The 2008 Beijing Olympics

By Cathy Liu (China)


The Olympic Games and the Paralymic Games are held every four years, including Summer Olympic Games, Winter Olympic Games, Summer Paralympic Games and Winter Paralympic Games. Most of the time, the Paralympic Games are hosted after the Olympic Games.

The original Olympic Games were first recorded in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece, which is the reason we call them the "Olympics." The first modern Olympic Games were the 1896 Summer Olympics, held in Athens, Greece.

Olympic Symbols
Olympic Rings

The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913. The Olympic symbol expresses the activity of the Olympic Movement and the five continents of the globe, and the athletes from all over the world who take part in the Olympic Games.

Olympic Torch

The Olympic Torch is also called the Olympic Flame. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, it was kept burning throughout the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, and it has been part of the modern Olympic Games since that time. The Olympic Torch relay goes from the last host city to the next host city.

Olympic Motto
The Olympic motto is made up of three Latin words:"Citius, Altius, Fortius," which means "Faster, Higher, Stronger."

This motto encourages the athletes to give their best during the competition, and thinks that the effort is a victory of himself or herself.

Beijing 2008 Olympics


The Opening Ceremony will be hosted on August 8th, 2008, at 8 o'clock in the evening. The competitions will start on the next day. It will take place from August 8 to 24, 2008. The Games will include the 28 summer sports currently on the Olympic program. About 10,500 athletes will participate in the Games.

The Emblem and the Slogan
The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games emblem, "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing," is filled with Beijing's hospitality and hopes, and carries the city's commitment to the world.

"One World One Dream" expresses the common wishes of people all over the world, inspired by the Olympic ideals, to strive for a bright future of mankind. In spite of the differences in colors, languages and races, we share the charm and joy of the Olympic Games, and together we seek for the ideal of mankind for peace.



The Mascots

Fuwa (how Chinese call mascots in their language) express the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals -- the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow -- and the Olympic Flame.

The Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games

The Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games will take place from September 6, 2008 to September 17, 2008, 12 days after the Olympic Games end on August 24. There are 20 sports in the Paralympic Games.
Those people with disabilities also have the right to attend their "Olympic Games." It expresses everybody is treated fairly in the Olympics.




Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympic Games

After the Beijing Summer Olympic Games, the Winter Olympic Games will be hosted in Vancouver. The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games will take place from February 12-28, 2010. The Vancouver 2010 Winter Paralympic Games will start after the Winter Olympic games, from March 12-21, 2010. Twenty sports will be played in the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.