . This was the first time China had hosted the Olympic Games , and the third time the Summer Olympic Games had been held in East Asia , following the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo , Japan, and the 1988 Olympics in Seoul , South Korea. These were also the second Summer Olympic Games to be held in a communist state , the first being the 1980 Summer Olympics in the Soviet Union (with venues in Russia , Ukraine , Byelorussia , and Estonia ). Beijing
1776-496: The 2014 Winter Games in Sochi . The opening ceremony was lauded by spectators and numerous international presses as spectacular, spellbinding, and by many accounts, "the greatest ever in the history of Olympics". Beijing hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics , making it the first city ever to host both the Summer and Winter Games. An unprecedented 87 countries won at least one medal during
1887-627: The Chiba International Cross Country consecutively in 2004 and 2005. After graduating in 2005, he joined the Toyota Kyūshū athletics team, coached by 1992 Olympic marathon silver medalist Koichi Morishita . Wanjiru had a 5000 m best of 13:12.40, run as a 17-year-old in April 2004 in Hiroshima , Japan. At age 18, Wanjiru broke the half marathon world record on 11 September 2005 in
1998-536: The City-Pier-City Loop in The Hague , Netherlands . While improving his own record, he recorded an unofficial time of 55:31 for 20 km, which was faster than Haile Gebrselassie's world record but was never ratified due to the timing methods in the race. Wanjiru made his marathon debut at Fukuoka Marathon on 2 December 2007, winning it impressively with a course record of 2:06:39. He started 2008 by winning
2109-745: The Eiffel Tower in Paris , the Colosseum in Rome and Big Ben in London at the center of the field — rose slowly, with two "sports sculpture" performers standing on top of it and showing various athletic gestures. The rim of the bowl changed into a red track. Special lights cast scenes of the games,since the opening ceremonies to now onto the track in the air. At the center of the field, two "sports sculpture" performers rise gradually and show different athletic gestures slowly in
2220-511: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned Iraq from competing in the 2008 Olympic Summer Games because of "political interference by the government in sports." The IOC reversed its decision five days later and allowed the nation to compete after a pledge by Iraq to ensure "the independence of its national Olympics panel" by instituting fair elections before the end of November. In the meantime, Iraq's Olympic Organization
2331-855: The LZR Racer , a specialized swimming suit developed by NASA and the Australian Institute of Sport . Only two swimming Olympic records remained intact after the Games. Before the event started, the People's Liberation Army Navy Band performed the Welcome March song as delegations of both IOC and the Chinese government, led by Jacques Rogge and Hu Jintao , entered Beijing National Stadium (The Bird's Nest ). The opening ceremony officially began at 8:00 pm China Standard Time ( UTC+8 ) on 8 August 2008. The number 8
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#17331162463072442-638: The Mayor of Beijing , handed over the Olympic flag to the Mayor of London , Boris Johnson . There was also a performance organized by the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG). While the opening ceremony was described as an artistic and serious introduction of China's ancient past, the closing ceremony was described by Western media as "much more lighthearted", "silly," and "fun" than
2553-592: The Rotterdam Half Marathon with a time of 59:16 minutes, officially beating Paul Tergat 's half-marathon record of 59:17 minutes. This was preceded two weeks earlier by a bettering of the 10,000 m world junior record by a margin of almost 23 seconds in the IAAF Golden League Van Damme Memorial Race on 26 August. His WJR time of 26:41.75 was good enough for third place in the race behind Kenenisa Bekele 's world record, set in
2664-662: The San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge and the Sydney Opera House in Australia. The mascots of Beijing 2008 were the five Fuwa , each of which represented both a color of the Olympic rings and a symbol of Chinese culture. In 2006, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games released pictograms of 35 Olympic disciplines (however, for some multidiscipline sports such as cycling,
2775-535: The Zayed International Half Marathon and receiving a prize of US$ 300,000. In the 2008 London Marathon , he came in second, breaking 2:06 for the first time. In the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wanjiru won the marathon gold medal in an Olympic record time of 2:06:32, smashing the previous record of 2:09:21 set by Carlos Lopes of Portugal in the 1984 Olympics. He received the AIMS World Athlete of
2886-477: The athletics competition. Construction of the venue began on 24 December 2003. The Guangdong Olympic Stadium was originally planned, constructed, and completed in 2001 to help host the Games, but a decision was made to construct a new stadium in Beijing. In 2001, the city held a bidding process to select the best arena design. Several criteria were required of each design, including flexibility for post-Olympics use,
