August 7, 2008 - On the eve before the Games of the XXIX Summer Olympiad, here’s everything you need to know to stump your friends and demonstrate your awesome knowledge of Olympics past and present.
Site: Beijing, China. Chosen as host city in 2001 over Istanbul, Turkey. Beijing is the largest city ever to host the Summer Olympics.
Dates: Aug. 8-24
Games Numeral: XXIX - 29th Games
Nations Competing: 203
Competitors: 10,708
Sports: 28 (34 disciplines)
Events: 302 (one more than Athens) 165 men’s, 127 women’s, 10 mixed.
Cost of the Games: Beijing spent an estimated $160 billion on new roads, subways and athletic facilities, for the Olympics.
Olympic Torch: China selected a design that resembles a traditional Chinese scroll. The rolled-up scroll shape represents China’s contribution to world culture through its invention of paper.
Olympic Mascots: The Olympic mascot is an animal or human figure that represents the cultural heritage of the host nation. There are five Olympic Mascots for Beijing 2008: Beibei (blue Fish), Jingjing (black Panda), Huanhuan (red Flame), Yingying (yellow Antelope) and Nini (green Swallow). The first syllables of the five names together - “Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni” - translates as ‘Welcome to Beijing’.
Olympic Emblem: Titled “Dancing Beijing,” it combines the art of calligraphy and sport, the latter a representation of a human silhouette running to celebrate victory.
Opening Ceremony: Held 8-08-08 at 8:00 in the 91,000-seat Beijing National Stadium and watched by an estimated 3.5 billion television viewers.
Olympic Medals: Gold and jade – which signify honor and virtue in Chinese culture – are the key elements in the 2008 Olympic medals.
Olympic Television: NBC Universal paid $3.5 billion to the IOC for exclusive United States broadcasting rights to the Summer and Winter Games from 2000 through 2008. The network will deliver the first-ever television broadcast of the Olympic Games completely in high definition.
Olympic Beginnings: The first Olympic games were held in 776BC - and then every 4 years until 339BC. The first Olympic race was won by Corubus, a chef.
Olympic Women: In ancient times women were not allowed to participate or even to attend the Olympics as spectators.
Olympic Motto: “Citius, Altius, Fortius”, which means faster, higher, stronger.
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