U.S. media praises "truly exceptional" Beijing Olympics

It said the 2008 Olympics established on several fronts benchmarks against which "successive editions of the Olympics are sure to be measured."

"The venues were first-rate, several architectural marvels. The buses ran on time. Pollution-related concerns ultimately played no part in the sports schedule," the article said.

In a story headlined "Olympic success boosts China's confidence," the Christian Science Monitor said "the striking success of the Olympics on burnishing China's prestige as the world admired its sporting prowess, organizational skills, and dramatically modern urban landscapes could encourage profound changes in the country."

Many U.S. media outlets heaped praises on the Chinese volunteers at the Beijing Games.

"The thousands of blue-shirted volunteers could not have been more friendly, polite and welcoming -- even when, as was frequently the case, the language barrier proved formidable," NBC said.

The Los Angeles Times praised the Chinese volunteers for their friendliness and efficiency.

"Have a computer problem? Three volunteers descended in five minutes to solve it. Arrive at a venue without an umbrella on a rainy day? Volunteers requested you wait on the bus until they found one."

Alexander Wolff, a Sports Illustrated writer, wrote about his encounters "that showed what the Games meant to China." In one of the encounters, two volunteers wished him good night at 4:30 in the morning after he had finished a story on the U.S. defeat of China in the men's basketball tournament in the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium.

"I smiled, then turned to look around the gym. There was no one in the place but us. There had probably been no one else in the place since 2 a.m.," Wolff said.

Editor:Wu Yan