As the 2008 Beijing Olympics draw closer, the spotlight falls on the athletes who will be competing on the sports world’s biggest stage in another edition of the Summer Olympic Games.

While we all watch in awe as these athletes ply their trades and do things that most of us can only dream of, it’s important to remember the dedication and determination involved in becoming Olympic level athletes.

You will only be even more impressed by these great individuals when you come to understand what it takes for them to reach the Olympic Games.

The important things you need to become Olympic athletes:

One important thing to keep in mind is that no one just becomes Olympic athletes. You can’t simply make it to the highest level of competition on natural talent alone. Every last athlete competing in each edition of the Olympics is successful based upon not only natural talent and ability, but years of hard work, preparation and planning.

Since the Olympics only come every four years, athletes will have to train for several years just to get one opportunity to be the best in the world at their sport of choice. If you think about it, that’s an incredible amount of sacrifice with no guaranteed reward at the end.

It seems that everyone dreams of participating in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

As kids, athletes all over the world imagine themselves on the sports world’s biggest stage, competing for glory while representing their countries and their families in friendly competition.

For those of us who aren’t able to compete in the Olympic Games, the next best thing is to be able to attend the Olympic Games.

For as long as they have existed, the Olympic Games have had an appeal and a tradition that set it apart from similar sporting events, and which somehow manage to capture the collective imaginations of people all over the world, whether or not they are normally sports fans.

Things to arrange and prepare before the Olympic Games arrive:

If you are among those that are lucky enough to be attending the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, you are most likely excited, but maybe a bit stressed out as well. After all, there are a lot of things to arrange and prepare before the Olympic Games arrive.

You may not have quite as much to think about as say, an Olympic gymnast or sprinter, but it’s understandable if the prospect of getting around during the Olympic Games is a bit daunting!

The 2008 Olympic games in Beijing will take place, depending on the event, in a variety of breathtaking and state of the art venues.

These locations are not just representing the pinnacle of modern architecture and design, but will also become the places where athletic and Olympic history is made in 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

If you want to become more familiar with just where some of the most important moments of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing will take place, read on.

Some venues of the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing:

First and foremost venue of 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing is National Stadium, which is located in Beijing on the Olympic Green. The stadium seats nearly 100,000, and will be home to the Opening as well as Closing Ceremonies.

The National Stadium contains a shopping center and a beautiful “green area” outside the stadium, and is notable for its modern and distinctive design, which has earned the National Stadium the nickname of the “Bird’s Nest”. National Stadium will host some of the most-watched events of the entire Beijing Olympics, including track and field events.

Each of the Olympic Games always comes complete with (sometimes) adorable mascots. Although the mascots from one Olympics to another vary in quality and how they are received by the fans of the Games, the tradition of having mascots to represent the spirit of the Olympics lives on.

Five Beijing Olympic mascots:

For this year’s Summer Olympics in Beijing, there are five mascots, each colored to represent one of the Olympic rings. Collectively, they are known as Fuwa. Fuwa not only are supposed to represent the Olympic rings, but also the five elements recognized by many Chinese people- the earth, sky, sea, fire and forest.

Individually, the mascots are named Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini. The syllables of their names are repeated to have a rhyming effect, which symbolizes a traditional way of referring affectionately to a child in China. When you put their names together, they become a sentence that translates to “Welcome to Beijing”, which adds another level of meaning to the mascot name game.

If you’ve wondered just what the mascots are supposed to be, wonder no further. They are each one of the more popular animals for Chinese children, along with Huanhuan, who is the Olympic flame itself. The four animals represented are a swallow (Nini), a panda (Jingjing), a fish (Beibei), and a Tibetan antelope (Yingying).

As we get closer and closer to the newest exciting installment of the Olympic Games, the Olympic athletes themselves are also preparing for the biggest event of their lives.

While cities, fans, and organizers are preparing to host, attend, or enjoy the Olympic Games, the Olympic athletes are doing preparation of their own to attempt to be recognized as among the world’s best athletes.

Before we watch the Olympic athletes take center stage in the Beijing Olympics, let’s take a look at what Olympic athletes go through to get themselves in position to be the best in the world.

What do Olympic athletes go through to get themselves in position to be the best in the world?

Olympic athletes have different lives depending on what kind of sport they participate in. Gymnasts, for example, begin their training at a very young age, many times as toddlers. After they show the aptitude and interest in gymnastics, their training is more and more serious as they spend much of their time perfecting their techniques and getting ready for competitions.

Gymnasts must be very hard-working and dedicated, as Olympic athletes train full-time while attending classes or working with tutors to acquire their education.

With an event that is as large in magnitude, tradition, and importance as the Summer Olympics, it’s understandable that not even a huge city can hold it on its own.

