Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics Basketball contests at the 2008 Summer Olympics were held from August 9, 2008 to August 24, 2008. Competitions were held at the Wukesong Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. The United States claimed the gold medals in both the Men's and Women's competitions. Basketball players that carried their flags at the opening ceremony were Yao Ming (for the People's Republic of China), Šarūnas Jasikevičius (for Lithuania), Dirk Nowitzki (for Germany), Andrei Kirilenko (for the Russian Federation), and Manu Ginóbili (for Argentina). Two sets of medals were awarded in the following events: An NOC may enter
Suriname at the 2008 Summer Olympics athletes to any one Games. Prior to and including 2008, one Surinamese athlete had won the two medals ever claimed by Surinamese athletes–Anthony Nesty, who won a gold medal in 1988, and a bronze medal in 1992, both in swimming events. No medals were won in Beijing. Although Nesty did not participate in any event at the Beijing Olympics, he was Suriname's flag bearer at the ceremonies. He also served as the head coach for the Surinamese Olympic swim team, having served previously as associate head coach for the University of Florida swim team and, during the 2004 Summer Olympics