Beijing was awarded the 2008 Olympics on Friday when the international Olympic committee (IOC) voted to take the games to the world's most populous country for the first time, said reports.
The Chinese capital, which lost out by just two votes to Sydney in the race to stage the 2000 games, defeated Paris, Toronto, Istanbul and Osaka.
The result was announced by the IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch who is standing down after 21 years at the helm of the world's leading sports organization. – Albawaba.com
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