My Beijing Olympic 2008 Banners @ Random Shots

3rd revamp of this post. The last shall be the first; the first shall be the last...mainly for easy maintenance. The banners for my blog for this Olympic season done by my other half.
Update 17/8/08
Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt both have made history. One with his 8-Gold Medal haul with records and the other, breaking the 100m with an unbelievable sub 9.7s and another record for 200m. The last athlete to achieve that was Carl Lewis.
The 6th banner....yay! athletic events start on Friday. My favourite sport in the Games. These events are as old as the Games, as original as you can get and they represent the sheer human spirit in attempting to beat the odds...Usain Bolt is currently the fastest man in the world. But the 100m sprint will witness more than its share of sprinters capable of dipping below 9.8 seconds. In the mid and long distances, watch the endurance and staying power of the athletes...after all the running events were the only events held in the first 13 Olympics. Those days athletes who win get free food and free theater tickets for the rest of their lives. Guess that is also like the RM1 million promised to any Malaysian who comes back with the gold medal.Fifth of the Olympic Banner fever series. This one features The Water Cube. With its depth of 3 metres it is believed to be the fastest pool in the world. Maybe that's why so many world records have been established here this Olympics. The Beijing Olympic torch is known as the Lucky Cloud and it's made of aluminium. Designed to remain lit even in harsh weather conditions, it is shaped like the traditional Chinese scroll. And finally, Michael Phelps, a phenomenal swimmer; American and already winner of 5 gold medals at the time of this writing. His total so far, from 2 Olympics stands at 11. He's gunning for Mark Spitz's haul of 7 gold medal in one Games. It seems within reach. He will go down as one of the greatest Olympians!The fourth in the Olympic series - the terracotta warriors. In death Qin Shih Huang Ti remains larger than life with his army guarding over this tomb which till this day has not been located. Works of art in themselves, these figures of clay are also showcases of the Chinese craftsmenship. Marvelled as one of the greatest 20th century archeological digs, it has given us insights to the life of the early Chinese civilization.
The 3rd banner in the Olympic series. Reminiscing about past glories....China, one of the world's earliest ancient civilizations. We have witnessed her rise and fall; and the dragon is rising again. The Great Wall of China....the legacy of Shih Huang Ti, the first Chinese Emperor. Built to keep out the barbarians, it heralded the beginning of a great civilization; east and west converged to it - The Middle Kingdom. In the similar vein, Beijing Olympics is perhaps also heralding in a new era of 'greatness'. A slumbering giant has awakened.
This one is The National Stadium...also known as the Bird's Nest. This is where the Opening and Closing ceremonies will be held, as well as the track and field events. It shares the same design as the Charles de Gaulle International Airport in France. First banner. Red is the auspicious colour for the Chinese - birth, prosperity, courage, loyalty. So red is the choice colour for the first banner. Fuwa is the name of the mascot. There are 5 of them in 5 Olympic colours and they embody the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals -- the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow. Dancing Beijing is the official emblem of Beijing 2008. And it is red also ... and styled in Chinese calligraphy with a dragon somewhere in the design. Everything Chinese!