2997-688: The cauldron , after being suspended into the air by wires and completing the relay last 400m of the National Stadium at roof height. The opening ceremony was lauded by spectators and various international presses as "spectacular" and "spellbinding". Hein Verbruggen , chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission for the XXIX Olympiad, called the ceremony "a grand, unprecedented success." The 2008 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony concluded
3108-453: The flag bearers of all delegations entered the stadium, divided into two groups. One group (1-102), headed by Greece as per tradition, entered from Gate 4 in alphabetical order and stood along the main stage. The other group (103-204), headed by Saudi Arabia , entered from Gate 3 and also stood along the main stage. The Chinese Flag bearer entered last and stood at the designated place. Greece entering first and China entering last symbolizing
3219-484: The stadium to the Games and herald the start of the officially opening time at 20:00:00 China Standard Time with the fireworks burst immediately when the countdown ended, forming a great circle in the sky which symbolized the success of the Beijing Olympic Games. The starting countdown is the same used during the opening ceremony 16 days earlier by 2,008 PLA members. The PLAGF Honor Guard Soldiers prepared
3330-544: The 2000 Summer Olympics before losing to Sydney by two votes in the final round. Human rights concerns expressed by Amnesty International and politicians in both Europe and North America were considered by the delegates, according to IOC Executive Director François Carrard. Carrard and others suggested that the selection might lead to improvements in human rights in China. In addition, many IOC delegates who had formerly been athletes expressed concern about heat and air quality during
3441-630: The 2006 Winter Games but produced approximately 2,200 hours of coverage for the 2008 Summer Games. CNN reported that, for the first time, "live online video rights in some markets for the Olympics have been separately negotiated, not part of the overall 'broadcast rights.'" The new media of the digital economy was said to be growing "nine times faster than the rest of the advertising market." The international European Broadcasting Union (EBU) provided live coverage and highlights of all arenas only for certain territories on their website, Eurovisionsports.tv. Many national broadcasters likewise restricted
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3552-438: The 2008 Olympic Torch was based on traditional scrolls and used a traditional Chinese design known as the "Propitious Clouds" (祥云). The torch was designed to remain lit in 65 km/h (40 mph) winds, and in rain of up to 50 mm (2 in) per hour. The relay, with the theme "Journey of Harmony", was met with protests and demonstrations by pro-Tibet supporters throughout its journey. It lasted 130 days and carried
3663-461: The 2008 Games. Host nation China won the most gold medals (48), and became the seventh different team to top the Summer Olympics medal standings, winning a total of 100 medals overall. The United States placed second in the gold medal tally but won the highest number of medals overall (112). The third place in the gold and overall medal tally was achieved by Russia . This Olympic Games marked
3774-469: The 2008 Games. The equestrian events were held in Hong Kong , making these the third Olympics for which the events were held under the jurisdiction of two different NOCs. The sailing events were contested in Qingdao , while the football events took place across several different cities. The official logo for the 2008 Games, titled " Dancing Beijing " ( 舞动北京 ), created by Guo Chunning ( 郭春宁 ), featured
3885-528: The 2008 Summer Olympics was "You and Me" , which was composed by Chen Qigang , the musical director of the opening ceremony. It was performed during the opening ceremony by Chinese singer Liu Huan and British singer Sarah Brightman . The theme song was originally going to be a song called "So much love, so far away (Tanto amor, tan lejos)" written by Cuban singer-songwriter Jon Secada and Peruvian singer-songwriter Gian Marco under production from Cuban producer Emilio Estefan Jr. from EMI . The design of
3996-573: The 2010 Chicago Marathon in October, but a stomach virus before the race had harmed his preparations and he entered the competition with the lesser aim of reaching the top three. Tsegaye Kebede took the opportunity to forge a lead, but Wanjiru (despite a lack of peak physical form) persevered with the pace and caught up with the Ethiopian. He took the lead in the final 400 m to defend his title in Chicago with
4107-614: The Beijing Games on 24 August 2008. It began at 8:00 pm China Standard Time (UTC+8) and took place at the Beijing National Stadium. The Ceremony included the handover of the Games from Beijing to London. Guo Jinlong , the Mayor of Beijing handed over the Olympic flag to the Mayor of London Boris Johnson , followed by a performance organized by London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games . This presentation included performances by guitarist Jimmy Page and recording artist Leona Lewis . Footballer David Beckham
4218-500: The Beijing Games were "truly exceptional". Finally, he declared in French that the 2008 Olympic Games were officially closed. God save our gracious Queen ! Long live our noble Queen ! God save the Queen ! Send her victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us: God save the Queen ! Not in this land alone, But be God's mercies known From shore to shore: Lord make
