Beijing Olympic diary: Closing ceremonies

As public attention shifts to London and 2012, Jeremy Hore, chief integrator for Olympic worldwide IT partner Atos Origin, breathes a sigh of relief in his exclusive silicon.com diary. Follow the link for more on the technology behind the Games.

After four years of preparations, it was all over in just 17 days. It is only just sinking in that it's finished and how much the whole team has achieved.

See what happened when silicon.com editor Steve Ranger went to visit the Beijing Olympics venues.

The statistics from our results systems tell some of the story. We processed 80 per cent more competition data for media and news agencies worldwide than in Athens in 2004.

Those volumes are going to increase further by 2012 as audiences worldwide demand more information, more detail and more delivery options - web, phone, TV.

There have been many highs. A thank-you note from one of our clients halfway through the games was a real boost to the whole team.

NBC congratulated us on the flawless delivery of a new service that provided its staff in New York with secure access to exactly the same commentator information as its teams in Beijing.

Another highlight for me has been the professionalism and teamwork of our 400-strong staff. We have people from 25 countries with diverse backgrounds yet they have really come together as single unit to deliver a successful Games.

The biggest challenge has, perhaps surprisingly, been the night shifts. The second half of the shift once the competitions are finished can seem very long, especially when things are running smoothly. But these lulls also enabled us to spend time preparing for the Paralympics.

There are only 13 days between the Beijing closing ceremony and the Paralympics. Although smaller than the Olympics, it is still a big event with 20 sports and around 5,000 athletes.

We still have much to finalise before 6 September, so for those staying in Beijing for the Paralympics, there isn't much of a break. About half of our team will stay on.

Other members of the team are heading to positions in China, Hong Kong, London and Vancouver or back to Barcelona, the base for our Olympics and Major Events team.

I'm staying in China and will be taking a new role from October with Atos Origin in Asia. Although I'm looking forward to the new challenge, it will be hard to top the Olympics in Beijing. It is something all our team will remember for years to come.

See photos of silicon.com editor Steve Ranger's visit to the Beijing Olympics' venues.