Number play at the Olympics

Dubai: The Chinese are passionate about numbers. And there was a fair share of plays on numbers when the curtains came down on the 29th modern edition of the Games in Beijing on Sunday.

One man who personified the Chinese dream was American swimmer Michael Phelps, who went on to win a record-breaking eight gold medals at the Olympics Games, which were thrown open to the world on the eighth day of the eighth month of 2008.

A total of 43 world records and 132 Olympic records were re-written in Beijing during the 16 days of the competition.

But in a country where numbers play a crucial role, it was surely not lost on the hosts that the last medal they won at their Olympics was also their 100th (the silver medal won by boxer Zhang Zhilei in the super-heavyweight division).

Overall, Russia showed signs of decline as they dropped to third in the overall medal standings behind the United States, which finished with a total of 110, while China was conveniently at the top with a rounded 100.

The Russians won 36 gold medals and 88 overall in 2000; they won 27 golds and 92 overall in Athens. This time the final tallies were 23 and 72.

But it was the Chinese who were best prepared for these Olympics and they proved this beyond doubt as they finished with 51 gold, the highest figure for any nation at an Olympics in 20 years. Also, they won these medals across a wider range of sports than any other team in Beijing. The organisers spent a reported $100 million for the opening and closing ceremony activities.