Beijing Summer Olympics, 2008
On 13 July 2001 at the 112th IOC Session in Moscow, The Chinese capital Beijing was elected the Host City for the Games of the 29th (XXIX) Olympiad, to be held in 2008. They beat rival bidding cities Istanbul, Osaka, Paris and Toronto. The event motto for Beijing 2008 is “One World, One Dream”.
Beijing ice cube swimming arenaDespite the concerns about traffic congestion and high pollution levels in Beijing, the event promised spectacular venues, huge crowds and a hardline on doping, and in general it did not disappoint.
More Information
- The Opening Ceremony was on August 8, 2008 (more of the Olympic program)
- The 10km Open Water Swimming event was an Olympic event for the first time (more on events)
- Some results.
- Read about notable competitors and results
- Issues of traffic congestion, the heat and pollution
Preparation
Beijing authorities made air pollution their major priority in the lead up to the 2008 Games. Throughout 2006, many athletes visiting from other countries struggled to cope with the poor air quality. Beijing municipality is currently introducing a number of key measures to help improve air quality, such as relocating polluting factories, renovating coal-burning boilers, replacing taxis and buses that have excessive emissions, and working to reduce sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide emissions in all power plants. At Games time, factories were closed for the duration of the event, and limits placed on the number of cars permitted on the roads. In the end pollution was not a significant factor. More on the pollution problem.
Related Pages
- Venues around Beijing and other centers
- Information about Olympic Games Tickets
- History of China at the Olympic Games.
- Beijing Olympic Village Food Menu and Athlete Nutrition.
- Videos from the 2008 Olympics
- Information about the city of Beijing
- The next Games were in London 2012
- 2008: The Year in Sport
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
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