Looking Back at the Last Time the Olympics Were in Beijing

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The opening ceremony for the 2022 Winter Olympics takes place Friday, and you might recognize the venue. It’ll be hosted at the National Stadium, which earned its “Bird’s Nest” nickname when it debuted the last time Beijing hosted an Olympics: the ‘08 Summer Games.

With these Games, Beijing will become the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Olympics. And while the sports and athletes change, some of the venues will be the same.

Not only will the National Stadium get double billing, the National Aquatic Center, which was finished in 2007, will as well.

Back in 2008, its pool played host to some historic moments and memorable images.

That’s where Michael Phelps out-touched Milorad Cavic to win the 100-meter butterfly by a hundredth of a second.

The men's synchronized 10-meter platform diving competition also took place there, resulting in this image captured by Simon Bruty:

But where there was once water, there’s now ice. Despite the opening ceremony’s placement on the schedule later this week, some sports are beginning their competitions before then.

One of the first to do so is curling, which has made its home within the National Aquatics Center.

Be sure to follow @sifullframe on Instagram throughout the Games to get some behind-the-scenes looks at our photographers’ experiences in China. Stay tuned for future editions of this newsletter for more on what it was like to get to Beijing and what it’s like on the ground during the Games.

For more coverage of the 2022 Beijing Games, visit SI.com/olympics and sign up for our free daily Olympics newsletter at SI.com/newsletters.

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