World Events during Leap Year 2008

Three events that seem to grab international attention also coincide the leap year of 2008. They are: the United States presidential election, the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. Just like a leap year, these events tend to occur every four years.

United States Presidential Election

The next United States presidential election is scheduled for November 4, 2008. It will be the 56th election for the president and vice-president of the United States. This election coincides with other elections within the United States, including the elections of the Senate, where 35 out of 100 seats are contested, and the House of Representatives, where each of the 435 seats is contested.
Held every four years, the presidential election involves extensive campaigns and media attention. Hopeful candidates include: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Mike Huckabee. For the first time since 1928, this election has neither a current president nor a current vice-president running for their party.
The first presidential election in the United States was held in 1789, when one of the nation’s “founding fathers” George Washington was voted as the country’s first president. George W Bush, who was a former governor of Texas, currently serves as the 43rd president of the nation.

Olympic Games

The 2008 Olympic Summer Games will be in Beijing, China, from August 8-24, 2008. A torch relay, which plays a symbolic and crucial role in celebrating the Olympic Games, marks the opening of the event. In Sydney 2000, the torch flame journeyed underwater in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and covered the longest distance in the Games’ history.
Olympic athletes from different countries, such as Australia, China, Japan, South Africa and the United States, will compete for medals in a wide range of sports. These sports include: athletics, aquatics, archery, boxing, gymnastics, judo, tennis, volleyball and weight lifting.

History of the Modern Olympics

In 1894 Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee. Two years later, the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece. The revival of the ancient Olympics attracted athletes from 14 nations, with delegations from countries including Germany and France.

Paralympic Games

Beijing also plays host to the Paralympic Games, held from September 6-17, 2008. The Paralympics are elite sport events for athletes from six different disability groups. Athletes include those with mobility disabilities, visual disabilities, cerebral palsy and amputees.
This event focuses on the athletes’ achievements rather than their disabilities. Paralympic sports include: archery, athletics, swimming, table tennis, and volleyball. The Paralympic Games are always held in the same year as the Olympic Games. From the 2012 onwards, the city chosen to host the Olympic Games will be obliged to host the Paralympics.

History of the Paralympic Games

In 1948 German-born neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttmann organized a sports competition involving World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries in England. An international movement was born as a result of Guttmann’s efforts. In 1960 athletes with a disability travelled to Rome to compete in Olympic-style games, which are now known as the Paralympics. The Paralympics have proven to be increasingly popular over time. More than 3800 athletes from 136 countries competed in the Paralympics in Athens, Greece, in 2004.

More information

• Why and When Leap Years are Used
• About Leap Day – February 29
• Leap Day – Famous Birthdays and Events
• February 30 Was a Real Date

Further reading

• Leap Year in Other Calendars
• Anthony – Leap Year Capital of the World

Calendar tools

• Calendar for year 2008
• Calendar Generator – Create a calendar for any year
• Repeating calendars – Which years share the same calendar?