Beijing Olympic Games

After the founding of the People’s Republic, China promoted sports and achieved brilliant results. In 1959 Rong Guotuan won China’s first world championship, and in 1984 Xu Haifeng won China’s first Olympic gold medal at the Los Angeles Games. In 1993 Beijing first bid for the 2000 Games and lost by two votes. On 13 July 2001 the International Olympic Committee voted in Moscow to award the 29th Summer Olympics in 2008 to Beijing, and the whole country rejoiced. The Beijing Games took “One World, One Dream” as their theme and the ideas of a “Green Olympics, High-Tech Olympics and People’s Olympics,” building venues such as the National Stadium (the “Bird’s Nest”) and the National Aquatics Center (the “Water Cube”). The opening ceremony was held at the Bird’s Nest at 8 p.m. on 8 August 2008, where the former gymnast Li Ning lit the main cauldron. In competition from 8 to 24 August, the Chinese delegation won 51 gold medals and 100 medals in all, topping the gold-medal table for the first time. The Beijing Paralympics were held successfully that September. The Games fulfilled the Chinese nation’s century-old Olympic dream, showed the world China’s achievements since reform and opening-up and the appeal of Chinese culture, and deepened mutual understanding between the Chinese people and the peoples of the world. In 2022 Beijing also successfully hosted the 24th Winter Olympics, becoming the first “dual Olympic city” to host both Summer and Winter Games.