10 Facts About 2008 Olympics

1.

The 2008 Games set numerous world and Olympic records, and were the most expensive Summer Olympics of all time, and the second most expensive overall, after the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.

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2.

Beijing hosted the 2022 Winter 2008 Olympics, making it the first city ever to host both the Summer and Winter Games.

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3.

Eight years earlier, Beijing had led every round of voting for the 2000 Summer 2008 Olympics before losing to Sydney by two votes in the final round.

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4.

Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympics were the five Fuwa, each of which represented both a color of the Olympic rings and a symbol of Chinese culture.

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5.

In March 2008 Olympics, China banned mountaineers from climbing its side of Mount Everest, and later persuaded the Nepalese government to close their side as well, officially citing environmental concerns.

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6.

The official song of the 2008 Olympics, titled "You and Me, " was performed by Britain's Sarah Brightman and China's Liu Huan, on a large spinning rendition of the globe.

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7.

All but one of the 205 recognized National Olympic Committees that existed as of 2008 participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics, the exception being Brunei.

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8.

Marshall Islands and Tuvalu gained National Olympic Committee status in 2006 and 2007 respectively, and 2008 Olympics was the first Games in which they were eligible to participate.

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9.

Collectively, the Beijing 2008 Olympics are associated with a variety of problematic topics: the ecological impact, residential displacement due to construction, treatment of migrant workers, the government's political stance on Tibet, etc.

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10.

The Games bolstered domestic support for the Chinese government, and for the policies of the Communist Party, giving rise to concerns that the 2008 Olympics would give the state more leverage to suppress political dissent, at least temporarily.

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