2008 Summer Olympics
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| 2008 Summer Olympics | |
| Olympiad | XXVIV |
|---|---|
| Host City | Beijing, China |
| # Nations | 204 |
| Events | 302 |
| Sports | 28 |
| Males | |
| Females | |
| Total Athletes | 11,028 [1] |
| 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.
The Olympic games were awarded to Beijing after an exhaustive ballot of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on July 13, 2001. Athletes will compete in 302 events in 28 sports, just one event more than was on the schedule of the Athens games of 2004.
Most running events will be held in the Beijing National Stadium but the marathon and triathlon will be held on the streets of Beijing.
Contents |
Specific Events
Each event is discussed in a section of the following articles:
- Track
- 100M M & W
- 200M M & W
- 400M M & W
- 800M M & W
- 1500M M & W
- 5,000M M & W
- 10,000M M & W
- 110M hurdles
- 100M hurdles
- 400M hurdles M & W
- Steeplechase M & W
- 4 x 100M relay M & W
- 4 x 400M relay M & W
- Field
- High jump M & W
- Pole vault M & W
- Long jump M & W
- Triple jump M & W
- Shot put M & W
- Discus throw M & W
- Hammer throw M & W
- Javelin throw M & W
- Decathlon
- Heptathlon
- Other
Participating nations
There are 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participating in the games.
North Korea and South Korea held meetings to discuss the possibility of sending a united team to the 2008 Olympics,[2][3] but the proposal failed, due to disagreements between the two NOCs on the proportion of athletes from the two countries within the team.
On July 24, 2008, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned Iraq from competing in the 2008 Olympic Summer Games due to "political interference by the government in sports."[4][5] On July 29, the IOC reversed its decision and will allow 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. Until then, Iraq's Olympic Organisation will be run by "an interim committee proposed by its national sports federations and approved by the IOC."[6]
Georgia announced on August 9, 2008 that it is considering withdrawing from the Beijing Olympic Games due to current military conflict with Russia in South Ossetia. Certain participating Georgian athletes have made known they want to leave the Olympics in order to fight with the Georgian army.[7]
Qualifying
The IAAF sets minimun performance standards which athletes must meet to be eligible to compete in the Olympics. If up to three athletes who meet the "A" standard, are eligible to represent a country. If no athlete from that country meets the "A" standard, then the country may send one athlete who meets the "B" standard. Each country may send one male and one female, if no athlete meets either the A or B standard in any track event.[8] The following tables show the standards used for 2008:
| Event | A | B |
| 100 Metres | 10.21 | 10.28 |
| 200 Metres | 20.59 | 20.75 |
| 400 Metres | 45.55 | 45.95 |
| 800 Metres | 1:46.00 | 1:47.00 |
| 1500 Metres | 3:36.60 | 3:39.00 |
| 5000 Metres | 13:21.50 | 13:28.00 |
| 10,000 Metres | 27:50.00 | 28:10.00 |
| Marathon | 2:15:00 | 2:18:00 |
| 3000 Metres Steeplechase | 8:24.60 | 8:32.00 |
| 110 Metres Hurdles | 13.55 | 13.72 |
| 400 Metres Hurdles | 49.20 | 49.50 |
| 20 Kilometres Race Walk | 1:23:00 | 1:24:30 |
| 50 Kilometres Race Walk | 4:00:00 | 4:07:00 |
| Decathlon | 8000pts | 7700pts |
| High Jump | 2.30 | 2.27 |
| Pole Vault | 5.70 | 5.55 |
| Long Jump | 8.20 | 8.05 |
| Triple Jump | 17.10 | 16.80 |
| Shot Put | 20.30 | 19.80 |
| Discus Throw | 64.50 | 62.50 |
| Hammer Throw | 78.50 | 74.00 |
| Javelin Throw | 81.80 | 77.80 |
| 4x100 Metres Relay | Best 16 National Teams | |
| 4x400 Metres Relay | Best 16 National Teams | |
| Event | A | B |
| 100 Metres | 11.32 | 11.42 |
| 200 Metres | 23.00 | 23.20 |
| 400 Metres | 51.55 | 52.35 |
| 800 Metres | 2:00.00 | 2:01.30 |
| 1500 Metres | 4:07.00 | 4:08.00 |
| 5000 Metres | 15:09.00 | 15:24.00 |
| 10,000 Metres | 31:45.00 | 32:20.00 |
| Marathon | 2:37:00 | 2:42.00 |
| 3000 Metres Steeplechase | 9:46.00 | 9:55.00 |
| 100 Metres Hurdles | 12.96 | 13.11 |
| 400 Metres Hurdles | 55.60 | 56.50 |
| 20 Kilometres Race Walk | 1:33:30 | 1:38:00 |
| Heptathlon | 6000pts | 5800pts |
| High Jump | 1.95 | 1.91 |
| Pole Vault | 4.45 | 4.30 |
| Long Jump | 6.72 | 6.60 |
| Triple Jump | 14.20 | 14.00 |
| Shot Put | 18.35 | 17.20 |
| Discus Throw | 61.00 | 59.00 |
| Hammer Throw | 69.50 | 67.00 |
| Javelin Throw | 60.50 | 56.00 |
| 4x100 Metres Relay | Best 16 National Teams | |
| 4x400 Metres Relay | Best 16 National Teams | |
Opening ceremony
Track & field athlete Lopez Lomong (Tully, N.Y.) has been selected as flag bearer for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team by fellow members of Team USA. Lomong, 23, was notified of his selection Wednesday night via phone in Dalian, China, where he is training with the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team.
