Beijing Olympics closing ceremony: Artistic performance Live Video Download
Beijing 2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony Revealed: The following is a preview of the artistic performance staged at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on Sunday night.
The closing ceremony focuses on the theme of “harmony, friendship and joy,” and consists of three chapters.
CHAPTER 1: REUNION
Beijing 2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony
Exciting drumbeats summon people to gather under the Olympic flag; beautiful and melodious silver bells glistening with bright radiance light up the dream in people’s hearts.
The beautiful melody arouses the upsurge of the joyful celebrations; the glittering bright light makes the joyful atmosphere reach the climax.
CHAPTER 2: MEMORY — EXTINGUISHING THE OLYMPIC FLAME
Beijing 2008 Olympic Closing Ceremony
This performance is the highlight of the whole ceremony. By means of brand new space of visual image and original form of body performance, the spectacular moments in the 16 days of Beijing Olympic Games are shown magically to the world audience.
When the holy flame of the Games is extinguished, a “holy Olympic flame burning forever” performance conveys to the whole world the Olympic spirit of man’s pursuit of “Citius, Altius, Fortius.” It lauds the spirit of the athletes who strive to excel during the Beijing Olympic Games, and also highlights the precious memories of the Games.
CHAPTER 3: CARNIVAL
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Beijing 2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony
At the moment of passionately celebrating the successful conclusion of the Beijing Games, famous Chinese and foreign artists take the stage in succession and sing together, sending the best wishes from Beijing with songs and building a bridge of friendship with dances. All athletes revel in the stadium and celebrate friendship.
Olympic Dream Helps Chinese Kids Beat Pain in Drive for London
Aug. 25 (Bloomberg) — Zhang Jing has practiced vaults and somersaults since she was 3 years old and spends 5 hours a day straining bone and muscle at a Beijing sports school, dreaming of winning a gold medal at the London Olympics.
Watching her schoolmates He Kexin and Zhang Yining secure four of China’s Games-high 51 golds at the Beijing Games has spurred the 14-year-old to push harder for her goal.
“When I see my school friends getting into national teams and becoming champions, I want to join them,” said Zhang, after hopping from the balance beam. “My back aches a lot in training but when I think about standing on the podium, I just perk up.”
Zhang is one of 400,000 pupils practicing at more than 3,000 sports schools in China. They will graduate into state-of- the-art training setups, backed by a government that says it will maintain the same level of sports funding even after the Olympic flame went out in the Bird’s Nest stadium last night.
Zhang’s generation will compete for places on the 2012 team with Olympic rookies who won more than half of the host’s titles in Beijing. Put it all together and China’s finish atop the gold-medal standings for the first time may not be a one-off driven by home advantage.
“They will do even better at London,” Peter Ueberroth, the U.S. Olympic Committee chairman, told reporters. “What this is, is a signal to the world.”
A world that had gotten used to the U.S. dominating since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
`Spectacular’
Either the U.S or the Soviets held the top place in the gold-medal table since 1948. The Americans matched their 36 golds at Athens four years ago in missing out on the No. 1 spot for the first time since 1992. In total medals, they improved to a Games-leading 110 — 10 more than China.
“We’ve done everything we need to perform here,” said Steve Roush, the U.S. committee’s chief of sports performance. “Hats off to China, they had a spectacular Games.”
Zhang’s Beijing Xiannongtan Athletics Technique School receives 600 applications for every 100 places each year — an indication that the conveyor belt of talent isn’t about to stop.
China has spent $4.5 billion on sports in the past decade, while sports ministry funding of 800 million yuan ($117 million) a year will be maintained and may increase if lottery revenue rises, Liu Peng, China’s top sports official, said at a news conference yesterday. Even so, analysts doubt the spending splurge can continue.
Focus Remains
China put in “unlimited resources and effort for the Olympics,” said Chris Renner, president of Beijing-based Helios Partners China, which advises Olympic sponsors. “The focus will still be there but there’s just no way they can sustain the kind of money they’ve poured into it this time.”
In Beijing, China furthered its dominance of sports it led in Athens — winning 29 of the 52 golds in weightlifting, diving, shooting and artistic gymnastics. It claimed first titles in archery, rowing, sailing, boxing and men’s fencing.
Those successes owed something to China’s “Plan for Olympic Glory,” formulated in 2002, in which the government called for full-time national teams, increased support and more overseas experience for athletes, and upgraded facilities. Thirty-eight foreign coaches brought expertise in 17 sports.
“We’ve been working hard for two years now,” said Frenchman Christian Bauer, who helped Zhong Man secure China’s first men’s fencing gold. “Zhong is a good student.”
What impresses Uebberoth is the speed of China’s ascent. The most populous nation only rejoined the Olympics in 1984 after a 32-year hiatus, winning 15 golds and 32 total medals in the Los Angeles Games.
`Dedication’
“I live on the beach and watch beach volleyball and it takes 20 years to get a player,” said Ueberroth. “And they were silver — almost a gold — and bronze in women’s. They have dedication, a high degree of discipline and dedication.”
China still has ground to make up in sports offering the most medals. Its post-2000 Olympics “Project 119” — targeting the 119 gold medals then available in track and field, swimming, rowing, kayak and sailing — produced four golds in Beijing, the same as in Athens. Liu Xiang’s withdrawal from the 110-meter hurdles left the home team without a track win.
“We excel in few of the biggest events,” said Liu, the China team chief. “There is still a huge gap between China and outstanding teams like the U.S. We must be humble, cautious and keep a sober mind.”
There are about 1.3 billion other reasons why China may find it hard to sustain its performance in London and beyond. In the past 60 years, only Australia in 2004 has won more medals four years after performing in front of its own fans.
Crowd Factor
“I really felt the heat from the audience,” said Liu Zige, a 19-year-old rookie who broke the 200-meter butterfly record to secure China’s only swim gold.
Some of that audience will be striving for a ticket to the London Games. Zhang, the gymnastics hopeful, watched Liu collect her gold medal, along with schoolmates He and Zhang, and returned to the gym with renewed vigor.
“I can see so much pride on their faces when they become champions and I am so envious,” Zhang said, walking back to the beam to prepare for her next routine. “I want to be a champion and, yes, now I believe I can.”
Beijing 2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony Revealed: The following is a preview of the artistic performance staged at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on Sunday night. Editing by James Charles
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