4329-659: The Beijing Olympic Games. Athletes from the Republic of China (Taiwan) competed at the 2008 Games as Chinese Taipei (TPE) under the Chinese Taipei Olympic flag and used the National Banner Song as their official anthem. The participation of Taiwan was briefly in doubt because of disagreements over the name of their team in the Chinese language and concerns about Taiwan marching in the Opening Ceremony next to
4440-411: The Chinese character for capital ( 京 , stylized into the shape of a human being) in reference to the host city. The 2008 Olympics were watched by 3.5 billion people worldwide, and featured the longest distance for an Olympic Torch relay. The 2008 Games also set numerous world and Olympic records , and were the most expensive Summer Olympics of all time, and the second most expensive overall, after
4551-436: The Chinese government that Tibet activists might try to disrupt its plans to carry the Olympic torch up the world's tallest peak. The originally proposed route would have taken the torch through Taipei after leaving Vietnam and before heading for Hong Kong. However, the government of Taiwan (then led by the independence -leaning Democratic Progressive Party ) objected to this proposal, claiming that this route would make
2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony - Misplaced Pages Continue
4662-655: The Chinese viewing population, exceeding that of the 51-58% who watch the network's annual closing ceremonies forms. 2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics ( 2008年夏季奥运会 ), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad ( 第二十九届夏季奥林匹克运动会 ) and officially branded as Beijing 2008 ( 北京2008 ), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing , China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) competed in 28 sports and 302 events, one event more than those scheduled for
4773-693: The Games in 2007, the 100-episode The Olympic Adventures of Fuwa featuring the mascots, was released. The 2008 Games were the first to be produced and broadcast entirely in high definition by the host broadcaster. In comparison, American broadcaster NBC broadcast only half of the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics in HD. In their bid for the Olympic Games in 2001, Beijing stated to the Olympic Evaluation Commission that there would be "no restrictions on media reporting and movement of journalists up to and including
4884-456: The Games would exceed the original target of $ 16 million. Other reports, however, estimated the total costs from $ 40 to $ 44 billion, which would make the Games "far and away the most expensive ever". Its budget was later exceeded by the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi , which suffered from major cost overruns ; the 2014 Winter Olympics costed roughly US$ 50 billion in public funding. The Oxford Olympics Study 2016 estimates
4995-485: The Games, considering the high levels of air pollution in Beijing. China outlined plans to address these environmental concerns in its bid application. On 6 March 2009, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games reported that total spending on the Games was "generally as much as that of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games", which was equivalent to about US$ 15 billion. They went on to claim that surplus revenues from
5106-506: The IOC did not disclose their votes, but news reports speculated that broad international support led to China's selection, especially from developing nations that had received assistance from China to construct stadiums. The size of China, its increased enforcement of doping controls, and sympathy concerning its loss of the 2000 Summer Olympics to Sydney were all factors in the decision. Eight years earlier, Beijing had led every round of voting for
5217-494: The IOC, these are also specified). In addition to the official Olympic sports, the Beijing Organizing Committee was given special dispensation by the IOC to run a wushu competition in tandem with the Games. The 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament saw 128 athletes from 43 countries participate, with medals awarded in 15 separate events; however, these were not to be added to the official medal tally since Wushu
5328-574: The IOC, but failed to make the short list chosen by the IOC Executive Committee 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 a majority of voters, eliminating the need for subsequent rounds. Toronto's bid was its fifth failure since 1960 (failed bids for 1960, 1964, 1976 and 1996 Games, losing to Rome, Tokyo, Montreal and Atlanta). Members of
5439-427: The Main Stage in tune with the rhythm of the song. Also, 600 female performers in festival clothes entered the stadium, flew around the athletes and danced with all athletes in the stadium and 1,046 marshals in tune with the rhythm of the song, forming a spectacular dance circle. Performers threw Fuwa's lucky cloud yarn strips into the stadium, interacting with the athletes to fireworks at closing ceremony "sign-off". At
5550-454: The Milimani law court that she believes her son was murdered. His mother claimed at an inquest into his death that her son was murdered by six men who had conspired with his wife Trizah Njeri. During the inquest at the Milimani court that sought to establish whether Wanjiru was murdered or jumped to his death, a former chief government pathologist said he was convinced that Wanjiru was hit by
5661-410: The Olympic Games." However, some media outlets claimed that organizers ultimately failed to live up to this commitment. According to Nielsen Media Research, 4.7 billion viewers worldwide tuned in to some of the television coverage, one-fifth larger than the 3.9 billion who watched the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. American broadcaster NBC produced only two hours of online streaming video for
