page_title: 2008 Summer Olympics
section_title: Participating National Olympic Committees
hierarchical_section_title: 2008 Summer Olympics / Participating National Olympic Committees
context_page_description: The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, and commonly known as Beijing 2008, was an international multi-sport event that was held from 8 to 24 August 2008 in Beijing, China.
  A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events. This was the first time that China had hosted the Summer Olympics, and the third time that the Games had been held in Asia, following the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, and the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. These were the third summer Olympic Games staged in a developing country after the Mexico City 1968 Summer Olympics and the 1980 Summer Olympics in the Soviet Union.
  Beijing was awarded the 2008 Games over four competitors on 13 July 2001, having won a majority of votes from members of the International Olympic Committee after two rounds of voting. The Government of the People's Republic of China promoted the Games and invested heavily in new facilities and transport systems. A total of 37 venues were used to host the events, including twelve constructed specifically for the 2008 Olympics.
context_section_description: All but one of the 205 recognized National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that existed as of 2008  participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics, the exception being Brunei. Three countries participated in the Olympic Games for their first time: the Marshall Islands, Montenegro and Tuvalu.
  While not a full member recognized by the IOC and thus not allowed to compete formally in the Olympics, the Macau Sports and Olympic Committee sent a delegation to participate in the Wushu Tournament Beijing 2008, being the only unrecognized National Olympic Committee to have taken part in the 2008 Summer Olympics. It also coordinated efforts with the Chinese Olympic Committee to organize the torch relay through Macau.
  The Marshall Islands and Tuvalu gained National Olympic Committee status in 2006 and 2007 respectively, and 2008 was the first games in which they were eligible to participate. The states of Serbia and Montenegro, which participated at the 2004 Games jointly as Serbia and Montenegro, competed separately for the first time. The Montenegrin Olympic Committee was accepted as a new National Olympic Committee in 2007. Neighboring Kosovo, however, did not participate. After the declaration of independence in Kosovo, the IOC specified requirements that Kosovo needs to meet before being recognized by the IOC; most notably, it has to be recognized as independent by the United Nations.
  More than 100 sovereigns, heads of state and heads of government as well as 170 Ministers of Sport attended the Beijing Olympic Games.
caption: Participating nations
  Blue = Participating for the first time. Green = Have previously participated. Yellow square is host city (Beijing)