rang nation gold silver bronze total 1 chn 51 21 28 100 2 usa 36 38 36 110 3 rus 23 21 28 72 4 gbr 19 13 15 47 5 ger 16 10 15 41 6 aus 14 15 17 46 7 kor 13 10 8 31 8 jpn 9 6 10 25 9 ita 8 9 10 27

	beijing 2008
	rank nation gold silver bronze total 1 chn 51 21 28 100 2 usa 36 38 36 110 3 rus 23 21 28 72 4 gbr 19 13 15 47 5 ger 16 10 15 41 6 aus 14 15 17 46 7 kor 13 10 8 31 8 jpn 9 6 10 25 9 ita 8 9 10 27
	All but one of the 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that existed as of 2008 participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics, the exception being Brunei.Three countries participated in the Olympic Games for their first time: the Marshall Islands, Montenegro and Tuvalu.The Marshall Islands and Tuvalu gained National Olympic Committee status in 2006 and 2007 respectively, and 2008 was the first games in which they were eligible to participate. The states of Serbia and Montenegro, which participated at the 2004 Games jointly as Serbia and Montenegro, competed separately for the first time. The Montenegrin Olympic Committee was accepted as a new National Olympic Committee in 2007.Neighboring Kosovo, however, did not participate. After the declaration of independence in Kosovo, the IOC specified requirements that Kosovo needs to meet before being recognised by the IOC; most notably, it has to be recognised as independent by the United Nations. China and the United States had the largest teams, with 639 for China and 596 for the United States. More than 100 sovereigns, heads of state and heads of government as well as 170 Ministers of Sport attended the Beijing Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate.The Games are currently held every four years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating, although they occur every four years within their respective seasonal games. Since 2008, host cities are contracted to manage both the Olympic and the Paralympic Games, where athletes who have a physical disability compete. The Paralympics are held immediately following their respective Olympic Games. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. The IOC has since become the governing body of the Olympic Movement, whose structure and actions are defined by the Olympic Charter.