Unforgettable people in Beijing Olympics

Michael Phelps, the American swimmer who has won eight gold medals at one Olympic

Games. Until recently, he was little known locally.

Chen Xiexia, the woman weightlifter, who won the first gold for China, and film director Zhang Yimou, also will remain household names.

Not to mention NBA stars Kobe Bryant, Yao Ming, or Yi Jianlian.

There are also others whose names alone guarantee the limelight, no matter whether they win a medal or not.

For many, the Olympic Games may only be about the names they care about. Indeed, sports produce celebrities. Celebrities in turn make sports even more attractive.

But just as Pierre de Coubertin taught us, the Olympics are not just about medals. It is the broad participation that bestows the Games its universal appeal. And the participants are not limited to athletes.

Close to the athletes are their coaches and various other caretakers. Their roles should not be under-appreciated.

But let us look beyond the courts of competition. The Games cannot be as enjoyable without the toils of those working in anonymity.

Unlike those celebrating their wins on the victory rostrums, they also include the fair ladies holding the trophy plates, the volunteers serving at competition venues, or ordinary citizens who are taking public transport in order to make way for the Games.

And let us not forget the thousands of actors and actresses whose flawless performances made possible a spectacular opening ceremony. In particular the 897 young men who spent hours underneath the "elastic" type fonts, on that smoldering summer evening when heatstroke was reported among spectators. They demonstrated true character and harmony.

It was nice of director Zhang to let them show their faces at the end of the performance. We still have no idea who they were, except for the fact they were soldiers who left Beijing immediately after the show.

We just want to say to them, thank you. They deserve our gratitude for the joy they gave us.