2008 Summer Olympics facts for kids

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially called the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, were a major international sports event. They took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. The opening ceremony started at 8:08:08 PM China Standard Time at the famous Beijing National Stadium.

Around 10,500 athletes from many countries competed in 302 different events. These events were part of 28 different sports. This was one more event than the previous 2004 games.

Choosing the Host City

Beijing was chosen to host the Olympic Games after a special vote. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) made this decision on July 13, 2001. Many cities wanted to host, but Beijing won the chance.

Olympic Symbols and Slogan

The official symbol for the Beijing 2008 games was called "Dancing Beijing." It showed a special Chinese writing character, jīng (京), which means 'capital'. This character looked like a dancing person.

The mascots for Beijing 2008 were five friendly characters called the Fuwa. Each Fuwa had a different color, matching the colors of the Olympic rings. They also represented important parts of Chinese culture.

The main message, or slogan, of the games was One World, One Dream. This slogan encouraged people from all over the world to come together. It asked everyone to share in the spirit of the Olympics.

Preparing for the Games

The Chinese government worked very hard to prepare for the games. They wanted to show China as an important and strong country. They spent a lot of money building new sports places and improving transportation systems.

The events were held in 37 different locations. Twelve of these were brand-new buildings made just for the Olympics. In 2007, the former head of the IOC, Juan Antonio Samaranch, said he thought the Beijing games would be "the best in Olympic history."

Even though there were some discussions about China hosting, the IOC's former president, Jacques Rogge, said the IOC was very happy with their choice. He said they had "absolutely no regrets" about picking Beijing.

Medal Table

At the end of the 2008 Summer Olympics, China won the most gold medals. The United States won the most medals overall (gold, silver, and bronze combined).

Here is a look at the top countries in the medal count:

Medal numbers shown in bold are the highest for that type of medal. China, as the host country, is highlighted in light blue.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	China (CHN)	51	21	28	100
2	United States (USA)	36	38	36	110
3	Russia (RUS)	23	21	28	72
4	Great Britain (GBR)	19	13	15	47
5	Germany (GER)	16	10	15	41
6	Australia (AUS)	14	15	17	46
7	South Korea (KOR)	13	10	8	31
8	Japan (JPN)	9	6	10	25
9	Italy (ITA)	8	10	10	28
10	France (FRA)	7	16	17	40

Olympic Games
Summer Games: 1896, 1900, 1904, 1906, 1908, 1912, (1916), 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, (1940), (1944), 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, 2028
Winter Games: 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, (1940), (1944), 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
Athens 2004 — Turin 2006 — Beijing 2008 — Vancouver 2010 — London 2012 — Sochi 2014 — Rio 2016 — Pyeongchang 2018 — Tokyo 2020 Games in italics will be held in the future, and those in (brackets) were cancelled because of war. See also: Ancient Olympic Games

Youth Olympic Games
Summer Games: 2010, 2014, 2018
Winter Games: 2012, 2016, 2020
Singapore 2010 — Innsbruck 2012 — Nanjing 2014

Images for kids

• 

  Olympic Green, seen from above.

• 

  The Beijing National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest."

• 

  The National Aquatics Center, or "Water Cube."

• 

  The National Indoor Stadium.

• 

  The Wukesong Indoor Stadium.

• 

  Inside the Beijing National Stadium during the Games. The Olympic cauldron is in the background.

• 

  The 2008 Olympic Torch in Vilnius, Lithuania.

• 

  The path of the 2008 Olympic Torch Relay.

• 

  The Opening Ceremony.

• 

  Ilias Iliadis led the Greek team into the Bird's Nest. Greece always enters first.

• 

  Yao Ming and Lin Hao led the host country, China.

• 

  The moment the Olympic Cauldron was lit.

• 

  Chinese gymnast Li Ning after lighting the cauldron.

• 

  The back of the 2008 Summer Olympics medals: silver (left), gold (center), bronze (right). Each medal has a ring of jade.

• 

  Sizes of the teams from different countries.

• 

  The Beijing 2008 cauldron in 2013.

See also

In Spanish: Juegos Olímpicos de Pekín 2008 para niños