Talkin Sport - BEIJING GAMES: FACTS AND FIGURES

· A record 204 NOCs participating; record number of women participating
· 132 Olympic records, 43 world records (as of 24/8 at 9:30)
· A record 87 NOCs join medal count — the most ever
· First-ever medals for Afghanistan, Mauritius, Tajikistan and Togo; first-ever gold medals for Bahrain, Mongolia and Panama; first individual gold for India.

International Popularity — On Track To Become the Most-Watched Games in History
· More broadcast coverage to more people in more regions than ever
· First Olympic Games in history to have global digital coverage
· Record TV ratings in U.S. and China
· Record traffic to Games-related Web sites
· 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)
· 16.5 million views on IOC’s digital channel (YouTube), across Africa, Asia and the Middle East

Olympic Magic — Memorable Moments
· 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.
· Phelps wins eight gold medals
· Bolt streaks across finish line twice in 100-m and 200-m
· Georgian and Russian embrace at shooting range
· A half-million enthusiastic Chinese volunteers welcome Olympic visitors

Meeting Challenges
Doping
- Zero tolerance gets results; nearly 40 cheaters caught before the Games, 4 cheaters caught by IOC during Games
- Record number of athletes tested, stringent new testing requirements
Air Quality
- Competition opened on second consecutive day of Grade I air quality, a decade-long record for Beijing
- In the other 8 days, Beijing's air quality was Grade II, which still fell well within WHO and IOC standards
- Stringent monitoring protects athletes’ health
Attendance
- Attendance has more than tripled since the start of the Beijing Games

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Stuart Appleby