Goodbye Beijing, Hello London.

Closing Ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Olympics

[photos]

an Axe kick by Tsomlee which wasn't counted.

Tsomlee Go's fight against Australia's Ryan Carneli

[photo] By: BEHROUZ MEHRI

Is it too much to dream that the Philippines will one day win its first Olympic Gold medal?

It was another disappointing Olympics stint for the Philippine Team. After 3 consecutive Olympics, the country is in drought for 12 years in search of an Olympic medal and an Olympic Gold medal since the country participated in its first Olympic games. Another expectation turned to disappointment. It is just heartbreaking. But I am sure our athletes have done their best and I commend them for the hard work to qualify and most importantly in representing the country in the Olympics. I was really hoping that this would be our time but it wasn't. Maybe after 4 years in London 2012. Hopefully. Hay life.

An Olympic Reflection

I was expecting to be teary-eyed and having the goose bumps feeling in this opening which more often than not happens to me during these kinds of ceremonies but I wasn’t. But what got me really teary was a news which featured the thousands of Chinese gathered near Tianamen Square waiting for the fireworks of the opening and shouting “Zhong guo jia you!”, Go China! It then reminded me also of a news of an emotional demonstration(just like protests) of the people of Chengdu after the Sichuan Earthquake last May 2008. They were on the streets also shouting “Zhong guo jia you”. Simply imagine the survivors of the Sichuan Earthquake who lost one or two of their family and friends shouting “Zhong guo jia you!” This scene was just moving. Moreover, the reason why I wasn’t teary was probably because I was already teary days even before the opening of the Games hoping and praying that we will get a hold of the long time dream of Filipinos since we started participating in the Games, an Olympic Gold Medal. I KNOW WE WILL. The Olympic Games have become more personal for me ever since I first remembered watching it on TV during the 1996 Atlanta Games and I certainly feel that the country needs motivation from the Games. This is the BEST TIME for the country to accomplish its long time dream so the Filipinos could move as one like what the Chinese presented during the opening ceremonies.

GO TEAM PILIPINAS!

Best Olympics opening ceremonies yet!

Incredible! While there are really some notable Olympics opening ceremonies in the past, the Beijing 2008 Olympics opening ceremonies is just incomparable and incredible! The representing each of the past Olympics Games which began in Tianamen Square and one at a time moving towards the “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium. Then it kicked-off with 2,008 drummers beating as one. It is just amazing how the Chinese maximized the resource that they are rich in this opening ceremony which is their people. The thousands of people moving as one and the wave-like movements of drummers, dancers and tai-chi performers, etc. is just extraordinary. In addition, the equipments they used brought together the ancient with modern technology is definitely unique. One exceptional part of the opening was when performers danced as “human brushes” and painted a Chinese scenery of mountains in a giant paper placed in the middle of the stadium. This giant paper will then be colored by children in another part of the opening. During the parade of athletes, the athletes would have to step on some kind of paint before the giant paper so they would add more color to the giant painting. Also, the thousands of fireworks which not only illuminated the opening at the “Bird’s Nest” but also throughout the city of Beijing was a delight to see. One of the most awaited parts of the ceremonies was the torch lighting at the National Stadium. The last man to light it was lifted up to the inside roof of the stadium, then he ran together with the image of a paper scroll opening all through the inside roof of the stadium until a giant torch appears at the end of the scroll. After the torch was lit, the finale of the fireworks display again illuminated the stadium and the entire city of Beijing. With more or less a billion dollars spent just on the opening ceremonies, the Chinese certainly produced the grandest opening ceremonies yet.

photo courtesy of
http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing

Beijing 2008 Olympics in Numbers

• $40 billion: total cost of hosting the Olympics
• 4 billion: the expected global TV audience
• 1 billion: potential tv audience in China alone for opening ceremony of Beijing Olympics
• 7 million: number of tickets sold
• 400,000: Chinese volunteers
• 100,000: number of army and police on duty during the Olympics
• 13,000: number of fireworks
• 10,708: athletes taking part
• 10,000: members of the cast for the opening ceremony
• 1,800: sites around Beijing from which fireworks will be launched during the opening
• 80: heads of state attending opening ceremony
• 31: Olympic venues in Beijing
• 7: cities hosting Olympic events: Beijing, Hong Kong, Qingdao, Tianjin, Shenyang, Shanghai, Qinhuangdao
  

and

• 1day to go

GO TEAM PILIPINAS!