Beijing 2008 - It's a wrap - The Big Picture

Beijing 2008 - It's a wrap

Over the past couple of weeks, in Beijing, China, over 11,000 athletes from more than 200 countries participated in 302 events in 28 sports. below are some highlights of the last week in Beijing, and a few shots of the Closing Ceremony last night in the National Stadium. (39 photos total)

Left-to-right: Netherlands Antilles' Churandy Martina, Zimbabwe's Brian Dzingai, Jamaica's Usain Bolt, Wallace Spearmon of the US and Britain's Christian Malcolm compete in the men's 200m final at the Bird's Nest National Stadium during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 20, 2008. Bolt went on to win the event, in a world record time of 19.3 seconds. (Olivier Morin/AFP)

Ma Lin of China serves during his men's singles gold medal table tennis match against his compatriot Wang Hao at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 23, 2008. (REUTERS/Beawiharta) #

The United States team competes during the synchronised swimming event held at the National Aquatics Center on Day 15 of the 2008 Olympic Games on August 23, 2008 in Beijing. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images) #

Lolo Jones of the U.S. reacts after coming in seventh in the women's 100m hurdles final of the athletics competition at the 2008 Olympic Games in the National Stadium August 19, 2008. (REUTERS/Dylan Martinez) #

Marianne Steinbrecher #3 of Brazil tries to spike the ball past Kim Glass #10, Danielle Scott-Arruda #2 and Tayyiba Haneef-Park #3 of the United States during the women's gold medal volleyball game held at the Beijing Institute of Technology Gymnasium on Day 15 of the 2008 Olympic Games on August 23, 2008 in Beijing. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) #

Huo Liang of China competes during the Men's 10m Platform Final diving event held at the National Aquatics Center on Day 15 of the 2008 Olympic Games on August 23, 2008 in Beijing. (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) #

Chaunte Howard of the United States reacts as she makes a clearance during the women's high jump final during the athletics competitions in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) #

Angel Valodia Matos of Cuba is led away by his coach after he kicked referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden (at left), when Chelbat disqualified Matos for an extended injury time out during the Men's +80kg bronze medal match against Arman Chilmanov of Kazakhstan held at the University of Science and Technology Beijing Gymnasium on Day 15 of the 2008 Olympic Games on August 23, 2008 in Beijing. Both Matos and his coach were later banned for life over the incident. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) #

Germany's Moritz Oeler jumps for a shot during the semifinal waterpolo match against Greece at the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games on August 22, 2008. (FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images) #

Croatia's Blanka Vlasic makes an attempt in the final of the women's high jump during the athletics competitions in the National Stadium at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) #

Vasyl Lomachenko of Ukraine (in red) celebrates victory against Khedafi Djelkhir of France (in blue) in the Men's Featherweight (57kg) Final Bout held at Workers' Indoor Arena on Day 15 of the 2008 Olympic Games on August 23, 2008 in Beijing. (Nick Laham/Getty Images) #

China performs in the Team Event Free Routine Final during the synchronised swimming held at the National Aquatics Center on Day 15 of the 2008 Olympic Games on August 23, 2008 in Beijing. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) #

Nina Solheim (in blue) of Norway lands a kick on Noha Abd Rabo of Egypt in the women's +67 kg taekwondo match during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing on August 23, 2008. (JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images) #

Members of various relay teams watch as the U.S. team hugs after winning the women's 4x400m relay final of the athletics competition in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 23, 2008. (REUTERS/Mike Blake) #

Australia's Matthew Mitcham reacts during the medal ceremony after winning the men's 10m platform diving competition at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev) #

Ukraine's Ganna Bessonova competes in the individual all-around final of the rhythmic gymnastics at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing on August 23, 2008. (FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images) #

Afonso Domingos and Bernardo Plantier Santos of Portugal (R) and Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau of France compete during the medals race of the Star class at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 21, 2008 in Qingdao. Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson of Britain won gold while Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada of Brazil took silver and Fredrik Loof and Anders Ekstrom claimed bronze. (DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images) #

