28 sports
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad and commonly known as Beijing 2008, was an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008 in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events.

On their reverse side, the medals are inlaid with jade with the emblem of the 2008 Games in Beijing engraved in the metal centrepiece. The design inspiration of the medal hook derives from jade “huang”, a ceremonial jade piece decorated with a double dragon pattern and “pu”, the reed mat pattern.

As a result, while more than 10,000 athletes participated in the 2008 Games, and women’s participation increased over previous Games, female athletes were still receiving more than 1,000 fewer participation opportunities than their male counterparts.

Olympic gold – The gold medal contains 550 grams of silver ($490) covered in 6 grams of gold plating ($380). That puts its monetary value at about $870.

An unprecedented 87 countries won at least one medal during the 2008 Games….2008 Summer Olympics.

Michael Phelps won his sixth Olympic event as he captured the gold in the 200-metre individual medley, breaking his own world record in the process. American gymnast Nastia Liukin won the gold in the women’s individual all-around competition.

Beijing 2008 The Medals (GETTY IMAGES ASIAPAC) For the first time, jade is used for the Beijing Olympic medals. The medals have been designed with inspiration coming from “bi”, China’s ancient jade piece inscribed with a dragon pattern.

These were also the third Summer Olympic Games staged in a developing country after the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City and the 1980 Olympics in Moscow . Beijing was awarded the 2008 Games over four competitors on 13 July 2001, having won a majority of votes from members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after two rounds of voting.

Belarusian athletes Vadim Devyatovskiy and Ivan Tsikhan, who won silver and bronze respectively in the men’s hammer throw, both tested positive for abnormal levels of testosterone. After attending a disciplinary hearing in September 2008, they were stripped of their medals on 11 December 2008.

The National Stadium, nick-named the “Bird’s Nest”, and the National Swimming Centre, known as the “Water Cube”, were both stunning symbols of the new Beijing. In cycling, the road race followed the Great Wall and passed in front of the “Forbidden City”—two symbols of the thousand-year-old history of the city.