Time really flies. The extraordinary 16-day event – the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games – has come to an end with compliments and happiness from all over the world. Remembering when we counted down to the Games with a longing heart, it is truly a bit depressing when witnessing the finale of this great party.
The 29th Olympic Games was highly praised by athletes, visitors and audience worldwide. The president of the International Olympic Committee even described it as “truly exceptional”, hinting that it is better than any Olympic Games before. China holding the Olympic Games has long been the dream of Chinese, and now it has come true. From the performances in the Opening Ceremony and competition facilities, to the joyful Closing Ceremony, everything was so well-planned and impressive that I would even say “flawless”.
Apart from the organisers, the whole event would have been impossible without volunteers’ help. The number of volunteers reached an unprecedented 1.7 million and they took care of almost all details. They opened doors for visitors, guided people to the right place and even participated in shows in the Opening and Closing ceremonies. The volunteers had to be trained beforehand to ensure their quality. Some of the show performers even started practising more than a year ago! We all have to express our wholehearted gratitude to these volunteers who asked for no reward despite sweating and tearing so much.
Concerning competitions in the Games, all Chinese must have experienced tremendous joy, which was also mingled with pain. Chinese athletes have grabbed the most number of gold medals ever – fifty-one. Besides the items in which the Chinese are traditionally adept at, our valiant sportsmen have again proved to the world that China is improving, by achieving conspicuous results in events such as swimming, canoe, archery and boxing.
More than that, audience got two chances in the Beijing Olympics to witness the raising of three China national flags together in the victory ceremony. Both came from table-tennis. With only three Chinese athletes competing in Men and Women Singles respectively, all the medals were successfully grabbed into Chinese pockets. The scene in the flag-raising ceremony was extremely touching as the athletes added so much luster to our nation.
In contrast to victories and gold medals, the famous Chinese hurdler, Liu Xiang, retreated from the 110m hurdles on account of the injury to his leg tendons. Perhaps the burden of 1.3 billion Chinese people was far too heavy for Liu. On running tracks that day, Liu Xiang attended the race and did warm-ups. Unfortunately, he suffered from so much pain that he could hardly run and clear a hurdle. Liu’s twisted visage due to ache and disappointment was deeply engraved upon my heart. Although his withdrawal from the game has let us down, it was just a timely and correct move to avoid further hurt. We Chinese will surely wait for his return in the 2012 London Games.
All in all, the Beijing Olympic Games has been an all-time success, attributed to the smooth coordination of all organising parties and helpers. Also, Chinese athletes performed their best of the best in their home country and brought honours to all Chinese people. We are proud of our nation! We are proud of the Beijing Olympic Games!