24 August 2008 - IOC Facts and Figures on Beijing 2008

IOC Facts and Figures on Beijing 2008 Beijing - 24 August 2008   Sport — Amazing Venues, Amazing Results   Ø      A record 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participating; record number of women participating Ø      132 Olympic records, 43 world records (as of 24 August 2008 at 9:30) Ø      A record 87 NOCs join medal count — the most ever Ø      First-ever medals for Afghanistan, Mauritius, Tajikistan and Togo; first-ever gold medals for Bahrain, Mongolia and Panama; first individual gold for India Ø      Rave reviews for venues, Olympic Village, transportation and Games organisation   International Popularity — On Track to Become the Most-Watched Games in History   Ø      More broadcast coverage to more people in more regions than ever Ø      First Olympic Games in history to have global digital coverage Ø      Record TV ratings in U.S. and China Ø      Record traffic to Games-related Web sites Ø      More visitors to IOC’s site in first week than during entire 2004 Games; site has received over 5 million unique visitors so far (compared to 2.8 million unique visitors during 2004, total) Ø      16.5 million views on IOC’s digital channel (YouTube), across Africa, Asia and the Middle East   Olympic Magic — Memorable Moments   Ø      Opening Ceremony awes international audience — Record audiences across the world’s major markets. 80 percent audience share in China. 50 percent share in U.S. and major European markets. Ø      Phelps wins eight gold medals Ø      Bolt streaks across finish line twice in 100-m and 200-m Ø      Georgian and Russian embrace at shooting range Ø      A half-million enthusiastic Chinese volunteers welcome Olympic visitors   Meeting Challenges
Doping   Ø     Zero tolerance gets results; nearly 40 cheaters caught before the Games, 4 cheaters caught by IOC during Games Ø     Record number of athletes tested, stringent new testing requirements   Air Quality   Ø      Competition opened on second consecutive day of Grade I air quality, a decade-long record for Beijing Ø      In the other 8 days, Beijing's air quality was Grade II, which still fell well within WHO and IOC standards Ø      Stringent monitoring protects athletes’ health   Attendance   Ø      Attendance has more than tripled since the start of the Beijing Games     Source: IOC