The 2008
Summer Olympic games officially known as the Games of the
XXIX Olympiad has started in Beijing on 8th Aug to 24th Aug and followed by the 2008 Summer
Paralympics from Sep6-Sep17. 10,500 athletes are expected to compete in 302 events in 28 sports.
The official logo of the games, titled "
Dancing Beijing," features a stylised calligraphic character
jīng (meaning capital), referencing the host city. The mascots of Beijing 2008 are the five
Fuwa will serve as the Official Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship and peace -- and good wishes from China -- to children all over the world. Fuwa also embody the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals -- the
Fish, the
Panda, the
Tibetan Antelope, the
Swallow -- and the
Olympic Flame. The Olympic slogan, One World, One Dream, calls upon the world to unite in the Olympic spirit.
History of Olympic games: In 1896, the Modern Olympic games were inaugurated in Athens and are held at the beginning of every Olympiad. The Games were organized as a summer sports event through 1920. In 1924 the winter games began in Chamonix, France. Until 1992, they were both held in the same year. Since then, the summer games are held during the first year of an Olympiad, the winter games during the third year. The original Olymic Games were first recorded in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece, and were celebrated until AD 393.
The Olympic symbols are the icons, flags and symbols used by the International Olympic Committee to promote the Olympic Games. Some — such as the flame, fanfare, and theme — are more prevalent during Olympic competition, but others, such as the flag, can be seen throughout the year.
Motto: The Olympic motto is the
hendiatris Citius, Altius, Fortius, which is Latin for "Faster, Higher, Stronger". The motto was proposed by Pierre de Coubetin on the creation of the International Olympic Committee in 1894.
Olympic emblem:
The emblem of the Olympic Games is composed of five interlocking rings (blue, yellow, black, green, and red respectively) on a white field. This was originally designed in 1913 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games.
Flame and torch relay: Months before the Games are held, the Olympic Flame is lit on a torch, with the rays of the Sun concentrated by a parabolic reflector, at the site of the Ancient Olympics in Olympia, Greece. The torch is then taken out of Greece, most often to be taken around the country or continent where the Games are held. The Olympic torch is carried by athletes, leaders, celebrities and ordinary people alike, and at times in unusual conditions, such as being electronically transmitted via satellite for Montreal 1976, or submerged underwater without being extinguished for Sydney 2000. On the final day of the torch relay, the day of the Opening Ceremony, the Flame reaches the main stadium and is used to light a cauldron situated in a prominent part of the venue to signify the beginning of the Games. Then it is left to burn throughout the Games till the Closing Ceremony, when it is extinguished to signify the end of the Games. Only twice has the Olympic Flame actually been carried over more than one continent, i.e. Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, the latter of which had actually involved all six inhabited continents.
