The 2008 Summer Olympics were held in Beijing, People's Republic of China, from 8 August to 24 August 2008. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees (NOC) participated. Overall, 302 events in 28 sports were held; 165 events were opened to men, 127 were opened to women and 10 were mixed events. In total there was one more event than in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
Nine new events were held, including two from the new cycling discipline of BMX. Women competed in the 3000 metre steeplechase for the first time. Marathon open water swimming events for men and women, over the distance of 10 kilometres, were added to the swimming discipline. Team events (men and women) in table tennis replaced the doubles events. In fencing, women's team foil and women's team sabre replaced men's team foil and women's team épée. Two sports were open only to men, baseball and boxing, while one sport and one discipline were open only to women, softball and synchronized swimming. Equestrian is the only sport in which men and women compete together in the same events. Baseball and softball may have made their last appearances in Olympics history during these Games, as the International Olympic Committee voted to remove them from the programme of the 2012 Olympics. A total of 958 medals for events (302 gold, 303 silver and 353 bronze) were awarded. In boxing, judo, taekwondo and wrestling, two bronze medals are awarded in each weight class. Therefore, the total number of bronze medals is greater than the total number of gold or silver medals. Additionally, there were ties for a silver medal and two bronze medals.
A total of 1,881 individual athletes won medals. Chinese athletes won the most gold medals with 48 (100 total), and the United States won the most total medals with 112 (including 36 gold). Athletes from 87 countries won medals, while 55 nations won at least one gold medal, both setting new records for Olympic Games. Athletes from Afghanistan (Rohullah Nikpai – Taekwondo, men's 58 kg), Mauritius (Bruno Julie – boxing, bantamweight), Sudan (Ismail Ahmed Ismail – athletics, men's 800 m), Tajikistan (Rasul Boqiev – judo, men's 73 kg), and Togo (Benjamin Boukpeti – canoeing, men's K-1 slalom) won their NOCs' first Olympic medal. Athletes from Mongolia (Naidangiin Tüvshinbayar – judo, men's 100 kg), and Panama (Irving Saladino – athletics, men's long jump) won their nations' first gold medal.
American swimmer Michael Phelps was the most successful athlete, winning eight gold medals and setting a new record for most golds won in a single edition of the Olympics (the previous record, seven, had been set in 1972 by Mark Spitz). Phelps also set a new record for most career gold medals (14), and his 16 total medals were ranked second all-time behind Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina (18) at the time. In 2012 Phelps set a record for most total medals. Several records for career medals in a sport were tied or surpassed, including cycling (Bradley Wiggins of the United Kingdom won two gold, tied for record with six career medals); judo (Ryoko Tani of Japan won a bronze, five career medals); softball (Laura Berg of the United States won a gold and Natalie Ward, Melanie Roche and Tanya Harding of Australia won a bronze; all have four career medals); swimming (Michael Phelps, 16 career medals); taekwondo (Steven López of the United States won a bronze and Hadi Saei of Iran won a gold, both three career medals); and table tennis (Wang Nan of China won a gold and silver medal, five career medals).
The 2008 Olympics had the most medals stripped for doping violations (50). The leading country is Russia with 14 medals stripped.
{| id="toc" class="toc" summary="Contents" |- | style="text-align:center;" colspan=3|Contents
