2008 logo in Tiananmen Square.
By Philip Barker
When Beijing last played Olympic host 14 years ago, the Games were staged in colossal style.
They had been chosen as host city at the 2001 IOC session in Moscow.
It was the last major announcement by then IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch.
The IOC concluded that the Games were “by almost every measure, an indisputable success.”
Most will remember the Games for the superlative performance of United States swimmer Michael Phelps who won eight gold medals at the same Games, eclipsing the achievement of his compatriot Mark Spitz who had won seven in 1972.
China’s most successful competitor at the Games was gymnast Zou Kai who won three gold medals, an achievement equalled by British cyclist Chris Hoy and Australian swimmer Steph Rice.
Usain Bolt was confirmed as a global superstar after completing the sprint double and adding relay gold. The latter was later stripped from the Jamaican team after one of his teammates returned a positive doping test.
Football superstar Lionel Messi struck gold as Argentina retained their Olympic title with victory over Nigeria.
Before the tournament, there had been a dispute with clubs in Europe before Messi and the Brazilian pair Diego and Rafinha were finally cleared to play.
According to IOC figures, 94 percent of all households in China were said to have watched at least some of the Games on television.
The IOC claimed the Games “provided intangible benefits that can lead to further social economic progress and that unprecedented international attention highlighted its strengths as well as its shortcomings.”
The build up to the Games had certainly been troubled, with disquiet about Chinese policy in Tibet fuelling demonstrations against the Olympic Torch Relay notably when it passed through Paris, London, San Francisco and Canberra.
In May 2008 it returned to Chinese soil. It was taken to the top of Mount Everest during a domestic relay which lasted until August 8th, the day of the official opening.
Beijing’s opening ceremony had been a remarkable tour de force, masterminded by renowned film director Zhang Yimou.
It was claimed that an investment of 140 Billion Yuan ($20.5 billion) was made to improve air quality during the Games and that three million cars were taken off the city roads during the Games.
Many parts of the city were decorated to welcome the Games. Amongst the most impressive was the Dongsi Park.
It had as its centrepiece a flame sculpture intertwined with rings which recorded each previous host city. There was also a relief which depicted the insignia of each Olympic sport under Olympic rings.
A statue of Baron Pierre de Coubertin was erected nearby.
This was flanked by busts of Samaranch and Jacques Rogge, IOC President during the 2008 Games.
Last week, International Olympic Committee Vice President Yu Zaiqing unveiled a new bust of President Thomas Bach in the same park.
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