The 2008 Beijing Olympic Poster

While you may not think that it would be worth your time to pick up an Olympic poster, you may also be wrong. Olympic posters serve as official collectibles just as coins and stamps do, showing your favorite athletes with the background of sheer beauty in any hosting city they've competed in, especially Beijing. To get these posters alone is a wonderful treat for anyone, but to get these posters autographed would certainly make anyone not regret this decision.

The official Olympic posters are a must-have for any Olympic memorabilia collector. These large descriptive images have played their part in the games since 1896 when the concept had returned to Athens, Greece, where the "Games of the I Olympiad" had taken place. With an archaic depiction of an athletic female Grecian, this poster had marked the beginnings of an Olympic tradition. Each of the posters created since this era have been carefully thought out, and been assigned to artists and conceptual designers that have proved their love and respect for these sacred games through the beautiful images presented throughout the years.

For the most recent games in Beijing, a very special group of people had been recruited to collaborate for this momentous task. China put their heads together and assigned young men and women from over 266 colleges and universities to come up with the art that would grace the icons of these summer games. Together, the students generated over 3,800 Olympics-themed posters, which they formed into a collection to be viewed publicly at the games. This process began in the month of March in 2006, and continued for months until the students were ready to reveal their hard work to the public.

Featured in the Beijing Jintai Art Gallery were 300 selections of these thousands of pictures drawn, and displayed these posters proudly as a representation of the up and coming talent that China had to offer from their most gifted art students throughout the nation. The Beijing organization committee was very pleased with the results that were produced from this youth-inspired idea, and immediately began using these poster to promote the games on a grand scale world-wide.

The official 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Poster was chosen from this group of thousands of images and then set in place to encourage and inspire the citizens of China, those who planned to visit for the Olympic Games, and the athletes who were chosen to participate in the games and events. The design chosen was the perfect depiction of the capitol of China where the games took place. The character shown on this poster, rightfully named "jing" which means capitol represented the host city of Beijing. This poster and official logo of the games was titled "Dancing Beijing" and shows the joy and excitement China was given by being the hosts of the summer Olympics for the most current year.

As the games took place, and the legacy continued, this symbol of the extreme patriotism and dedication of the students of China hung high above the events. This chosen masterpiece and all of the other images created by the youth of that nation will remain a vital piece of history and symbol of love for sport and country. Owning this poster is a must for avid Olympic memorabilia collectors around the world.