At US$44 billion in infrastructure and hosting costs, the Beijing Games represents an investment that dwarfs many nations' financial crisis stimulus packages.
In the same way that last week's storms cleared the skies above Beijing, the start of the athletics at the iconic 'Bird's Nest' National Stadium has brought the crowds, breaking the drought of visitors on the Olympic Green.
BEIJING - Speedo has emerged as one of the biggest brand success stories in this year's Olympics, after the success of its Speedo LZR Racer suit forced athletes sponsored by other brands to renegotiate their deals.
BEIJING - An injury to China's biggest athletics star, Liu Xiang has halted his defence of the 110m hurdles Olympic title before it even started, leaving a large roster of sponsors without their day in the sun.