It was Beijing’s “One World One Dream” brand that elicited a summer full of surprising injuries, dark horse wins, and record-setting stats. The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics were hot with drama as China’s own Liu Xiang fell from grace and shocked the host nation with an injurious defeat.
Jamaica rose as the fastest country in the world when Tyson Gay – an expected shoo-in for the title – disqualified, and Usain Bolt set a record as the fastest man on the planet. But while the Bird’s Nest’s tumultuous events left half the world unsettled and the other half in celebration, the trials in the Water Cube were the races that took the United States to the next level in sportsmanship. All-American underwater hero Michael Phelps set a world record for bringing home the most gold medals in a single Olympics.
A country with 5,000 years of history gained a new face in the eyes of the world when China passed the torch on to London in its jaw-dropping closing ceremonies. The countdown started from 29, signifying the 29th Olympic Games, and highlights were flashed each second until the 11th second while both Arabic numerals and Chinese characters were shown. The audience chanted from ten, and at the end, an enormous circle of fireworks erupted from the Bird’s Nest, symbolizing harmony and renewal in traditional Chinese culture.
Read more Olympics Travel:
Olympics Past: Beijing
Olympics Present: London
Olympics Future: Rio
Olympics Travel: Vancouver
© Cheapflights Ltd Andrea Mooney
