Interesting facts about the 2008 olympic games

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Some content of the original page may have been edited to make it more suitable for younger readers, unless otherwise noted. President Hu Jintao [1] [a].

Beijing National Stadium. China CHN. United States USA. Russia RUS. Great Britain GBR. In the opening ceremonies, the athlete procession always starts with Greece and ends with the host country, with the other teams going in alphabetical order based on the host country's native language. The first televised Olympics occurred in , in Rome.

The Torch Relay is not an ancient tradition and started with the Berlin Games. The five Olympic rings represent the five major regions, Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa and Oceania, with at least one color from the flag appearing on every country's flag. The Beijing Games had the most countries attend, with a record Nations sending athletes. From - Artists also competed in the Olympics.

Painters, sculptors, writers, architects and musicians all competed. They would create art focused on the sporting events happening at the same time. Then, from to gold medals were made of solid gold and now are mostly silver coated in six grams of gold. Still, he does have the Olympic Games. A European champion as a year-old in March this year, the Eggbuckland pupil goes for Olympic diving gold at the grand old age of Not that he happens to be the youngest ever summer Olympian from these shores; Margery Hinton was 13 when she swam for Britain in , and Kenneth Lester was the same age when he competed in the coxed pairs rowing in The question is, though: how did young Tom manage to get selected, given the preponderance of diving talent available to the British selectors?

Unlike her more celebrated compatriot, Oscar Pistorius, the so-called "Blade Runner," Natalie du Toit has actually made it to the Beijing Olympics to fly the flag not just for South Africa but for disabled athletes.

She was 17 when her left leg was amputated below the knee; she had been riding her scooter to school when a car crashed into her. Sixteen months later she swam at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, reaching the final of the m freestyle. Not that she will be the first amputee to compete in an Olympic Games.

George Eyser, winner of three gymnastics gold medals for the US in St Louis in , had a wooden left leg. The original limb was amputated after he was run over by a train. Yes, what next: Olympic skateboarding or paintballing? We might be scoffing now, but BMX could become the new curling in the patriotic eyes of the British sporting public.

Like Rhona Martin and her rink-sweeping champions from the Salt Lake Winter Games of , Shanaze Reade is likely to have the television audience back home following her every move around the m humped and hollowed course next to the Laoshan Velodrome. The year-old from Crewe has not lost a BMX race since taking up the sport 10 years ago. Bicycle Motocross, to use its formal title, is a new addition to the Olympic summer programme.

Sports that have fallen by the wayside down the years include rugby union last held in , won by the US and cricket last held in , won by Great Britain, represented by Devon and Somerset Wanderers.