Supporters and athletes cheer a runner on the final leg of the Beijing Olympics torch relay. Reception had not always been so positive, with sections of the relay in London and Paris marked by violent protests and controversy.
Few doubted that the Beijing Olympics would be one of the most contentious Games in the modern era. But Beijing's troubled start to the Games - marked by riots in Tibet, a torch relay that sparked protests worldwide, a devastating earthquake, and a disturbing surge in nationalism - went well beyond the most pessimistic forecast. The highly polarised reaction to these unfortunate events made a mockery of the 2008 Games' slogan of "One World, One Dream". Though these events did not prevent Beijing from staging a technically brilliant sports fest, the bitterness surrounding the run up to the Games may have a greater long-term impact on a rising China than the Games per se.
The earthquake ravaged town of Hongbai in Sichuan province.
Nationalistic youths demand: "Frenchmen shut up. Tibet is China's."