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#17331162463075772-642: The Olympics, the Macau Sports and Olympic Committee sent a delegation to participate in the Wushu Tournament Beijing 2008 , being the only unrecognized National Olympic Committee to have taken part in the 2008 Summer Olympics. It also coordinated efforts with the Chinese Olympic Committee to organize the torch relay through Macau. The Marshall Islands and Tuvalu gained National Olympic Committee status in 2006 and 2007 respectively, and 2008
5883-593: The United States. The wins in London and Chicago helped him reach the top of the World Marathon Majors rankings for 2009, earning him a jackpot of US$ 500,000. He signed up to defend his title at the 2010 London Marathon , but he encountered knee trouble at the midway point of the race and decided to drop out to avoid further injury – the first time in six marathons that he had failed to finish. He chose to run at
5994-679: The Year Award that year in recognition of his performances. At the Granollers Half Marathon in February 2008, in which Wanjiru won, the Kenyan stated his intent for the future, saying, "in five years' time I feel capable of clocking a sub 2 hours time for the marathon." In April 2009, Wanjiru won the London Marathon in a time of 2:05:10, a new personal record and also a new course record. He
6105-423: The air, conveying the noble Olympic spirit. The athlete on the boarding ladder looks at the burning flame in the distance, and slowly folds the painting scroll, just as the flame was about to be extinguished. Landmark including the Statue of Liberty in New York City , the Eiffel Tower in Paris , the Colosseum in Rome and Big Ben in London as the Olympic flame took its final breath. The torch lights in
6216-407: The calligraphic word symbolized the invitation from China to the world to share in its culture. IOC president Jacques Rogge was rather pleased 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 official motto for the 2008 Olympics was " One World, One Dream " ( 同一个世界 同一个梦想 ). It called upon
6327-420: The ceremony cultural segments. It opened with the beating of Fou drums for the countdown. Subsequently, a giant scroll was unveiled and became the show's centerpiece. The official song of the 2008 Summer Olympics, titled " You and Me ", was performed by Britain's Sarah Brightman and China's Liu Huan , on a large spinning rendition of the globe. As the Olympic Charter determines the parade of nations section,
6438-449: The ceremony from Gate 1 to the Main Stage. The final medalists are listed below: The People's Liberation Army then enter the stadium, holding the national flag of Greece. While the Greek flag was being hoisted, the Greek national anthem "Hymn to Liberty" was performed. Rogge and Liu Qi walked to the main stage from the VIP corridor. During his speech, Rogge praised the Chinese for their warm reception and effort. He also stated that
6549-436: The city placed restrictions on construction sites and gas stations and limited the use of commercial and passenger vehicles in Beijing. From 20 July through 20 September, passenger vehicle restrictions were placed on alternative days depending on the terminal digit of the car's license plate. It was anticipated that this measure would take 45% of Beijing's 3.3 million cars off the streets. The boosted public transport network
6660-457: The construction budget for the six main venues was funded by $ 2.1 billion ( RMB¥ 17.4 billion) in corporate bids and tenders. Investments were expected from corporations seeking ownership rights after the Olympics. Some events were held outside Beijing, namely football in Qinhuangdao , Shanghai , Shenyang , and Tianjin ; sailing in Qingdao ; and, because of the "uncertainties of equine diseases and major difficulties in establishing
6771-476: The construction of all 31 Beijing-based Olympic Games venues had begun. The Chinese government renovated and constructed six venues outside Beijing, and constructed 59 training facilities. The largest structures built were the Beijing National Stadium , Beijing National Indoor Stadium , Beijing National Aquatics Center , Peking University Gymnasium , Olympic Green Convention Center , Olympic Green , and Beijing Wukesong Culture & Sports Center . Almost 85% of
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#17331162463076882-405: The decision by their team not to register them. The IOC tried up until the last minute, midday Friday 8 August 2008, the day of the official opening, to have them register, but to no avail." Brunei's Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports issued a press release stating that their decision not to participate was due to an injury to one of their athletes. Georgia announced on 9 August 2008, that it
6993-458: The declaration of independence in Kosovo, the IOC specified requirements that Kosovo needs to meet before being recognized by the IOC; most notably, it has to be recognized as independent by the United Nations . However, it has since been recognised by the IOC in 2014 without fulfilling these criteria and made its debut in the 2016 games . More than 100 sovereigns, heads of state and heads of government as well as 170 Ministers of Sport attended
