Beijing chooses its opening ceremony on August 8, 2008 at 8 pm and it was also the 8th day of the Chinese 7th lunar month making a very auspicious 88888 for the Chinese. The ceremony which was held in the “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium, was witnessed by thousands, and millions on the television across the globe. Here are amazing shots to be remembered on that auspicious day.
NBC Universal’s Olympics coverage is drawing huge audiences, helped by the extravagant opening ceremony and swimming star Michael Phelps, and setting the stage for what could be record TV ratings for the Games.
NBC said the first two days of the Beijing Olympics drew an average audience of 29.1 million, making it the most highly rated broadcast of the Summer Games held outside the United States since 1976.
The net also went on to report that in total, 114 million viewers tuned in for at least part of its broadcast in the first two days, about 20 million more than the 2004 games in Athens, citing figures from Nielsen Media Research.
NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co, paid nearly $900 million for rights to broadcast the games, and plans to air 3,600 hours of coverage between August 8 and August 24 across its broadcast, cable TV and online outlets.
The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, will kick off from today, August 8 until August 24, 2008 and followed by the 2008 Beijing Paralympics Games from September 6 to September 17. Ten thousand, five hundred athletes are expected to compete in 302 events in 28 sports; just one event more than was on the schedule of the 2004 games.
The second day of the Torch Relay in Beijing ended yesterday at 6:30 p.m as the last torchbearer, singer Song Zuying, lit the cauldron before the Worship Platform at the Temple of Earth.
Following the first day of the Torch Relay in Beijing, the Olympic torch continued on to the outskirts of Beijing today. The flame traveled 14.576 kilometers through the seven suburban county towns of Yanqing, Changping, Huairou, Miyun, Pinggu, Shunyi and Tongzhou.
A few well-known sport stars were among the 268 torchbearers, including Olympic champion Liu Xuan, two-time Table Tennis world champion Liu Guozheng, Olympic Flatwater Canoe champion Yang Wenjun and XXIII World Universiade champion Hu Kai from Tsinghua University.
The Beijing 2008 Olympics will also mark the third time that Olympic events will have been held in the territories of two different National Olympic Committees at the 2008 Olympics, equestrian events will be held in Hong Kong, which competes separately from mainland China.
“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” – Baron Pierre de Coubertin
