The 2008 Summer Olympics were held in Beijing, China from August 8-24. There were 11,028 athletes from 204 countries who competed in 28 sports and 302 events. The opening ceremony on August 8, 2008 began at 8:00 pm local time and was highlighted by Chinese gymnast Li Ning lighting the Olympic cauldron. Some of the new venues built for the Games included the National Stadium known as the Bird's Nest and the National Aquatics Center called the Water Cube.