7104-445: The design became official in April 2003. Construction of the stadium was a joint venture among the original designers, project architect Stefan Marbach, artist Ai Weiwei , and a group of CADG architects led by Li Xinggang. Its $ 423 million cost was funded by the state-owned corporate conglomerate CITIC and the Beijing State-Owned Assets Management Company. To prepare for Olympic visitors, Beijing's transportation infrastructure
7215-408: The entire audience counted down from 10 together for 10 seconds to starting at 19:59:50 China Standard Time in the country and the sky above the stadium is the same as the countdown started in a unison voice "10" to "1" with all voice screaming as "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1" or "Shi!!!, Jiu!!!, Ba!!!, Qi!!!, Liu!!!, Wu!!!, Si!!!, San!!! Er!!!, Yi!!!" is used to release large-scale fireworks above
7326-399: The event. All but one of the 205 recognized National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that existed as of 2008 participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics, the exception being Brunei . Three countries participated in the Olympic Games for their first time: the Marshall Islands , Montenegro and Tuvalu . While not a full member recognized by the IOC and thus not allowed to compete formally in
7437-448: The exciting and memorable moments during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. A grand celebration began: Next, silver bell performers danced in time to the beat of the heavenly drums on the Main Stage to greet the guests. The closing ceremony was attended by at least 30 heads of state and dozens of other dignitaries. Notable faces included: International organizations: Host nation: Foreign dignitaries: Led by guides and placard holders,
7548-580: The fall and was confirmed dead by doctors at a nearby hospital after attempts to revive him failed. Police said Wanjiru's wife, Triza Njeri, had come home to find him in bed with another woman. She locked the couple in the bedroom and ran outside. Wanjiru then died after falling from the balcony. Police were unsure if Wanjiru intended suicide or jumped out of rage, and investigated the circumstances related to Njeri and his female companion that led to his death. In May 2017, while testifying during an inquest into Wanjiru's death, his mother Hannah Wanjiru said at
7659-400: The first amputee to qualify for the Olympic Games since Olivér Halassy in 1936. She was able to compete in the Olympics rather than the Paralympics because she does not use a prosthetic leg while swimming. Polish athlete Natalia Partyka , who was born without a right forearm, competed in Table Tennis in the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2008 Paralympic Games. The program for the Beijing Games
7770-451: The first Kenyan to win the Olympic gold in the marathon. He became the youngest gold medallist in the marathon since 1932. He set the current (as of 2020) 10,000m World Junior Record in 2005 and set the half marathon world record 3 times. In 2009, he won both the London Marathon and Chicago Marathon , running the fastest marathons ever recorded in the United Kingdom and United States, respectively. He retained his Chicago title in 2010 in
7881-430: The first and the most recent Summer Olympics host nations. After all flags were in position, the athletes entered the stadium in no particular order. All athletes entered from four gates without differentiation of nationality. While the athletes were entering, a women's percussion band and two children percussion players played cheerful music. The entire stadium was in raptures. Finally, the medal-winning athletes entered
7992-506: The flame, the torch was extinguished in Paris the following day. The American leg in San Francisco on 9 April was altered without prior warning to avoid such disturbances, although there were still demonstrations along the original route. The relay was further delayed and simplified after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake hit western China . The flame was carried to the top of Mount Everest on
8103-572: The front of the VIP corridor, and sang "The Flame of Love". Two singers on the main stage sang the joyous and passionate song "Surpass It". At this point, there were 50 young singers together. At the same time, 75 aerobatic performers wearing luminous flight clothes performed elevation and rotation in the air. The final performance ended with a closing farewell musical song "Please stay, Guests from afar", 50 male dancers holding Fuwa lucky cloud yarn strips and paper flower launchers and 120 other dancers danced on
8214-438: The full-length of 'Whole Lotta Love' – it wasn't edited – and she sang it beautifully. It was so cool, the way she approached it. For that audience, and the fact we didn't fuck it up… 'We're really going to do this and we're going to do it proud.' That was important. It was a Led Zeppelin number but it took on another persona. I was proud to be able to play that riff for the handover." An airport electronic flight screen appeared on
8325-562: The global television audience varied: "around one billion" ( Reuters ), "experts estimated ... more than two billion" ( The Wall Street Journal ), "2.3 billion" ( MindShare ), "Billions...probably the largest live television audience in history" ( Bloomberg ), "3 billion" ( Sky News ), "nearly 4 billion" ( Xinhua , "as many as 4 billion" ( The Washington Post ), "estimated 4 billion" ( McClatchy ). This included an estimated 842 million viewers watching on host Chinese broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV), with polls ranging from 63 to 69% of