John Zakrzewski of France has blood on his face after falling from his horse DianDian during the men's riding show jumping event of the modern pentathlon competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 21, 2008. Zakrzewski was able to complete his run. (REUTERS/Claro Cortes IV) #

British Tim Brabants celebrates after reaching gold at the men�s Kayak single (K1) 1000m finals of the 2008 Olympic Games at the Shunyi Rowing Canoe-kayak Park in Beijing on August 22, 2008. (MICHAEL KAPPELER/AFP/Getty Images) #

The Russian team celebrates after winning the women's 4�100m Relay final at the National Stadium during the 2008 Olympic Games on August 22, 2008. Russia won ahead of Belgium and Nigeria. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images) #

A runner passes by Tiananmen gate in the men's marathon during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing Sunday, Aug 24, 2008. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty) #

Tingting Jiang and Wenwen Jiang of China perform during the preliminary round of the synchronised swimming duet free routine at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 19, 2008. The Chinese pair finished in third place. (GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images) #

Afghanistan's Rohullan Nikpai reacts after winning against Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain in the men's -58kg bronze medal taekwondo competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 20, 2008. Nikpai gave Afghanistan its first ever Olympic Games medal when he won the taekwondo men's -58kg bronze medal here August 20. (BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images) #

Competitors of the women's modern pentathlon shoot air pistols in the first of five sports at the Beijing 2008 Olympics Games, Friday, Aug. 22, 2008. The modern pentathlon combines the skills of shooting, fencing, swimming, equestrian and running. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) #

Rommel Pacheco, of Mexico, dives in the men's 10 meter platform diving semifinals during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) #

Czech athlete Roman Sebrle competes during the men's decathlon discus throw at the National Stadium in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 22, 2008. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images) #

Spectators visit the Olympic Green during the 2008 Olympics on August 22, 2008 in Beijing. (Feng Li/Getty Images) #

Donny Robinson of the United States gets air during the Men's BMX final run held at the Laoshan Bicycle Moto Cross Venue during Day 14 of the 2008 Olympic Games on August 22, 2008 in Beijing. (Adam Pretty/Getty Images) #

Czech Republic's Barbora Spotakova competes during the women's javelin throw final at the National Stadium in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 21, 2008. Spotakova won the women's javelin on Thursday with a best throw of 71.42 metres. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images) #

Japan's team competes in the synchronised swimming technical routine team event at the National Aquatics Center during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing on August 22, 2008. (MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images) #

Photographers shoot the medal ceremony after men's gold medal soccer match between Nigeria and Argentina at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 23, 2008. (REUTERS/Gary Hershorn) #

Australia's Steve Hooker prepares for his final jump in the men's pole vault final at the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 22, 2008. Hooker went on to win the gold medal in the event. (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images) #

A member of the Japan synchronized swim team is tended by teammates after an incident during competion in the synchronised swimming team event free routine final at the National Aquatics Center on Day 15 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 23, 2008. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images) #

Bryan Clay of the U.S. crosses the finish line in the men's decathlon 1500m at the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium during the 2008 Olympic Games on August 22, 2008. Clay won the Olympic decathlon, capturing gold in the two-day, 10-discipline event with 8,791 points. (Olivier Morin/AFP) #

Fireworks light up the sky at the end of the closing and hand-over ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at the National Stadium also known as the "Bird's Nest" on August 24, 2008. (Christophe Simon/AFP) #

A musician plays a drum above dancers who perform during the closing and hand-over ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at the National Stadium on August 24, 2008. (Christophe Simon/AFP) #

Entertainers perform during the closing ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at the National Stadium on August 24, 2008. (Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images) #

Acrobats perform on the Memory Tower in the National Stadium during the Closing Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 24, 2008 in Beijing. (Stu Forster/Getty Images) #

A fireworks display erupts near the Bird's Nest National Stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 24, 2008. (Axel Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images) #