The spectacular opening ceremonies featured a sea of drummers, over 15,000 costumes and a stunning display of fireworks.

In the opening round of the men's basketball competition, the US team, led by LeBron James faced off against Yao Ming and Team China. The US won 101 - 70.

South African swimmer Natalie du Toit is the first amputee to ever compete in the Olympic Games. Swimming without a prosthesis, she finished 16th, in a field of 25, in the 10k swim.

By far the biggest story of the first week of the games was US swimmer Michael Phelps' pursuit of the world record for gold medals at the Games. On Day 8, he hit the water in pursuit of his seventh win, in the 100M Butterfly. Trailing Serbian Milorad Cavic for most of the race, he caught up with him in the last few meters, stretching to beat him by .01 second.

In the process of winning his eight gold medals, Phelps set seven world records, including one for the 4 x 100 Freestyle Relay. In the photo above, Phelps and freestyle team-mate Garrett Weber-Gale, celebrate after Jason Lezak out-touched Frenchman Alain Bernard in the final leg of the race.

The winner of the 110-meter hurdles at Athens, Liu Xiang came to Beijing ready to defend his title in front of hundreds of millions of his fellow Chinese. But the Chinese star pulled up lame just steps into his first qualifier, his hand holding his calf. He would not return to competition, and a whole nation moaned.

Angelo Taylor, right, led a US sweep of the Men 400m Hurdles. After the race, he was joined by Kerron Clement, left, who took silver and Bershawn Jackson, who finished third.

US swimmer Natalie Coughlin celebrates after taking gold in the women's 100m Backstroke.

The year's new olympic sport, BMX cycling, drew big ratings and garnered more excitement. In the women's competition, Anne-Caroline Chausson of France took the gold.

Both the Chinese men and women won the team gymnastics competitions.

US hurdler Lolo Jones was favored to win the 100m Hurdlers, but she hit the penultimate hurdle and ultimately finished seventh.

Shelley-Ann Fraser (lane 4), Sherone Simpson (lane 2) and Kerron Stewart (lane 7) parade their nation's flag after finishing 1-2-3 in the Women's 100m.

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt gave two electrifying performances as he won gold and set world records in both the 100m and 200m. He was also part of a relay team that set a world record in the 400 relay.

As the games unfolded in Beijing, war erupted on the other side of the world, as Russian and Georgia entered a bloody conflict over possession of the separatist enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. As violence raged in the Caucuses, the beach volleyball teams representing the two countries met for a match in China, where they displayed a more harmonious spirit.

Rau'shee Warren had high hopes for a gold in the men's flyweight category, but was disappointed by Lee Oksung of Korea, who defeated him in a preliminary match.

US women's gymnastics coach Martha Karolyi hugs Alicia Sacramone after she stumbled off the balance beam in the women's gymnastics team competition.

American wrestler Henry Cejudo, the son of illegal Mexican immigrants, was an unexpected winner in the 55K category of men's freestyle wrestling.

Christie Rampone of the US women's soccer team hoists the flag and her daughter Rylie Cate after the American women defeated Brazil in the final.

Participants in the men's decathlon collapse on the track after the 1500m race, the grueling competition's final event. The winner was American Bryan Clay, top left.

LeBron James celebrates with the US men's basketball team after they defeated Spain 118-107 in the gold medal match.

The Memory Tower rises within the Bird's Next stadium during the Closing Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

www.slideshare.net/group/olympics OLYMPICS GROUP Tanveer Iqbal www.slideshare.net/haveaword