Beijing 2008

After all the anticipation and waiting, the Beijing Olympics of 2008 are already over. 2 weeks have flown by incredibly quickly and based on the kind of performances we’ve been treated to I only wish that the Olympics were a 4 week affair. Not only did China deliver the most impressive Opening Ceremony in all Olympic history, they also put on a spectacular show in terms of their infrastructure and facilities. The Bird’s Nest Stadium and Cube Swimming Arena were like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Some of China’s antics have definitely been questionable like hoisting that cute little girl in the air at the Opening Ceremony while she sang beautifully, only for us to realize afterwards that she was miming and that the true hero (who was too ugly for a public appearance) was singing backstage into a microphone, or the fact that they were pumping volunteers into some of the venues under strict instruction to cheer and shout in order to create a fake, yet vibrant atmosphere, to give the impression that these sports were being well supported.

Other than these dodgy Chinese marketing ploys, the Games themselves delivered some inspiring performances. Michael Phelps became the world leader in the number of gold medals held by anyone, 14 in total, 8 of those won in Beijing, and Usain Bolt won both the 100m and 200m in world record time, previously achieved by Carl Lewis 24 years ago. Bolt’s apparent ease at demolishing the field in both races was nothing short of incredible and one almost suspects him to surely test positive for doping.

Here’s a collection of my best photos over the last 2 weeks…..