Olympics Opening Ceremony has always been the highlight at any Summer Games. Many believed that the lighting of the Olympic flame at the 1992 Barcelona would be difficult to emulate in future. Archer Antonio Rebollo delivered one of the greatest clutch performances in the history of the Summer Games by firing a flaming arrow into the caldron that sat atop the stadium and lit the official flame at 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony: A Night To Remember
16 years and three Olympics later, China gave an unforgettable night on August 8, 2008, as gymnast Li Ning soared towards the night sky appearing out of thin air to light the Beijing 2008 Olympic Cauldron.
That act by Li Ning was the pinnacle of many of the spectacular moments at the Olympics opening ceremony in Bird’s Nest.
The grandeur spectacle through which Beijing showed its might came after months of dedication in rehearsing and culminated in what was hailed as China’s proudest night.
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The Beijing Olympics opening ceremony began with 2,008 drummers beating a rhythm on traditional fou drums in unison. 29 colossal footprints appear across the city towards the Olympic park in a series of firework explosions that was specially curated for the television audience. The Bird’s Nest was claimed to be the first stadium designed specifically with an Olympic Ceremony in mind.
The parade of nations at the 2008 Beijing Olympics was the longest yet as 204 nations took part at the Summer Games. In another surprise element, placards with thousands of smiling faces of children that were collected from across the world by the Organizing Committee over the previous year were displayed by volunteers.
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The Chinese spent a whopping $300 million to put up the dazzling Olympics opening ceremony that remains unmatched. Around 15k performers took part at the grand opening even as a giant LED screen ran throughout the stadium. According to reports, over two billion people – the biggest live audience in human history-tuned in to watch the show. The Beijing Games became the most watched Summer Games in the history of the Olympics.
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At the end of the show, Zang Yimou, the director of the opening ceremony said, “We had one goal, to show the world an excellent Opening Ceremony. We did that!”
Beijing indeed set a monumental challenge for successive hosts to match its feat at the Olympics opening ceremony. London, Rio De Janeiro, Tokyo and Paris did their best but the magic of Beijing still lingers.