Each Olympic Games has co-host cities that assist in holding events, and Beijing’s 2008 summer Olympics are no exception.

If you would like to know more about the co-host cities of the 2008 Beijing summer Olympics, look no further!

Co-host cities of 2008 Beijing summer Olympics:

The co-host cities of the 2008 Beijing summer Olympics include Qingdao, Hong Kong, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Qinhuangdao. These cities were selected to assist with the hosting of the 2008 Summer Olympics not only for their proximity to Beijing, but also for their distinctive features and beauty.

The beautiful city of Qingdao will be home to sailing events during the 2008 Beijing summer Olympics, and rightfully so. A state of the art sailing center (the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center) will appease sailing competitors and fans alike, and the city of Qingdao itself is known for being a great summer resort.

The city is also very pleasurable during the months of July through September, which are considered the most comfortable weather months for Qingdao.

The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing have always been a captivating event for spectators to behold. Each edition of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing presents its own storylines, memorable moments, heroes, and inspirational events.

In this year’s 2008 Olympic games in Beijing, there will be many great stories that come seemingly out of nowhere, but there are also great stories that have already been set up, that will keep the attention of viewers worldwide as the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing join sports history as one of the biggest events ever.

With all the events taking place and athletes competing, it can be hard to even know what to follow.

Here’s a beginner’s guide to a few of the stories to watch as the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing draw progressively nearer:

In 2004’s Summer Olympic Games in Athens, one of the biggest surprises was the collapse of the U.S. men’s basketball team. The team started out with a loss to Puerto Rico, and would go on to lost two more games en route to a bronze medal. The three losses in the 2004 Olympic Games surpassed the number of losses that the U.S. team had endured in Olympic history before that point.

One of the early stories of the 2008 Beijing Olympics has been the plight of double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius of South Africa.

Born with a condition called congenital absence of the fibula in both of his legs, Oscar Pistorius has learned to be a world class sprinter with the help of carbon fiber “blades” that allow him to run much in the manner of an able-bodied athlete.

In January of 2008, the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) had ruled that since his carbon fiber blades supposedly gave him an advantage over his able-bodied counterparts that Oscar Pistorius could not race against them in competitions, including the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

International Association of Athletics Federations reasoning over Oscar Pistorius:

Much of the IAAF’s reasoning was based on a German professor’s research, which led to a belief that the carbon fiber blades, dubbed “Cheetah” blades, were unfair because of their energy efficiency.

However, Oscar Pistorius and his lawyers had their own independent tests conducted that claimed that the contrary was true, and that all the carbon fiber blades accomplish is to put Oscar Pistorius on “equal ground” with able-bodied competitors.

There are few Olympic sports which have the historic tradition that Olympic boxing has built over the years.

Few of the great Olympic boxers:

Great Olympic boxers such as Oscar de la Hoya, George Foreman, and “The Greatest” himself, Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) have fought and succeeded on the international stage at the Summer Olympic Games. Nowadays, Olympic boxing lives on as one of the more popular, and sometimes controversial, Olympic sports.

Whether you’ll be watching along with 13,000 other fans at the Worker’s Indoor Arena, or watching from the comfort of your own home, get prepare yourself for Olympic boxing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with this basic history and explanation of Olympic boxing.

The reason why Olympics didn’t include Olympic boxing as a sport:

Surprisingly, the first modern Olympics didn’t include boxing as an Olympic sport.

Olympic boxing was considered too violent. However, in 1904 boxing debuted at the St. Louis Olympic Games, albeit only as a demonstration sport. In 1908, boxing was included as a medal sport in London, but was once again, not a part of the Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden four years later. Finally, in the 1920 Olympic Games, boxing returned to stay (there were no 1916 Olympics).

Each edition of the Olympic Games showcases some of the finest athletes in the world doing what they do best while representing their home countries. This year’s Games in Beijing, China, will be no different.

There are so many great male athletes and female athletes, that it can be hard to know who to look out for. Here’s a few of the male athletes that you’ll want to keep an eye on during the Beijing Olympic Games.

Few male athletes in the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing:

Yao Ming is a Chinese basketball player who has blossomed to one of the best players in the entire world, and most likely the best player at his position anywhere. Yao has succeeded in the NBA, becoming the first Chinese player to do so, and has experienced international success in the past, being named to All-Tournament teams at the Olympics and World Championships.

Yao’s ultimate goal is to bring a gold medal to China, and the fact that this year’s Olympics are in his own home country only intensifies this desire. At over seven feet fall, Yao possesses uncommon agility, shooting ability, and passing, and will be playing his best basketball when the Olympic Games begin in Beijing. Don’t miss a moment of Yao and company on the court!