2008 Summer Olympics

One World, One Dream was the motto of the 2008 Summer Olympics hosted in Beijing, China. This was the first time China hosted the Summer Olympics and it was a spectacular event to say the least. Held in the month of August, China welcomed 204 nations that brought a total of 10, 942 athletes. Of these thousands of athletes, there are two that captured the eyes of the world: Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps.

Usain Bolt represented Jamaica and won gold for the 100m final run, finishing with a time of 9.69s, a new world record. Bolt later beat his record at the 2009 World Athletics Championship with a time of 9.58s and this has yet to bet beaten. Michael Phelps won America a record-breaking eight gold medals. Only 23-years-old at the time, Phelps stunned the world with his eight gold-medal wins, and set a standard for swimming competitions.

Pheleps’ eight gold medals greatly contributed to the United States’ total medal tally, acquiring 110 medals total, the most in all of the 2008 Olympics. China closely followed with 100 medals, and then Russia with 72 medals.

The 2008 Olympics was among the most expansive ever held, with 16 days of competition from August 8 to 24 in 28 sports inside 37 arenas for 302 gold medals. While the Olympics are often noted by what nations won which medals, I cannot go without saying that Beijing were incredible hosts and manifested a global spirit that allowed every participant and viewer of the Olympic games to connect with attributes of the city. Over 300 performances were held across Beijing in the biggest-ever Olympic cultural festival. The cultural festival also included film showings, song competitions, exhibitions, and Olympic-themed launches.

The streets of Beijing were filled with colours, music, smells of delicious foods, and the buzzing sounds of excited Olympian fans immersing themselves in the wonders of China.

Beijing did not disappoint as first-time Summer Olympics hosts and I’m ready to go back for more!

Written by Nick M,

Nick spent 2 years backpacking across Asia. The 2008 Summer Olympics were the first Olympics Nick and won’t be the last!