| |
Bye-bye,
Beijing ’08
By Ben Memuletiwon, Reporting from Beijing
Monday,
August 25, 2008
 |
•Dream
Team receiving IV their silver medal
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
| |
Just as it was at the 29th edition of the Olympic Games’
opening ceremony in Beijing three weeks ago, there was also
a lot of memorable events like fireworks at the closing ceremony
on Monday.
Some athletes and official wept openly, finding it hard to
say goodbye to Beijing.
The Beijing Games, no doubt, has been adjudged as one of the
best Olympics ever held. It was three weeks of fun, great
action and celebration.
But at the end of it all, it was China that had the last laugh.
Having spent so much to stage the Games, the Chinese have
no option than to win their first Olympic Games victory since
their entry in the Los Angeles Games in 1984. They beat the
United States to top the medals table.
The spectacular farewell in front of a packed house of more
than 90,000 people at the Bird's Nest Stadium lasted three
hours and which included firework displays at 18 locations
across Beijing.
The ceremony saw London Mayor, Boris Johnson, receiving the
Olympic flag to signal the countdown to the 2012 Games.
China staged the Olympics against a background dominated by
fears of pollution, worries over security and protests about
her human rights record. But the sporting action has been
enthralling, with highlights including Michael Phelps swimming
to a record eight gold medals and Jamaican Usain Bolt breaking
three world records as he bagged a sprint title treble.
|
