China bid for the [2000 Olympic Games] and considered themselves the favorite. They were quite upset when the bid went instead to Sydney, which put on a nonpareil Olympic Games. China returned to bid again for the 2008 Olympic Games, and was this time successful. China hoped to use the Olympics as Tokyo had in [1964] and Seoul in [1988] to prove itself to the international community. The IOC awarded the bid to Beijing despite political pressures of which it was aware – namely human rights abuses and media censorship within the nation. The international community noted this and did not forget.

Other problems arose with the bid as the Olympics came closer to fruition. The athletes' biggest concern was the atmosphere in Beijing itself. On a typical day, the Beijing sky made a London pea-souper appear like minestrone broth. Distance athletes, such as marathoners and cyclists, were particularly concerned and a few even declined to compete in those events. The Chinese government noted that it was taking steps to improve air quality but it seemed like whistling into the wind. The Chinese planned the most international ever Torch Relay, even planning on taking the Torch to the top of Mount Everest. What they did not plan on was the response of the international community, which found in the Torch Relay a way for them to express their displeasure with China's woeful record on human rights, their refusal to consider Tibetan independence, and their turning a blind eye to the tragedies in Darfur, while supporting that regime financially and politically. Multiple protests enveloped the Torch Relay, the Olympic Flame had to be closely guarded as the runners were physically attacked, and the route was changed several times, as the Flame passed thru nations and regions often unseen by the public.
Due to the concerns about human rights, Tibet, and Darfur, Mia Farrow, a former American actress, and many other prominent people started calls for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics. While these found few ears, Stephen Spielberg and Ang Lee, who were orchestrating the Opening Ceremony, withdrew from that role in protest. Several heads of state stated that they did not support a boycott, but that they personally would not attend the 2008 Olympics nor the Opening Ceremony, although eventually many did, including US President George W. Bush and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The media was also unhappy with the Chinese and with the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee. The broadcast media were initially told they could not telecast anything from Tiananmen Square, scene of student protests in 1989, though this was later rescinded to a degree. The Internet was censored in several different ways, which greatly limited the print media in the 21st century. The Beijing Organizing Committee (BOCOG) had promised the media uncensored Internet access, but one week before the Olympics started, they announced that would not be true, as they had promised, and that the media would have only "sufficient" access to the Internet, although the sufficiency was defined by the Chinese government and not the media. As a result, as the August start of the Beijing Olympics approached, almost nothing positive was written about it in the world media.
As to the ability to protest, the Chinese government did allow this, in a sense. They set up a protest zone in Beijing, although it was far from the Olympic venues, but also required that any protesters obtain a permit for their protest. Over 70 applications were received during the Olympics, but none were allowed. And two older women, both grandmothers, applied several times for permits and for their impertinence, were sentenced to hard labor in prison, though this was later rescinded after world-wide protests.
But then the Games began with a magical Opening Ceremony, and the world's press significantly changed its tune. Although the background problems were still around, they were somewhat ignored once the Olympics began. The Opening Ceremony was considered the most spectacular ever presented, although it came with a price tag rumored at $300 million (US) – for the ceremony alone. And the venues were first-rate as well, highlighted by the track & field main stadium – the [National Stadium], but called the Bird's Nest for its appearance; and the aquatics main stadium, called the [Water Cube]. Also spectacular were the [equestrian venues in Hong Kong]. The equestrian events were held in Hong Kong because of quarantine restrictions in mainland China, similar to what occurred in 1956 with Melbourne and Stockholm.
And it was in the Water Cube that the highlight of the sports occurred in Beijing. There, American swimmer [Michael Phelps], who had won six gold medals in Athina, entered eight events, and won eight gold medals. He won in almost every way possible – smashing world records and winning easily, such as in the [400 individual medley], having his teammate [Jason Lezak] pull out a narrow [4×100 freestyle relay] upset victory on the anchor leg, and narrowly out-touching silver medalist [Milorad Cavić] of Serbia in the [100 metre butterfly], winning by only 1/100th of a second. His medal haul brought his overall Olympic total to 14 gold medals and 16 medals in all – the most ever gold medals by any athlete, and the most ever medals by a man at the Olympics. His eight gold medals at a single Olympics surpassed the mark of seven set by [Mark Spitz] in [1972 at München].
On the track the individual star was Jamaica's young sprinter [Usain Bolt]. Bolt was only 21-years-old, but had first come to international prominence in 2002 at the World Junior Championships. Considered primarily a 200 runner until 2008, in May of the Olympic year he had broken the world record for 100 metres. His first event was the [100], which he won with a world record time of 9.69. But it was more the manner that he won. Well ahead by 70 metres, he shut down at 80, looking back, waving his arms in celebration and virtually jogging in. He still won the race by two metres and broke the world record. A few days later, he won the [200] gold medal in 19.30, breaking the supposedly inviolable world record of 19.32, set by [Michael Johnson] at the [1996 Olympics]. Finally, Bolt helped his Jamaican teammates win gold in the [4×100], again breaking the world record. Following in the footsteps of triple Olympic sprint gold medalists [Jesse Owens], [Bobby Morrow], and [Carl Lewis], only "The Lightning Bolt" could claim to have won all three golds with world records.
As a group the story of track & field was the Jamaican sprinters. In addition to Bolt and the Jamaican men's 4×100 relay, [Shelly-Ann Fraser] won the [women's 100], leading a Jamaican medal sweep, [Veronica Campbell-Brown] won the [women's 200], followed by [Kerron Stewart] who won a bronze, [Shericka Williams] took bronze in the [women's 400], and [Melanie Walker] won the [women's 400 hurdles]. Their only stumble came in the [women's 4×100], which they were heavily favored to win until they dropped the baton during an exchange in the final, and did not finish.
On another track, Great Britain dominated cycling. After making a nationalized effort to win medals in cycling, this came thru in a big way in Beijing as they won five of seven gold medals in men's track cycling and two of four in women's track cycling. The star of the velodrome was Britain's [Chris Hoy], who won the [match sprint], the [keirin], and led his British teammates to gold in the Olympic [team sprint].
Overall, the Chinese had made a huge effort, as do most host countries, to improve their medal standings. For the Chinese, this worked, as they led the gold medal table with 51 gold medals to the 36 won by the United States. Overall, the US won the most medals, with 110, but the Chinese improved to second there with 100 medals of any color.
In the end the Beijing Olympics were considered one of the most beautifully conducted Olympic Games ever. The IOC had always stated that they hoped bringing the Olympics to China would help open up the country politically, as the 1988 Seoul Olympics had done. Whether or not this will occur cannot be determined as this is written. The final legacy of the Beijing Olympics will only be known years from now. Taken from http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/2008/