8436-518: The hands of the marshals and the 90,000 audience members were turned on at the same time. In the passionate far-reaching music, 16 lucky cloud yarn strips slowly Landmark including the Statue of Liberty in New York City , the Eiffel Tower in Paris , the Colosseum in Rome and Big Ben in London on the main stage. The top ends of the lucky cloud yarn strips extended towards the sky and changed into
8547-470: The large screen of the Stadium. An athlete about to leave walked up the boarding ladder and turned around affectionately. In special-effect lighting, the boarding ladder truck with the logo of Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games was slowly elevated. He slowly took out an exquisite painting scroll and unfolded it. In the dark, a huge mechanic device — the landmark including the Statue of Liberty in New York City ,
8658-406: The left, the calendar lists each sport with events held during the Games, and at the right how many gold medals were won in that sport. There is a key at the top of the calendar to aid the reader. 125 Olympic records including 37 world records were set in various events at the Games. In swimming, sixty-five Olympic swimming records including 25 world records were broken because of the use of
8769-579: The national flag of China. The soldiers then carried the flag, in a slow, goose-stepping march, to the flagpole and the Chinese national anthem,the March of the Volunteers, was sung by a 224-member choir while the flag was unfurled and raised. All lights were extinguished in the stadium. A video was played on the large screen in the north and south to explain the theme of the Closing Ceremony. The video reviewed
8880-604: The nations see That men should brothers be, And form one family The wide world o'er. The British flag was then raised and the British national anthem God Save the Queen was played. Shortly thereafter, the soldiers slowly lowered the Olympic flag and Chinese and foreign child singers sung the Olympic anthem in Greek. Afterwards, the PLA soldiers folded the Olympic flag and exited. The Olympic flag
8991-488: The only sports in which men and women compete together, although three events in the Sailing allowed the opportunity for both males and female participants. However, only male participants took part in all three events. The following were the 302 events in 28 sports that were contested at the Games. The number of events contested in each sport is indicated in parentheses (in sports with more than one discipline, as identified by
9102-701: The opening ceremonies of the preceding three Games that it entered ( 2000 in Sydney , 2004 in Athens , and 2006 in Turin ), paraded separately this time. Under the direction of Liu Qi , Beijing was elected as the host city for the 2008 Summer Olympics on 13 July 2001, during the 112th IOC Session in Moscow, defeating bids from Toronto, Paris, Istanbul , and Osaka . Prior to the session, five other cities ( Bangkok , Cairo , Havana , Kuala Lumpur , and Seville ) had submitted bids to
9213-550: The opening ceremony. By the end of the 16 days of NBC's coverage of the Beijing Olympics in the United States, it had also become the most-watched U.S. television event of all time, with over 211 million American viewers tuned into the Olympics on NBC according to the Nielsen Media Research ; this is 2 million more than the 1996 Atlanta Games , the previous all-time record-holder. Chinese leader Hu Jintao entered
9324-581: The outturn cost of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics at US$ 6.8 billion in 2015-dollars. This includes sports-related costs only, such as those incurred by the organizing committee or those incurred by the host city, country, and private investors to build structures required to host the Games. Indirect capital costs—those not directly related to staging the Games—are not included. The Beijing Olympics' cost of US$ 6.8 billion compares with costs of US$ 4.6 billion for Rio 2016 and US$ 15 billion for London 2012. By May 2007
9435-618: The portion of the relay in Taiwan appear to be part of the torch's domestic journey through China, rather than a leg on the international route. This dispute, as well as Chinese demands that the flag and the national anthem of the Republic of China be banned along the route led the government of Taiwan to reject the proposal that it be part of the relay route. The two sides of the Taiwan Strait subsequently blamed each other for injecting politics into
9546-432: The possibility of sending a united team to the 2008 Olympics. The proposal failed, because of disagreements about how athletes would be chosen; North Korea was demanding a certain percentage representation for its athletes. A subsequent attempt to broker an agreement for the two nations to walk together during the March of Nations failed as well, despite their having done so during the 2000 and 2004 Games. On 24 July 2008,
9657-765: The return of the Summer Olympic Games to Asia after the 1988 Olympics in South Korea. It was the first Olympics for Serbia as a separate state since 1912 and the first for Montenegro , having separated from Serbia in 2006. It was also the first Olympics for Nepal as a republic, the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu . Mongolia and Panama each won their first Olympic gold medal. In addition, Afghanistan , Mauritius , Serbia, Sudan , Tajikistan and Togo won their first Olympic medals at these Games. North Korea , having symbolically marched with South Korea as one team at
