About the Games
The 2008 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad and commonly known as Beijing 2008, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from 7 to 24 August 2008.A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) competed in 28 sports and 302 events (a total of one event more than the schedule of the 2004 Games). China became the 22nd nation to host the Olympic Games and the 18th to hold a Summer Olympic Games. It was the third time that the Summer Olympic Games were held in East Asia and Asia, after Tokyo, Japan, in 1964 and Seoul, South Korea, in 1988.
The Games were the most watched Olympics in history, attracting 4.7 billion viewers worldwide and landed on Guinness World Records. The event was also the most expensive Summer Olympic Games ever held, reaching a total cost of US$40 billion, and among the most successful.
The equestrian events were held in Hong Kong, making it the third time the events of the same Olympics were held under the jurisdiction of two different NOCs, while sailing was contested in Qingdao, and football events took place in several different cities.