Pechino 2008

A grand opening ceremony welcomed the 29th Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. A blaze of fireworks, lights and drums, characterised the event in the striking Bird's Nest. The Chinese gymnast Li Ning, who won three gold medals at the Olympics in Los Angeles in '84, the last torchbearer, lit the Olympic cauldron on an evening dedicated to the number 8, a symbol of "good luck" for the Chinese. The games started on the 8th of August (8th month of the year) in 2008, at 8 pm (local time). The delegation of Chinese athletes would enter the National Stadium at 8.08 hours and the ceremony, with a cast of more than 15,000 people, began with 2,008 Chinese who counted down beating illuminated drums. China, winning 100 total medals (with 51 golds) topped the medal table, ahead of the United States and Russia. The Italian mission ended with 28 medals (8 golds, 10 silvers and 10 bronzes) and ninth place, ahead of France (for the first time after 24 years). The Italian team also had 13 fourth place finishes. In China, with respect to the previous edition in Athens in 2004, the average age of gold medalists decreased: from 28.7 in Athens to 26.5 at the Chinese Games. In addition, four out of the eight gold medalists were making their Olympic debut. Overall the average age of medalists fell from 30.47 to 29.84. 86 countries won medals out of 204 taking part, but above all it was a Games of breakthroughs: in Beijing there was a change of parallels and meridians in sport. In addition to the expected rise of China and Asia, the only real progress from the old continent was made by Great Britain: the country that would host the 2012 Olympics rocketed up the medal table with 17 more medals than in Athens. The shinning stars were the USA's Michael Phelps and the Jamaican Usain Bolt. In the pool, Phelps won eight gold medals, five individual (200 freestyle, 100 and 200 butterfly, 200 and 400 medley) and three in the relays (4x100 medley, 4x100 freestyle, 4x200 freestyle) while Bolt dominated the sprints on the track by winning the 100 and 200 metres and the 4x100 relay.