Beijing Olympics comes to an end today, the games which started on the auspicious (as per Chinese calendar) date 08.08.2008 with an opening ceremony at the Bird’s nest described by some as the best and the most extravagant combining the use of fireworks, LED screen, video and audio technologies to show the best of China.

Beijing Olympics has given some of the most memorable sporting moments of our time, who can forget the larger-than-life achievement by swimming giant Michael Phelps or the triple gold medal by the lightening Usain Bolt of Jamaica, china thoroughly dominated the games topping the medals tally and establishing its supremacy in world sports. China has used this opportunity to showcase to the world that it has arrived and what a way to show it.

The closing ceremony was not short of surprises, it was colourful, spectacular and breathtaking; watch some of the images of the closing ceremony below.

Artists perform at the closing ceremony (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Artists perform at the closing ceremony (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Fireworks of the closing ceremony in the National Stadium (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Fireworks of the closing ceremony in the National Stadium (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Girls dancing in the Beijing Olympics Closing Ceremony (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Girls dancing in the Beijing Olympics Closing Ceremony (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Watch video below to catch a glimpse of the closing ceremony

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz_MD2K82z8[/youtube]

London will host the next games in 2012 and the games at Beijing has certainly raised the bar in terms of the way the games are organized

If our Indian officials can take one thing from this game, it’s the sincerity, dedication and the strong will of the Chinese authorities to impress upon the world that they have arrived.

Some stats about the Olympic Games in Beijing

# 28 Olympic programs, 302 sub-categories
# 302 gold medals
# 10,500 athletes are expecte to participate
# 21,880 torchbearers will run 137,000 km over 130 days
# The National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) covers an area of 258,000 sq. meters
# The Bird’s Nest has 91,000 seats
# The surface of the National Aquatics Center is covered by 1,437 pieces of transparant material
# The highest price for the opening ceremony tickets is 5000 Renminbi, the lowest is 200 Renminbi
# Beijing expects 550,000 international visitors and 2.4 million domestic spectators
# Over 800 star-class hotels and 4,000 hostels will provide about 420,000 overprized rooms

email