Archery Athletics Badminton Baseball Basketball Boxing Canoeing Cycling Diving Equestrian Fencing |valign=top| Field hockey Football Gymnastics Handball Judo Modern pentathlon Rowing Sailing Shooting Softball |valign=top| Swimming Synchronized swimming Table tennis Taekwondo Tennis Triathlon Volleyball Water polo Weightlifting Wrestling |- | style="text-align:center;" colspan="3"| Statistics References |} __NOTOC__
Archery
Men's individualWomen's individualMen's teamIm Dong-HyunLee Chang-hwanPark Kyung-MoIlario Di BuòMarco GaliazzoMauro NespoliJiang LinLi WenquanXue HaifengWomen's teamJoo Hyun-JungPark Sung-hyunYun Ok-heeChen LingGuo DanZhang JuanjuanVirginie ArnoldSophie DodemontBérengère Schuh
Athletics
Men's 100 m Women's 100 mNoneMen's 200 m Women's 200 mMen's 400 mWomen's 400 mMen's 800 m Women's 800 mMen's 1500 m Women's 1500 mMen's 5000 mWomen's 5000 mMen's 10,000 m Women's 10,000 mMen's marathonWomen's marathonMen's 110 m hurdlesWomen's 100 m hurdlesMen's 400 m hurdlesWomen's 400 m hurdlesMen's 3000 m steeplechaseWomen's 3000 m steeplechaseMen's 4 × 100 m relayKeston BledmanMarc BurnsEmmanuel CallenderRichard ThompsonAaron ArmstrongNaoki TsukaharaShingo SuetsuguShinji TakahiraNobuharu AsaharaVicente Lima Sandro Viana Bruno de Barros José Carlos Moreira Women's 4 × 100 m relayOlivia BorléeHanna MariënÉlodie OuédraogoKim GevaertEne Franca IdokoGloria KemasuodeHalimat IsmailaOludamola OsayomiAgnes OsazuwaRosemar Coelho NetoLucimar de MouraThaissa PrestiRosângela SantosMen's 4 × 400 m relayLaShawn MerrittAngelo TaylorDavid NevilleJeremy WarinerKerron ClementReggie WitherspoonAndretti BainMichael MathieuAndrae WilliamsChristopher BrownAvard MoncurRamon MillerMartyn RooneyAndrew SteeleRobert TobinMichael BinghamWomen's 4 × 400 m relayMary WinebergAllyson FelixMonique HendersonSanya RichardsNatasha HastingsShericka WilliamsShereefa LloydRosemarie WhyteNovlene WilliamsBobby-Gaye WilkinsChristine OhuruoguKelly SothertonMarilyn OkoroNicola SandersMen's 20 km walkWomen's 20 km walkMen's 50 km walkMen's high jumpWomen's high jumpMen's pole vaultWomen's pole vaultMen's long jumpWomen's long jumpMen's triple jumpWomen's triple jumpMen's shot putWomen's shot putMen's discus throwWomen's discus throwMen's hammer throwWomen's hammer throwMen's javelin throwWomen's javelin throwMen's decathlonWomen's heptathlon
Badminton
Men's singlesWomen's singlesMen's doublesMarkis KidoHendra SetiawanCai YunFu HaifengHwang Ji-manLee Jae-jinWomen's doublesDu JingYu YangLee Hyo-jungLee Kyung-wonWei YiliZhang YawenMixed doublesLee Yong-daeLee Hyo-jungNova WidiantoLiliyana NatsirHe HanbinYu Yang
Baseball
Men's teamRyu Hyun-JinHan Ki-JooPark Jin-ManKwon HyukLee Taek-KeunLee Dae-HoOh Seung-HwanBong Jung-KeunKo Young-MinLee Jong-WookJeong Keun-WooKim Min-JaeJin Kab-YongLee Jin-YoungJang Won-SamSong Seung-JunKim Kwang-HyunLee Yong-KyuKim Dong-JooKang Min-HoHyun-soo KimLee Seung-YeopChong Tae-HyonYoon Suk-MinAriel PestanoYoandry UrgellésAlfredo DespaigneLuis RodríguezAlexei BellYadier PedrosoJonder MartínezAdiel PalmaLuis NavasGiorvis DuvergelAlexander MayetaEriel SánchezRolando MeriñoHéctor OliveraMichel EnríquezYuliesky GourrielVicyohandry OdelínPedro Luis LazoEduardo ParetNorberto GonzálezNorge Luis VeraFrederich CepedaElier SánchezMiguel LaheraBrett AndersonBlaine NealMatt BrownNate SchierholtzJeremy CummingsMichael KoploveTerry TiffeeKevin JepsenBrian DuensingDexter FowlerBrandon KnightMike HessmanCasey WeathersJason DonaldJayson NixTaylor TeagardenStephen StrasburgJake ArrietaLou MarsonMatt LaPortaTrevor CahillBrian BardenJohn GallJeff Stevens
Basketball