"This is the most exciting day ever in my life," Lomong said. "It's a great honor for me that my teammates chose to vote for me. The Opening Ceremony is the best day and the best moment of Olympic life. I'm here as an ambassador of my country and I will do everything I can to represent my country well."
To select the flag bearer, U.S. captains from each sport met in the Athlete Village Wednesday night, in person and via conference call for those not yet in Beijing. Any captain was able to bring forward a nominee from any sport. After the nominations and a discussion period, the athletes voted, selecting Lomong.
Lomong will compete in the 1,500 meters in Beijing in what is his first international appearance.[9]
The opening ceremony proved controversial, as the memorable image of Lin Miaoke, age 9, performing "Ode to the Motherland" in a red dress and white shoes with fireworks blazing overhead, proved to be a hoax. Another girl, Yang Peiyi, 7, was judged the best singer but not as cute, so Miaoke lip-synched the song while Peiyi's voice played over the sound system.[10]
Highlights
- Tirunesh Dibaba wins the women's 10000 m in 29:54.66, the best time in almost 15 years and an African and Olympic record. Silver medallist Elvan Abeylegesse and bronze medallist Shalane Flanagan also ran European and North American records, respectively.
- Jamaica's Usain Bolt wins gold medal in the men's 100m with a world record of 9.69 seconds in a race dubbed by Michael Johnson as "the greatest 100m performance in the history of the event". Asafa Powell finished 5th while Tyson Gay was eliminated in the semifinal.
- The United States sweeps the medals in the men's 400 m hurdles, with Angelo Taylor winning gold, Kerron Clement silver and Bershawn Jackson bronze. This is the US team's first clean sweep of the event since the 1960 Rome Olympics.
- Usain Bolt wins the men's 200 m in a new world record time of 19.30 seconds, beating the old mark set by Michael Johnson at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. With this victory, Bolt also becomes the first sprinter since Carl Lewis in 1984 to win both the 100 m and 200 m events in a single Olympiad, the first sprinter since Don Quarrie in 1976 to hold the world records for both events simultaneously, and the first since the introduction of electronic timing.
- The women's 3000M hurdles debuted.
- Total of 1,257,000 attended the track and field events, with 1,127,000 tickets sold. (The balance made up by the free tickets set aside for VIP, Media, TV, and athletes.) PM sessions had 647,000 tickets, and AM sessions had 480,000 tickets.[11]
Medal summary
Medal table
Retrieved from Beijing Olympics 2008 Official Website.[12] This total reflects just track and field events, and excludes triathlon or other sports.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States | 7 | 9 | 7 | 23 |
| 2 |  Russia | 6 | 5 | 7 | 18 |
| 3 |  Jamaica | 6 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| 4 |  Kenya | 4 | 5 | 4 | 13 |
| 5 |  Ethiopia | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 |  Belarus | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 7 |  Cuba | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 8 |  Great Britain | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
 Australia | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| 10 |  Ukraine | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 11 |  Poland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 Belgium | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
 Norway | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 14 |  Italy | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 New Zealand | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 16 |  Bahrain | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Cameroon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
 Czech Republic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
 Estonia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
 Panama | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
 Portugal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
 Romania | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
 Slovenia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
 Brazil | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 25 |  Turkey | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
 Trinidad and Tobago | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 27 |  Bahamas | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 28 |  Ecuador | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 France | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 South Africa | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Sudan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Latvia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 34 |  China | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Nigeria | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 36 |  Canada | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Germany | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Greece | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Lithuania | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Morocco | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Japan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Finland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 46 | 47 | 45 | 138 | |
Men
* Athletes who participated in the heats only and received medals.
