On 8-8-08, the Philadelphia Sports Congress, a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, along with the City of Philadelphia, hosted the Evening of Champions to coincide with the start of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. More than 5,000 people reveled in the free street festival that celebrated the spirit of Olympism. Participating in the festivities was Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter (with microphone), who was joined on stage by more than 30 local Olympians.

With a convention center that encompasses six city blocks, Philadelphia is a global meetings destinations. That worldwide spirit was much in evidence last week, when the city of brotherly love shared Olympic spirit with Beijing, 7,000 miles away, when that city celebrated the beginning of the 2008 Summer Games. Philadelphia held its Evening of Champions in Philadelphia’s Chinatown—only two blocks from the Pennsylvania Convention Center, in the city’s China Town section.  The City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Sports Congress, a division of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, transforming 10th Street between Arch and Race streets into a festival of Olympic and Chinese traditions.  The festivities included Sports Showcase, featuring demonstrations of several sports that are part of both winter and summer Olympics, a Chinese Cultural Showcase and an Asian Arts Initiative Youth Arts Workshop and the Mural Arts Program.  The Evening of Champions is the culmination of the City’s year-long celebration of the Olympics—U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Table Tennis were held before sell-out crowds in January, a USA Boxing World Dual Match featuring the U.S. and Puerto Rico took place in April, and the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics were held in Philadelphia in June. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, was joined during the event by 30 Olympians, all from the Philadelphia area, who competed in Summer and Winter events as far back as 1964.