Men's teamCarmelo AnthonyCarlos BoozerChris BoshKobe BryantDwight HowardLeBron JamesJason KiddChris PaulTayshaun PrinceMichael ReddDwyane WadeJosé CalderónRudy FernándezJorge GarbajosaMarc GasolPau GasolCarlos JiménezRaúl LópezÁlex MumbrúJuan Carlos NavarroFelipe ReyesBerni RodríguezRicky RubioCarlos DelfinoManu GinóbiliRomán GonzálezJuan Pedro GutiérrezLeonardo GutiérrezFederico KammerichsAndrés NocioniFabricio ObertoAntonio PortaPablo PrigioniPaolo QuinterosLuis ScolaWomen's teamSeimone AugustusSue BirdTamika CatchingsSylvia FowlesKara LawsonLisa LeslieDeLisha Milton-JonesCandace ParkerCappie PondexterKatie SmithDiana TaurasiTina ThompsonSuzy BatkovicTully BevilaquaRohanee CoxHollie GrimaKristi HarrowerLauren JacksonErin PhillipsEmma RandallJennifer ScreenBelinda SnellLaura SummertonPenny TaylorSvetlana AbrosimovaBecky HammonMarina KarpuninaIlona KorstinMarina KuzinaYekaterina LisinaIrina OsipovaOxana RakhmatulinaTatiana ShchegolevaIrina SokolovskayaMaria StepanovaNatalia Vodopyanova
Boxing
Light flyweightFlyweightBantamweightFeatherweightLightweightLight welterweightWelterweightMiddleweightLight heavyweightHeavyweightSuper heavyweight
Canoeing
Flatwater Men's C-1 500 mMen's C-1 1000 mMen's C-2 500 mMeng GuanliangYang WenjunSergey UleginAleksandr KostoglodChristian GilleTomasz WylenzekMen's C-2 1000 mAndrei BahdanovichAliaksandr BahdanovichChristian GilleTomasz WylenzekGyörgy KozmannTamás KissMen's K-1 500 mMen's K-1 1000 mMen's K-2 500 mSaúl CraviottoCarlos PérezRonald RauheTim WieskötterRaman PiatrushenkaVadzim MakhneuMen's K-2 1000 mMartin HollsteinAndreas IhleKim Wraae KnudsenRené Holten PoulsenAndrea FacchinAntonio ScadutoMen's K-4 1000 mRaman PiatrushenkaAliaksei AbalmasauArtur LitvinchukVadzim MakhneuRichard RiszdorferMichal RiszdorferErik VlčekJuraj TarrLutz AltepostNorman BröcklTorsten EckbrettBjörn GoldschmidtWomen's K-1 500 mWomen's K-2 500 mKatalin KovácsNatasa JanicsBeata MikołajczykAneta KoniecznaMarie DelattreAnne-Laure ViardWomen's K-4 500 mFanny FischerNicole ReinhardtKatrin Wagner-AugustinConny WaßmuthKatalin KovácsGabriella SzabóDanuta KozákNatasa JanicsLisa OldenhofHannah DavisChantal MeekLyndsie Fogarty
Slalom Men's slalom C-1Men's slalom C-2Peter HochschornerPavol HochschornerJaroslav VolfOndřej ŠtěpánekMikhail KuznetsovDmitry LarionovMen's slalom K-1Women's slalom K-1
Cycling
Road Men's road raceMen's time trialWomen's road raceWomen's time trial
Track Men's KeirinMen's MadisonJuan CuruchetWalter PérezJoan LlanerasAntonio TaulerMikhail IgnatievAlexei MarkovMen's points raceMen's individual pursuitMen's team pursuitEd ClancyPaul ManningGeraint ThomasBradley WigginsCasper JørgensenJens-Erik MadsenMichael MørkøvAlex RasmussenMichael Færk ChristensenSam BewleyHayden RoulstonMarc RyanJesse SergentWestley GoughMen's sprintMen's team sprintChris HoyJason KennyJamie StaffGrégory BaugéKévin SireauArnaud TournantRené EndersMaximilian LevyStefan NimkeWomen's points raceWomen's pursuitWomen's sprint
Mountain bike Men's cross-countryWomen's cross-country
BMX Men's BMXWomen's BMX
Diving
Men's 3 m springboardWomen's 3 m springboardMen's 10 m platformWomen's 10 m platformMen's synchronized 3 m springboardQin KaiWang FengDmitri SautinYuriy KunakovIllya KvashaOleksiy PrygorovWomen's synchronized 3 m springboardGuo JingjingWu MinxiaYuliya PakhalinaAnastasia PozdniakovaDitte KotzianHeike FischerMen's synchronized 10 m platformLin YueHuo LiangPatrick HausdingSascha KleinGleb GalperinDmitriy DobroskokWomen's synchronized 10 m platformWang XinChen RuolinBriony ColeMelissa WuPaola EspinosaTatiana Ortiz
Equestrian
Individual dressageTeam dressageNadine CapellmannHeike KemmerIsabell WerthAnky van GrunsvenHans Peter MinderhoudImke SchellekensAndreas HelgstrandAnne van OlstNathalie zu Sayn WittgensteinIndividual eventingTeam eventingAndreas DibowskiIngrid KlimkeFrank OstholtHinrich RomeikePeter ThomsenClayton FredericksLucinda FredericksSonja JohnsonMegan JonesShane RoseKristina CookDaisy DickWilliam Fox-PittSharon HuntMary KingIndividual jumpingTeam jumpingLaura KrautBeezie MaddenWill SimpsonMcLain WardMac ConeJill HenselwoodEric LamazeIan Millar Christina LiebherrPius SchwizerNiklaus SchurtenbergerSteve Guerdat
Fencing