Olympic Volleyball Cheerleaders

The volleyball events at the 2008 Summer Olympics featured Chinese cheerleaders in bikinis. The 36-member female squad performed between matches during the beach and indoor volleyball events.¹ A total of 428 cheerleaders trained to perform at 17 events throughout the August 2008 Summer Games.²

Fast Facts

1. Total Olympic cheerleaders: 428²
2. Performed at 17 events²
3. Began training June 15, 2008²
4. 30 Chinese cheerleaders, six Spanish cheerleaders¹
5. Danced to music from Ricky Martin, Michael Jackson and The Beach Boys, among others³
6. Received training from the New England Patriots cheerleaders⁴

Media Reactions

Because China is generally conservative, many journalists and bloggers were surprised to see the cheerleaders in skimpy bikinis. Canoe Sports columnist Tanya Enberg described the performances as "unnecessary and rather bizarre" and compared the view to something from Maxim.⁵ Jake Gosselin at BoDog enjoyed the cheerleaders, stating that he officially has a new favorite Olympic sport to watch.⁶ The Modesto Bee reporter Marijke Rowland questioned whether it was an Olympic event or a beach party.⁷

Related Pages on Mahalo

Olympic Volleyball | Summer Olympics 2008 | Olympic Cheerleaders | US Olympic Volleyball 2008 | Olympic Medal Count 2008 | Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony 2008

Categories