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2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China, from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...
closing ceremony was held at the
Beijing National Stadium The National Stadium (), the Bird's Nest (), is a stadium at Olympic Green in Chaoyang, Beijing, Chaoyang, Beijing, China. The National Stadium, covering an area of 204,000 square meters with an 80,000 person capacity (91,000 with temporary ...
, also known as the Bird's Nest. It began at 8:00 pm
China Standard Time The time in China follows a single standard UTC offset, time offset of UTC+08:00, where Beijing is located, even though the country spans five geographical time zones. It is the largest sovereign nation in the world that officially observes only ...
(
UTC+8 UTC+08:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +08:00. It is the most populous time zone in the world, as well as a possible candidate for ASEAN Common Time, mainly due to China's large population, with an estimated population ...
) on September 17, 2008.English People's Daily.
People's daily
" ''2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony – Beijing.'' Retrieved on 2008-09-28.
The number 8 is associated with prosperity and confidence in
Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the Cradle of civilization#Ancient China, world's earliest cultures, said to originate five thousand years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia called the Sinosphere as a whole ...
.


Sequence of events

The closing ceremony took place on September 17, 2008 in the National Stadium . The sequence of events was; # People's Liberation Army Navy Band performed the "Welcome March" song to welcome
Hu Jintao Hu Jintao (born 21 December 1942) is a Chinese retired politician who served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2002 to 2012, the president of China from 2003 to 2013, and chairman of the Central Military Comm ...
,
President of the People's Republic of China The president of China, officially the president of the People's Republic of China, is the List of state representatives of the People's Republic of China, state representative of the China, People's Republic of China. On its own, it is a Fig ...
and
Philip Craven Sir Philip Lee Craven (born 4 July 1950) is an English sports administrator, former Paralympic wheelchair basketball player, swimmer and track and field athlete. Between 2001 and 2017 he was the second president of the International Para ...
, President of the
International Paralympic Committee The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; ) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nin ...
#Countdown started from "60", "50", "40", "30", "20", "10" to "1" as highlights of this
2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China, from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...
games countdown were shown with countdown numbers on the screen to the Games and herald the start of the officially closing time at 20:00:00
China Standard Time The time in China follows a single standard UTC offset, time offset of UTC+08:00, where Beijing is located, even though the country spans five geographical time zones. It is the largest sovereign nation in the world that officially observes only ...
. #Raising and unfurling fly end the national flag of China and playing the Chinese national anthem #Entrance of the flags of all delegations #Entrance of the athletes of all delegations #Performance: Write the Postcard – "Cartoon postmen" come to the Bird's Nest to invite audience members to write their wishes on postcards. The Closing Ceremony of the Paralympic Games will be presented on a plain stage, a stretch of ordinary lawn serving as the center of the performances. When the spectators first enter the National Stadium, they find no stage in a traditional sense in the huge stadium, only a stretch of grass. Director
Zhang Yimou Zhang Yimou (; born 14 November 1950) is a Chinese filmmaker.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retrieved 21 August 2008. A leading figure of China's Cinem ...
assured reporters that the field of the Bird's Nest was left in its original state on purpose, to serve as the backdrop for Closing Ceremony performances. He believes that the field itself expresses a language of art. At the Closing Ceremony, flowers will bloom on the grass, forming the words "A Letter to the Future" in both Chinese and English. #The Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award was given out shortly after the firework to two recipients.Beijing Review.
Beijing review.com.cn
" ''Paralympic closing ceremony.'' Retrieved on 2008-09-28.
::*
Said Gomez Said Gomez (born 1966) is a Panamanian athlete. Visually impaired, having "lost his sight at a young age", he has represented Panama at five consecutive editions of the Summer Paralympic Games. He has won a total of eight Paralympi ...
, a participant of
athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...
for
Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
, aged 42, is a five-time Paralympian. He lost his sight at a young age and went through his father's discouragement and punishment to take part in his first Paralympics in 1992 where he won a gold and silver medals. The Panamanian NPC was only established in 2006 and prior to that, Gomez attended the Paralympics at his own expense. Since 1982, Gomez, who makes his living by farming, has been coaching children able bodied and with disabilities just for the love of sports. For the first time in his six Paralympics, Gomez returned home without a medal as he failed to progress through the first round in both his events – the 1,500m and 5,000m. ::*
Natalie du Toit Natalie du Toit OIG MBE (; born 29 January 1984) is a South African swimmer. She is best known for the gold medals she won at the 2004 Paralympic Games as well as the Commonwealth Games. She was one of two Paralympians to compete at the 2008 S ...
, a South African
swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
, aged 24, who lost her lower left leg in a motorcycle accident in 2001, won five gold medals at the Beijing Paralympics to equal her haul from
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
. Du Toit is also the first female amputee to compete in an able-bodied Olympics. She finished 16th among 25 competitors in the 10-kilometer open-water swim at the Beijing Games. #New members of the IPC Athletes’ Commission are presented – The six new members of the Athlete's Commission present flowers to 12 representatives of Games volunteers. #Exit of the flags of all delegations. #Performance ##Red Leaves of Fragrant Hill – The red leaves of Fragrant Hill, a famous scenic spot in Beijing, are famous for their beautiful shape and dazzling colors. In this chapter, the red leaves become an artistic image representing the people of Beijing and all expressing sincere good wishes to friends from around the world. ##Sowing ##Watering ##Harvest ##Celebration #Performance: Mail It to the Future – One hundred "postmen" standing on top of the Bird's Nest drop petals ceremoniously; while another 100 "postmen" fly up and down the rim of the Bird's Nest like swan geese. They solemnly deliver the colorful postcards signed by Beijing people and the audience present to the athletes of all delegations, one by one... The "postmen" among the audience also drop the postcards of the audience into the postbox in the stadium to send them to the places all over the world through
China Post China Post, officially the China Post Group Corporation, is the national postal service corporation of the China, People's Republic of China. It is incorporated as a state-owned enterprise. China Post shares its office with the sub-ministry- ...
. #Speeches ## Liu Qi, president of the
Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, or BOCOG, also known as the Beijing Organizing Committee, was an informal name for the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. It was also the organizi ...
said "The Wishes of Red Leaves of Fragrant Hill, Paralympic athletes at Beijing have accomplished remarkable achievements by breaking 279 world records and 339 Paralympic records. They have shown their positive attitude toward life, such as self-respect, self-confidence, self-improvement and self-reliance. They have sung a hymn to humanity by displaying their sporting excellence." ##Sir
Philip Craven Sir Philip Lee Craven (born 4 July 1950) is an English sports administrator, former Paralympic wheelchair basketball player, swimmer and track and field athlete. Between 2001 and 2017 he was the second president of the International Para ...
,
IPC IPC may refer to: Businesses and organizations Arts and media * Intellectual Property Committee, a coalition of US corporations with intellectual property interests * International Panorama Council, an international network of specialists in ...
president said "A Letter to the Future." "An ethereal Opening Ceremony. Staggering athletic performances in perfect stadia, The best-ever Paralympic villages. Amazing high-definition television coverage. A never-ending and self-generating supply of passion and emotion. Superb organization. Wonderful volunteers. Millions of new Paralympic sports aficionados both here in China and around the world. These are the greatest Paralympic Games ever." #Raising the national flag of Britain and playing the British national anthem. #Lowering and Folding the IPC flag. #IPC Flag Handover Ceremony – Beijing Mayor
Guo Jinlong Guo Jinlong ( zh, c=郭金龙; born July 1947) is a Chinese politician, who served as the Vice Chairman of the Central Guidance Commission on Building Spiritual Civilization, and was a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party. Betw ...
gives the IPC flag to Sir Philip Craven, who transfers it to London Mayor
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
. #London Handover Presentation – The
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
bus, previously used in the Olympic Games handover presentation returns. This time revealing an interior that is predominantly green with lush grass and a hedge cut into the shape of the London skyline. Paralympian
Ade Adepitan Adedoyin Olayiwola "Ade" Adepitan (; born 27 March 1973) is a Nigerian-born British television presenter and wheelchair basketball player. As a presenter, he has hosted a range of travel documentaries and sports programmes for BBC television. A ...
guides the bus to the Stadium. #Extinguishing of the Paralympic flame – At the same time, all full innumerable dazzling fireworks were launched from the top of the "
Beijing National Stadium The National Stadium (), the Bird's Nest (), is a stadium at Olympic Green in Chaoyang, Beijing, Chaoyang, Beijing, China. The National Stadium, covering an area of 204,000 square meters with an 80,000 person capacity (91,000 with temporary ...
". All full festival fireworks formed a huge circle of extravaganza all full fireworks were fired in a one-off event from all
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
launching from the top of the building outwards above the many spectators and well wishers below farewell in the year in which Beijing went on to host the 2008 Beijing Paralympics Games say farewell. Fireworks were launched in the shape and colour of the see you 2012 London Paralympic Games in a display that all minutes compared to being reduced to all full minutes along with 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony symbolizing the successful back to home at closedown of
2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China, from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...
. The closing ceremony ended at 21:30 CST because after closing ceremony ended due to all full firework displays.


References


External links


Pictures of the closing ceremony
{{DEFAULTSORT:2008 Summer Paralympics Closing Ceremony
Closing Ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event.
Paralympics closing ceremonies Ceremonies in China