9768-516: The same race, of 26:17.53 and Boniface Kiprop 's 26:39.77. It was Kiprop who held the previous world junior mark (27:04.00 minutes), set at the same meeting the previous year. The run saw 6 runners going under 27 minutes Wanjiru took back the half-marathon world record, which Haile Gebrselassie broke in early 2006, with 58:53 minutes on 9 February 2007 at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon and improved it to 58:33 on 17 March 2007 in
9879-476: The same time, innumerable dazzling fireworks were launched from the top of the " Beijing National Stadium ". All full festival fireworks formed a huge circle of extravaganza all full fireworks were fired in a one-off event from all Beijing launching from the top of the building outwards above the many spectators and well wishers below farewell in the year in which Beijing went on to host the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games say farewell. All full fireworks were launched in
9990-644: The seventh nation to rank top in the medal table in the history of the modern Olympics, along with the United States (fifteen times), France (in 1900), Great Britain (in 1908), Germany (in 1936), the Soviet Union (six times), and the Unified Team (in 1992). Samuel Wanjiru Samuel Kamau Wanjiru (10 November 1986 – 15 May 2011) was a Kenyan long-distance runner who won the 2008 Beijing Olympics Marathon in an Olympic record time of 2:06:32; becoming
10101-407: The shape and colour of the see you 2012 London Olympic Games in a display that all full minutes compared to being reduced to all full minutes along with 2008 Summer Paralympics closing ceremony symbolizing the successful back to home at closedown of 2008 Summer Olympics . The closing ceremony ended at 21:55 CST because after closing ceremony ended due to all full firework displays. Estimates of
10212-614: The special administrative region of Hong Kong. A compromise based at the Nagoya Protocol about the naming was reached some months before the opening ceremonies, and Taiwan was referred to during the Games as "Chinese Taipei", rather than "Taipei, China," as the mainland China government had proposed. In addition, the Central African Republic was placed between Taipei and Hong Kong,China on protocol order. Starting in 2005, North Korea and South Korea held meetings to discuss
10323-441: The stadium, accompanied by Jacques Rogge. They were followed by the entrance of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife, Sarah . The countdown started from "29", indicating the 29th Summer Olympics. From "29" to "11", highlights of the Olympic Games were shown with countdown numbers on the screen. Accompanied by sound effects, the atmosphere reached its countdown to number digital millennium terminator. Guided by volunteers,
10434-572: The stadium. At this point, Samuel Wanjiru received his gold medal. He was very excited as he climbed to the first position. Three flags, including the flag of Kenya , were raised as the national anthem of Kenya was played. Afterwards, twelve children led twelve representatives of volunteers to walk from Gate 2 to the stage. Then, four children led four new members of IOC Athletes' Commission ( Moon Dae-Sung of South Korea , Alexander Popov of Russia , Claudia Bokel of Germany and Yumilka Ruiz Luaces of Cuba ) to walk together with four people for
10545-406: The swimming discipline. Team events (men and women) in table tennis replaced the doubles events. In fencing , the women's team foil and women's team saber replaced men's team foil and women's team épée . Two sports were open only to men, baseball and boxing , while one sport and one discipline were open only to women, softball and synchronized swimming . Equestrian and mixed badminton are
10656-655: The torch 137,000 km (85,000 mi)—the longest distance of any Olympic torch relay since the tradition began at the 1936 Berlin Games . The torch relay was described as a "public relations disaster" for China by USA Today , with protests against China's human rights record, particularly focused on Tibet . The IOC subsequently barred future Olympics organizers from staging international torch relays. The relay began 24 March 2008, in Olympia, Greece . From there, it traveled across Greece to Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens, and then to Beijing, arriving on 31 March. From Beijing,
10767-547: The torch followed a route passing through every continent except Antarctica . The torch visited cities on the Silk Road , symbolizing ancient links between China and the rest of the world. A total of 21,880 torchbearers were selected from around the world by various organizations and entities. The international portion of the relay was problematic. The month-long world tour encountered wide-scale anti-Chinese protests. After trouble in London involving attempts by protesters to put out
10878-598: The urban dance group ZooNation, the Royal Ballet , and Candoco, a disabled dance group, all dressed as typical London commuters waiting for a bus by a zebra crossing, whilst Olympic Champions Chris Hoy , Victoria Pendleton and Jamie Staff cycled around the stadium. A double-decker bus drove around the stadium to the music 'This is London', composed by Philip Sheppard and recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra , before eventually stopping and transforming into
10989-456: The viewing of online events to their domestic audiences. The General National Copyright Administration of China announced that "individual ( sic ) and websites will face fines as high as 100,000 yuan for uploading recordings of Olympic Games video to the internet", part of an extensive campaign to protect the pertinent intellectual property rights. The Olympic Committee also set up a separate YouTube channel at Beijing 2008. The theme song of
