2008 Olympics
The 2008 Olympics will take place in the summer in Beijing, China.
The 2008 Olympics are officially known as the Games of the XXIX
Olympiad. Taking place during the summer, from August 8, 2008 through
August 24, 2008, the 2008 Olympics will feature the Beijing National
Stadium, a state-of-the-art facility that has been nicknamed the
"Bird Nest".
 |
The Dancing Beijing logo for the 2008 Olympics was unveiled
in 2003 and symbolizes good harvests and an invitation to
the world to share in the Chinese culture. The slogan for
the 2008 Olympics is "One World, One Dream" and
was chosen from over 200,000 entries the world over.
|
The 2008 Olympics will be similar to the 2004 event in Athens.
The 2008 Olympics will host over 300 events and will reintroduce
28 sports and nine new events such as the steeplechase and BMW cycling.
The 2008 Olympics will definitely have an Asian feel as sports
such as Judo, Taekwondo and table tennis will be featured.
One of the major concerns for fans, athletes and others regarding
the 2008 Olympics is the poor air quality in Beijing. Chinese government
officials have made a commitment to clean up air quality before
the games begin.
One was to make sure that the 2008 Olympics have superior air quality
for the athletes and tourists, is that China has committed to taking
60,000 buses and taxis off the road for the event. The Chinese are
also relocating 200 factories sow that smoke, soot and other greenhouse
gases don't drift over Beijing during the 2008 Olympics.
The Chinese are also working with the World Health Organization
(WHO) to bring hydrogen technology to the Olympic Village as a demonstration
of the country's commitment to cleaning up the air.
Hydrogen-powered buses, taxis and other shuttles will be a part
of the demonstration project and integrated into shuttling tourists
to and from the stadium. The government also plans to seed the clouds
several days before the opening events so that acid rain doesn't
fall upon athletes and patrons during the 2008 Olympics.
NBC has paid $3.5 billion for the exclusive U. S. television broadcasting
rights for the 2008 Olympics. In doing so, NBC has requested that
some events such as swimming and gymnastics be held in the early
morning hours in Beijing to they could be broadcast live during
prime time in the U. S. market. This scheduling has irked some of
the athletes.
|
