- The opening ceremony will begin at 8pm on 8 August.
- The games is expected to attract 18,000 international broadcasters.
- Partners include Bank of China, Volkswagen, Adidas, Johnson & Johnson and Air China. Sponsors include UPS, Haier and Budweiser. Coca-Cola is the Torch relay sponsor.
- The 2004 Athens Olympics drew a record global TV audience of 4bn.