IOC President Jacques Rogge: "no white elephant has been built"

BEIJING -- Speaking to reporters as the Beijing Olympic Games wound down, IOC President Jacques Rogge said that China and the citizens of Beijing will be far better off thanks to the Games. Declaring that none of the stadiums or buildings will become "white elephants" to the city, that the improvements to the airport and the subway will be bright spots for locals, Rogge said the legacy of these Games will be a positive one for the Chinese.

As far as the athletes and nations went, it was a huge success, according to the official website of the Olympic movement, olympic.org:

A record 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) sent athletes to China, and a record 87 NOCs joined the medal count.

The competitors established 43 world records and 132 Olympic records, although some lasted only until the next heat.

Meanwhile, the U.S. cleaned up in swimming, on the basketball court, in both arenas of volleyball, in several areas of track and field and, most important, in the Nielson ratings.

-- Tony Pierce