2008 Beijing Olympics

Beijing National Stadium
Beijing, China

The XXIX Olympiad

BookMaker.com is Where the Line Originates for 2008 Beijing summer Olympics betting lines. Bet on the odds to win the gold in the most popular events of the summer Olympics, plus get more Olympic betting lines and the best value on sportsbook betting odds online when you Join Now and Start Winning. Make your Beijing Olympics betting picks online at BookMaker.com or get the best summer Olympics betting odds instantly on your cell phone, PDA or other wireless devices - and place your bets on the Beijing Olympics anywhere, anytime you want with BookMaker Mobile

Bet on the Olympics in Beijing and win green when your country wins gold, no matter which country you come from! Betting on the Olympics this summer in Beijing is safe, easy and more fun with BookMaker.com - Join Now and Start Winning

THRILLING VENUE AUDIENCE AND ATHLETES

"The most exciting moment is the igniting part, it combines technology, traditional arts and Li Ning's effort in such a perfect way," Xie Mengxin, a girl sitting in the stadium, known as Bird's Nest, said after the ceremony.

"There have been so many heart-shaking moments in it and we were all thrilled," she said, adding that the spacewalking-like showing of the last torch bearer for the Games was beyond her imagination.

Paduld Sri Rohana de Pettagan, an official with the Sri Lanka Olympic Committee, said "I love the countdown part which combines the Chinese ancient history with the modern high technology."

The opening is so good, with so many hi-tech features. The organizers used fireworks, LED screen, video and audio technologies to show the best of China," he added.

"Every part of the preparation of the Beijing Olympic Games is fantastic. The Games is an opportunity for the world to understand China, and for China to understand the world as well." Michael Naumann, a tourist from Germany who watched the ceremony on TV, told Xinhua.

"It was awesome. A lot different from the other ones. Being a vet, seeing the new guys' faces when we were walking into the stadium for the first time was awesome." Brian Olson from U.S. said.

"This Olympics has gone above and beyond. It was special, whether it's your fourth or first." the judoka coming from Tallahassee, Florida said.

"It was once in a lifetime, I loved it. I was speechless at times. I really liked the torch and the guy flying through the air," said Demetrius Andrade, a U.S. Boxer from Providence, Rhode Island.

"It was really nice, it was inspirational. It made me want to compete," said another Boxer Sadam Ali who was among others encouraged to "give it all you have got" by U.S. president George Bush before attending the opening ceremony.

2008 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony

The 2008 Summer Olympic Games, known officially as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, will take place from August 8th, 2008 to August 24th, 2008. The opening ceremony will begin at 08:08:08 pm CST (China standard time) at the Beijing National Stadium in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Some of the events will be held outside Beijing, namely football (in Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Tianjin), equestrian (in Hong Kong) and sailing (in Qingdao). The Olympic games were awarded to Beijing, China, after a ballot of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on July 13, 2001. The official logo of the games, titled "Dancing Beijing," represents a calligraphic character jīng (meaning capital), in honor of the host city. The mascots of Beijing 2008 are the five Fuwa ("friendlies"), each representing one color of the Olympic rings. The Olympic slogan, "One World, One Dream", calls for the whole world to unify under the spirit of the olympiads. There is a total of 302 events schedule for ths 2008 Olympic Games, in 28 different sports, only one more event than was scheduled for the 2004 Olympiads in Atens, Greece.

2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony will be held at the Beijing National Stadium. It is scheduled to begin at 08:08:08pm CST (12:08:08 UTC) on 8 August 2008.The number 8 is associated with prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture.

National teams will not enter in Roman alphabetical order, but in stroke count with the Simplified Chinese characters. For example, this will place Australia (澳大利亚) in 203rd position, just ahead of Zambia (赞比亚) because the character 澳 is written in 15 strokes and 赞 is in 16 strokes.

Producers

Organizers of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games chose famed Chinese film maker Zhang Yimou and Zhang Jigang as co-directors of the opening and closing ceremonies. In 2006 the Beijing Organizing Committee (BOCOG) initially chose American film maker Steven Spielberg, Yves Pepin, head of the French entertainment group ECA2, and Sydney Games opening ceremony director Ric Birch as special consultants. In February 2008, Spielberg pulled out of his role as advisor in protest over China’s continuing support of the Sudanese government and the escalating violence in the Darfur region.

Performers

Taiwan's Jay Chou would perform during the opening ceremony. Gillian Chung was originally scheduled to be a performer at the opening ceremony. Due to the Edison Chen photo scandal, director Zhang Yimou had replaced her and another Hong Kong star (not involved in the photo incident) with PRC C-pop act A-One. A troupe of over a hundred Indigenous Taiwanese dancers travelling from Taiwan, and refered to by Xinhua as "ethnic Taiwanese compatriots" will also perform at the opening ceremony.

Celine Dion has announced that she will hold her first concert in Beijing in the Workers' Stadium on April 13, 2008, during which she will sing a special song for the Beijing Olympic Games.

Celine Dion became popular in China with the theme song for the movie Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On." She first became connected to the Olympic Games twelve years ago at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, where she moved the whole world with the song The power of the Dream and set an example for solo singing in the Olympic opening ceremony.

Dion told the Chinese people through a video that it's the power of the dream that helped China realize its desire to hold the Olympic Games. She wished good luck for the forthcoming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and she will present a special gift for the Beijing Olympic Games at her concert in Beijing -- a special song that is in accordance with the Olympic theme "One World One Dream."

Tickets for the concert will go on sale starting January 16, 2008. The first ticket, numbered 20080808, was given to former gymnast Sang Lan at the press conference.

Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony to "carry conception of harmony"

The Olympic ceremonies will convey the "conception of harmony from an international perspective", Chen Weiya, deputy general director of the opening and closing ceremonies for the Beijing Games, said Tuesday. "Preparations for both ceremonies are progressing as planned. We are getting used to spreading the essence of Chinese culture and conception to the world," said Chen, a member of the 11th National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. "The higher we stand, the more we appreciate our own possessions," he noted.

Chen acknowledged that it is really a big challenge for the directors to have China better known to the world through the performances lasting more than one hour.

With the Olympics some 150 days away, Chen said he was under tremendous pressure, working more than ten hours a day and suffering from insomnia at night.

"Everyone conceived an ideal opening ceremony in mind and the Chinese people have pinned too much hope on the galas. The hardest thing for us is to present the fruits of Chinese and world civilization harmoniously," Chen said.

Chen Weiya and Zhang Jigang were selected as assistants to director Zhang Yimou to mastermind both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.

The three-and-a-half-hour opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics slated for Aug. 8 will include four parts -- opening addresses, performances, entrance of athletes and lighting of the main flame, among which the performances are planned for one hour and a half.

China is resolved to make the ceremony a success. The first full dress rehearsal will be held on July 10 at the National Stadium, according to an earlier report.

Bet on the Olympics in Beijing and win green when your country wins gold, no matter which country you come from! Betting on the Olympics this summer in Beijing is safe, easy and more fun with BookMaker.com - Join Now and Start Winning