Women
* Athletes who participated in the heats only and received medals.
Lyudmila Blonska of Ukraine originally won the silver medal in the women's heptathlon, but was disqualified after she tested positive for methyltestosterone. [14]
Records broken
During these 2008 Summer Olympic Games, 14 new Olympic records and 5 new world records were set in the athletics events.
Men's Olympic and world records
| Event | Date | Round | Name | Nationality | Result | OR | WR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 100 metres | 16 August | Final | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | 9.69 s | OR | WR |
| Men's 200 metres | 20 August | Final | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | 19.30 s | OR | WR |
| Men's 5000 metres | 23 August | Final | Kenenisa Bekele | Ethiopia | 12:57.82 | OR | |
| Men's 10000 metres | 17 August | Final | Kenenisa Bekele | Ethiopia | 27:01.17 | OR | |
| Men's 4x100 metre relay | 22 August | Final | Nesta Carter Michael Frater Usain Bolt Asafa Powell | Jamaica | 37.10 s | OR | WR |
| Men's 4x400 metre relay | 23 August | Final | LaShawn Merritt Angelo Taylor David Neville Jeremy Wariner | United States | 2:55.39 | OR | |
| Men's 50 kilometre walk | 22 August | Final | Alex Schwazer | Italy | 3:37:09 | OR | |
| Men's pole vault | 22 August | Final | Steven Hooker | Australia | 5.96 m | OR | |
| Men's javelin throw | 23 August | Final | Andreas Thorkildsen | Norway | 90.57 m | OR |
The world records were ratified on October 3, 2008[15]
Women's Olympic and world records
| Event | Date | Round | Name | Nationality | Result | OR | WR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 400 metre hurdles | 20 August | Final | Melaine Walker | Jamaica | 52.64 s | OR | |
| Women's 10,000 metres | 20 August | Final | Tirunesh Dibaba | Ethiopia | 29:54.66 s | OR | |
| Women's 3,000 metre steeplechase | 17 August | Final | Gulnara Galkina-Samitova | Russia | 8:58.81 | OR* | WR |
| Women's 20km walk | 20 August | Final | Olga Kaniskina | Russia | 1:26:31 s | OR | |
| Women's triple jump | 17 August | Final | Francoise Mbango Etone | Cameroon | 15.39 m | OR | |
| Women's pole vault | 18 August | Final | Yelena Isinbayeva | Russia | 5.05 m | OR | WR |
| Women's hammer throw | 20 August | Final | Aksana Miankova | Belarus | 76.34 m | OR |
* Inaugural Event
Controversies
Age of Chineese Gymnasts
A controversy that erupted Friday, August 22, over the age and thus eligibility of He Kexin,Yang Yilin and Jiang Yuyuan at the 2008 Games as to whether thy meet the minimum age of 16. Documents which were posted on Chineese General Administration of Sport website, but since removed, indicates that they are only 14 years old, listing He's birthday as January 1, 1994. Yet, they presented passports showing an age of 16. Young gymnasts have a flexibility over older, more developed athletes.
"We believe the matter will be put to rest and there is no question ... on the eligibility," International Olympic Committee spokeswoman Giselle Davies said Friday at a news conference.
"So far," the IOC's sports director, Christophe Dubi, said, "everything that has been received demonstrates we have no problem of eligibility for these competitors."
The results of the investigation have not yet been released.[16][17][18]
Safety
Despite extensive security measures, spectators face safety concerns. On August 9, 2008, a Chinese man stabbed two relatives of a United States Olympic coach, as well as their Chinese guide, killing one of them. On Friday, August 8, 2008, a reporter for New Zealand television who is covering the games was attacked and slightly injured by a Chinese man wielding a broken chair.[19]
Taekwondo athlete kicks referee
On August 23, 2008, Cuba Taekwondo fighter Angel Matos kicked refereeChakir Chelbat. Matos was leading in the bronze medal match 3-2 with 1 minute 2 seconds left in the second round when he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent. Matos was awaiting medical attention when he was disqualified by Chelbat for taking too much time. Matos questioned the call and then pushed and kicked Chebat in the face. The international federati