The2008SummerOlympics,officiallyknownastheGamesoftheXXIXOlympiad,willbeheldinBeijinginthePeople'sRepublicofChinafromAugust8,2008toAugust24,2008,withtheopeningceremonytotakeplaceat8p.m.onAugust8,2008(08-08-08-08-thenumber8isassociatedwithprosperityinChineseculture).Someevents,likebeachvolleyball,sailing,andopenwaterswimming,willbeheldinthecoastalcityofQingdao.OnJuly82005,theInternationalOlympicCommitteeannouncedthatHongKongwillholdtheequestrianeventsatthesiteoftheHongKongSportsInstituteinFoTan,ShaTin.ThefacilitiesoftheSportsInstitutemaybemovedtoWuKaiSha.ThiswillbethesecondtimethesameseasonofOlympicGameshasbeenhostedbytwomembersoftheInternationalOlympicCommittee.(AsimilararrangementwasinplacebetweenMelbourne,Australia,andStockholm,Sweden,forthe1956SummerOlympics).Twonewdisciplines,openwaterswimmingandBMXracing,wereaddedtotheSummerOlympicprogrammein2008.