11100-431: The whole world to join in the Olympic spirit and build a better future for humanity, and was chosen from over 210,000 entries submitted from around the world. Following the announcement of the motto, the phrase was used by international advocates of Tibetan secession . Banners reading "One World, One Dream, Free Tibet" were unfurled from various structures around the globe in the lead up to the Beijing Olympics, such as from
11211-464: Was awarded the 2008 Games over four competitors on 13 July 2001, having won a majority of votes from members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after two rounds of voting. The Government of the People's Republic of China promoted the 2008 Games and invested heavily in new facilities and transport systems. 37 venues were used to host the events, including twelve constructed specifically for
11322-416: Was also featured during London's presentation. Of the 204 nations that participated in the 2008 Games, 87 earned medals and 54 of those won at least one gold medal, both of these figures setting new records for Olympic Games. There were 117 participating countries that did not win any medals. Athletes from China won the highest number of gold medals of any nation at these Games, with 48, thus making China
11433-467: Was considering withdrawing from the Beijing Olympic Games because of the 2008 South Ossetia war , but it went on to compete while the conflict was still ongoing. South African swimmer Natalie du Toit , whose left leg was amputated following a motor scooter accident, qualified to compete at the Beijing Olympics. The five time gold medalist at the Athens Paralympics in 2004 made history by becoming
11544-567: Was expanded. Beijing's airport underwent a major renovation with the addition of the new Terminal 3, designed by architect Norman Foster . Within the city itself, Beijing's subway was doubled in capacity and length, with the addition of seven lines and 80 stations to the previously existing four lines and 64 stations. Included in this expansion was a new link connecting to the city's airport. A fleet of thousands of buses, minibuses, and official cars transported spectators, athletes, and officials between venues. In an effort to improve air quality,
11655-452: Was expected to absorb the demand created by these restrictions and the influx of visitors, which was estimated at more than 4 million additional passengers per day. The 2008 Summer Olympics emblem was known as Dancing Beijing . The emblem combined a traditional Chinese red seal and a representation of the calligraphic character for "capital" ( 京 , also the second character of Beijing's Chinese name) with athletic features. The open arms of
11766-574: Was handed from Guo Jinlong , the Mayor of Beijing, to Count Rogge, the President of the IOC. It was then handed to Boris Johnson , the Mayor of London. The Olympic flag was next raised again in Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada during the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony on February 12, 2010. A demonstration entitled "From London, 'With a whole Lotta love." was then staged by the British. It featured
11877-446: Was not on the official program of the 2008 Summer Olympics. In the following calendar for the 2008 Summer Olympics, each blue box represents an event competition, such as a qualification round, on that day. The yellow boxes represent days during which medal-awarding finals for a sport were held. Each bullet in these boxes is an event final, the number of bullets per box representing the number of finals that were contested on that day. On
11988-533: Was pleased with the achievement and stated that he hoped to break Haile Gebrselassie's world record in the near future. At the Rotterdam Half Marathon, Wanjiru clocked a 1:01:08 on 13 September, which was won by Sammy Kitwara with a time of 58:58. In October 2009, Wanjiru won the Chicago Marathon in a time of 2:05:41, setting a new course record for the city and the fastest marathon time ever run in
12099-406: Was quite similar to that of the 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens. There were 28 sports and 302 events at the 2008 Games. Nine new events were held, including two from the new cycling discipline of BMX . Women competed in the 3,000-meter (9,843 ft) steeplechase for the first time. Open water swimming events for men and women, over the distance of 10 kilometers (6.2 mi), were added to
12210-524: Was the first Games in which they were eligible to participate. The states of Serbia and Montenegro , which participated at the 2004 Games jointly as Serbia and Montenegro , competed separately for the first time since Serbia last participated in 1912 . Montenegro made its debut appearance, as the Montenegrin Olympic Committee was accepted as a new National Olympic Committee in 2007. Neighboring Kosovo , however, did not participate. After
12321-427: Was to be run by "an interim committee proposed by its national sports federations and approved by the IOC." Brunei Darussalam was due to take part in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. However, they were disqualified on 8 August, having failed to register either of their two athletes. The IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said in a statement that "it is a great shame and very sad for the athletes who lose out because of
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