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British soccer superstar David Beckham (C) throws a "welcome ball" from atop a red double-decker bus during the eight-minute performance prepared by London, host city of the next summer Olympic Games in 2012, at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games closing ceremony held in the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2008. [Liao Yujie/Xinhua]
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Meanwhile, American "superfish" Phelps has won so many hearts in China that avid fans are hooked to the Internet day in day out just to talk about him. Online chatrooms have been named "Phelps' posting bar" or simply "Phelpsians", the new coinage meaning unprecedented victory. Many insist the transliteration of his name, "Fei Er Pu Si" should be included in the Chinese dictionary.
Yet at the end of the Games, it is more than the stars and golds that are remembered.
Every Olympian is a hero, and the 10,000-odd athletes from 204 delegations will all be remembered for their painstaking to fulfill their own dreams, and to pursue the Olympic spirit "higher, swifter and stronger".
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British soccer superstar David Beckham (2nd R) performs on a red double-decker bus during the eight-minute performance prepared by London, host city of the next summer Olympic Games in 2012, at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games closing ceremony held in the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 24, 2008. [Liao Yujie/Xinhua]
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"We are reluctant to say goodbye," said an editorial to be published on the People's Daily on Monday. "For 16 days and 16 nights, we basked in the happiness and pride of the Olympiad... China's fulfillment of its centennial dream coincides with the world."
The Games have concluded, but the Olympic spirit is here to stay, thanks to the power, charm and perseverance demonstrated by worldwide Olympians.
When the time the Olympics open in London in four years and people look back at the Beijing Games, they will probably easily remember Bolt and Phelps.
We are not sure how many will remember Natalie du Toit, but the story of the South African amputee swimmer who completed the grueling 10-km open water race will certainly go down in Olympic history.
We are not sure whether former Chinese fencer Luan Jujie will compete again in London, at 54. But her comeback in Beijing is certainly a success story of testing one's own limits, though not necessarily winning a medal.
Our congratulations and thanks go to all the Olympians who have made the Beijing Games so much better, and left behind the sportsmanship and heroism that will inspire for many generations.
(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2008)